July 5

Admitting that I didn’t listen to the Lord as I should have, is very difficult. My post from yesterday was not exactly what I heard Him telling me. It was still a decent word, but that’s God’s way. I was to write about my fall, but was also supposed to tell you that I blamed Him. I wasn’t ugly about it, I just asked Him why He didn’t protect me. The stairs I fell down, was in a home we just purchased on the courthouse steps, technically online, but it was a foreclosure sale. I got the impression before I went over there that I needed to walk through the home filling it with God’s word, reading out loud Psalms 91. I didn’t. I got busy and forgot. I worked all day in that house and not one iota of the Bible was breathed out. The lesson in this is not to blame God with a mishap! Listen when He gives you clear instructions. I should have prayed over it, read the Psalm as instructed, and asked for His blessing before I took possession of it. Don’t dismiss that still small voice. 

Don’t get me wrong, this could have happened anyway, but what if it didn’t?

This is a good verse for freedom too! When the Holy Spirit moves in, drive out the old inhabitants, bad habits and sin!

But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then those of them whom you let remain shall be as barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they shall trouble you in the land where you dwell. Numbers 33:55

July 4

Praise God today because our nation is still free! 🇺🇸 

I was coming down the stairs and missed the last step, sprained my ankle on my left foot, and jammed my middle toe on the right foot. It hurt, but didn’t seem so bad, I could still move it all around, and wiggle my toes. After working all day, it swelled up to almost double in size! I got a little worried that it may be more than just a sprain, because it hurt so bad that I wanted to cry. I went to the doctor and had an x-ray. It was as I thought, just a sprain. I also found out that I have arthritis in the joint of my big toe! Anyway, the point of this story is that no matter how bad your day is, continue to praise the Lord! He has given us life, freedom, and as long as you still have breath, you have reason to praise Him! Even if you live in a country that is not free, Jesus has set you free from your sin. Yes, we will have to live with pain, and bad days, but we are still privileged, and are still part of the kingdom of God.

I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High. Psalms 9:1-2

July 3

I have an old pair of flip-flops that I like to wear at the beach, but there is a problem with them, the insoles are made of leather. The reason it’s a problem is because I get them wet every time I wear them. Being wet is not the problem, the problem starts when they are drying. The insoles are glued to a rubber bottom, and when they dry, they begin to curl up. They will eventually stretch back out when I wear them. I never intended to expose shoes that had leather on them to this kind of torment, so when I first got them wet, I wasn’t sure what would happen. This is like the testing of your faith. You know the old pair of shoes won’t let you down, because they’ve proven themselves faithful. We go through trials to help us let go of the things that God wants us rid of, whether it’s pride, self reliance, or sin. Just like my flip-flops, I know that I can take them in the water and expose them to the sun, and they will still be useful to me, especially since they’ve proven themselves reliable.

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. James 1:2-4

July 2

Because Richard holds a license in air conditioning, HVAC, he entered a contest at a local company for a digital thermostat, and won. They made a big deal about it, did a video to present it, and then installed it in our home. It can be controlled by an app on my iPhone, so I downloaded it. We’ve had it for a couple of months, but when we came home from our short vacation, it felt a little warm to me. I checked it, but the temperature was fine, it was just me. The next morning, I felt hot when I got up, so I checked it again, it was 78 degrees! We are in the middle of summer, I’m going to melt if this air conditioner isn’t working. I got out my phone, checked the app, and somehow I had changed it to heat! I didn’t even touch anything except the screen on the thermostat to see if it was working, how did it change to heat? Anyway, the air conditioner is cooling again, thank goodness! Sometimes we do the same thing to God. We don’t trust that He has everything under control, we question His authority, then take back what we have left in His hands. We suffer by getting anxious. Stop questioning God, allow Him to do His work on your behalf.

You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?” But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” Romans 9:19-20

July 1

I love the beach. I feel like it’s a place of respite and peace. I was enjoying the weather, and decided to take my chair down to the water's edge. The water was perfect, not too hot, and not too cold. The waves were coming in consistently, but it wasn’t too rough. Where I had placed my chair seemed good, however I kept getting pummeled by the waves, so I moved out a little further, but I still got tossed about. I decided to give up my chair and go in a little deeper. Amazingly, the waves became tolerable. Let me encourage you, especially if you’re new to Christianity, go deeper! It’s really rough sitting at the edge. The enemy knows when you’re not fully committed to God, and will keep tormenting you to try and get you to turn back to him and do things his way. Go all in! You’ll still get hit by a wave once in a while, but it won’t be nearly as bad as being in the breakers. Put all of your trust in Jesus. Trust Him when He calls you into the depths; you’ll not be overtaken by the waves. 

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. Isaiah 43:2

June 30

Have you ever got stuck watching one of those seemingly never ending videos? They get you with a gimmick to keep you watching by not revealing the answer, and they are always trying to sell you something. I’ve never watched one all the way through to the end, I’m not even sure if they end! They don’t give you any control buttons so you can fast forward! Think about it, our life is the same way! Thankfully, we trust in God. We may not know exactly what is coming next, but we can be sure that He has already worked out the details. Just like the video, if He revealed everything, we may not want to precede to the end. Trust that God has everything under control, and rest your anxious mind.

The answer is hot dogs. It’s the one thing you shouldn’t have in your refrigerator, because it increases your chances for heart disease, just in case Dr. Gundry entices you to watch his video. Fortunately, I didn’t have to watch the entire thing to get the answer!

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28