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Friday, March 11, 2011
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Do You Rent Space In Your Head?
Simple thought for the day: He who angers you, controls you.
Don't "rent space in your head" to anyone, or any situation. LET IT GO!
Don't "rent space in your head" to anyone, or any situation. LET IT GO!
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
See Jane Run
There are some things in life that one never forgets.
One day while in first grade, the teacher was handing out reading books.
All had a drab, brown paper cover, except for one brightly colored book
covered in bright green and yellow plastic. I had to have it. Perked
right up in my seat, Sister Raymond Beatrice noticed and called my name.
Forty years later I met her and some friends at a local restaurant and recalled that situation to her, which had completely escaped her memory! We all burst into hearty laughter and had ourselves a very spiritual experience!
One day while in first grade, the teacher was handing out reading books.
All had a drab, brown paper cover, except for one brightly colored book
covered in bright green and yellow plastic. I had to have it. Perked
right up in my seat, Sister Raymond Beatrice noticed and called my name.
Forty years later I met her and some friends at a local restaurant and recalled that situation to her, which had completely escaped her memory! We all burst into hearty laughter and had ourselves a very spiritual experience!
Whispers And Shouts
One day I was walking into a local pharmacy. In the parking lot was a van, obviously belonging to a business.
Oddly enough however, the only words on it were: Anytime, anywhere. I thought it strange not to have the name
of the business. I immediately surmised it was a little reminder from God that He was there for me anytime, anywhere. But sometimes I read too much into things, so I didn't dwell too much on it.
I went in the store and quickly made my purchase. Upon exiting via a different door and side of the parking lot,
I was face to face with a station wagon with a bumper sticker that said simply: Therefore, I am! I laughed and now I knew God was speaking to me in the middle of my day!
On the evening of that day, I had a dream I will never forget, I hope to God. I dreamed I was at the crucifixion of Jesus. Unbelievable!
I mean I was right there, watching the soldiers, two of them, with the cross in an upright position and the soldiers on a ladder.
They were pounding the nails through Jesus' hands. I could hear the sickening clang of the hammer hitting each nail, over and over.
I was counting each nail, and I counted 56 in total, including the ones used to affix the sign above His head. I was watching His face, and surprisingly, He looked like a regular human being that was being crucified , and not like the Jesus I had pictured in my mind. He didn't look like God. But His face was in agony, like He couldn't take anymore.
As they kept pounding more and more, I kept hoping and thinking to myself: Thats enough! Stop! They wouldn't. The soldier on the left was paying meticulous detail to making sure every nail was perfectly affixed to the sign, even giving each one a final tap, like you would a home project, like it was so significant, and I remember thinking: Hey, He's in agony, why are you worried about a sign, get down from there!
I used a modern day derogatory curse word to describe them in anger. I noticed His arms were starting to contort and curve inward and I could see the veins starting to bulge outward. I couldn't believe the cruelty of it all.
Upon awakening, I could not believe the dream I just had.
I couldn't believe God chose me to give this dream to. And I came to realize as I spoke with Him about it, that it was not the soldiers whom I called a name that drove the nails through His flesh, but myself. I'm pretty sure they didn't actually use 56 nails, but the symbolism for me was this: Each time I sin, another nail gets driven through His Body. Yes, Christ suffered and died once, yet, I believe that, in God's world, there is a transcending of time. Look at Romans 5: 8: " But God commandeth His own love for us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (American Standard Version) How could Christ die for us while we were yet sinners? We weren't even born yet! But God knows no time, so the past is actually still the present for Him, and my idea of my sins driving a nail through His hands gets more credibility, in my opinion.
As far as observing His human like appearance on the cross, I think God was trying to remind me that Jesus was, indeed, both human and Divine, and that is why there is nothing I or you go through in the human experience that he can't understand and identify with.
And what pain more excruciating and cruel could there be but that endured during a human crucifixion? The answer is none.
Christ came to earth to endure the most torturous type of pain known to men at the time, for my sins, and yours.
I cannot thank God enough for this dream I had, and I have to pray to keep it in the forefront of my mind always.
God chose to speak to me in such a powerful way on the other end of a day in which He chose to communicate to me through a seemingly insignificant thing such as a bumper sticker. He can speak softly in a whispering hush, or He can blow you away with an un-mistakable message. God is.....God!
Oddly enough however, the only words on it were: Anytime, anywhere. I thought it strange not to have the name
of the business. I immediately surmised it was a little reminder from God that He was there for me anytime, anywhere. But sometimes I read too much into things, so I didn't dwell too much on it.
I went in the store and quickly made my purchase. Upon exiting via a different door and side of the parking lot,
I was face to face with a station wagon with a bumper sticker that said simply: Therefore, I am! I laughed and now I knew God was speaking to me in the middle of my day!
On the evening of that day, I had a dream I will never forget, I hope to God. I dreamed I was at the crucifixion of Jesus. Unbelievable!
I mean I was right there, watching the soldiers, two of them, with the cross in an upright position and the soldiers on a ladder.
They were pounding the nails through Jesus' hands. I could hear the sickening clang of the hammer hitting each nail, over and over.
I was counting each nail, and I counted 56 in total, including the ones used to affix the sign above His head. I was watching His face, and surprisingly, He looked like a regular human being that was being crucified , and not like the Jesus I had pictured in my mind. He didn't look like God. But His face was in agony, like He couldn't take anymore.
As they kept pounding more and more, I kept hoping and thinking to myself: Thats enough! Stop! They wouldn't. The soldier on the left was paying meticulous detail to making sure every nail was perfectly affixed to the sign, even giving each one a final tap, like you would a home project, like it was so significant, and I remember thinking: Hey, He's in agony, why are you worried about a sign, get down from there!
I used a modern day derogatory curse word to describe them in anger. I noticed His arms were starting to contort and curve inward and I could see the veins starting to bulge outward. I couldn't believe the cruelty of it all.
Upon awakening, I could not believe the dream I just had.
I couldn't believe God chose me to give this dream to. And I came to realize as I spoke with Him about it, that it was not the soldiers whom I called a name that drove the nails through His flesh, but myself. I'm pretty sure they didn't actually use 56 nails, but the symbolism for me was this: Each time I sin, another nail gets driven through His Body. Yes, Christ suffered and died once, yet, I believe that, in God's world, there is a transcending of time. Look at Romans 5: 8: " But God commandeth His own love for us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (American Standard Version) How could Christ die for us while we were yet sinners? We weren't even born yet! But God knows no time, so the past is actually still the present for Him, and my idea of my sins driving a nail through His hands gets more credibility, in my opinion.
As far as observing His human like appearance on the cross, I think God was trying to remind me that Jesus was, indeed, both human and Divine, and that is why there is nothing I or you go through in the human experience that he can't understand and identify with.
And what pain more excruciating and cruel could there be but that endured during a human crucifixion? The answer is none.
Christ came to earth to endure the most torturous type of pain known to men at the time, for my sins, and yours.
I cannot thank God enough for this dream I had, and I have to pray to keep it in the forefront of my mind always.
God chose to speak to me in such a powerful way on the other end of a day in which He chose to communicate to me through a seemingly insignificant thing such as a bumper sticker. He can speak softly in a whispering hush, or He can blow you away with an un-mistakable message. God is.....God!
Modern Morality?
What I want to talk about here is morality. The morality of the world, the morality of God.
Today’s world, obviously has changed dramatically, or has it really? Is the crime and sexual immorality any different today than at the beginning of the world, the middle aged world, and the modern world? Let’s examine that. The first recorded murder in history is told in the Bible. In Genesis 4:8: Cain rose up against his own brother Abel and murdered him.
Then, Genesis 13:13 states: “ Now the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the Lord”.
In Genesis 19, two angels, disguised as human men, were staying overnight with Lot, and the men of the city, young and old, surrounded Lot’s house and demanded to have them, so they could have sex with them! (Graphic, but true as recorded in the Bible.) The Lord destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and two more surrounding cities because he could not find even ten righteous people there.
In today’s world, that sometimes seems to be the case, when you watch or read the news, there is evil everywhere. Evil is brought right to you via newspapers, radio, and most conveniently for the devil, right into your own homes via computer, and television.
Never mind the movie theater,its right in your living room in an electronic wicked device called television. As if being informed about it wasn’t enough, todays world makes it available to you as “reality” shows that declare, by their very nature, that sex before marriage is not only OK, but the normal thing, and if you don’t do it, your abnormal. Imagine that!
Murder and revenge, with the plethora of crime shows, and also with all the “reality” shows in which people go to absurd lengths to attain the false god of money, also is the norm! Would people go to these lengths to pursue God?
Now, most logical people know the difference between fantasy, and true reality, But what about children exposed to this stuff by parents who recklessly and irresponsibly allow it to be watched by their kids?
I’ll tell you what about them. They grow up being cultivated by this garbage, and learning to believe that it IS the normal thing to do, that this is the way it is, that this is what the world does,
and an entire new generation of evil doing, murderous, money seeking, un-godly pagans are born. Sodom and Gomorrah, and the temple money seekers, (new testament), reborn!
When confronted by what society calls “right wing conservatives”, they are laughed at, ridiculed, and labeled “old fashioned”!
Guess what then? I guess God is old-fashioned! If you’re not old-fashioned then, I would think your in some deep doo-doo. God destroyed entire cities for their wickedness, for what today’s world considers “normal”!
I can hear it now, and I’m sure you have heard it also: Oh, this is the 80‘s, this is the 90‘s, this is the 2000‘s, get with the program! But my dear friend, GOD knows no time. For God, one day is as a thousand years and one thousand years is as a day.
You see, the devil is a sly character. His whole purpose is to deceive the nations. ( Read the book of Jude).
Also, read 2 Corinthians 2:11: “ For that we would not be outwitted by satan, “for we are not ignorant of his designs”.
Indeed, he uses everything in his power to deceive us, television a major tool of his.
The message here is this: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 8:13)
The morals of this world may or may not have changed, and most say that since the birth of the U.S.A. this country’s morals have plunged into nothingness, and God will destroy this country as He has historically done with evil societies.
Well, not only the United States, but all evil upon the face of the earth will eventually, but surely be destroyed. There is no excuse that can be dreamed up by mankind when facing the wrath of God, nor when your personal life ends and you face Him.
You can’t say: “But Lord, I lived in the 80‘s , 90,s the 2000“s, give me a break”!
He’ll probably say something to you like this: I have lived forever, I came to earth to show you how to live, and to suffer and die for that purpose, to give you eternal life. I gave you all the resources you needed, my Word in the Bible, your parents, your teachers, my Holy Spirit which I promised before I went back to heaven after dying for you, and I never once said you could improvise upon my teaching because of the year you lived in, or even because what the rest of the world was doing, all you had to do was follow Me, depart from me, I never knew you”.
If you are a parent reading this that has been concerned about your children’s eroding morality and running away from God, take action now. If you’re that way yourself, change. If you’re not, then you need to take some serious steps, and I’d say start with a chat with your child. Pray, put on the whole armor of God, which is His word. ( Ephesians 6: 11-13).
Get the TV parental controls in use again, or , for the first time. Better yet, remove it from your home altogether. Get the Bible out and read it. Discover a good Christian music radio station such as K-Love, and play it regularly.
Monitor and control the movies they go to see on the Hollywood trash tube.
And, explain to them, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that God, the Lord, Jesus Christ never changed His morals, His teachings , nor, His expectations.
Today’s world, obviously has changed dramatically, or has it really? Is the crime and sexual immorality any different today than at the beginning of the world, the middle aged world, and the modern world? Let’s examine that. The first recorded murder in history is told in the Bible. In Genesis 4:8: Cain rose up against his own brother Abel and murdered him.
Then, Genesis 13:13 states: “ Now the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the Lord”.
In Genesis 19, two angels, disguised as human men, were staying overnight with Lot, and the men of the city, young and old, surrounded Lot’s house and demanded to have them, so they could have sex with them! (Graphic, but true as recorded in the Bible.) The Lord destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and two more surrounding cities because he could not find even ten righteous people there.
In today’s world, that sometimes seems to be the case, when you watch or read the news, there is evil everywhere. Evil is brought right to you via newspapers, radio, and most conveniently for the devil, right into your own homes via computer, and television.
Never mind the movie theater,its right in your living room in an electronic wicked device called television. As if being informed about it wasn’t enough, todays world makes it available to you as “reality” shows that declare, by their very nature, that sex before marriage is not only OK, but the normal thing, and if you don’t do it, your abnormal. Imagine that!
Murder and revenge, with the plethora of crime shows, and also with all the “reality” shows in which people go to absurd lengths to attain the false god of money, also is the norm! Would people go to these lengths to pursue God?
Now, most logical people know the difference between fantasy, and true reality, But what about children exposed to this stuff by parents who recklessly and irresponsibly allow it to be watched by their kids?
I’ll tell you what about them. They grow up being cultivated by this garbage, and learning to believe that it IS the normal thing to do, that this is the way it is, that this is what the world does,
and an entire new generation of evil doing, murderous, money seeking, un-godly pagans are born. Sodom and Gomorrah, and the temple money seekers, (new testament), reborn!
When confronted by what society calls “right wing conservatives”, they are laughed at, ridiculed, and labeled “old fashioned”!
Guess what then? I guess God is old-fashioned! If you’re not old-fashioned then, I would think your in some deep doo-doo. God destroyed entire cities for their wickedness, for what today’s world considers “normal”!
I can hear it now, and I’m sure you have heard it also: Oh, this is the 80‘s, this is the 90‘s, this is the 2000‘s, get with the program! But my dear friend, GOD knows no time. For God, one day is as a thousand years and one thousand years is as a day.
You see, the devil is a sly character. His whole purpose is to deceive the nations. ( Read the book of Jude).
Also, read 2 Corinthians 2:11: “ For that we would not be outwitted by satan, “for we are not ignorant of his designs”.
Indeed, he uses everything in his power to deceive us, television a major tool of his.
The message here is this: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 8:13)
The morals of this world may or may not have changed, and most say that since the birth of the U.S.A. this country’s morals have plunged into nothingness, and God will destroy this country as He has historically done with evil societies.
Well, not only the United States, but all evil upon the face of the earth will eventually, but surely be destroyed. There is no excuse that can be dreamed up by mankind when facing the wrath of God, nor when your personal life ends and you face Him.
You can’t say: “But Lord, I lived in the 80‘s , 90,s the 2000“s, give me a break”!
He’ll probably say something to you like this: I have lived forever, I came to earth to show you how to live, and to suffer and die for that purpose, to give you eternal life. I gave you all the resources you needed, my Word in the Bible, your parents, your teachers, my Holy Spirit which I promised before I went back to heaven after dying for you, and I never once said you could improvise upon my teaching because of the year you lived in, or even because what the rest of the world was doing, all you had to do was follow Me, depart from me, I never knew you”.
If you are a parent reading this that has been concerned about your children’s eroding morality and running away from God, take action now. If you’re that way yourself, change. If you’re not, then you need to take some serious steps, and I’d say start with a chat with your child. Pray, put on the whole armor of God, which is His word. ( Ephesians 6: 11-13).
Get the TV parental controls in use again, or , for the first time. Better yet, remove it from your home altogether. Get the Bible out and read it. Discover a good Christian music radio station such as K-Love, and play it regularly.
Monitor and control the movies they go to see on the Hollywood trash tube.
And, explain to them, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that God, the Lord, Jesus Christ never changed His morals, His teachings , nor, His expectations.
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