Saturday, August 3, 2019

August 3

Maybe it’s my age, or maybe just my personality, but I try to find out and overcome the lies that we’ve all been taught to believe. I’m especially interested in the lies that have been spread by the pharmaceutical companies and the food industry, so they can sell their drugs and the food that we shouldn’t eat. Many of them pay for the research and then cherry-pick the results so they can bend it in the direction they want it to go. One example is the study of cholesterol and heart disease. They found out that high cholesterol is not associated with heart disease, and the guy who did the study many years ago only used a small portion of the information from his findings in his report. His study should have shown that there was no association, but for some reason he decided to swing the results in a different direction. Now, if your total cholesterol is over 200, your doctor puts you on a statin! They’ve lowered that number over the years to try and keep selling that drug. Pretty soon they will have the whole United States taking a statin. 

Why am I telling you this? Because the enemy is the source of lies! If you think someone came up with this idea all by themselves, you're wrong, his fingerprints are all over it. This lie causes worry, anxiety, and turns us to puting chemicals in our bodies that we don’t need. Your doctor is not a god, just human. If they want you to take a medication that you don’t know about, do your own research, dig deep because you only get this one body, and you want it to be as healthy as possible. You may want to pray for the Holy Spirit to expose the lies you’ve been believing.

You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. John 8:44

Friday, August 2, 2019

August 2

This is my third month of reading through the entire book of Psalms in a month, and it just dawned on me that the Lord is teaching me how to pray and communicate with Him. I can just hear Jesus say, “you knucklehead, how long does it take for you to learn?” I’m sure that’s why he continually repeats Himself throughout the Bible, He knows that some of us are very dense. A lot of times I will rebuke the enemy in the middle of my prayer to God; then wonder if it was appropriate for me to do that. I got confirmation that it is okay, King David did it! Here’s the thing, open your mouth and pray, God already knows our heart. If the wicked are assailing you, or coming after you in any way, cry out to the Lord, and ask Him to rebuke their evil ways! David did it and he was a man after God’s own heart. Use prayer instead of vengeance, let God sort out the details because He is a just God, can see the full picture, and will fight for you. 

Depart from me, all you workers of evil, for the LORD has heard the sound of my weeping. The LORD has heard my plea; the LORD accepts my prayer. All my enemies shall be ashamed and greatly troubled; they shall turn back and be put to shame in a moment. Psalms 6:8-10

Thursday, August 1, 2019

August 1

As many know, Florida is the lightning capital of the United States. We had a tremendous storm roll through, which seemed normal, until a strike near our home knocked out our cable, and caught the cable box on fire! It was so quick, that all we saw was the strike. Not only did it catch our box on fire, but it knocked out part of the power to our house! For normal people this would have caused a major disruption in their way of living, but I am married to a very talented man, who jumped right into action. The cable is fried, and we will have to wait for the repair person to fix it, but he figured out the problem with the electricity, and made his way to Home Depot to get a replacement for a breaker that was ruined. The good news, nothing was hurt that couldn’t be repaired and we are still alive today to tell about it. 

In many places in the Bible, Jesus is described as lightning. His return will be like lightning, He will shine bright, but in that moment there will be rejoicing and suffering all at the same time. Isn’t it funny that in my house, it was the cable entertainment that was destroyed? ðŸ¤”It may be a living prophecy.

Because you have made the LORD your dwelling place— the Most High, who is my refuge— no evil shall be allowed to befall you, no plague come near your tent. Psalms 91:9-10

For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day. Luke 17:24

Wednesday, July 31, 2019

July 31

Try as you may to turn the Word of God into something that makes your sin not a sin, but you will not succeed. You may say that God would not put undue burden upon you and give you a desire for something He considers immoral, and that’s true, but the desires you have come from a tainted, sinful world, not God. The reason you stay in the mess you are in is because you haven’t given your whole life over to Jesus, including the sin you cherish. Your desire for Jesus must be stronger and more powerful than anything else within you. So, if you keep “messing up” doing the same thing that’s causing you trouble, allow God to redeem it! Turn it over to Him, and let Him handle it by removing it from your life. It’s only through His power that you will overcome, and be released from the talons of the enemy. If anyone tells you that you can keep on sinning or continuing in an immoral lifestyle, and that it’s okay with Jesus, they’re wrong! The chances of Jesus saying “I never knew you,” are quite high, and you may need salvation.

For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements: that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.” Acts 15:28-29

Tuesday, July 30, 2019

July 30

One of the things I like to pick up on the beach is sea glass. To me, it looks like sugar coated candy, and makes a beautiful addition to my seashells. I have friends who are artist and use it to make beautiful jewelry. If you ever find one of these frosted beauties, just know that even though it’s just a piece of broken glass, it has been tumbled in the ocean for many years, and its rough and cutting edge has become smoothed. The similarities between us and a broken piece of glass are remarkable. Before Christ, we were broken and thrown away, but He saw the beauty in our brokenness, and picked us up and began refining us with His Word. It is a long process of tumbling in the currents, and can take twenty to forty years for glass to become smooth and get a frosted appearance; those of us who are collectors know this and regard them as precious. Just like pure gold, we are being refined, and are precious in the sight of God.

And I will put this third into the fire, and refine them as one refines silver, and test them as gold is tested. They will call upon my name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘They are my people’; and they will say, ‘The LORD is my God.’” Zechariah 13:9

Monday, July 29, 2019

July 29

This is the time of year for the Caladium Festival in Lake Placid, Florida. I had never been, so I wanted to see what it was about. It’s nearly two hours from us, but we did it anyway. We stopped on the way to pick up my mother, because plants are her thing too. None of us knew what to expect, in my minds eye, I thought there would be fields overflowing with caladiums, rows and rows, but that’s not the case. It was just like any other festival, with craft venders, artists, a car show, and a few farmers with their caladiums and bulbs. We drove two hours and spent about twenty minutes there. I did get some bulbs, and have already planted them, I’ll be having a show of my own soon. The point of me telling you this is, we never know what to expect when we venture into something new, especially when we’re stepping out for Jesus. What’s in our minds eye, is never what unfolds, but we still step forward out of obedience. Step out and do something new for Jesus today! Let Him guide you into your next adventure. 

If you like caladiums, I planted forty five “Tapestry” plants that will be bursting from the ground soon. I planted the bulbs (seeds) and will reap a harvest that will be a feast for the eyes!

And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9

Sunday, July 28, 2019

July 28

Just because you’ve made a mistake, doesn’t mean you can’t return to the arms of a forgiving Father. We try to follow the precepts of God, but because of our human nature, we sometimes fail Him and follow the ways of the world. Feeling ashamed of our behavior, we continue in the lifestyle that brought us to sin, because we feel that we’ve become tainted and unworthy. The arms of God are opened wide, and He rejoices when His beloveds confess their sin and return home to Him. Don’t spend too much time sojourning in the world, remember how powerful our God is and the correction we may endure because of His love for us. Remember how frightening it is when a child runs into the road, or attempts to touch a flame? Remember your reaction? Out of love you correct their behavior, which for any good parent, is probably a spanking; they aren’t permanently hurt, it’s just a sting, but they never forget it, and don’t attempt to run into the road again. If you are a true believer, you are thankful for His love and appreciate His correction. Stop running from Him and come back home.

And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. Luke 15:20