Open Book

My daughter recently witnessed me reading my Bible and mentioned that I must really love God because I was always reading my Bible. My heart was warmed to hear that and was glad that I could be some kind of example to her in that manner.

The next week, the lady that helps me clean my house told me that she never knew anybody that had faith like I did. I took that as a great compliment too. Once again, it was great to have encouragement from someone that hardly knows you. To be an example is something I struggle with daily and it was nice to see that some work the Lord was doing was paying off to someone that you least expected to notice.

But little do they know. Little do they know how difficult it is sometimes to concentrate on growing my faith. How hard it is sometimes to wrestle with my flesh and sinful desires and thoughts. They don't really know that I get discouraged and down right overwhelmed. They would probably be surprised to hear my prayers. The ones that are full of whining and complaining. The ones that are full of fear and doubt. The ones that wail to God with loneliness and despair. The ones that you don't want anyone to see the weakness but it shows forth anyway with vengeance because I wear it on my sleeve. The ones where I question my faith all together and wonder if I have any faith at all anymore.

"He whose life is one even and smooth path, will see but little of the glory of the Lord, for he has few occasions of self-emptying, and hence, but little fitness for being filled with the revelation of God. They who navigate little streams and shallow creeks, know but little of the God of tempests; but they who 'do business in great waters', these see His 'wonders in the deep'. Among the huge Atlantic-waves of bereavement, poverty, temptation, and reproach, we learn the power of Jehovah, because we feel the littleness of man. Thank God, then, if you have been led by a rough road: it is this which has given you your experience of God's greatness and loving-kindness. Your troubles have enriched you with a wealth of knowledge to be gained by no other means: your trials have been the cleft of the rock in which Jehovah has set you, as He did His servant Moses, that you might behold His glory as it passed by. Praise God that you have not been left to the darkness and ignorance which continued prosperity might have involved, but that in the great fight of affliction, you have been capacitated for the outshinings of His glory in His wonderful dealings with you." --Charles Spurgeon

In the midst of my struggles, if I had remained in the shallow waters I wouldn't have cried out to God. I wouldn't have needed to and thus I wouldn't have received the knowledge that He is pouring upon me now. God's timing is so precise and perfect! Thank goodness that my life is an open book to the Lord. It's all laid out there and He can see every word of it. He can see that although I can struggle at times I am desperately seeking Him. I am trying to learn how to believe and have more faith. Nothing escapes our Lord as He knows the innermost workings of my heart and thoughts (Psalm 94:11). To some that is a scary notion but to me it is comforting because He knows where my heart is and what it is really seeking after. Even so, there is much work to be done. He will melt me with fire to purify me so that I can share in His righteousness.

Remember the Israelites after they had been freed from slavery in Egypt? There was no rejoicing in their freedom. No thankfulness for the God who freed them and was leading them into the Promised Land. The Lord said that they were just wailing on their beds and not crying out to Him. Boy, what a fine pack of people huh? You wouldn't want to be around that group with a ten-foot pole. Oh, but alas -- if you looked closely and probably not very hard -- I'd be right there with them! I'd be the one throwing up my hands and wailing on my bed!

Recently I was reading Matthew 8:26. The disciples are on a boat with Jesus who is sleeping when a sudden storm comes up and fear grips them. I can see them with wide eyes watching the waves and the storm all around them as fear wants to gobble them up. They hurriedly awaken Jesus who asks them,"Why are you fearful, O you of little faith." Jesus then rebukes the wind and the seas and I love what happens next -- there was a great calm. What goes through my head when I read that is boy those disciples were so lucky! All they had to do was go wake up Jesus who was right there on the boat with them! Yet they still had no faith! We are in good company are we not?

In his book Running Scared**, author Edward T. Welch says this, "When we complain, we hold him in contempt. The white lies we tell are against the God of truth. The anger we display is murderous toward others and stands in judgment of God himself. And it is not just what we do that is so serious; it is also what we don't do. We don't love God and neighbor with our whole heart. In our spiritual indifference we can go for days thinking that our personal interests are paramount; that is, we forget God. When there is persistent sin, there is no fear of God (Rom 3:18)."

Through it all the Lord is teaching me to trust in Him and not in my fears and worries and the fruitless opinions of others. My interests for my life are not important. It all boils down to conquering sin. Concentrating on my fear and worry makes me look inward to myself as I feed off the insecurities. After a while it's all I know. And that makes it a lot harder to look up. The Israelites never battled their sin and were never were allowed into the Promised Land. If they were truly pursuing God, then they would have been very concerned about the sin in their life. That is what it is ALL about.

Here is what Welch says about sin, "The reality is that the Spirit convicts of sin. One piece of evidence of kingdom life is that you will see more sin, not less. Outside the kingdom of heaven, there is no concern about sin. That doesn't mean that unbelievers are so bad; it means that they are indifferent to the fact that their sin is against God. They hide the more shameful sins, but they don't do battle with them. When you are brought into the kingdom of light, you both see sin and, for the first time, get in a battle with it. The battle means you are alive."

What I trust in most is what I want to hang onto. But I am letting go.

Slowly. Surely. I am. I will. The work He has started in me will be complete.

And my hope is in my God who works all things for good to those who trust in Him.

Lord, I am an open book. Rewrite the chapters. Make me a best seller for your Kingdom.

If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them (Col 3:1-7).

**I recommend: Running Scared

Blessed Are The PeaceMAKERS

Guest Lane Chaplin on Slice of Laodicea posted this on how we are called to be peacemakers and not peacekeepers. Listen to the sermon by Mark Kielar of First Baptist Church of Boynton Beach. It is an absolutely fabulous point on what exactly being a peacemaker is about. I encourage all those who are sharing their faith to take some time to listen to this one hour sermon.

Here is an excerpt from the post Blessed are the PeaceMAKERS (Not the PeaceKEEPERS):

"One of the charges Ingrid is met with often here at Slice as do many of us meet is that we are trouble makers who cause division in the Body. We are told that we should basically be pacifists who allow any and all error into our lives and practice and are scolded for even taking the time and effort to discern what exactly error is. This is propagated largely and very often by those professing the name of Christ who are carnal hypocrites because they wouldn’t hold the same philosophy of wanting others to accept everything regardless if it’s error if they were to see their child about to eat paint chips or chop off their finger by placing it next to a power saw. Since a Christian is defined by the Bible and the Bible says that it’s the one who points out error to make peace instead of lying about the “peace” that is already there which is basically keeping a veneer over false peace, shouldn’t we relinquish our subjective opinions to the authority of God?"

See full post and link to sermon here.

Spiritual Sickness

Have you noticed lately there seems to be a lot of people that are sick? I think I probably notice it more since I have been one of them. About a month ago, I got really sick. I had all kinds of ultrasounds and tests done, blood drawn, and even nuclear medicine pumped into me that made my organs glow! Thankfully, nothing too serious was found.

But I noticed it. While at the hospital having tests done I saw all the people there. I saw them picking up prescriptions at the pharmacy. I heard about sickness going on in my friends and family. And I wondered. What is going on?

I can see how sickness can make many people think that God is not there. I can see how people can be deceived by the Word of Faith teachers (Joyce Meyer, Benny Hinn, Kenneth and Gloria Copeland, Todd Bentley and others) who say that if you are sick you must not have enough faith. I can see how people can think that God doesn't want anybody sick and that they must have some huge sin in their life that they better deal with. Job's friends told him that. All of his troubles had to have been caused by sin -- there was no other explanation.

My soul searching for several years now as to just what was going on with me did indeed uncover unconfessed sin in my life. I do not doubt that God used this suffering in my life to show me exactly where my heart was -- and it wasn't with Him. God allowed the misery to show me that there is more to life than my circumstances. The bottom line is the reason we do suffer whether it be sickness, persecution or otherwise is because we are living in a sinful, fallen world. There is not one of us who is not a sinner and therefore could be subject to sickness and suffering at anytime. I believe God definitely uses these trials as times of testing, chastening, discipline and to remind us that we are not yet perfected in Him. I am a sinner. Job was a sinner. We are all sinners. God perhaps used sickness in my life to show me that I wasn't so humble after all. I wasn't following Him like it looked like I was. And that was frightening. It still is and I am still learning.

Even now, I am going through a time in my life where I just want to be well again. At times, it has become so consuming that it has stopped me in my tracks and kept me from doing the things that I need to be doing such as evangelizing, praying, being a parent and wife. God specifically showed me that my health was, well, my idol. I was worshiping it and I became extremely fearful. I was leaning on my own understanding about what was happening. I was doing everything to try and make it better for myself without trusting God. My prayers were full of complaining and whining. I went though so many scenarios of what could be wrong with me. Come to find out God doesn't really care so much about the physical....it is the SPIRITUAL that is important to Him. He uses the physical sometimes to shake up the spiritual. He uses the physical to make us trust in Him, to test us, and to discipline us. He uses it for His power and His glory.

We know that sin is not always the cause. Remember the parable about the man who was born blind (John 9)? The disciples asked what sin he or his parents had committed that he was born this way. Jesus answered that it was no sin that had made him blind but so that the works of God could be revealed. This particular man was born blind so that Jesus could heal him while he walked on earth and that God's glory would be seen by all!

Another explanation comes from 2 Corinthians 12. Paul was plagued by a thorn in his side that God put there to keep him from being proud. We don't know what it was (some studies elude that it was an eye problem) but we do know that obviously it bothered him and he pleaded with the Lord three times to remove it. The Lord answers him in 2 Corinthians 12:9-11, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Paul goes on to say that he will boast all the more gladly of his weakness so that the power of Christ could rest upon him. Concentrating on my sickness was a weakness for me. I was weak in my own strength. But God used it for good. And, sometimes it is down right hard to boast about it.

Have you ever noticed when you go to a doctor they never ask or seem concerned about what you are eating? They listen to our list of symptoms and then they jot down on their notepad a prescription and then send you out the door. God is not concerned with just giving us something that will make us feel better for a little while. He is not concerned with the symptoms. He is concerned and sent His Son to die for the cause -- our sin.

God is not concerned with just giving us something that will make us feel better for a little while. He is not concerned with the symptoms. He is concerned and sent His Son to die for the cause -- our sin.

So what food are you eating? Are you eating from the vine of life? What is coming out of your heart? Living continually in the sin of this world will make us sick just like eating things that are bad for you can make you sick (*see more on this below). The good news is that God has all ready healed that sickness. He suffered and died on the cross for it! One of the verses in the Bible that is always misinterpreted is 1 Peter 2:24 which says in part "by His stripes you were healed." This does not mean physical healing but a healing from the eternal sting of sin (read the whole verse in context). I do believe God heals in the physical but it is His choice if He wants to or not. I also believe that there is a reason that God does what He does and we should not question it but learn from it. He is a merciful God and full of loving kindness. But sometimes He will crush us to make us righteous.

And so I rejoice in my weakness for when I am weak then I am strong! I rejoice in renewed hope and joy!!

And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. (Matthew 10:28)

*(While God did show me where my heart was during this time I did have some things that were continuing to bother me. I continued to cry out to God for answers and He began to show me things regarding my nutrition and hormones. Our body is a temple for God and do believe that what I was eating has some to do with health issues. The food in this country is certainly not what it was in Bible times (it is highly processed) and I think careful consideration and study in this area is important as well. We are each individuals and I think the key is crying out to God for answers as to what He might be working in our lives whether it be physical or spiritual. Even if you don't find the answers regarding physical matters don't neglect the spiritual. Your eternal life depends on it. If you want more information on some interesting nutritional things that I have discovered please contact me.)

America, Not So Beautiful

"America, America, God shed His grace on thee...."

America. As the images of my country flash through my mind, it's hard for me to look past the current state that I see America in at this hour. Too far back in the history books are the records of the Pilgrims and the deep religious values, standards and Godly way of life that they brought to this great country. What the Puritans believed in and sought after for their country and family is replaced with broken homes, divorce, immoral lifestyles and a nation trying to please itself instead of a hunger and thirst for God.

If I look close enough, I might still see a glimpse of the amber waves of grain, the sea to shining sea and the freedom this country offers and that countless continue to fight for today. I can calmly rest in the warmth and comfort that living in a free nation affords. I still feel gratitude for the men and women who die fighting to keep this country alive and vibrant and offering hope for the less fortunate. I do love this country that I believe God really did have a plan for.

I wonder though how long it will last. It seems we are breaking the standard of relying on God to get us through.

Our nation is in the midst of deep political, spiritual and physical change. The roots that we established as a free nation, one under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all is not so much under God any more. A recent survey from the Pew Research Center pointed out that 70%, including the majority of Christians, believe that "many religions can lead to eternal life." If we were a nation that truly knew the Word of God then we would know John 14:6 which says "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through me." There is only one way. It's not by Oprah's cultural agenda, it's not by Catholicism, Hinduism, Mormonism or Buddhism. It's only by Jesus Christ.

Because of our desire to embrace other cultures and beliefs and intertwine them with our own we have become a very tolerant nation. Too tolerant of the beliefs that however one chooses to get "to God" must be the right path. We believe Oprah when she says that all paths lead to God. We search for the meaning of life in nature, in the stars, and even on Mars, but we neglect the one true manuscript that dictates our purpose and our direction for this life. We put the Bible on a shelf and let others read us a few verses from it a week. We rationalize that Christianity is burdensome, hypocritical, judgmental and weak so therefore we should embrace other religions so that we keep an "open mind". We cling to anything that will let us continue to live comfortably in our own sin. We scrutinize others actions with disdain but refuse to look upon our inward heart and our own wretchedness.

Has God's grace begun to lift from this nation? The book The Light and the Glory** (Peter Marshall, David Manuel) is an excellent review of the nation's history from God's point of view.

"America, America, God shed His grace on thee...From the very beginning, God did abundantly answer this nineteenth-century prayer we have sung so often. And there is really no way to measure how much the grace which God has poured out on this nation is a direct result of the obedience and sacrifice of those first Franciscan and Dominican missionaries, the Jesuit martyrs, and the earliest generation of nameless Americans who chose the Covenant Way.

Yet even as His grace continued, our hearts grew harder, to the point where we took it so much for granted that we made a joke of it, 'God looks after fools, drunks, and the United States.' In the face of such callous indifference, God could not bless us indefinitely, and now the grace has begun to lift."

As the book alludes to as well, perhaps even social indicators such as the descent of morality, the destruction of the American family, the rebelliousness of our teenagers and high-pregnancy rates are evidence enough to the lifting of God's grace. Even natural disasters seem to be the norm as we watch the fires burn in California, the catastrophic earthquakes and flooding, and the strain upon our nations food and gas supply. Even terrorist attacks perhaps can be attributed to the lifting of God's grace on this nation.

I shudder to see our nation turn even more away from the way of the Lord that our forefathers held so dear. The authors in the book note this,

"For a whole nation to return to the Covenant Way seems impossible. But it is not impossible; it has been done before. And we have the biblical example of Nineveh to prove it....We are not saying that America is at the Nineveh-point--yet. Indeed, our demise could well be a more gradual, drawn-out affair, to allow us as much time as possible to repent. If God continues to lift His grace as He has begun to, it will not be long before we will be in a hell very much of our own making. But whether the end comes with a bang or a whimper, we are nearly at our national Point of No Return, beyond which it will be too late for America to turn back.

Yet such is God's mercy, that He does not even require the whole nation to repent. It is enough if only the Christians, those who truly know Him, will do this. He told us as much in 2 Chronicles 7:14: If my people, who are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land."

I want that for America. I want us as a nation to fall on our face before God and repent of our wicked ways. I want us to surrender ourselves to the will of God and our commitment to bringing the truth of the gospel to the many ears that are headed for destruction. I want to be a servant and guide to those in this nation who are lost, including those who call themselves children of God. I want God to heal this land...to heal those who are not turning from their wicked ways in which the end will be destruction.

Pray with me for God's grace to continue upon this great nation. Pray that His mercy will be steadfast and that more hearts will open to His call.

Help us Father to be light bearers to the people of this land. Burden us with sorrow that moves us to action for this nation.

(**I read The Light and the Glory more than 15 years ago and it made a huge impression on me. I encourage everyone to read it.)

My country tis of thee,
Sweet land of liberty,
Of thee I sing.
Land where my fathers died!
Land of the Pilgrim's pride!
From every mountain side,
Let freedom ring!

My native country, thee,
Land of the noble free,
Thy name I love.
I love thy rocks and rills,
Thy woods and templed hills;
My heart with rapture fills
Like that above.

Let music swell the breeze,
And ring from all the trees
Sweet freedom's song.
Let mortal tongues awake;
Let all that breathe partake;
Let rocks their silence break,
The sound prolong.

Our father's God to, Thee,
Author of liberty,
To Thee we sing.
Long may our land be bright
With freedom's holy light;
Protect us by Thy might,
Great God, our King!

Temporary Highs

List of top ten temporary highs:

10. What kind of car you drive

9. What kind of house you live in

8. Your dreams

7. Your television

6. Your church

5. Your job

4. Your friends/family

3. Your marriage

2. Your kids

And, the number one temporary high....

1. YOUR LIFE

Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." (Matthew 16:24)

Psalm 86

1 Bow down thine ear, O Lord, hear me: for I am poor and needy.

2 Preserve my soul; for I am holy: O thou my God, save thy servant that trusteth in thee.

3 Be merciful unto me, O Lord: for I cry unto thee daily.

4 Rejoice the soul of thy servant: for unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.

5 For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.

6 Give ear, O Lord, unto my prayer; and attend to the voice of my supplications.

7 In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee: for thou wilt answer me.

8 Among the gods there is none like unto thee, O Lord; neither are there any works like unto thy works.

9 All nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee, O Lord; and shall glorify thy name.

10 For thou art great, and doest wondrous things: thou art God alone.

11 Teach me thy way, O Lord; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name.

12 I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify thy name for evermore.

13 For great is thy mercy toward me: and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell.

14 O God, the proud are risen against me, and the assemblies of violent men have sought after my soul; and have not set thee before them.

15 But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.

16 O turn unto me, and have mercy upon me; give thy strength unto thy servant, and save the son of thine handmaid.

17 Shew me a token for good; that they which hate me may see it, and be ashamed: because thou, Lord, hast helped me, and comforted me.

I Wish We'd All Been Ready

There is an old song by dc Talk called I Wish We'd All Been Ready that couldn't emphasize more the importance of doing as the Lord commanded and reaching the lost. The day is coming when it will be too late to share our faith and even though we don't know when the day is, there is a lot of evangelicals who would say the day is approaching. We feel it. We know it.

We also know that the Lord tarries so that more can be saved. He longs for His Kingdom to be filled with people that love Him!

..."There is no time to change your mind. The Son has come and you've been left behind. I wish we'd all been ready"...

This is why I continue to press on for the faith to let the millions know that the day of judgment is coming, whether we are alive when He returns or not. As it says in Hebrews 9:27, And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.

..."The Father spoke, the demons dined. How could you have been so blind? There's no time to change your mind. The Son has come and you've been left behind"....

I don't want anyone to be left behind much less myself which is why I examine myself to make sure that I am remaining in the faith. And, no, I can't do it all. But as laborers for His harvest we are supposed to be reaching out to warn those who are traveling down the wrong path to destruction.

Oh, that day will be here when He will appear in the clouds and all doubt about His existence will be erased forever. All thoughts about turning from our sin when we get around to it will be forever moot. For some it will be more than they can take as they realize that it's too late. As a person who is sharing her faith more and more I don't want anyone that is supposed to hear the gospel to realize it's too late. This is why it is not a waste of my time. Each passing day I get more and more devoted to the cause of spreading the truth of the gospel. Because, unfortunately, the Bible does say that some will be left behind. What a sobering thought! But, oh, how I long for his glorious return!

..."A man and wife asleep in bed, she hears a noise and turns her head, he's gone. I wish we'd all been ready. Two men walking up a hill, one disappears, one is left standing still. I wish we'd all been ready...

I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. (Luke 17:34-36)

You can't help but wonder when you read that verse just what it could mean. Did the person that was taken say all they could to change the other person's mind? Where they praying for that person enough so that the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit could be done in their heart? Did they open their mouth at all and say anything even if it meant losing them as a friend? I think the worse thing would be to look back with tears in my eyes and be thinking that I hadn't done my best to reach them. Even through all my faults and failures I hope that I can still be an example of Christ. I don't want to have to look back and say that I didn't try. What is a waste of time is for me to be a friend but not say anything or be praying for an eternal work of salvation in a person's life. That is a waste of time.

When the Lord returns it will be to establish His kingdom and gather those that are true followers of Him. My heart aches for those who refuse to see. The bad fish will be cast away and left behind. I do not wish for anyone to perish.

Matthew 14:34-50 says, Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind: Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away. So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

Even then, just proclaiming the gospel is not enough. Since salvation is a supernatural work of God in someones heart then we must be praying as well. Praying that the Lord opens the eyes of the blinded. Praying that those who read a tract or that we may have a conversation with is alerted to the fact that perhaps maybe they aren't quite right with God after all. It was a sobering thought for me but one that changed my life and my focus dramatically. Each day brings more and more urgency to reach those that intellectually have the knowledge of Christ but aren't living it. We must be praying as the Lord says for laborers to be increased for His harvest. But we can not overlook that we can not pray effectively if we are not doing it ourselves!

Are you putting your hand to the plow and not looking back? Are you ready for His return? What if you knew it was tomorrow?

We must labor for the harvest.

We must contend for the faith.

We must be praying for the lost.

...You've been left behind. You've been left behind...