October 23

Today is Saturday; it’s my favorite day of the week. Whether it’s only in my mind or not, there is something exceptional about it, and I tend to be more open to the comfort of the Holy Spirit; his voice seems clearer and my soul at peace. I had a thought that it was about time for me to get out into the woods or get away with the Lord for some one-on-one quality time, when suddenly an American white ibis flew up and landed on the light post outside my porch. I never let a surprise go to waste, so I looked up ibis to see what they are famous for; they are the mascot for the Miami Hurricanes, and they chose them because of their legendary bravery. The legend is that they are the last sign of wildlife to take shelter before a hurricane hits and the first bird to reappear after it passes. 

If you are passive about our Savior, then you don’t know him very well. Ask him to teach you what it means to be a passionate warrior for him. Like the legend of the ibis, we are the last to seek shelter, bravely comforting those who are in fear of the storm, and are the first to be there to help clean up the mess after the storm passes. It’s time for you to get in the fight! The Holy Spirit will give you strength and courage; listen to him.

To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their minds and their consciences are defiled. They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work. Titus 1:15-16

October 22

If you think it’s cruel and unchristian like to call out others for their wrongdoings and bad behavior, you’ve never read the Bible, and if you have, you’ve not read the whole thing. Those that use the term “don’t judge me” will have to deal with Jesus; he will be the judge of all. They will then wish they had listened to those trying to correct their actions rather than get offended by their words. There is a lot of evil that we are all dealing with right now, and you don’t want to be involved with it or hurt by it, so if someone that loves and cares about you tries to point you in the right direction, you may want to heed the warning. 

People trying to caution you about what is going on in governments worldwide aren’t doing it because they are squawking idiots; they are trying to save you from them. Mandates and lockdowns are only to get you to learn to conform, and it’s working because I see people conforming every day. I wonder if the people trying to force us into submission or do harm to us are descendants of Cretans? Just a thought.

One of the Cretans, a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.” This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith, Titus 1:12-13

October 21

I’ll begin by saying this, I love dishes! I may be obsessed. When we moved, I gave my Christmas dinnerware to my daughters. Over the past couple of months, I’ve been perusing the internet, trying to decide what to order. Then yesterday, I got a hair-brained idea to go to the Goodwill and possibly purchase a mix of dishes; I think that might be pretty too. As I began digging through all the plates, I started finding pieces to a set; I found an entire eight-piece place setting and all the matching bowls, dessert plates, with the cups and saucers! And they are beautiful! I bought everything they had, but unfortunately, that’s not enough for my entire family. Another lady looking at the dishes reminded me of another thrift store nearby with dinnerware, so I decided to go and found nine plates with cups and saucers and matching flatware! I will still have a mix, and it will make my table beautiful! God knows what I love, and I think sometimes he wants us to take a break from all the craziness surrounding us and enjoy the things he has given us a passion for. Today, I will be gardening, another passion of mine! Take a break from social media and enjoy the life God gave you and he will work out the details and save us from the world.

O LORD, your hand is lifted up, but they do not see it. Let them see your zeal for your people, and be ashamed. Let the fire for your adversaries consume them. O LORD, you will ordain peace for us, for you have indeed done for us all our works. Isaiah 26:11-12

October 20

What is going on? I watched a news report that said the Biden administration has, so far, allowed approximately 120,000 children into the United States, and one-third of them have gone missing; they lost contact with either the sponsor or the child. Under cover of darkness, they flew these children into different parts of our country, like they were trying to cover up what they were doing. Other administrations allowed children in, but their vetting process for sponsoring them was much more stringent, and there weren’t as many. How do you lose contact with 40,000 people who are caring for these children? Are they going to their families? Is this a child smuggling operation? My heart is breaking. Imagine being one of those children and not knowing where you will be tomorrow or how you will be treated. There are too many nefarious actors out there with bad intentions and for them to have unlimited access to children gets my blood boiling! Please pray for these children and that God shuts down the careless Biden administration for the sinister acts in which they are participating. God help us; the lawlessness is out of control.

But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. 2 Timothy 3:1-5

And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. Matthew 24:12-13

October 19

I woke up at 4 am this morning with an aching back. How could it be hurting when I was doing nothing but sleeping? As I lay there trying to get comfortable, I realized that part of my problem was the dog. He was sleeping so peacefully that I didn’t want to disturb him, but because he was by my feet, I couldn’t stretch out. After tossing and turning for about an hour, I decided that it was time to move him; precious or not, he had to go. As soon as I was able to stretch out, I felt relieved and went back to sleep. Not more than 10 minutes later, he was back at my feet, filling the void, so I had to change positions so I could fall back to sleep again.

The same thing can happen when Jesus sets you free from your affliction. If you don’t fill the void with the Holy Spirit, that very burden can creep back in. And, because you had cleaned everything up, other encumbrances will make their way in too. Sometimes we indulge our infirmity, like my sweet dog, because ridding ourselves of it means that a precious part of us is gone. Once we realize how much more comfortable we are without it, we work even harder to move it out of our way. Pray for God to help set you free from your burdens so you can sleep peacefully.

But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more?  Galatians 4:9

Also see Matthew 12:43-45

October 18

Good news: 

But God's firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.” 2 Timothy 2:19

God knows who you are and that you are his. Rather than being sealed by the enemy unto death, you have God’s seal unto life, the Holy Spirit. Jesus’s message to the churches, “I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown. ” Revelation 3:11. Stand firm, my friends, you are safe, but life may not get any easier, but since when is it easy? We are loved and protected; we have our Savior, and if we continue to allow the living water to flow through us, we will be refreshed and feel his perfect peace amid the chaos.

October 17

We are always looking for great places to eat in the Clearwater area, so we usually ask people their preference if we know they’ve been in the area for a long time. Unfortunately, some people aren’t as picky about their food as we are. We asked a resident of our community for a list of their favorites, and they gave us a string of restaurants. After about the third restaurant we visited, we decided to throw away the list they gave us because their quality food and atmosphere weren’t as high as ours. Don’t get me wrong, we enjoy a dive bar occasionally, but when your favorite thing to do is eat, you look for quality in your food, and besides that, I prefer a restaurant instead of a bar. 

Here is the comparison: when you love the Word of God and pure spiritual food, you learn the difference between the truth and almost the truth; it tastes different. The truth is as sweet as honey on our lips, and we can’t get enough of it. Food from another source is coated with lies that your itching ears want to hear to make you think what you are getting is good. It’s like putting barbecue sauce on brisket; it shouldn’t need it if cooked to perfection and seasoned correctly. Know your Bible; it will help you discern between a good food source and a substandard.

for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil. Hebrews 5:13-14

October 16

As I look out the window, I have an obstructed view. If there weren’t a giant, white building there, I would have a full view of the beach. Don’t get me wrong, I can still see the beach between the buildings, and I have a whole panorama of the intercostal, so I’m not trying to act spoiled. However, I wish that building wasn’t there because it keeps me from seeing clearly. All I have to do is take a short walk, put my toes in the sand, and I can see the glorious view of water and sand for miles. 

I compare that building to the fear, trauma, and rejection of our past; it blocks us from seeing the complete picture of Jesus and the vast world he opens up for us when we allow him to remove all of those things from our lives and live in freedom. It’s only a short walk to get past it, but most don’t want to take the time to walk out to the sand for the view to open up. Imagine how extraordinary our lives would be without the obstructions from our past. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you remove anything impeding your view of him so you can live in his peace.

for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. 2 Timothy 1:7

October 15

As I slowly make my way into 2 Timothy, I couldn’t help but jump ahead a couple of chapters; don’t worry, I’ll go back. There is no reason for me to comment or give examples or explanations; these verses speak for themselves except where Paul mentions Jannes and Jambres. These men were Pharaoh’s magicians replicating Moses's miracles when the Israelites were trying to get out of Egypt. Please read this and realize that we are in the last days, but remember, it’s the last days for evil, not us.

But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith. But they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, as was that of those two men. 2 Timothy 3:1-9

October 14

I ran across a story in a chicken group on Facebook that I found interesting, and I thought I would share it. 

From Jennifer Amy to BYC (BackYardChickens) “I woke up to the dreaded feathers everywhere across the lawn this morning. Then I saw something unbelievable along the side of the road. Unfortunately for the fox he didn’t make a clean getaway! The chicken is minus some feathers, but doing well. The turn of events!”

I recognized the story right away. We are that chicken! That clever fox, the devil, has gotten into the hen house and plans to eat us for dinner! Unfortunately for him, we know the ending to this story. He may manage to injure many and pluck a few feathers, but he won’t get away with it! Soon, I expect we will see him dead on the side of the road with the evidence in his mouth, just like that fox. Don’t forget about the chicken in this story; it is doing well and will grow new feathers, maybe even better than the ones she lost!

This is good news for those suffering. May God protect you, snatch you from the mouth of the devil, and avenge you for your pain!

A Psalm of David. A song at the dedication of the temple. I will extol you, O LORD, for you have drawn me up and have not let my foes rejoice over me.

O LORD my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me.

O LORD, you have brought up my soul from Sheol; you restored me to life from among those who go down to the pit.

Sing praises to the LORD, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name.

For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning. Psalms 30:1-5

October 13

Shortly after a new study reported in the Jerusalem Post that aspirin helps reduce the severity of COVID-19, the media told people to stop taking it! What do you think about that? It made me angry at the audacity of those news outlets conspiring to kill people. Look it up for yourselves, but you have to use a different platform other than Google; they are co-conspirators in this crime against humanity. Aspirin is cheap! However, it will cut into the profits of the pharmaceutical companies who are pushing for you to get their gene therapy, so they must put all their efforts into either debunking the study or find a new reason for you to stop taking this cheap and safe medication. We are living in a tyrannical world! 

October 6

Dr. Jonathan Chow, one of the study's researchers, said, "As we learned about the connection between blood clots and COVID-19, we knew that aspirin — used to prevent stroke and heart attack — could be important for COVID-19 patients. Our research found an association between low-dose aspirin and decreased severity of COVID-19 and death." https://www.jpost.com/health-and-wellness/aspirin-lowers-risk-of-covid-new-findings-support-preliminary-israeli-trial-681127

October 12

(CNN)The US Preventive Services Task Force is considering making several changes to its guidance on taking a daily aspirin to prevent heart disease and stroke... "The latest evidence is clear: starting a daily aspirin regimen in people who are 60 or older to prevent a first heart attack or stroke is not recommended," Task Force member Dr. Chien-Wen Tseng said in a statement. https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/12/health/daily-aspirin-heart-disease-stroke-draft-recommendation-wellness/index.html

I’m not posting this information to make you fearful, but to make you aware of what the devil is doing so you can pray against him, and so you know the truth about world events. I found this interesting and believe it has everything to do with what we are experiencing right now:

Strong's Concordance

apokalupsis: an uncovering

Original Word: ἀποκάλυψις, εως, ἡ

Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine

Transliteration: apokalupsis

Phonetic Spelling: (ap-ok-al'-oop-sis)

Definition: an uncovering

Usage: an unveiling, uncovering, revealing, revelation.

We shouldn’t be afraid of the word apocalypse. It is an unveiling of the truth. We need to know the truth about current events so we can watch as the LORD defeats our enemy! The more you know, the better you will be prepared for the events that are in the making. We are living in an exciting time! I thank God that he trusted me enough to allow me to live through such a time as this.

October 12

My dogs go crazy when someone knocks on the door. If they hear the doorbell or even one on television, insanity begins. When the ice maker drops ice, they think someone is at the door. The way I solve the barking is to open it; they either greet someone, or they can see that no one is there. The trouble is that they don’t learn the difference between the actual doorbell or knock and the fake ones.

Humans aren’t much different. You would think we would learn the difference between what is the truth and what is a lie by looking back on history, but we’ve been fooled so many times by sinister beings that now, we don’t know what is true, even of our history. Time is short. Don’t allow your life to be ruined by believing the latest scandal that takes money out of your pocket or the taxpayer's pockets. More scare tactics are coming, and new illnesses conjured up to put you into a frenzy. Don’t run to the door every time you hear a knock or a doorbell. Please don’t be foolish like my dogs. 

I wanted to get this WARNING out, hopefully, ahead of the censorship: You do not need RiVax, which contains Ricin, for the new “illness,” Marburg. RiVax will kill you. Please do not take it!

But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 1 Timothy 6:9

“I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. Luke 12:4

If you need someone to fear, fear God:

But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him! Luke 12:4-5

October 11

Richard and I spend most of our weekends by the water, but because of red tide, which is algae bloom that kills fish and fills the air with spores, we’ve stayed away for most of the summer. It causes both of us to sneeze and cough. We did go a few times to check on things, but we tried to stay inside, but it’s nearly impossible when you have dogs trained to go potty in the grass. We tried it again this weekend, and thankfully, we were able to breathe freely and enjoy being near the water. After months of looking at the beach from afar, I got to sink my toes in the sand and take a walk to enjoy the waves and the shorebirds. It felt fantastic. 

One day, it will be nice to enjoy everything God created without the interruption of this sinful world and bask in the atmosphere of what was once the Garden of Eden. I’m ready for God to remove the angel guarding the entrance and let us make our way back into the garden of paradise uninterrupted. Note; he doesn’t say that it’s gone, only inaccessible to us. We still live in a depraved world, but one day, he will remove the evil and hopefully allow his faithful followers to enter the garden and dwell there. It may only be a thought, but a girl can dream, can’t she? 

therefore the LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life. Genesis 3:23-24

October 10

Once God decided to create you and give you breath, your blood came to life; life is in our blood. We need all or most of the components of our body to continue living the life he gave us, so why then do we continue to contaminate our bodies with things he never intended for us to inject or consume?

Fear puts us in an awkward position. We are all going to die, and nothing we do will extend or decrease our life span; it’s up to God how long we will live, but it’s up to us to maintain our bodies in good condition. Identify what you consume; if you don’t understand the ingredients, consider it carefully, so you keep a fully functioning body throughout the lifespan God created you to live.

But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. 1 Timothy 6:6-8

October 9

This past week, I received two different packages that were crushed. One box was dirty and looked like someone dragged it through the mud. The post office delivered one, and FedEx delivered the other, so it’s not one particular company being careless. There could have been sinister actors within those companies because one package was from MyPillow, which a vocal Christian man owns. The other was Cinchona bark, which is used to make tonic water, an herbal remedy that helps with certain illnesses. It might be a coincidence, or the enemy is sending me a message; I think it’s the latter because he knows I look for symbolism in repeated situations.

A box is symbolic of the heart and righteousness, so getting a crushed and dirty box, might mean he’s trying to break me or tempt me to sin, but there’s more! The content inside was in pristine condition, as if nothing had happened to the exterior, not one speck of dirt. He might be able to crush you on the outside, but he can never take what’s holding you together on the inside! I’m telling you this, so you know that the enemy is real, and he knows how to communicate with us if we are paying attention. God also uses circumstances to speak to us, but in this day and age where the enemy’s time is short, you might see him attack or discourage you. Sleep in your armor because you never know when he may choose to weaponize against you or send you an ominous message. Heads-up! This war is real.

Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 1 Timothy 6:12

October 8

It’s getting close to the time of year where we can sit outside and enjoy an open fire in the fire pit. We had our pavers installed back in May, but the blocks for the surround for the fire pit were on backorder. So yesterday, we picked them up and tried our hand at creating a wall. Now we wait for a crisp, cool day to light a fire, but for right now, it’s still too hot!

In the Bible, fire is used as a means to purify, to melt down gold and silver to remove the dross. 

John answered them all, saying, “I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. Luke 3:16

The words Jesus spoke cut to the heart and burned like sulfur to purify us from the evil that creeps in unannounced. The problem we have is not heeding the warnings from him, ignoring his words by going about our world as if he never existed. Because we have accepted him as our Savior, we will pursue a different path and melt away the impurities, thus becoming refined and pure.

But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. 1 Timothy 6:11

October 7

I’m trying to stick to the program and get through Timothy, but I seem to get sidetracked and drawn to other books in the Bible. Paul wrote to Timothy to teach him how to lead his church and give him the requirements for enrolling others as leaders. My new goal is to write at least one paragraph for each chapter of the New Testament, but Timothy is challenging me. However, today, I’m in chapter 6, and there it is! The most misquoted verse in the Bible! 

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. 1 Timothy 6:10

The love of money is not the root of ALL evil, but ALL KINDS OF EVIL! I would say the love of power ranks up there with the love of money. Then, some people have hate in their hearts, and that alone makes them evil. My lesson today: stop misquoting this verse, and stop anyone who does. Evil can come from many other sources, but money is only one of them.

October 6

Was anyone else hoping Facebook wouldn’t come back up after the blackout? All hopes were dashed when it came back online. What do you think was going on? Was it self-imposed so they could clean up their records because their whistleblower was testifying before congress? The conspiracy theories are running amok, though some sounded plausible. I think it was a “warning shot across the bow” or the “shot heard around the world” because the outage affected people from everywhere. I never realized how much it disturbed my peace until it was gone; I felt so relieved knowing it was out. I stopped checking my phone and lived a normal life for a few hours. Is it time for all of us to lay it down and move on with a healthy, normal life unencumbered by the tentacles of social media? It’s been a good run, reaching beyond our walls to bring the message of hope through Jesus, but now that the message has spread throughout the world, maybe it’s time to live our lives in reality, and give up the gossip and move on to bigger and better things. It’s just a thought. What do you think?

Besides that, they learn to be idlers, going about from house to house, and not only idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying what they should not. 1 Timothy 5:13

October 5

I grew up in the country and have been around animals all my life, but never have I ever been attacked by a chicken! However, we never had roosters at my childhood home, but we did raise some to eat one time. My father-in-law has chickens and hasn’t been feeling well, so feeding them fell on my husband, and then to me whenever he’s too busy to go there. Yesterday, while feeding them, I got spurred and scratched up by one of two roosters! Imagine attacking the person feeding you, but it happens all the time with humans to one another. That rooster is lucky to be alive; he got smacked in the head a couple of times with the bucket I was carrying and almost became dinner! There is an answer to spiritual warfare; use your prayer and rebuke to give the devil and his cronies a good smack in the head, and the next time you enter their territory, they will remember that you will bring down trouble if they bother you. However, don’t overdo it with your words, a simple “the Lord rebuke you” will be sufficient. I don’t imagine I will ever be attacked by that rooster again; he knows who’s boss and will remember the headache I gave him.

But when the archangel Michael, contending with the devil, was disputing about the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said, “The Lord rebuke you.” Jude 1:9

October 4

Yesterday, I talked about what you consume and how everything created by God is good. I, like many, have a sugar craving. I know it causes inflammation in my system and that I should avoid it. However, we had a family gathering for my father-in-law’s birthday, and there was cake and sweets, and I couldn’t resist. I slept late and ultimately had trouble coming up with a story this morning. I have better mental clarity when I eat only low carb, high protein foods; I know my system because the Holy Spirit gave me insight into the best choices that help me sustain my health. Most likely I will be fasting today. 

When I fast, my whole system becomes clean, and it helps restore my mental awareness. Fasting is healthy and creates autophagy which is good for ridding your body of the bad cells, so I’m sure that’s why the Bible recommends it. Fasting resets your system so you can start fresh again. If you are having issues with mental clarity, try fasting and make it a point to eliminate sugar and see how your mind and body react; I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

“Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Isaiah 58:6