Tag Archives: Father

February 1 Memory Verse

MY verse 3 of Beth Moore’s challenge to memorize 25 verses in 2011.

Psalm 15:1-2

LORD, who shall abide in thy tabernacle?who shall dwell in thy holy hill?
He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh truth in his heart.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE abiding verses.

Ps 91:1

He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High, shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

Ps 61

4 I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert of thy wings. Selah.
7 He shall abide before God for ever: O prepare mercy and truth, [which] may preserve him.

John 15

4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
5 I am the vine, ye [are] the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.

So, for these two weeks, I’m ‘abiding’ in the first two verse of Ps 15.

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 First 100 days – day 32 – short thoughts

Zachias was a wee little man, a wee little man was he,
He climbed up in a sycamore tree, the Lord he wanted to see.
Jesus said “Zachias, you come down from there,
for I’m going to your house today, for I’m going to your house today.”

Zachias was short.

Zachias was a tax collector.

Zachias was hated.

But Jesus saw his heart.

Rev 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

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.

The shortest verse of the Bible is the most heart wrenching:

John 11:35 Jesus wept.

The Shortest chapter is Ps 117

Ps 117:1 O praise the LORD, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people.

Ps 117:2 For his merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the LORD [endureth] for ever. Praise ye the LORD.

The Shortest book(by words) is 3John. Here are two of my favorite verses:

3John 2 Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.

3John 11 Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. He that doeth good is of God: but he that doeth evil hath not seen God.

I am short.

I am hated by some.

But Jesus sees my heart.

He knows me from my mother’s womb – Ps 139:13.

Jer 1:5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, [and] I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.

And He has chosen me!

1 Pet 2:9 But ye [are] a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

And what’s really cool is that this applies to tall people, too! So, today, I may not have to climb any trees (Thank you Jesus), but I am going to watch for Jesus’ hand in my day, and I pray that He and the Father with the Holy Ghost will come and abide with me all the days of my life! 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.

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100 days of moving challenge – day 32 – find a place to walk
100 days challenge- blog – check
90 days Bible Reading – 2 Kings headed to 1 Chronicles
50 days T-Tapp – check – MORE, OIP/HF, AL
30 days – T-Tapp January Jumpstart- day 6

The First 100 days – day 31 – Represent

Christians divorcing and then claiming that they are acting as Christians, so why isn’t God giving them peace with their children?

The divorce rate among Christians is the same as non believers.

Christians protesting at funerals that God is happy with deaths of soldiers side by side with Christians saying God is love.

Christians dressing like Beyonce’, Madonna, or any other ‘American Idol’ type person – and then wondering why nobody takes them serious when they talk about holiness.

Christians going bankrupt because they cannot afford the great and wonderful church that GOD WAS SUPPOSED TO PROVIDE FOR THEM.

Christians speeding down the road with the little fish on the back of their vehicles almost flying off. What a witness to the officer that pulls them over.

I have an old book – IN HIS STEPS, by Charles M Sheldon.

The popularity of this book started the WWJD movement. Of course, sometimes, it’s an embarrassment to see what folks with WWJD jewelry are doing, as they are ambassadors for Christ. Sometimes I wonder if the WWJD crowd ever read the book.

Here’s the intro:

What would happen if members of your local church pledged for an entire year not to do anything without first asking, what would Jesus do? An intriguing question, and the very one that motivated Charles Monroe Sheldon to write his Christian classic, In His Steps.

For some, following in Jesus’ steps caused misunderstanding and suffering: for all it meant an entire dedication of money, talent, and life’s work, rewarded by immeasurable peace and joy.

1 Peter 2:21 For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:

1Peter then goes on to describe HOW Jesus walked.

Here is an excerpt from the book:

“The church was the first in the city. It had the best choir. It had a membership composed of the leading people, representatives of the wealth, society and intelligence of Raymond.”

I am weary with being invited to churches that have the best choir, the most people, the best youth ministry and Sunday School (so you never have to deal with your children while you worship).

I want a church that embraces the Word of God. I want a church that asks “What would Jesus Do?” and they can KNOW what Jesus DID because they KNOW the Word of God.

The church we thought we would attend has had several things come up this year.

3 million dollar expansion project…even though God has repeatedly closed doors. So, everyone give give give!
Peace Peace when there is no peace. Preaching about peace being Jews and Palestinians living together with no borders, America with no borders between Canada or Mexico. People with nothing to divide them….that is Peace.
The first love in Revelations 2 is love of people. It wasn’t return to your first love – the joy of your salvation.
Youth program was watching movies like Transformers to teach Biblical principles.

The people are wonderful. The people love the Lord. But where does this lead?

Owing a huge debt, when the present building could be paid off.
Forgetting that we are a peculiar people, set apart to God – there is a difference between Christians and the world. And true Peace comes from being at peace with God – salvation, which sets a person at odds with everyone.
God is love of everyone..forgetting that God is the Just Judge, and He will call each man into account. God’s love is a tough love…not a fluffy good ol’ boy love.
Children are to be nurtured in the admonition of the Lord…the need to learn the ways of God from His word FIRST, not secular movies and tv shows.

Matt 7:13-14KJV Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide [is] the gate, and broad [is] the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait [is] the gate, and narrow [is] the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

Matt 7:13-14 NLT “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose the easy way. But the gateway to life is small, and the road is narrow, and only a few ever find it.”

ONLY THE NARROW GATE – SMALL, NARROW, FEW!!!

Broad is the gate that leads to…..apōleia

destroying, utter destruction; a) of vessels
a perishing, ruin, destruction; a) of money; b) the destruction which consists of eternal misery in hell

The wide way is EASY! The path with Christ leads to persecution –

John 15:20 Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.

And we are to have a DIFFERENT RESPONSE when the fight comes:

Matthew 5:10 Blessed [are] they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

This is the key – persecuted for righteousness sake.

John 15:21 But all these things will they do unto you for my name’s sake, because they know not him that sent me.

The only way to be persecuted for Jesus’ name sake, is to be walking LIKE JESUS.

What would Jesus do when He was depressed? We know he went to the garden and prayed!

What would Jesus do when verbally attacked? We know that he held his tongue.

What would Jesus do if the congregation got to big? He got in a boat…he sent them away….they all created home churches.

What would Jesus Do about paying taxes? he paid them…supernaturally.

What would Jesus Do in a divorce situation? Jesus, the Father and the Holy Spirit are what a family is supposed to represent…they are one, and they cannot be divided.

John 10:30 I and [my] Father are one.

Luke 4:1 And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,

Col 2:9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.

He REPRESENTED THE GODHEAD!!!

And it’s by being ONE with the FATHER, SPIRIT AND SON, that we can truly learn to walk in Christ’s steps as HE walked with God:

John 5:19 Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.

John 5:30 I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.

Matthew 4:1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.

Mark 1:12 And immediately the Spirit driveth him into the wilderness.

And this is how we are to REPRESENT CHRIST obeying His Father, and being filled of the Holy Spirit:

Rom 8:14For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

How did Jesus walk? What did Jesus Do? He fulfilled this:

Eph 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

Eph 5:24-25 And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

We have No excuses:

Heb 4:15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as [we are, yet] without sin.

Heb 2:18 For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.

Rom 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, [even] his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

Moses pleased God – and he was the one that wrote the first five books of the Bible!

David pleased God – and he was the one that wrote most of the Psalms.

Peter, John and Paul pleased God – and they wrote most of the New Testament.

They DID NOT HAVE THE WORD TO TEACH THEM THE PATH! But, we do.

The rest of Romans 1 describes our country, and unfortunately, much of our ‘Christian’ identity.

WARNING WARNING WARNING!

Acts 28:26 ” ‘Go to this people and say, “You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.”

Acts 28:27 “For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.'”

Rom 11:8 as it is written: “God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes so that they could not see and ears so that they could not hear, to this very day.”

2 Tim 4:3-4 For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.

2 Thes 2:10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

2 Thes 2:11-12 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

Jesus NEVER took pleasure in unrighteousness.

I confess, I do. Movies that do not represent Godly values. Doing things that are not the best for my body, or not doing things that ARE the best for my body. Gossip. Selfishness. Complaining. Nagging. Worrying. Laughing at jokes.

If I didn’t take some sort of pleasure in them I would quit doing them, right? As Dr. Phil would say “How’s that working for ya?”

It’s time to rise up and be the Christian that God defined….in His WORD made flesh. That is What Jesus Did Do. So, if we study what Jesus did do, in the whole Bible(Old and New) – we will have the answers ready for What Would Jesus Do, when we ask. But the real question is, does anyone REALLY want to do what Jesus Did?

And yet, that is the NARROW GATE, that is the NARROW WAY.

Matt 7:14 NIV But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

BE FOREWARNED BY THE 5 FOOLISH VIRGINS! We must keep our oil full until the Bridegroom comes…or we may hear:

Matt 25:12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.

Matt 25:13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

Many…MANY…..

Matt 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

Matt 7:23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Here is God’s promise:

Is 42: 5 – 6 Thus saith God the LORD, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein: I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles;

Is 42:7 To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, [and] them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.

Is 42:8-9 I [am] the LORD: that [is] my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images. Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them.

God has a plan, and God will bring it to pass. And we have a responsibility:

2 Chron 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

This promise is addressed to God’s children, called by God’s name. Who more responsible than those that go by the name of Christ?

We are not without help…God gives us many promises of His help…the point is, we must do as Jesus did…and turn towards Our Father, and focus on the WORD of God, so that we can know how to walk as Jesus walked.

Is 50:7 For the Lord GOD will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed.

Four commandments have to deal with our relationship with God.

One commandment deals with our relationship with our parents.

Five commandments deal with our relationship with others.

God has a lot to say about our relationship with Him…because He is a jealous God!

God, through Jesus, told us that blaspheming the Holy Spirit is without forgiveness…so, God is not happy with anything that blasphemes His name. He will not shame us, and we should try to live so that we do not shame His name.

Phil 3:13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but [this] one thing [I do], forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,

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

Phil 3:15 Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.

We have been given everything we need to walk IN HIS STEPS. It is my prayer that every decision I make, I will begin with What Would Jesus Do? What Did Jesus Do? And then to say YES, LORD, and walk in that path, no matter how narrow or straight.

We need to make sure our ears are open, our eyes are open, and our hearts and minds are discerning God’s way. I pray each person that reads this will KNOW that Jesus is Lord of their life, and that they hear His voice, and follow Him. I KNOW that MY redeemer liveth – do 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.

author note: the comment button is after sharing buttons, I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment! Or follow me with the RSS feed.

100 days moving challenge – day -my goal, walk 30 minutes.
100 days challenge- blog – check
90 days Bible Reading –
50 days T-Tapp – check
30 days – T-Tapp January Jumpstart- day

The First 100 days – day 29 – keep your vows

Today is Saturday, January 29, 2011.

On January 1, 2011, I committed to writing a blog every day for 100 days.

Some would think that was a walk in the park for me…because I seem to have so much to say…but, on the other hand, I have spent the last 20 years having trouble walking in the park!

Actually, it didn’t have anything to do with ability, or things to say…it had everything to do with —————————–> timing.

So, to whom did I make this commitment? To myself, of course. And I am totally familiar with disappointing myself…so I’m not really a good accountability partner for myself.

To Jim, because I love him so much I’m going to write 100 blogs? exercise 30 minutes a day for 100 days? Read the Bible in 90 days? Well, that doesn’t really fit, and everyone knows that committing to losing weight for someone else doesn’t fit here, either.

Seriously, when I make a commitment, it’s to God. I wouldn’t use the term VOW…because then, I’d really be responsible to fulfill the commitment!

I recently posted this definition in a blog, Commitment Day.

From Dictionary.com –

commitment – noun

the act of committing
the state of being committed.
the act of committing, pledging, or engaging oneself.
a pledge or promise; obligation:
engagement; involvement:
perpetration or commission, as of a crime.
consignment, as to prison.
confinement to a mental institution or hospital:
an order, as by a court or judge, confining a person to a mental institution or hospital.

I really don’t understand where these dictionary people went to school. I was never allowed to use the word in the definition…DUH! But for good measure, here is the definition of commit:

–verb (used with object)

to give in trust or charge; consign.
to consign for preservation: to commit ideas to writing; to commit a poem to memory.
to pledge (oneself) to a position on an issue or question; express (one’s intention, feeling, etc.): Asked if he was a candidate, he refused to commit himself.
to bind or obligate, as by pledge or assurance; pledge: to commit oneself to a promise; to be committed to a course of action.
to entrust, esp. for safekeeping; commend: to commit one’s soul to god.

I still don’t see the word: VOW

From Thesarus.com:

Commit:

Part of speech – verb
Definition – perform an action
Synonyms: accomplish, achieve, act, carry out, complete, contravene, do, effectuate, enact, execute, go for broke, go in for, go out for, offend, perpetrate, pull, pull off, scandalize, sin, transgress, trespass, violate, wreak
Antonyms : cease, desist, end, idle, loaf, rest, stop, wait.

Just for good measure…what does VOW mean?

a solemn promise, pledge, or personal commitment: marriage vows; a vow of secrecy.
a solemn promise made to a deity or saint committing oneself to an act, service, or condition.
a solemn or earnest declaration.

Commit means – a pledge or a promise

Vow means a SOLEMN promise or pledge.

The Bible says:

Ps 22:25 My praise [shall be] of thee in the great congregation: I will pay my vows before them that fear him.

Ps 50:14-15 Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High: And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.

Ps 66:13-14 I will go into thy house with burnt offerings: I will pay thee my vows, I will go into thy house with burnt offerings: I will pay thee my vows,

Ps 116:12-14 What shall I render unto the LORD [for] all his benefits toward me? I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the LORD. I will pay my vows unto the LORD now in the presence of all his people.

and also Ps 61:5 & 8

Moses really explained the importance of keeping vows in Numbers 30.

Deut 12 includes the vows as part of the offerings, sacrifices and such brought to the altar. It happens to come after:

Deut 12:1 These [are] the statutes and judgments, which ye shall observe to do in the land, which the LORD God of thy fathers giveth thee to possess it, all the days that ye live upon the earth.

Deut 12:6 there bring your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tithes and special gifts, what you have vowed to give and your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks.

Deut 12:7 There, in the presence of the LORD your God, you and your families shall eat and shall rejoice in everything you have put your hand to, because the LORD your God has blessed you.

Paying vows to the Lord IS part of worship and sacrifice. IT’S SERIOUS BUSINESS!!! That’s why I don’t want to think of my commitments as vows…because then, I need to give account to the Lord for my actions. And I have to see it as part of the sacrifice of praise at worship(Heb 13:15). Hmmmmmm. That sounds like semantics!

Matthew 5:33-36 Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths: But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne: Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.

Matt 5:37 But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.

The word ‘oaths’ is the greek word horkos, Strongs G3727.

1) that which has been pledged or promised with an oath

James 5:12 But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and [your] nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation.

This verse, by Jesus’ brother, explains “falling into condemnation” is the consequence that ‘comes from evil’ brings into a life. I’m all for escaping condemnation! The Bible is FULL of examples about how to escape condemnation, but here’s one:

Ps 15:1 LORD, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill?

Ps 15:2 He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart.

Ps 15:3 [He that] backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour.

Ps 15:4 In whose eyes a vile person is contemned; but he honoureth them that fear the LORD. [He that] sweareth to [his own] hurt, and changeth not.

Ps 15:5 [He that] putteth not out his money to usury, nor taketh reward against the innocent. He that doeth these [things] shall never be moved.

‘Shall never be moved’…that is an AWESOME promise. Wait…promise…God gave us a promise!

Do I want God to keep his promises, commitments, vows or oaths to me? DUH!!!

I want Deuteronomy 28 to be true…

Gal 3:16 Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.

Of course, I have a responsibility…

Heb 6:12 That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

And I am to have faith in HIS promises:….Just read through Heb 11.

Heb 11:33 Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions,

I want to obtain God’s promises…..

Phil 1:6 ESV And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

Heb 12:2 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.

Here is a promise:

1 Cor 1:7-8 NLT Now you have every spiritual gift you need as you eagerly wait for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. (8) He will keep you strong right up to the end, and he will keep you free from all blame on the great day when our Lord Jesus Christ returns.

verse 8, in ESV says who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

verse 8, in KJV says Who shall also confirm you unto the end, [that ye may be] blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

verse 8, in NIV says He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

God promises to sustain, confirm, keep strong, free from all blame, and guiltless – WOW!

1 Cor 1:9NLT God will surely do this for you, for he always does just what he says, and he is the one who invited you into this wonderful friendship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

(In case you do not like the New Living Translation, here it is in KJV; NIV & ESV)

What do we know about God?

Numb 23:19 God [is] not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do [it]? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?

This passage makes a difference between doing what he says and lying. If one doesn’t do what they say, they are lying. Let your yes be YES and your no be NO WAY!

God makes promises, and keeps them. He is faithful to His vows, for good and bad. And what He says, He does. His word is His bond, and it is followed by action. So it should be with us.

Col 3:23-25

A COMMAND (23)”And whatsoever ye do, do [it] heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;”
A PROMISE – (24)”Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.”
AND A WARNING -(25) “But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.”

How does keeping your commitments, promises, oaths, VOWS…keep you from evil, or condemnation?

First – it prevents you from all the consequences of lying, and being a liar. Since God was serious enough about lying to put it into the 10 commandments, it’s something to seriously consider.

Gen 4:7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee [shall be] his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.

We KNOW in our hearts when we are not right with God….

1 John 3:21-22 Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, [then] have we confidence toward God. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.

I KNOW I want to KNOW that my prayers will be answered! The consequence of sin is that our prayers are hindered. That’s a tough consequence to not keeping your oaths.

Second – It makes us faithful to HIM. We can trust HIM because HE is faithful. Remember the story about the servants, in Matthew 25? The faithful ones heard this:

Matt 25:23 Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.

The wicked, unfaithful one heard this:

Matt 25:26 [Thou] wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed:

Matt 25:30 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

We need to be faithful servants, to the best of our ability. And even doing what is asked is only what is asked of us.

Luke 17:10ESV So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; [fn] we have only done what was our duty.'”

Third – We are ambassadors of Christ. We need to REPRESENT. We are the only Jesus that some people may ever see – so what does OUR faithfulness to our promises say about God’s faithfulness to HIS promises?

Col 3:17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, [do] all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

Our Word needs to be followed up by action:

1 John 3:19 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.

I started this out with my struggle with what I have committed to do this year. I realize, when I make a commitment to God, to Jim, to me, I am making a vow. And a vow is a very serious thing.

Breaking a vow, breaking a promise = lying in God’s economy.

Rom 13:8 Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.

Owe and oath sound like they are very similar. If I give an oath to do or pay for something….I OWE that person whatever I gave an oath to. Let my YES be YES, and my NO be NO. OWE no man anything.

Vows are serious business. If there is any question left, one must consider a couple of foolish vows given:

King Saul and his son Jonathan:1 Samuel 14-15

Jephthah’s daughter: Judges 11

And yet, the greatest vow given, was given to Adam and Eve, right after they sinned:

Gen 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

God made a vow, to us, that He would provide a deliverer. When Christ was born, lived, died and resurrected to sit on the right hand of God to intercede for us…God fulfilled His vow.

God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son…and Abraham immediately obeyed. And then, God provided the sacrifice for both of them.

God kept His vow…His oath…His promise…His commitment. It came at a VERY high cost. But He kept His WORD.

Therefore – so should we keep our word also! So should I keep my word, also. It’s my daily worship!

Ps 22:25 NLT I will praise you among all the people; I will fulfill my vows in the presence of those who worship you.

Heb 13:15 NLT Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name.

{Oh no – here’s another long study…the fruit of my lips…they are supposed to be sweet…how can blessing and cursing come from the same mouth (James 3:10), good and evil from the same tree(Mat 7:15 ; 12:33), good and evil treasure from the same heart (Matt 12:35), or sweet and bitter water from the same spring( James 3:11-12)? My mouth is supposed to show forth the praises of God…that is what my mouth was created for. So, my words, my commitments, my promises, my oaths, my VOWS are very important between ME and GOD!

Matt 12:36-37 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

When I face the Lord, face to face, in HIS presence of Glory – what words do I want to give account for? I really do need to think before I speak – in my heart or out loud(because Jesus does know the thoughts of our hearts). I need to think – “do I want to give Jesus an accounting for what I’m about to say? Do I want to see His face, when he reads back that nasty stuff I said about Jim? Do I want to be in front of Him when He asks me about the commitment to ….well, anything?” If I don’t want to explain it to Him, face to face…I ought not be doing it. But that is another blog!}

By offering up this sacrificial commitment in praise – I obtain another promise:

2 Peter 1:4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

Partaking of the DIVINE nature…THAT is the new creation, we escape the corruption of the world.

Rom 8:1-2 [There is] therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

The way to avoid condemnation is to be a new creation, partaking of the divine nature, and walking NOT after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

The fruit of the Spirit – Gal 5:22-26 & Eph 5:8-14

The fruit of Righteousness – Heb 12:11 & James 3:18

And if our hearts condemn us not we may ASK what we will and it will be given us.

Ps 19:14 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.

That is the bottom line for me. I want everything I do to be acceptable in the sight of the Lord. If I make a promise – I promise to the Lord. If I make a commitment – I commit to the Lord. If I make and oath or vow – I do so as unto the Lord. And before I do so, I need my heart in right relationship, so that it will be pleasing to the Lord.

That right relationship is so easy, and yet, so hard.

2 Chr 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, HE is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory, To the only wise God our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen. Jude 24-25

We can only do it through Christ Jesus! and Praise God that HE had a plan, He committed to the plan, and HE acted on the plan to fulfill the plan!

My commitments for this year are good ones. But they are commitments to the Lord, therefore, when I feel like quitting, I need to be ready to tell the Lord, sorry, I can’t keep my promise to you.

On the other hand, if I have made some foolish vows..all I have to do is humble myself….

James 4:10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

When coming before the Lord for repentance, James 4:7-10 is a very good passage to keep in mind! Psalm 51 is great, as well. What a peace to know that even though I WILL mess up – HE is faithful that called me. In all things, I need to desire to be faithful to Him.

author note: the comment button is after sharing buttons, I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment! Or follow me with the RSS feed.

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.

100 days moving challenge – day 30 -my goal, walk 30 minutes.
100 days challenge- blog – check
90 days Bible Reading – 2 Kings, going into 1 Chronicles
50 days T-Tapp – day 30 – check
30 days – T-Tapp January Jumpstart- day 3 “Play Day”

The First 100 days – day 28 – ADHD praying

Dear Lord,
Thank you for this day…..

….this day…today…what was I supposed to do today?????

Oh, yes, Lord – sorry – My Father, which art in heaven

…heaven…seven….there are seven of us in the family, and we need seven different…..oops….

Sorry, Lord…Hallowed be thy name….

name, what was that name I was thinking about?…..William? Bill? Bevus? JESUS!!!!

Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done…..

Will….Everything has changed…we need to get a new one, and we have people that will sign it to make it official….

Oh, Lord, I’m so sorry….On earth as it is in heaven(focus, don’t get distracted again)

Give us this day our daily bread….

Bread…do we have any? Do we need any? Should we eat bread? What about gluten free bread? Can I make gluten free bread?

I’m so sorry, again…..how appropriate: And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors….

Debtors…debt…we really wanted to be debt free…for the Lord, to His glory…but, this came up and that came up…oh yeah, it also means trespasses…..like a no trespassing sign…is that like J-walking? CHRISTI – FOCUS!

Oh dear Lord, lead me NOT into temptation, and deliver me from evil, for Thine is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory, forever, Amen.

Ever pray like that?

Today, I found a way to focus on my praying…Pray out loud.

Here is a wonderful set of blogs, by a very wise young man, Thomas Umstattd, Jr.

The Benefits of Praying Aloud

Agreement, Power, Authority, and Aloud.

Thomas has very fresh insights, and it is a joy to read his blog. He brings up some very interesting ideas….so, please enjoy.

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.

author note: the comment button is after sharing buttons, I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment! Or follow me with the RSS feed.

100 days moving challenge – day -my goal, walk 30 minutes.
100 days challenge- blog – check
90 days Bible Reading –
50 days T-Tapp – check
30 days – T-Tapp January Jumpstart- day

The First 100 days – day 27 – I Hope you Dance

Today, I am reposting a blog from a friend of mine…Chuckie Daniels.

Dancing With God (2day @ noon)…

Now of course I can take no credit for the following story. However, I thought it might encourage all of you, my fellow passengers here on the LiFeTrain to pray with me at noon…and dance with the Father!

Read on…

When I meditated on the word Guidance, I kept seeing ‘dance’ at the end of the word.

I remember reading that doing God’s will is a lot like dancing. When two people try to lead, nothing feels right.

The movement doesn’t flow with the music, and everything is quite uncomfortable and jerky.

When one person realizes that, and lets the other lead, both bodies begin to flow with the music.

One gives gentle cues, perhaps with a nudge to the back or by pressing Lightly in one direction or another.

It’s as if two become one body, moving beautifully. The dance takes surrender, willingness, and attentiveness from one person and gentle guidance and skill from the other.

My eyes drew back to the word Guidance.

When I saw ‘G: I thought of God, followed by ‘u’ and ‘i’. ‘God, ‘u’ and ‘i’ dance.’

God, you, and I dance. As I lowered my head, I became willing to trust that I would get guidance about my life.

Once again, I became willing to let God lead.

My prayer for you today is that God’s blessings and mercies be upon you on this day and everyday.

May you abide in God as God abides in you. Dance together with God, trusting God to lead and to guide you through each season of your life.

This prayer is powerful and there is nothing attached.

If God has done anything for you in your life,please share this message with someone else, for prayer is one of the best gifts we can receive.

There is no cost but a lot of rewards;so let’s continue to pray for one another.

2day @ Noon

And I Hope You Dance…

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.

100 days challenge – moving – check my goal, walk 30 minutes.
100 days challenge- blog – check
90 days Bible Reading –
50 days T-Tapp – check
30 days – T-Tapp January Jumpstart- day

The First 100 days – day 26 – commitment day

commitment – noun

the act of committing
the state of being committed.
the act of committing, pledging, or engaging oneself.
a pledge or promise; obligation:
engagement; involvement:
perpetration or commission, as of a crime.
consignment, as to prison.
confinement to a mental institution or hospital:
an order, as by a court or judge, confining a person to a mental institution or hospital.

Today, I am making a 30 commitment to T-Tapp January Jumpstart, which runs from January 27th to February 27th. Please don’t blame me for the January Jumpstart beginning almost in February.

That will be 30 days of T-Tapp – eating right – weekly workouts with a trainer and walking 30 minutes a day.

Many people have had great success with this exercise program, created by a rehab person, Teresa Tapp.

I’m scared….but excited. I will be posting scriptures that will help me to stay committed – and I will post my losings here. It is my hope that my weight loss and inch loss will be an encouragement to others that have body image issues.

Right now, the verse is I can do all things through Christ Jesus Who strengthens me.

and of course:

Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Savior be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever, AMEN! (Jude 24-25)

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.

100 days challenge – moving – check my goal, walk 30 minutes.
100 days challenge- blog – check
90 days Bible Reading – I’m in the Samuels
50 days T-Tapp – check
30 days Jumpstart(1/27/11) – check – trainer meet up today

The First 100 days – day 25 – depression

Job 3:1-4 After this opened Job his mouth, and cursed his day. And Job spake, and said, Let the day perish wherein I was born, and the night [in which] it was said, There is a man child conceived. Let that day be darkness; let not God regard it from above, neither let the light shine upon it.

In my life, I am responsible for my choices.

In my life, my choices affect others.

When my choices affect others in a negative way, I get sad.

When my choices affect others in a negative way, and I cannot fix it…I get depressed.

Depression is a disease. I have what is called Major Depressive Disorder, or Unipolar Depression. In me, it’s mostly under control now, but sometimes, it sneaks up on me like a snake in tall grass..

The problem with an issue that causes depression flare ups, is that sometimes, the issue doesn’t make any sense to anyone other than me(the depressive person). It’s like a washing machine going around and around in my head…getting faster and faster…and everyone else is on the outside saying “just turn it off”. Hello – there’s no off switch on the inside of the washer!!!!

Job 3:20-24 “Oh, why should light be given to the weary, and life to those in misery? They long for death, and it won’t come. They search for death more eagerly than for hidden treasure. It is a blessed relief when they finally die, when they find the grave. Why is life given to those with no future, those destined by God to live in distress? I cannot eat for sighing; my groans pour out like water.

I’m not suicidal – this time. Though as I wrote in my prior essay on Job, I have been there…countless times.

So – cutting doesn’t work.

drugs doesn’t work.

alcohol doesn’t work

Suicide won’t work.

Binge eating won’t work.

Movie marathons don’t work.

Crying just comes…tears just roll down my cheeks….

I can’t concentrate on my blog in progress.

I don’t want to eat(not a really bad thing for me).

I am overwhelmed with “I HAVE FAILED, AGAIN” feelings.

The ‘silly’ issues are so huge.

Giving up my books – they have been a grounding point for me all through my struggles since the memories triggered the depression.

Not being able to provide Jim with a lovely home in the RV…

Not being able to be focused in one mindset….being double minded(in more ways than one).

I have no faith in me.

Which means, I have no faith in God’s ability to work in me.

Well – there’s another Christi failure.

Sarah.

Rachel.

Rahab.

Three female failures that God used.

Psalm 23:4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou [art] with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Depression is a valley in the shadow of death. That’s the truth.

Jesus walks with me in the valley. That’s truth.

I have spent money on things that stare me in the face…money that could have been spent on something better…money that could have done more good. But I chose to spend that money, because I thought it was the right thing to do in the circumstance. I made the choice I thought was right, given the information I had at the time. So, now, looking back, I regret that I didn’t have prophetic wisdom?

So, now my cry is…am I hearing God’s voice?

John 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

The Israelite’s knew when God wasn’t with them…they went out and fought, and if they lost even 1 man…they came back and fell on their knees to the Lord. But even after repenting.. that one man, 10 men, 30 men, were still dead.

That’s the thing about messing up…circumstances remain.

Sarah had Hagar and Ishmael to deal with – and look at what that has done to our world.

Rebekah deceived her husband, and didn’t live to see Jacob and his children, and the deception send Esau towards the Ishmaelites…more enemies for the Jews.

Rachel brought the idols away from her father’s house…interestingly, she died in childbirth.

Peter denied Christ…and almost gave up.

Stephen was still dead when Saul turned to Paul.

Our circumstances always follow us…as signs saying

DON’T DO THAT AGAIN!!!

Prov 26:2 As the bird by wandering, as the swallow by flying, so the curse causeless shall not come.

I’ll straighten out that KJV –

a curse doesn’t come without a cause.
A curse that comes is not without cause.
If a curse comes, there is a cause.

I’m not saying that I am cursed….I’m saying that circumstances come for a reason. Deut 28 is a great chapter to see cause and effect. Proverbs is good, too!

Prov 26:6 He that sendeth a message by the hand of a fool cutteth off the feet, [and] drinketh damage.

Prov 26:11 As a dog returneth to his vomit, [so] a fool returneth to his folly.

BUT GOD!

As I was looking at the cause and effect of my choices, an angel called. Yes, an angel named Faith called me on the phone. Since she is my daughter, with a newborn baby, married to a soldier that is away for the week, I had promised her that I would answer the phone when she called. I try to always keep my promises, no matter how sad I feel.

Faith was my Elihu. And because of her ability to speak the truth, in love, I was able to hear the Lord’s voice and walk out of this valley of the shadow of death.

I have had to endure the Lord speaking to me out of a whirlwind before…of course, I think I was the one that created the whirlwind of chaos!

Today, through prayer, and crying out as I searched through the scriptures, God answered me through the sweet sounds of our daughter. She was even used as a rod in God’s hands to point out a blind spot – that I was able to repent over, and be freed from that bondage. I was also able to hear the real size of the issues, and rest in the Lord, to be content in peace.

3 John 1:4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.

I have a thorn in my flesh – like Paul – though not for the same reason: 2 Cor 12:7 – And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.

But more so that in my weakness, I can turn to HIM. 2 Cor 12:9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

This ‘infirmity’ may never leave me. But neither will the Lord Jesus Christ.

Is 41:10 NLT Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. I will help you. I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.

Is 41:13 NLT I am holding you by your right hand–I, the LORD your God. And I say to you, `Do not be afraid. I am here to help you.

Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Savior be honor and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen. Jude 24-25

With this kind of God – and the enormous love He sheds upon me – how can I give up? How can I quit? I can…but I am compelled by His great love – to love. I love, because He first loved me(1 John 4:19).

I do have past mistakes, and I’m pretty sure I will make future mistakes, and I have even made mistakes today. But God knew all about them, and MY God is BIG enough to handle MY mistakes, an make sure that all things work together for my good and His glory! Anything less is a lack of faith…as in, my God is too small. I got to let Him out of the box I keep putting Him in! It’s when I let HIM be God that I truly enjoy the joy of the Lord.

I praise God that He had Faith call. I praise God that I had a human voice that was Jesus to me. I praise God for His great love, compassion, and patience with me.

A year ago, this may have turned out differently, but by God’s grace, I am here, and I shall live to declare the glory of God!(Ps 118:17)

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.

100 days challenge – moving, a dog walk
100 days challenge- blog – check
90 days Bible Reading – catching up
50 days T-Tapp – check – HD & AL

The First 100 days – day 23- burn that fat

Since this Fasting-For-Food project, I’ve been enlightened a bit about my eating habits. I’ve been enlightened a whole bunch!

Exodus.

Captivity. Slavery. Bondage.

It just kind of happened.

First, everyone loved Joseph…then, generations forgot Joseph…and then, “why are we bein’ so nice to these people?”

First, I just ate…it felt good, it never argued, and, with fast food, it was always there!!!!

Why didn’t the Israelites just get up and say “No More”, and walk out of Goshen? Why didn’t they just quit taken’ the stuff…and just leave?

Why don’t I just get up from the table and say “No More?” Why don’t I just stop eatin’ the stuff that’s killin’ me?

Captivity. Slavery. Bondage.

I have been held captive by food ads.

Seeing that Wendy commercial,

I can taste the fries! (side note – the new ones just aren’t as addicting to me…but then, I’ve eaten them anyway.)

THIS USED TO BE A HUGE PROBLEM!!!!!!! Well, true confessions, it still is.

The thing is…sugar, caffeine, chocolate, ice cream, french fries, Mike-Sell’s Potato Chips……

Yeah, a bag of Mike Sells, a tub of bacon cheese dip, a 2 liter of some diet pop….to make up for the calories of course…and I was in fat heaven! Comfort Food Chaos!

These are my issues. These are my food idols. These have held me captive.

Writing about this now, having not eaten any of these for 23 days, I can taste the banana split, I can smell the potato chips…and I am struggling to say NO – even though they aren’t even here!

I am 130 pounds overweight – at least. That’s the weight of a normal sized woman of 5’2″ stature. I cannot move like a 120 pound woman. That’s right, I’m over 100% excess person.

Here's my fat face!

Me at a campground with Gabriel

Sitting on the beach wall at Lake Livingston, TX

As is obvious, I need some help. I am trapped by my ‘addiction’ to my ‘idols’.

~it is now January 30, and I have since eaten a banana split, and pancakes for the sake of research. I even went to Wendy’s, but I could not bring myself to eat the french fries…so, I ate the salad!

I have suffered with health issues, because of the food I eat.

About.com has an article about how diet and disease correlate in a few cases. What does your doctor say when you have a major issue? Stop the high sweets, caffeine, fatty foods and eat more fruits and veggies.

MedicineNet.com has an article, Healthy Diet for Disease Prevention, about what foods TO eat for Healthy Living.

If we consider disease as a path to death, and health as a path to wellness and living life…then fat, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and diabetes type 2 are all consequences of choosing ‘death’ in our food.

CHOOSE LIFE!

Deut 30:19 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, [that] I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:

Deut 30:20 That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, [and] that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he [is] thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.

The Bible does have a few things to say about what we eat….not just the legalistic following of the Jewish Kosher Diet.

The first thing – is fasting.

Deut 29:5-6 And I have led you forty years in the wilderness: your clothes are not waxen old upon you, and thy shoe is not waxen old upon thy foot. Ye have not eaten bread, neither have ye drunk wine or strong drink: that ye might know that I [am] the LORD your God.

Part of the Israelites’ process in the wilderness was not eating bread nor drinking alcohol. It was part of knowing that God was their LORD.

Isaiah talks about reasons for fasting:

Is 58:5 NIV Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for a man to humble himself? Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed and for lying on sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the LORD?

Is 58:6 “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?

Is 58:7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

God doesn’t want fasting for fasting sake…but there is a promise for fasting to set the oppressed free…and break every yoke. Consider fasting as part of your sacrifice to God. There are many studies about it’s benefit…one is The Daniel Fast.

That brings me to a variation on fasting, the Daniel Fast, taken from Daniel 1, where Daniel refused to eat anything other than plant based foods, and water.

This book, The Genesis Diet, by Gordon Tessler, explains a lot about the types of food from the garden.

BUT HEAR THIS!!!! After the flood – God gave MEAT to man to eat!!!! Genesis 9

Romans 14 & 1 Corinthian 8 handles many of the discussions about what to eat.

And if anyone tells you that you should NOT eat meat…it is a doctrine of a demon! 1 Tim 4:1-5

1 Tim 4:1 -2 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;

1 Tim 4:3-5 Forbidding to marry, [and commanding] to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. For every creature of God [is] good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.

My point, in all of this, is that God is interested in what we eat. And it IS between US and God…

Rom 14:5 Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. with

Rom 14:19 Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.

It is IMPORTANT, because we are putting it into HIS temple – because WE are the temple of the Holy Spirit!

1 Cor 3:16 – 17 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and [that] the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which [temple] ye are.

I admit, I’m in an Egypt of eating, I have idols of food, I have addictions to additives. I confess that I am the temple of the Holy Ghost, and that I want the Godhead to dwell in me fully! And I have read how carefully crafted the temple items were made that were put into the Tabernacle and Temple. I admit, I do not take that much care, nor do I take care of myself as if I AM the temple of the Almighty God.

Exodus

Captivity. Slavery. Bondage. IDOLATRY.

It just kind of happened.

But what do I do now?

2 Cor 6:16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in [them]; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

2 Cor 6:17-18 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean [thing]; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

Glutton is sin. It is one of the most accepted, if not THE most accepted sin in the church today. God commands me to put off sin…tear down the strongholds and high places and go no more to them. For me…that means….Wendy’s. Yes – I’ve said it. That means to NOT start up the Steak-n-Shake habit again. No more drive through Cinnabon Pecan messes. BECAUSE they pull me down a path I do not want to go!

Pr 23: 2-3 And put a knife to thy throat, if thou [be] a man given to appetite. Be not desirous of his dainties: for they [are] deceitful meat.

Remember the verse – let every man be persuaded in their own mind. I have no problem passing cigarette displays. I have no problem passing Captain Morgan or a Budwieser Poster. I do have a problem passing the apple pie at Krogers!

My definition of idol is anything that comes between ME and God. I am going to have to adjust it.

Idol: Anything that comes between me and God, or hinders my ability to be ready when God calls me.

Idolotry: choosing anything over what God has asked of me.

Ps 106:36 And they served their idols: which were a snare unto them.

1 Sam 15:23 For rebellion [is as] the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness [is as] iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee….

But with confession, with repentance, comes forgiveness.

Ezekiel 36:25-27 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do [them].

My life is a living sacrifice to God. I do not know why I thought eating didn’t have anything to do with it! The great thing about God, through His Son, Jesus Christ, is that HE loves me enough to continue to call me further on and further in!

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.

The First 100 Days – Day 21-WLVS

At a Counseling Seminar, Dr. Marcus Warner of Deeper Walk International, taught the WLVS process of working through issues. Here is my first attempt, with references to Job. This is a very personal reflection.

WLVS 06Jan09

This is my first attempt during this journey to follow the Wound/Lie/Vow/Sin process of removing giants. First, I must identify a problem. I found one as I was reading Job today.

Problem:

Suicide, desire death, echoing Job’s cries:

And for 26 verses.

Similar thoughts: Why died I not from the womb? (Vs 11)

My thoughts: The same, or each time I have had a near death experience, I wonder why I was resuscitated. Following every suicide attempt, at the next attack of giants, I’d think “why wasn’t I better at my attempt the last time?” “Long for death but it doth cometh not…”(vs 21)

Job talks about the blessings of the peace of heaven in vs 13-19. Even the wicked cease from troubling (vs 17).

The freedom of heaven….the rest of the next life…to be loosed from the oppression of this life…this has been my cry. The pains that have wracked me mentally, spiritually, and then physically has brought me to the place many times, that I would rather die than live another minute.

NLT follows that with this:

I have cried this…prayed this…..breathed this. Lord, this is too much for me to bear!!!!! (there’s a lie in there I’ll have to deal with!)

Then – here’s Job’s cause:

Job 3:25-26 For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me. I was not in safety, neither had I rest, neither was I quiet; yet trouble came.

NLT: Job 3:26 I have no peace, no quietness. I have no rest; instead, only trouble comes.”

So – what is my cause?

Fear…..fear of failure, and in the face of failure, total collapse.

THE WOUND:

What’s my wound? The horrible memories of monsters in the night, then the failure of my mother to protect me, and having to be the adult at 13, and care for my brother…and I had to do it right…because everything I did, had to be right. Nothing was ever good enough…and I was told to go do it again, and get it right. I thought if I was good enough, such things wouldn’t happen to me.

THE LIES:

I didn’t do it right, and monsters came in the night.

I didn’t do it right, and I chose to forsake a scholarship for art and music at OSU

I didn’t do it right, and I went into the Navy, got paralyzed, and was discharged with missing medical papers.

I left my mom and my brother to join the Navy. That wasn’t what I was supposed to do.

I didn’t do it right, and my brother got drunk in high school.

I didn’t do it right, and my mother committed suicide.

I didn’t do it right, and my husband was angry.

I didn’t do it right, and my house wasn’t as clean as Martha Stewart’s.

I didn’t do it right, and my brother fell away from his walk with Jesus for a while.

I didn’t do it right, and my children became free thinkers with minds of their own that did not follow the path of Christ as I had envisioned.

I didn’t do it right, and all three daughters have life long diseases, as well as memories and scars that they will carry forever.

I didn’t do it right, and I turned to food and food and, well, food for my comfort, my emotional support and I am 120 pounds overweight.

I didn’t do it right, and I have health issues.

And, I can go on and on and on…..I can even explain the sin in the world as a failure of mine (oh yes, I can!).

THE VOW

The vow is that I should die, to relieve the world of my burdensome, failing self. Or, I will stop failing, and succeed at ONE thing – to die.

THE SIN

Suicidal thoughts and attempts. As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he…so even to think of suicide is a sin – if you entertain the thought. Those thoughts that come and were kicked out were just temptations.

Attempts, including – eating stuff that is not good for me, because I’ll eventually die from it, and maybe God won’t notice I killed myself.

Red Lobster’s all you can eat shrimp feast looks like a great way to die! It only takes 6 to start my mouth and tongue to swelling…….

Over dosing on chocolate – 2 pound bags….yes, that says bagS.

A friend’s mom or Dad went to the hospital for heart issues, because of eating too many Fritos…

I could go like that…just get me a bucket of dip or salsa! Maybe a 2 liter of pop to wash it down!

Basically, not taking care of myself has been a passive way of killing myself. And you know what? It hasn’t worked. My heart is strong, just under exercised. “Deconditioned.” My bones have lost density…but I still can turn that around. My liver, though fatty, recovers very well. Gall bladder is fine, lungs have recovered from pneumonia twice. I do have Fibromyalgia (a dormant, then trauma induced, progressive chronic illness). BUT God has gotten me to a doc that prescribed some good meds that are making even that manageable. I barely have an official Dx of Diabetes 2 – my insulin stuff is just messed up.

The messed up parts? My mind.

Other methods have included an overdose, and intense cutting on my arms. Mostly, I have been hospitalized for suicide ideations….my mind has gone wacky and tried to kill me. The spirit within, that has been trained to turn to God, found ways to stop me. I have learned to call out for help when needed. It would have been great if my body had reacted to the pain in the right manner, but like I said, my mind went a bit wacky.

What’s the Solution?

FORGIVE THOSE THAT CAUSED THE WOUND

REPLACE THE LIES WITH TRUTH

RENOUNCE THE VOWS

REPENT OF THE SINS.

FORGIVE THOSE THAT CAUSED THE WOUND – Done(or so I thought)

REPLACE THE LIES:

I didn’t do it right, and monsters came in the night.

No child is responsible for what happens to them in the night, or day by adults.

I didn’t do it right, and I chose to forsake a scholarship for art and music at OSU.

For the gifts and calling of God [are] without repentance. Romans 11:29

I didn’t do it right, and I went into the Navy, got paralyzed, and was discharged with missing papers.

There is forgiveness for our sins...1 John 1:9-10

I left my mom and my brother. That wasn’t what I was supposed to do.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9

I didn’t do it right, and my brother got drunk in high school.

It was not my responsibility to raise my brother, he had a mother and a father.

I didn’t do it right, and my mother committed suicide.

My mother was an adult, and she made her own decision…I was where I was supposed to be, with my husband.

I didn’t do it right, and my husband was angry.

I cannot make someone happy or sad, angry or calm. That comes from the fruit of the Spirit.

I didn’t do it right, and my house wasn’t as clean as Martha Stewart’s.

I’m still working on this….but I try to remind myself, she has servants. Besides, I am not going to be judged by the cleanliness of my house….but on whether I have trusted the Lord Jesus as my Savior.

I didn’t do it right, and my brother fell away from his walk with Jesus for a while.

But, my prayers, our grandmother’s prayers, and prayers of others brought him back…it wasn’t my responsibility, it was his story with God.

I didn’t do it right, and my children became free thinkers with minds of their own that did not follow the path of Christ as I had planned.

For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day. 2 Tim 1:12 among many promises to save our children.

I didn’t do it right, and all three daughters have life long diseases, as well as memories that they will carry forever.

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to [his] purpose. Rom 8:28

I didn’t do it right, and I turned to food and food and, well, food for my comfort, my emotional support and I am 120 pounds overweight.

I didn’t do it right, and I have health issues.

For the wages of sin [is] death; but the gift of God [is] eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Rom 6:23

But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. Rom 6:22

Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth. 3 John 2

Here’s what God can do!

Eze 37:1 The hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley which [was] full of bones,

Eze 37:2 And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, [there were] very many in the open valley; and, lo, [they were] very dry.

Eze 37:3 And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest.

Eze 37:4 Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.

Eze 37:5 Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live:

Eze 37:6 And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I [am] the LORD.

And I still have sinews and flesh and skin…..but this is my ‘put on’(what I need to ‘put on’ to move forward).

Eph 4:21 If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus:

Eph 4:22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;

Eph 4:23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;

Eph 4:24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

RENOUNCE THE VOW & REPENT OF THE SIN

In the name of Jesus, I put off the old man’s ways of death, suicide and self destruction.

I renounce my vow of self destruction and declare it of none effect in Jesus’ name. I confess these thoughts and actions as sin, and place them under the blood of Jesus. Please forgive me, cleanse me and make me whole.

In the name of Jesus, I put on Life, and I pray that YOU, Lord will breath upon me, and I shall live, just as the dry bones, just as Elijah and the widow’s son, Just as you did at creation when you breathed life into Adam.

The only person left to forgive in all those wounds and lies is……….ME.

How does one forgive themselves?

Have I repented? Yes, then:

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9

He Who? The God Who will sit on the white throne of judgment, to judge both the living and the dead.

Eph 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.

1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

Rev 1:5 And from Jesus Christ, [who is] the faithful witness, [and] the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,

Moses sinned – and God forgave him, before the law of the sacrifice was known.

David sinned – and God forgave him, before the blood of Christ was shed.

The woman at the well sinned – and Jesus forgave her, when she didn’t even have the promise.

The woman caught in adultery sinned – and Jesus forgave her, and said go and sin no more.

Peter sinned – and Jesus forgave him, before He went to the cross.

The thief sinned – and Jesus forgave him, as they hung dying.

Jhn 3:14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:

Jhn 3:15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

Jhn 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Jhn 3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

Jhn 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Rom 8:1 [There is] therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

Rom 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

Rom 8:10 And if Christ [be] in you, the body [is] dead because of sin; but the Spirit [is] life because of righteousness.

Rom 8:11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

Rom 8:34 Who [is] he that condemneth? [It is] Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

Rom 8:35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? [shall] tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

Rom 8:36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.

Rom 8:37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

Rom 8:38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,

Rom 8:39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Who am I to think that I can hold a grudge against my self – when the Most High God has declared it null and void?

Psalm 103, especially:

Psa 103:8 The LORD [is] merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.

Psa 103:9 He will not always chide: neither will he keep [his anger] for ever.

Psa 103:10 He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.

Psa 103:11 For as the heaven is high above the earth, [so] great is his mercy toward them that fear him.

Psa 103:12 As far as the east is from the west, [so] far hath he removed our transgressions from us.

And this was written BEFORE Christ’s blood was shed…so how much more NOW will He deal with me in mercy?

So, I repent of my false humility that held a grudge against myself, which in truth, called God a liar and dismissed the efficacy of Christ’s blood to cover MY sin. What arrogance…and I repent, and ask the Lord for forgiveness….and I accept it, for me, and I release myself from that burden.

Psa 103:1 [[[A Psalm] of David.]] Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, [bless] his holy name.

Psa 103:2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:

Psa 103:3 Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;

Psa 103:4 Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;

Psa 103:5 Who satisfieth thy mouth with good [things; so that] thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

Isai 40:31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew [their] strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; [and] they shall walk, and not faint.

Psal 46:10 Be still, and know that I [am] God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.

Psal 46:11 The LORD of hosts [is] with us; the God of Jacob [is] our refuge. Selah.

Lord, I will wait upon you….and believe that you will heal all my diseases, redeem my life from destruction, my youth will be renewed and I will mount up with wings as eagles…I will run and walk and not faint. Lord, upon you, I wait. ~Christi

This was a journal entry that was at a turning point in my life. My suicidal issues did not get resolved until I arrived non-responsive in the ER, November 17th, 2009. That day, something in me died…but it was something that needed to die so that I could move forward. My husband, my pastor Earl and my best friend Sue were instrumental in helping me move forward, and to this day, I have no suicidal thoughts. For the first time, as long as I can remember, I have spent a year with NO suicidal thoughts. The meds aren’t different. The people aren’t different. My head is different, because my heart is set on Jesus.

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.