Author Archives: christartist

DF day 1 – New Year!

Today is a new day.
Today is the first day of the rest of my life.
Today I start the Daniel Fast.

Isaiah 58 – this is the fast
:6 [Is] not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?
:7 [Is it] not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?
:8 Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy rereward.

There is so much in this chapter….
I want to lose the bands of wickedness from off of my family…Jim, myself, and my children.
I want to undo the heavy burdens of familial sickness and wounds, and set the captives free!

And I want my light to break forth as the morning(by the morning star – Jesus), and my health to spring forth…and I want to walk in righteousness, and be rewarded by God’s glory!

I want this chapter of scripture to be released into my family and my life.

I need to review what came out of last year’s time of fasting…and seek the Lord to continue to move towards Christ likeness.

Strengthen me, O Lord, to glorify You in my body – to make this temple a place for You to dwell within.
Make me, a sanctuary

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

“The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear. If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation. If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself.” – from My Utmost for His highest

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Barbs Drawing

Naomi's Heart Mission

Help a child in need. Check out Naomi’s Heart Mission or Compassion International. The life that changes will be your own!

100 Spiritual Walking Steps – #35 Looking toward the goal

From where I’m standing
Lord it’s so hard for me to see
Where this is going
And where You’re leading me
I wish I knew how
All my fears and all my questions
Are gonna play out
In a world I can’t control

This song really makes it clear that when we look at our current circumstances we rarely can see our future clearly.

Ruth “Bunny” Graham wrote a book:
Fear Not Tomorrow, for God is already there.

Casting Crowns:

When I’m lost in the mystery
To You my future is a memory
Cause You’re already there
You’re already there
Standing at the end of my life
Waiting on the other side
And You’re already there
You’re already there

When I think about my tomorrows, I wonder what I’m going to do, and will I be prepared, will I be happy there, will there be others there with me. Wondering is one thing, but fearing is another. wondering can lead to anxiousness, which is stress, and can lead to fear.

Nothing is going to happen to me that the Lord and I can’t handle. ~AA

The will of God will not lead me to a place where the grace of God cannot protect me.~Folk wisdom

Casting Crowns:

From where You’re standing
Lord, You see a grand design
That You imagined
When You breathed me into life
And all the chaos
Comes together in Your hands
Like a masterpiece
Of Your picture perfect plan
When I’m lost in the mystery
To You my future is a memory
Cause You’re already there
You’re already there
Standing at the end of my life
Waiting on the other side
And You’re already there
You’re already there

This is all about God’s sovereignty…Everything that happens to me has to go through HIS hand. No need to fear.  So, why plan? Because, we don’t know the hour or the time for His return, and we must work while it is night, until the morning light.

So, looking toward the goal –

Philippians 3:14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

This is my whole purpose in life…to press on toward the prize.

1 Cor 9:24 Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.

Heb 12:1-2 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset [us], and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of [our] faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

As I press on towards the goal, I can rest that Jesus is already there, and will not be surprised by anything, but is waiting for me with open arms. And when this life is over, we will look back together, and HE will show me the great masterpiece that HE has created.  I just have to make sure to keep headed in the right direction!

~Casting Crowns

One day I’ll stand before You
And look back on the life I’ve lived
I can’t wait to enjoy the view
And see how all the pieces fit [x2]

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment!
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Barbs Drawing

Naomi's Heart Mission

Help a child in need. Check out Naomi’s Heart Mission or Compassion International. The life that changes will be your own!

100 Spiritual Walking Steps #34 – Prayer to be a light on my Path

This blog is not so much what I’ve been learning as it is a prayer to practice what I’ve been learning.  In one week, 12/29/2011, I will have Achilles tendon surgery, with some bone deformities repaired and many spurs removed.

There is an insurance issue. Someone changed our insurance policy – causing us to supposedly need to pay 1000 deductible(and ‘only’ 200 has been met…totally bogus) and 10% of the surgery. On 9/27 and 11/2, surgeries were covered 100% – but, a person, somewhere, did something…and we are having trouble THIS WEEK getting things approved for next week. Christmas is Sunday and no one will be at work tomorrow or Monday. New Years is coming…and with that, a new program with higher deductibles.

I’m sure anyone can imagine what stress that adds to getting together with family. And we have an additional family member attending our weekend that is especially caustic.

A dear friend shared Rom 15:13 with me…

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

it goes nicely with Phil 4:7 –

And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

I have been battling down fear for this 12 week situation – 8 in which I am non weight bearing(cannot walk)…and I guess the enemy has not enjoyed the fact that I have been in victory over this, and has been throwing all sorts of things in my path. I have stumbled. I have fallen.
But Ps 37:24 says

Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth [him with] his hand.

I am trying to hold onto Is 41:10 and 13

Fear thou not; for I [am] with thee: be not dismayed; for I [am] thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.

Victory is mine – in the Lord, and I know

I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.(Phil 4:13)

My desire is to

Do all things without murmurings and disputings: That (I) may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom (I) shine as lights in the world;(Phil 2:14-15)

Hebrews 11:1 reminds me that

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Just because I cannot see the manifestation of my faith in this situation, does not mean that God isn’t working in me.
I will always be in a battle – until the day I see HIM face to face…but in the mean time, I need to dwell in the secret place that is so eloquently described in Ps 23.

So, what is my prayer request?

  • That I will hold fast to the truth,
  • that I will stand fast in the Word of God,
  • that I will be a light shining on a hill to all in the next week, and in the 12 weeks that follow.
  • I pray that the joy of the Lord will be my strength(more specifically,
  • that I will run into the name of the Lord, that strong tower,
  • and absorb that joy that is in His presence, and be strong), and
  • that the Prince of Peace will reign in my heart in the midst of the storms swirling around me.
  • I pray that I will hear HIS voice saying – PEACE, BE STILL –
  • and that I will instantly obey.

Total healing would be great, too…but, I have no problem believing for that.

It’s for my walk with the Lord that I am asking for prayer – and not just that, it’s that my life will shine to all who meet me. I can get so self focused when I am in pain, and I want to be a blessing to those that help, serve, and care for me.

This is my prayer.

I hope that these songs bless you, as the Word of God will bless you – in the midst of storms. I pray that I will dance in the midst of the storms.

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment!
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Barbs Drawing

Naomi's Heart Mission

Help a child in need. Check out Naomi’s Heart Mission or Compassion International. The life that changes will be your own!

There Are Giants in my Land – part four

I’m so confused about numbering this series. This is the fourth time I’ve written about this, but this is the third giant I’m talking about.
First I talked about giants,
then the giant of fear,
and then the giant of depression.

The next giant that I’ve had to battle is the giant of bitterness. Actually, that is the giant’s sugarcoated name. The real name is unforgiveness.

Unforgiveness is a party giant.
If you are living with the giant of fear, and someone has caused that fear, un-forgiveness comes along to party with.
If you are living with the giant of depression, and you are hurt by a lack of compassion, un-forgiveness comes along to celebrate.
If you’re living with the giant of anger, and you feel misunderstood, unforgiveness comes along to stir the pot.
Unforgiveness is the last one to leave the party, really enjoying the pity parties in particular!

But as Christians we don’t like to say that we struggle with unforgiveness, because that’s the big thing that Christians do, forgive! But if we hold on to irritations, frustrations, aggravations, and stir those up in the pot of our hearts, we call that bitterness.

Mark 11.25 And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.

“when you stand praying, forgive, if you have odds against any.” That sounds like part of the Lord’s prayer.

Luke 11.4 Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.

The key isn’t it asking God to forgive us, but rather for us to forgive others.

Mark 11.25–26 that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.
But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.

In everyone’s life there is something that seems to be unforgivable. This last week I watched the movie for the second time entitled “Amish Grace.”

When a gunman killed five Amish children and injured five others in a Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania schoolhouse shooting in October of 2006, the world media attention rapidly turned from the tragic events to the extraordinary forgiveness demonstrated by the Amish community. Through the eyes of a grieving mother, Ida Graber, and other devastated families, this movie explores the Amish’s astonishing reaction to the horrific shootings – of forgiveness and compassion.

A quote by Gideon Graber, “Hate is a very big, very hungry thing… with lots of sharp teeth. It will eat up your whole heart, and leave no room left for love.”

The only reason to not forgive is because of a lack of love. The opposite of love is hate or indifference.

!!!I need to get this book so that I can use it for the quotation!!!
Or I need to watch the movie again – pointing out that unforgiveness is a giant that I need to keep being reminded to take down!

Forgiveness is a choice.
This Giant is HUGE!
I started this post back in September or October, and I am closing it up(not finishing, you understand) on 12/21/2011.

Unforgiveness is a daily giant that at times it presents itself as a little imp…
self protection – “I don’t deserve to be treated that way”
boundaries – “he’s in my space, he’s not respecting my boundaries”
energy drainer – “I just don’t have it in me to keep letting this go”

The big things, anger, greed, jealousy – those are easier to see, and recognize the unforgiveness that hangs around after the fact.

To take down this giant, I am trying to recognize times that I make excuses to NOT let go of an irritation.
My goal is that I will stand in a mindset of forgiveness – so that irritations will not be an issue. Impossible you say? Maybe true, but aiming for the goal of Christ keeps me moving forward in living more and more like HIM.

He is my example of forgiveness:

Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.(Luke 23:34)

Out of Christ’s HUGE love, He forgave me of my HUGE debt – and for that, I am eternally grateful!

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment!
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Barbs Drawing

Naomi's Heart Mission

Help a child in need. Check out Naomi’s Heart Mission or Compassion International. The life that changes will be your own!

100 Spiritual Walking Steps – #33 – Remember from whence ye came

I have spent quite a bit of time these last weeks looking back.

Memories – light the corners of my mind…misty watercolored memories – of the way we were.

I spend the end of the year looking back on the year – and often, it’s about what did I do and what didn’t I do and who did I hurt and did I make that as right as I could.
This can lead to depression – and yet, I do think it’s a biblical principle. And as with most principles, it’s about the purpose.

Ps 139:23-24 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if [there be any] wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

In Barbara’s song, there’s a bit of self deprecation:

Can it be that we were all so simple then?
Or has time rewritten every line?

Memories –
may be beautiful and yet
what’s too painful to remember
we simple choose to forget

God has written down every line of our lives. He has every word written down(Rom 2:16; . We will be judged by our actions(Matt 16:27)…
UNLESS –
unless we recognize our sin – and from whence we came!
We were sinners – and we are saved by grace!(Eph 2:5)
We are sinners – and we have an advocate with the Father!(1 John2:1)
We are sinners – and there are two ways to rewrite our history:
We can choose to forget – and rewrite it by lying to ourselves OR
We can choose to take it to the Father, through Jesus Christ – and have our sins washed away, as far as the east is from the west, NEVER TO BE REMEMBERED ANYMORE!

Ps 103:8 The LORD [is] merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.
:9 He will not always chide: neither will he keep [his anger] for ever.
:10 He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.
:11 For as the heaven is high above the earth, [so] great is his mercy toward them that fear him.
:12 As far as the east is from the west, [so] far hath he removed our transgressions from us.

So, when I look back over the year, I have to remember, from whence I came –
I came out of darkness – into Christ’s glorious light.
God knows I’m but dust (Ps 103:14) – and HE has chosen to work with my weakness to show himself strong!
So, look back, repent, and turn…learn the lessons of last year, and start over!

Casting Crowns – You’re Already There!

Happy New Year – every day!

Hi!
My hope in the midst of despair and my joy in the face of depression is because of my relationship with Jesus Christ. If you do not have one, or are not sure you will join him in heaven, please check out these links.

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

M. Christine Wildman“The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear.
If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation.
If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself.” – from My Utmost for His highest

Copyrights and Legal-eze
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Spiritual Walking Steps – #31 – With what shall I go?

BEFORE GOD’S INTERVENTION IN OUR LIVES – NOTHING TO OFFER

MOSES

And Moses said unto God, Who [am] I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt? Ex 3:11

And Moses said unto the LORD, O my Lord, I [am] not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I [am] slow of speech, and of a slow tongue. Ex 4:10

ISAIAH

Then said I, Woe [is] me! for I am undone; because I [am] a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts. Is 6:5

GIDEON

And he said unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family [is] poor in Manasseh, and I [am] the least in my father’s house. Judges 6:15

ZECHARIAH

Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.” Lk 1:18

PETER

When Simon Peter saw [it], he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord. Luke 5:8

PAUL

For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but [how] to perform that which is good I find not.Rom 7:18

AFTER GOD’S INTERVENTION –

1John 4:4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

Matt 19:26 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Luke 1:37 For nothing is impossible with God.

THE DIFFERENCE?

And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. Lk 1:35

Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.Acts 4:13

Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.
Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.
Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs.
Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord,
always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Eph 5:17-20

If ye love me, keep my commandments.
And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
[Even] the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
John 14:15-17

But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, [even] the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:
And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning.
John 15:26-27

And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
Mark 16:15-18

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, [even] unto the end of the world. Amen.
Matt 28:19-20

I have nothing – except to offer a broken and contrite spirit…and allow HIM to use me.
As Mary said:
Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. Lk 1:38

It’s only by yielding to the Holy Spirit coming upon me, and overshadowing me, that I can see fruit birthed from my life.(Lk 1:35)

Lord, may I live like my name, may I have a heart like Mary, in Jesus’ name.

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi(Mary Christine)
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment!
Or ‘like’ me!

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Barbs Drawing

Naomi's Heart Mission

Help a child in need. Check out Naomi’s Heart Mission or Compassion International. The life that changes will be your own!

100 Spiritual Walking Steps – 30 – the first festival

In step 27, I wrote about my concerns about what we are to do with the festivals along the way. I discussed Halloween and Sukkot.
There is one festival that I cannot shake the requirement to celebrate, and I confess that I have not always been diligent to honor it.

Exodus 20:8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
10 But the seventh day [is] the sabbath of the LORD thy God: [in it]

  • thou shalt not do any work, thou,
  • nor thy son,
  • nor thy daughter,
  • thy manservant,
  • nor thy maidservant,
  • nor thy cattle,
  • nor thy stranger that [is] within thy gates:

11 For [in] six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them [is], and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

The 10 commandments. Exodus 20 – And God said these words:

  1. 2 verses – no other gods
  2. 3 verses – no graven images
  3. 1 verse – no disrespecting His name
  4. 4 verses – HONOR THE SABBATH
  5. 1 verse – honor thy mother and father
  6. 1 verse -no killing
  7. 1 verse – no adultery
  8. 1 verse-no stealing
  9. 1 verse- no lying
  10. 1 verse -no coveting

Of all the 10 commandments – God spent more time, more words, explaining why the Sabbath should be holy. As Christians, we have a negative approach to the 10 commandments as rules, the “do nots”.  Jews have a different view of the Sabbath.

From Judaism 101

“The Sabbath (or Shabbat, as it is called in Hebrew) is one of the best known and least understood of all Jewish observances. People who do not observe Shabbat think of it as a day filled with stifling restrictions, or as a day of prayer like the Christian Sabbath. But to those who observe Shabbat, it is a precious gift from G-d, a day of great joy eagerly awaited throughout the week, a time when we can set aside all of our weekday concerns and devote ourselves to higher pursuits. In Jewish literature, poetry and music, Shabbat is described as a bride or queen, as in the popular Shabbat hymn Lecha Dodi Likrat Kallah (come, my beloved, to meet the [Sabbath] bride). It is said “more than Israel has kept Shabbat, Shabbat has kept Israel.” “

Why did God set apart one day for rest?

Mark 2:27 And he(Jesus) said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:

Sabbath isn’t supposed to be this strict, solemn, boring thing.  God created it FOR MAN!

 Gen 2:1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.
2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

Deuteronomy 5.15 And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and [that] the LORD thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore the LORD thy God commanded thee to keep the sabbath day.

There is something special that God intended for the Sabbath, but in the attempt to break free from the law, in the teaching of liberty, peace, and love, we may have lost the very blessing that God created for us!

how did the Israelites learn about the Sabbath? in the Exodus!  Manna!

Exodus 16.4 Then said the LORD unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no. 5 And it shall come to pass, that on the sixth day they shall prepare [that] which they bring in; and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily.

Exodus 16.23 And he said unto them, This [is that] which the LORD hath said, To morrow [is] the rest of the holy sabbath unto the LORD: bake [that] which ye will bake [to day], and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning.

Exodus 16.26 Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day, [which is] the sabbath, in it there shall be none.

God provided food for the Israelites miraculously. God had two rules about the food,

  1. gather only what you can eat, not too much or too little
  2. don’t gather on the Sabbath

Oddly enough, the people tested God to see if the food would keep, and it got wormy.  And they tested God to see if there would be any manna on the Sabbath, and there was none. this was God’s response:

Exodus 16.28 And the LORD said unto Moses, How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws?

God set up a plan for these people who had been in slavery for hundreds of years.  They didn’t have days off.  And he is trying to bring them into his rest.  But their flesh is getting them in trouble.  And it’s the same today.

1Peter 2.11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.

Why don’t we celebrate the Sabbath?  And I’m not talking about whether it’s Friday to Saturday, Saturday to Sunday, or only Sunday. I’m talking about one day a week given to rest as the Lord commanded. Commanded

Command:

  • to order, require, compel
  • to direct with specific authority or prerogative; order:
  • to require authoritatively; demand:

Commandment:

  • a command or mandate.

Hebrew: Mitzvah

  • precept
  • commandment
  • law
  • ordinance

Commandments.  We talk about being freed from the law, I were talking about being freed from the curse of the law, or from the law in general?  Why is it so important to “not be bound by the law”?  Why was the law given?  And right now talking about the 10 Commandments.  Are we guilty of picking and choosing which ones we should obey?

Do we honor our mother and father because it will go well with us and we will live long in the land?

Ephesians 6.2 Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;) 3 That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.

Do we not steal, because of the Golden rule?

Luke 6.31 Do to others as you would have them do to you.

I say that all Scripture is God breathed,

2 Tim 3:16 All scripture [is] given by inspiration of God, and [is] profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

I want to be made perfect.

Matthew 5.48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

Romans 12.2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what [is] that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

The ways of the world are not going to get me where I want to be in my walk with the Lord Jesus. it is more comfortable for my flesh to rule out honoring the Sabbath under the teaching of liberty. But if I’m going to claim the promises of Ephesians 6.2, or any other promises for obedience, I need to seriously look at keeping the Sabbath.

Exodus 31.14Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it [is] holy unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death: for whosoever doeth [any] work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. 15 Six days may work be done; but in the seventh [is] the sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD: whosoever doeth [any] work in the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. 16 Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, [for] a perpetual covenant.

Exodus 35.2 Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day there shall be to you an holy day, a sabbath of rest to the LORD: whosoever doeth work therein shall be put to death.

Num 15:32-36 A man gathering wood on the sabbath

that’s pretty serious punishment for not keeping the Sabbath. I don’t think God considers the Sabbath as lightly as we do.

 Isaiah 56.1 Thus saith the LORD, Keep ye judgment, and do justice: for my salvation [is] near to come, and my righteousness to be revealed. 2 Blessed [is] the man [that] doeth this, and the son of man [that] layeth hold on it; that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil.

BLESSED!!!!

Isaiah 58.13

  • If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath,
  • [from] doing thy pleasure on my holy day;
  • and call the sabbath a delight,
  • the holy of the LORD,
  • honourable;
  • and shalt honour him,
  • not doing thine own ways,
  • nor finding thine own pleasure,
  • nor speaking [thine own] words:
  • 14 Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD;
  • and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth,
  • and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father:
  • for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken [it].

Jeremiah had a warning about Sabbath obedience – and they didn’t harken, in Jeremiah 17.

We want the blessings of the Lord, but not the responsibility that goes with it.
We want our cake and eat it too. We want to pick and choose what things, what principles, what part of the Bible are actually for today.  Everyone agrees the 10 Commandments  are a great set of rules, and many of societies have a similar set of laws.  In fact the different societies just change up the first four verses two worshiping their God rather than the God of Moses.  there is a whole chapter in the Bible that both excites me and frightens me.

Deuteronomy 28.1-2 And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe [and] to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth:2 And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God.

Deuteronomy 28.15 But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee:

I leave the details for you to read.

But there are verses in the New Testament that give me just as much pause:

John 14.15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.

That verse is a condition for a serious promise that follows it in the next verse. how do we show that we love Jesus?

John 14.21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

John 14.23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.

for clarification:

John 14. 24 He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me.

what are the commands of Jesus Christ?

Mark 12.29  And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments [is], Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: 30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this [is] the first commandment.31 And the second [is] like, [namely] this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

did Jesus abolish the 10 Commandments by stating only two?  His first commandment encompasses all of the first four commandments, and his second Commandment encompasses the other six of the 10 Commandments.  If we look at it closely, just as he did in the Beatitudes and the sermon on the Mount, he has commanded us to a deeper obedience of the Commandments.  He is called for us to love the Lord our God

  • with all our heart
  • with all our soul
  • with all our mind
  • with all our strength

what else is left?  And then he raises the bar for the other six by making it about loving others at least as much as we love ourselves.

So what is this have to do with Sabbath?

Jesus was not legalistic about the Sabbath, if you’re hungry, eat; if you’re sick, see a doctor; if something happens to your donkey, help it out.  But He did not say to not celebrate the Sabbath, He said He was Lord of the Sabbath!

God ordained a day for us to separate ourselves from all the worldly cares and burdens and fears and stress, to spend in His presence, by the grace purchased for us through the blood of Jesus Christ.

Speaking of the blood of Jesus, there is another interesting point in the New Testament that I think illustrates the current importance of celebrating Sabbath correctly.

1 Corinthians 11.27 Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink [this] cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of [that] bread, and drink of [that] cup.29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.30 For this cause many [are] weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.

Is this the current manifestation of God’s curse on those that pollute the Sabbath? This is the one commandment that Christ gave us in order to remember him, and with it comes the curse of death if we participate unworthily. it’s our responsibility to make sure that we are ready for the Sabbath.

1 Corinthians 11.31 For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.

I want to say is for me in my house we will serve the Lord, but has to confess I have not kept the Sabbath holy.  I pray for wisdom, grace, and mercy to glorify the Lord in my life.

 
Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment!
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100 Spiritual Walking Steps – 29 – did I bring the…..?

hmmmmm, where did I put that?  missing files, missing workbook pages, missing tools, missing camping equipment, missing check book…where did I put that?  Why didn’t I bring that?

“Success always comes when preparation meets opportunity” Henry Hartman

“Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” Seneca

“Be prepared” Scout Motto(boy and girl)

Today, I was led to go up to the clubhouse and do the workout with ladies in my community. I found out that two ladies will be leaving, and the manager will have no one to do the workouts with when the Winter Texans flow in. Apparently they are coming in next week. She asked me to come up and do the workouts with her….

I have been praying about how I could be of help here in this RV Resort in which we live. I have friends praying that I would know what to do, and what to say when God opens up the doors. Now, to understand more fully what happened this morning, you have to understand what happened last week.

I took a flying jump into the walking workouts at our clubhouse. And the poor Achilles tendon did not respond well to the firmer calf, no matter how much better that calf looked! So, I bowed out for the rest of the week, and yesterday. I was going to workout at home, on my own.

But this morning, I woke up, and had the sense that I was supposed to go up and participate. Now to the preparation part. I knew I was to workout this morning…and so I had dressed for the part. But I had not

  • put on my heart rate monitor…because I assumed I was doing the simple stuff here in my trailer!
  • prepared a bottle of water…because the sink is right by my workout place at home
  • grabbed a sweat towel or headband…because those are all available in the laundry basket right beside my workout place in my home.
  • tested my blood sugar…ditto.

I was able to pace myself, with Gabriel’s discouraging looks when the heart rate got too high, though he got mad at me, and wouldn’t look at me when I wouldn’t sit down. That’s his job. My job is to listen! But, we made it through!

But if I am going to be doing this on a regular basis, I need to set up some keys! I need to BE PREPARED! Keys –

  • I need to go to bed per the days of creation time line(rest at night, up with the light)
  • I have to make sure I get up early enough to have my devotional time, and write something on this blog.
  • I have to wear the heart rate monitor…so I can keep track of my heart rate
  • I have to say “I’m done”…when I’m done.
  • I need to take treats for Gabe when my Heart rate goes to high….

We have to be prepared so that when the opportunity comes, we can say yes…and I guess that is what everything is about…being prepared so that when opportunity knocks, we are ready and able to open the door and walk right through.

This morning, I did not want to get up and even consider a workout…because workouts tend to cause me pain…yes, good, but also bad. If I had not, I might not have spoken with the manager about supporting her in this endeavor.

OPPORTUNITIES

There are many things that I am called to do, that I do not WANT to do…such as,

  • be nice to my husband on those rare occasions that he is a jerk.
  • I don’t FEEL like smiling at the clerk that snorted hello to me.
  • I really want to yell at the driver that almost cost many of us our lives because of the swerving in and out.

Why don’t I? PREPARATION

  • A soft answer turns away wrath,(Pr 15:1)
  • “if you see someone without a smile, give them one of yours,”
  • seriously, what good does yelling at another driver? And it could cause me to be distracted about what else is going on.

Success comes from opportunity and preparation meeting each other.  I know that I have not been prepared for many opportunities that have come my way. On the other hand, I know there is only one way to cure that…prepare!

He that is faithful in few things will be trusted with bigger things(writer’s summary/paraphrase).(Matt 25:14-30)

The opposite is also true, he that ISN’T faithful in the small things will not be trusted with anything bigger, but rather, even that small thing will be taken away from him!

If we can’t be trusted with our own devotionals, why would He trust us with Bible study for others?
If we can’t be scheduled about our own life(speaking mostly to me) how can He trust us to be faithful to a schedule with impact on other’s lives?

1 Peter 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and [be] ready always to [give] an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:

Col 4:6 Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

Prov 22:20  Have not I written to thee excellent things in counsels and knowledge, 21 That I might make thee know the certainty of the words of truth; that thou mightest answer the words of truth to them that send unto thee?

As Christians, we are to be ready always to give an answer…are we?

As Christians, our conversation is to be always full of grace and seasoned with salt…how’s our spice rack looking?

As Christians, we have no excuse…because God has provided us with the words of truth…so that we could go into all the world, preaching the gospel, making disciples of all men.

I need to check my spice rack daily, make sure my fruit of the Spirit is in good shape, check out my armor to make sure it is in good repair, BEFORE the opportunities arise!

How about you?

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment!
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Naomi's Heart Mission

Help a child in need. Check out Naomi’s Heart Mission or Compassion International. The life that changes will be your own!

Battle Plan for Comparison Blues – Part 4

Battle Plan
An Antidote for Post Conference Blues or any Comparison Blues!

Every time I go to a conference, I come back with Post conference blues. I am so quick to compare myself and my children and my efforts with everyone else, and to take the talks terribly personally, that I am overwhelmed with my conviction, and am tempted to give up.

This year I recognized it a bit before going…with the issue of dress, and looks, and expected appearance. After we arrived at home, the blues hit again, and this time, I cried out.

Here is the antidote that God gave me: part 4

Now, I’m resting, and he’s strengthened me with all his truth, healed and united my heart, and filled me with peace.
Next he says:

Eph 6:16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

Whew! That’s what I needed all along! I needed to quench those fiery darts!

Eph 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation,

sort of goes with:

Ps 18:35 Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy right hand hath holden me up, and thy gentleness hath made me great.

I can’t SEE my salvation:

Hebr 11:1 (KJS) Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (Eph 2:8)

But I know it’s real:

Hebr 11:6 (KJS) But without faith [it is] impossible to please [him]: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and [that] he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

I believe! And I know that He is the author and the finisher of my faith,

Phil 1:6 (KJS) Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform [it] until the day of Jesus Christ:
1Cor 1:8 (KJS) Who shall also confirm you unto the end, [that ye may be] blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
and now, he has me running in a race!
Hebr 12:1 (KJS) Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset [us], and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of [our] faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Now…into battle!

Eph6:17 and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

We did some spiritual housecleaning, with the help of Dr. Jim Logan’s book, Regaining Surrendered Ground . My husband and I prayed together, seeking the Lord about possible causes for the seeming curses in our family (Pr 26:2), and God graciously showed us things that we had not dealt with from our family history. After taking authority over these issues, and praying the prayer to regain the ground through the blood of Jesus we thought about the three main issues we’d been led to deal with. They fell under three categories!

1Joh 2:16 (KJS) For all that [is] in the world,

  1. the lust of the flesh, and
  2. the lust of the eyes, and
  3. the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

These, of course, hit the major three commitments we’ve all been taught, and are attempting to teach to our children.

I can tell you, after our prayer warfare this weekend, I can say with David:

Ps 18:37 I have pursued mine enemies, and overtaken them: neither did I turn again till they were consumed. 38 I have wounded them that they were not able to rise: they are fallen under my feet.

SUMMARY

If you are suffering from Post Conference(Comparison) Blues, please go through these steps…get before the Lord, and cry out! He will lead you into His peace, and He will prepare you for warfare, and remember:

Psal 98:1 (KJS) A Psalm. O sing unto the LORD a new song; for he hath done marvellous things: his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory.
1Cor 15:57 (KJS) But thanks [be] to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

We don’t have to worry about the victory…it’s already won…we just have to walk in His steps…and trust in Him!

BACK TO PART ONE
BACK TO PART TWO
BACK TO PART THREE

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment!
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Barbs Drawing

Naomi's Heart Mission

Help a child in need. Check out Naomi’s Heart Mission or Compassion International. The life that changes will be your own!

100 spiritual walking steps – 28 – sticking with the map

Family 1999

Our family, 1999

Yesterday, I read the daily devotional, for October 18, from the book Made to Crave God-Every Day of the Year. It was based around:

Matthew 5.20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed [the righteousness] of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

That last phrase hit me right between the eyes.

ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven

I made that red, because that is Jesus talking.  Jesus said except my righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the Pharisees I will in no way enter into the kingdom of heaven.

What?!

  1. I have admitted that I’m a sinner
  2. I have repented of my sins
  3. I have asked Jesus to be Lord of my life, Savior of my soul, King of my heart
  4. I have followed this inward action with a public declaration by water baptism
  5. and as dear Martin Luther declared, the just shall live by faith

I’ll get to “the just shall live by faith” eventually.

First, to let everyone know…I know…

 Ephesians 2.8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

NO, we are not saved by our works, and in this study of these Scriptures, I’m not looking for salvation. But, here are some verses:

  • Mark 16.16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
  • John 10.9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.
  • Acts 2.21 And it shall come to pass, [that] whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
  • Acts 4.12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
  • Acts 16.31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
  • Romans 10.9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
  • Romans 10.13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved
  • 2 Tim 1.9 Who hath saved us, and called [us] with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,

I hope this will convince those that read this, I do know that salvation is by faith in Jesus Christ.  Titus 3 sort of puts another twist and what I am looking at:

Titus 3.5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
6 Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;
7 That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
8 [This is] a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.

“that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works”

Ephesians 2.10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Oh, look! The verse following Ephesians 2.8&9, is Ephesians 2.10!  The very verse used to contradict any “works benefit” is followed by a verse that declares we were created for good works that we should walk in!

There are several things that come up when I look at these verses.

  1. what is righteousness?
  2. can we lose our salvation?
  3. should we be working on ‘doing’?

I posted two of the quotes from October 18th’s  devotional on facebook. I have no idea who the men are. Wikipedia articles on  William Law and John Keble describe them as devote writers from the 1700’s.

“You perhaps will say that all people fall short of the perfection of the gospel, and therefore you are content with your failings..
But this is saying nothing to the purpose: for the question is not whether the Gospel perfection can be fully attained, but whether you come as near it as a sincere intention and careful diligence can carry you. Whether you are not in a much lower state than you might be if you sincerely intended and carefully labored to advance yourself in all Christian virtues. W.M. Law. (from the book “Made to Crave God – Every Day of the Year’ for Oct 18).”

‎

“We know not exactly how low the least degree of obedience is, which will brain a man to heaven; but this we are quite sure of, that he who aims no higher will be sure to fall short of even that, and that he who goes farthest beyond it will be most blessed.” John Keble (from the boook “Made to Crave God – Every Day of the Year” for Oct 18)

These also hit me in the head, and caused me to reevaluate my walk…am I really aiming high?  Am I taking righteousness, separation, and sanctification seriously?  Do I look, act, respond differently than the world? Or is there too much ‘world’ in me?  And, how much is too much?

We’re not supposed to lust after the world, we’re not supposed to act like the world, we’re not supposed to love the world,  that’s simple New Testament.  Yes, they are supposed to know us by our love. Yet, I believe there is something about keeping God’s commands that I may be missing, because He says if you love me you will keep my commands(John 14:21).  Do I keep His commands? What ARE His commands?

If Jim told me he never wanted me to wear green again, how would he feel if he came home and I was completely decked out in green? Or, reverse that, and how would we feel if our husbands came home decked out in something we’d told him that we did not like.  I’d feel unloved, disrespected, and dishonored.  Don’t we owe God at least that much if not much more love and respect and honor?

Anyway, it’s not about works. It’s about a heart that desires to love God enough to lay down naked and play with Army soldiers if need be(Isaiah 20, Ezekiel 4).  And the thing is, He’s not asking that of us! He’s just asking for obedience, just as a father asks for obedience of the children, and respect from the wife.

An example from my life. I go back to the hair and the dress issue with which I have struggled.

Jim and I, in 1999

Jim and I, 1999

For years, I have heard my husband share how he was hurt because he had made his desires known.

Jim's girls

Jim's girls, 1999

He gave us free choice, and we,
myself and our three daughters, eventually, chose to cut our hair and wear pants.

Dear Jim, I’m sorry. Please forgive me for all the years that I have not loved you enough to honor and obey your desires. I do love you, and I thank God for giving me to you, and you to me.

 
And now, as I try to be a better wife for Jim, I have to try to give God at least as much.
This makes it a little clearer for me.

  • Jim doesn’t love me because I wear dresses,
  • and he didn’t/won’t stop loving me if I wear pants.
  • But when I choose to do something to acknowledge his desires, our fellowship is sweeter.
  • If I wear pants, he won’t divorce me.
  • When I cut my hair, he doesn’t kick me out of the marriage.
  •  if I choose to do the opposite of what would please Jim,
  • I hurt him,
  • I disappoint him,
  • and there is a block in our fellowship.

And that’s with someone I can see, hear, smell, touch, and actively talk things out with. If I can’t do it with him, whom I can see, what chance do I have with the God I cannot see?

1 John 4:20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?
21 And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.

And then, all the years that I proclaimed my liberty and freedom of choice as a wife, I also proclaimed my liberty and freedom of choice as the daughter of God. But what was I declaring my liberty and freedom from?  Obedience?

This is not condemnation, this is conviction, mourning over the ways I have hurt the two most important beings in my life. And this sorrow is godly sorrow, and I pray that it brings about the righteousness of Christ in my life.

2 Cor 7:9 Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing.
10 For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.

What is the map? The Word of God…I say with Peter:

John 6:68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.

So, I am taking some time to make sure that I am walking down the path that I see, as I read my map.

Mat 5:20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed [the righteousness] of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Phil 2:12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

I want to walk this walk towards my Saviour…pressing on for the MARK of the prize of the high calling in Christ Jesus. There is a pressing on. There is a working out our salvation with fear and trembling. There is a race to be run – and some will not finish the race. I want to finish the race, with all that is in me, glorifying God in every way. I will be looking into those three questions in future blogs. Thanks for hanging in here with me!

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment!
Or ‘like’ me!

Or follow me with the RSS feed.

Barbs Drawing

Naomi's Heart Mission

Help a child in need. Check out Naomi’s Heart Mission or Compassion International. The life that changes will be your own!