November 3

Sometimes I’ll read a scripture and have a deep conviction that He is talking directly to me. Even though the context of the scripture may be that God was giving a warning to Israel in His anger, you know that He still gets disappointed when we are as they were. Though we began as a Christian nation, we have wandered far from the truth and have committed abominations in the eyes of the Lord. As Christians, we have been adopted into the Holy family, to become the bride of Christ. When God has given warnings about conduct, we can take it to the bank that He is also talking to us because of the things we are doing as a nation and as individuals. Pride, haughtiness, excess of everything, including food, prosperous ease; if these words don’t reek of who we are, I don’t know what does. He called them Sodom and you know what happened to Sodom! Tremble before the Lord in repentance so that you may be spared should destruction come upon this nation.

Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy. They were haughty and did an abomination before me. So I removed them, when I saw it. Ezekiel 16:49-50

November 2

The countdown to Thanksgiving begins. Though we should always be thankful to God for all the blessings He has given us, there is something extra special about the season of Thanksgiving. Even though we tend to skip from fall straight into Christmas, I believe we should spend some time in between and give glory to the One who gave us these magnificent seasons. Our biggest blessing is Jesus, and we should honor Him every day for His love, and for snatching us from the fire. We should also go back and look at the memorial stones we have set up as important reminders of answered prayers, where we have seen His hand of blessing in our lives. These memorial stones have become our testament to His mercy and a way to show others that He is real. Thanksgiving is a special holiday set up to honor our amazing God, so take a walk back through your history and begin thanking Him for all He has done.

"Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!"  Psalms 100:4

November 1

My father-in-law was in the Navy. The ship he was on docked in Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Hawaii, and they were allowed to go into town. Every day he would walk by this enormous wall, but never thought much about it. It wasn’t until he it was gone that he realized that what he thought was a wall was actually a ship! He was so close to it that he couldn’t see the whole thing. This is how I think of God. He’s right here amongst us, but because of His size compared to our size, we can’t see Him. When He tells us that Heaven is His throne and the earth is His footstool, that should give us the idea that we have underestimated how big our God is. He also says that the train of His robe fills the temple. So, if Heaven is His throne, and we live on the footstool, are we in the throne room? I look at the clouds and the stars as His robe, I mean, He is the King, why wouldn’t He have a fluffy, sparkly robe? The moral of this story is, the bigger God is to you, the closer you are to Him.

"Thus says the LORD: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool; what is the house that you would build for me, and what is the place of my rest?"  Isa 66:1

"In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple."  Isa 6:1

October 31

I’m very proud of my church for redeeming today by drawing children to a Christian carnival rather than sending them out into the unknown. We have a very active missions team who puts a lot of effort into bringing people to know Jesus, first locally, then in the state, nation, and the world. The great thing about the local mission field is that you get to see the fruits of your labor first hand. Tonight, we will get to watch sweet little faces light up, that might need a little encouragement, and love. We aren’t going into a safe or a well-to-do area of town, no, we’re going where we are needed the most. Just before Jesus ascended back into Heaven, He gave us a template for who we are to minister to. He said that we would be His witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the end of the earth. Basically we are to minister everywhere, but tonight, we will be in our Jerusalem, also known as Plant City. Serving doesn’t have to be drudgery, it can be fun, so get out there and be a witness for Jesus!

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”"  Acts 1:8

October 30

Actions speak louder than words. Do you go out of your way to help someone in need or do you turn a blind eye to them? I watched as a man gave some money to an individual standing at the corner near the grocery store, and it did my heart good to see it. That man stood behind what he believes and showed it by being charitable. God saw it, and I’m sure He was pleased. However, when I was finished at the store, I saw the same beggar having a conversation on his cell phone. Is it wrong for him to have a phone? No, but I’m less inclined to give to someone who still has connections. The beggars actions didn’t stop the man in the car from being blessed, and may have been an act of obedience. His kindness shows that there are still good people in this world. I’m not saying you need to give to the beggar, but I say you need to go out of your way to be kind. Open your heart to hear what the Holy Spirit says and your obedience will not be in vain.

But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. Matthew 6:3-4

October 29

It’s easy to become hardened towards people, especially this day and age where we are so divided. There is an evil force behind everything you see happening. There are pawns being used to bring about the enemy's divisive plan, people who have made a deal with the devil. If you align yourself with these people, you will surely suffer the same consequences as them. There is only one side to be on where there is safety and that is God’s side. He makes it very clear in the Bible, the things that are acceptable and those that aren’t. Today, search your heart and see if you have any hate, or anything that doesn’t line up with God’s precepts, and ask for forgiveness. If your mind is not clear enough to see it, ask God to search your heart and reveal what needs to be redeemed. Standing firm on the Word of God is the better place to be. Our fear should be of Him and not of man. 

"But as for those whose heart goes after their detestable things and their abominations, I will bring their deeds upon their own heads, declares the Lord GOD.”"  Ezekiel 11:21

October 28

My husband and I were at a local diner grabbing a bite to eat before heading home. There were some really good things on the menu including beer battered fish! I love beer batter crust, it adds a little extra greasiness that makes it so tasty.  When I got my fish and it looked amazing, and I couldn’t wait to eat! I took one bite and all I got was crust. After only getting crust, I decided to break it open, and found that there was hardly any fish! Don’t get me wrong, the crust was delicious, but there has to be some nutritional value in the meal, otherwise I could just eat cake. It reminds me of how we try to conceal God within other things or secretly worship other gods. Maybe you’re worshipping the god of television, internet, or social media, or maybe it’s the gaming god. You could be worshipping the god of perfectionism, money, or spending. There are so many more! Don’t wrap God in your idolatry and try to pass it off as worship. Remember, whatever is hidden in darkness will be brought into the light and laid bare, just like my fish.

Then he said to me, “Son of man, have you seen what the elders of the house of Israel are doing in the dark, each in his room of pictures? For they say, ‘The LORD does not see us, the LORD has forsaken the land.’” He said also to me, “You will see still greater abominations that they commit.” Ezekiel 8:12-13