No Coffee Break

Dear All, 

I just wanted to let you know that for the next few weeks I will not be sending out the Coffee Break devotional. The store is closed for a couple of weeks, so I am going to take a break and enjoy some time with my grandchildren. If you are wondering why you aren't receiving it, this is why.  

I will leave you for now with these scriptures... "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." (Proverbs 3:5,6)

Our understanding is often unfruitful, but His knowledge is infinite. We can trust the Lord to lead us the right way because He and He only knows the right way. Following our own way leads to destruction. Following His way, even though we don't understand, leads to life.

Have a great day!!     

"Comparing God"

"To whom will ye liken me, and make me equal, and compare me, that we may be like?" Isaiah 46:5 

Every once and a while I will get an email that says, "God is like..." While it is an interesting analogy, it is far from being accurate. God is so great, so amazing, so awesome, so powerful, so wise, there really is nothing we can compare Him with and get a full grasp on who He is. 

 

The Bible does use analogies also concerning God, but these are given to help us have some point of reference so that in our finite and limited understanding we might get at least some small (very small) view of God. 

 

When He is compared to a mighty oak tree, for example, we understand that He is strong, but we still don't comprehend that His strength is unlimited, and it is eternal in the sense that it never weakens. The oak, on the other hand, as strong as it may be can be cut down by a human instrument-- a saw or an ax. Time can eventually destroy the oak. Insects can destroy it. A stronger wind than it can uproot it. But nothing can "touch" God. Nothing can take Him off His throne. Nothing can cause Him to fall. Nothing can drain His power. Nothing can hinder His power. Nothing can zap His strength. Nothing can weaken Him. He is All-Powerful. He is stronger than the strongest thing we can compare Him to. 

 

In your comparison of God to something else, always keep in mind that your comparison is flawed and far from an accurate description of who He really is. He is much, much, much more than you or I can comprehend... that is what makes Him God. 

 

Have a great day. We may try to compare God to something natural to help us gain a better understanding of who He is, but that comparison will always fall short because there is nothing He can be compared to because He is so much greater than anything that has been created.

 

For further reading:

Isaiah 40:18,25

Romans 1:19,20

"Remember The Plan"

"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end." Jeremiah 29:11

This verse is a favorite verse of many people. It is one that is preached very often. Probably one of the most memorized. But no matter how many times you hear it, it never hurts to hear it again, especially when you are going through difficult times. It is in the times of testing and trials that we tend to forget that God has a plan for us. All we see is the hardship of what we are facing. We can easily begin to think that God has forgotten us, that He is against us, that He is punishing us, or that He doesn't care about us.

 

God had a plan for Joseph's life- to save God's people. Before he saw the fulfillment of that plan, he was betrayed by his brothers, thrown into a pit, sold into slavery, lied on by an angry woman, and thrown into prison. I am sure that at some point he probably asked, "Where are you, God? Where is your plan for my life? Why is this happening? Have You forgotten me?"

 

Do you wonder the same thing? Have you asked the same questions? Does it seem hard to believe that any good can come out of your situation? When you are questioning, when you are feeling like that, remind yourself that God has a plan for your life. You may not see it now, you may not understand it, but He has one and it is a good plan-- to give you hope and a future.

 

Have a great day. Don't let the difficulties you are going through cause you to forget that God has a plan for your life, and He has not forgotten you.

 

For further reading:

Hebrews 13:5

Genesis 50:20

"Making Decisions"

"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." Psalm 119:105 

I don't know anybody who always knows what to do in every situation. Some situations we do know which direction to take or what the answer is, but there are more that we don't know what to do than we know what to do. 

 

Are you facing a situation that demands an answer? You have thought about it and are still not sure what to do? The answer that you need is found in God's Word. It is a lamp and a light that illuminates the darkness of the decision you have to make by showing you the direction to go and telling you what to do. For example, it cautions you not to lean to your own understanding but to knowledge God in the situation instead. It admonishes you seek the wisdom that comes from God above-- not your own wisdom. It invites you to cast the burden of decision making upon the Lord and let Him lead you. It also lets you know that you always have an invitation to bring Him the heavy weight of what to do and let Him give you rest in the decision.

 

As I said earlier, no one always knows what to do when faced with a decision. But there is one who does-- the Lord. And as we look to His word for guidance, we will then know which direction to take, because His word will enlighten our path and understanding.

 

Have a great day. If you are faced with a decision, you will find the answer as to what you should do in God's word.

 

For further reading:

Proverbs 3:5,6

1 Peter 5:7

Matthew 11:28

James 1:5

"Pleasing Who?"

"Furthermore, then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more." 1 Thessalonians 4:1 

"... and to please God". That seems like a foreign concept in the church as a whole today. You mean we are to "please God"? You mean it is not all about God pleasing me?

 

This seems to be the attitude of the modern church now days. We live with the mentality that says, "What's in it for me?" We think that God is our "Santa Claus" who is to come running at our beckoning and call and give us everything we want. We think it is all about what He can give me and how He can bless me.

 

I hate to "burst your bubble", but it is not all about you. Yes, Jesus' death on the cross was about you. He went through the agony, pain, ridicule and death for you so that you could have eternal life. He did that for you. He did it because He loves you, did not want you to perish, and desires that you live with Him in His kingdom forever. But as far as your life is concerned after you have received Him, it is not about God pleasing you. His number one goal is not to make you happy. Your number one goal should be to please Him. Jesus always did those things that pleased the Father-- not Himself. Jesus also taught us to deny ourselves.

 

Are you living a life that pleases Him, or self? Are you following Him, or trying to make Him follow you? Are you expecting Him to please you and make you happy? Is it about Him or you? After all He has done for us, after all He has given us-- not sparing His own Son-- our desire prompted by love should be to please Him in all we do.

 

Have a great day. Christianity is not about God pleasing us, it is about us pleasing God. 

 

For further reading:

Romans 8:8

John 8:29

Mark 8:34

 

"Chasten Your Soul"

"When I wept, and chastened my soul with fasting, that was to my reproach." Psalm 69:10 

The Bible tells us that the Lord chastens those that He loves. But we should also chasten (correct, discipline) our own selves and not wait for Him to always do it. 

 

If we don't chasten ourselves, pretty soon we will find sin creeping in. We will find ourselves doing those things we know we should not do. We will find ourselves pulling away from the Lord and being drawn back into the lusts of the flesh. 

 

How do we chasten our souls? Through self-denial. Self-denial comes in many forms. Fasting is one. Turning off the television and spending time reading the Bible is another. Getting away from computer games and taking that time to pray. Getting up in the morning when the clock goes off and going to church. 

 

When a child is chastened (disciplined), it reroutes that child from going in the wrong direction to going in the right one. The chastening (discipline) of the Lord reroutes us as well. It turns us from going our own way back to going God's way. Chastening our own soul brings our will into subjection to the will of the Lord. 

 

Have you chastened (corrected, disciplined) your soul/flesh? Are you allowing it to act like a "spoiled child"? Are you letting it follow after its own lustful desires without keeping it in check? Paul said of his own soul that he had to chasten it to keep it in line. He used the illustration of beating it black and blue like a boxer would beat up his opponent. 

 

We must chasten our own souls. If we do, the Lord won't have to chasten us as often. If we do, the power of God would have more liberty to flow freely through us. If we do, our flesh won't get in the way of what the Spirit is trying to do in our lives. If we do, our spiritual ears will hear the voice and prompting of the Holy Spirit more clearly. Chastening doesn't let our flesh be unruly against the Holy Spirit. Chastening our own souls keeps our flesh in check and our spirit in control. 

 

Have a great day. Are you chastening your own soul? Or allowing it to act like a spoiled child always having its own way?

 

For further reading:

1 Corinthians 9:27

Hebrews 12:6

 

"Father's Day"

".... Our Father which art in heaven..." Matthew 6:9 

We are celebrating Father's Day this weekend. I would like to say Happy Father's Day to all of our fathers out there who are reading this. I pray your day is very special. 

 

I want to remind you to take time to honor your Heavenly Father as well. (Which we should do everyday.) Make it a point to give Him praise and glory for His great love for you. 

 

Regardless, of how great and loving our earthly fathers may be, they can never compare to Him. Our earthly fathers are flesh and blood men. They make mistakes. They miss the mark at times. They can't always provide like they might like to. They may have wisdom, but it is limited. You can't say that about your Heavenly Father. He is a Father who loves and cares for you deeply. He meets and supplies your every need. He comforts you in your time of trouble. He strengthens you when you are weak. He never leaves you nor forsakes you. He can never be accused of child neglect, child abuse, or child abandonment. He is not a dead-beat dad. 

 

For years there has been the joke about the "Father's Day tie". What to get dad? The answer is always a tie. You can't give Father God a tie, but you can give Him a gift. That gift is yourself. It is the surrender of your heart, soul and will to Him. That is the one gift that He desires to receive from you. 

 

Have a great day. Give your Heavenly Father honor and glory everyday and the gift of yourself. 

 

For further reading:

Matthew 6:32

Luke 11:13

Psalm 103:13

James 1:17

"Making Decisions"

"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." Psalm 119:105

 

I don't know anybody who always knows what to do in every situation. Some situations we do know which direction to take or what the answer is, but there are more that we don't know what to do than we know what to do. 

 

Are you facing a situation that demands an answer? You have thought about it and are still not sure what to do? The answer that you need is found in God's Word. It is a lamp and a light that illuminates the darkness of the decision you have to make by showing you the direction to go and telling you what to do. For example, it cautions you not to lean to your own understanding but to knowledge God in the situation instead. It admonishes you seek the wisdom that comes from God above-- not your own wisdom. It invites you to cast the burden of decision making upon the Lord and let Him lead you. It also lets you know that you always have an invitation to bring Him the heavy weight of what to do and let Him give you rest in the decision.

 

As I said earlier, no one always knows what to do when faced with a decision. But there is one who does-- the Lord. And as we look to His word for guidance, we will then know which direction to take, because His word will enlighten our path and understanding.

 

Have a great day. If you are faced with a decision, you will find the answer as to what you should do in God's word.

 

For further reading:

Proverbs 3:5,6

1 Peter 5:7

Matthew 11:28

James 1:5

 

"Divide And Conquer"

"Teach me thy way, O Lord; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name." Psalm 86:11 

We are all familiar with the phrase, "Divide and conquer." This is a strategy used by one opposing force against another. If you can divide groups of people, if you can divide nations, if you can divide a family, then you will conquer them. This is also a strategy that the enemy of our soul, the devil, uses against us. 

 

He uses it against the church and tries to put us at odds against each other within our congregations. He uses this tactic to bring disunity within the Body of Christ. But he also uses it against us individually and tries to divide our own heart against itself. He tries to get us to have a divided heart so that we will not love the Lord and serve Him with all our heart. 

 

He tries to divide our hearts between God and mammon. He tries to divide our hearts between God and materialism; God and entertainment; God and pleasure. He tries to divide our hearts between God's will and our own will. His goal, as with any enemy, is to destroy us. If he can divide our hearts, he can conquer us, and ultimately destroy us because a divided heart is a lukewarm heart.

 

Is your heart divided? Is it divided between God and something else? It doesn't have to necessarily be something we consider bad or evil. Even good things, when they take part of your heart away from God, can be just as effective a weapon of the enemy as besetting sins. 

 

If your heart is divided? Then repent, ask the Lord to forgive you, pray the prayer above-- "Unite my heart to fear Your name", and be on guard to not allow anything to divide it again.

 

Have a great day. Love God with all your heart and do not let the enemy divide your heart. 

 

For further reading:

Matthew 6:24; 22:37

Revelation 3:16

 

"Jesus Walks On The Trouble"

"But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea." Matthew 14:24,25

Recently, I was reminiscing about a time when I went fishing with my husband. I remember looking across the lake and my thoughts went to the time when Jesus walked on water. I could imagine Him walking on the lake where I was, but then I remembered when Jesus walked on the water to the boat where His disciples were, the sea was not calm and smooth as glass. Instead, the waves were beating on the boat and the wind was blowing hard against it. 

 

Our lives are not always "smooth". There are times when the winds of adversity blow. There are times when trials, temptations, difficulties and problems beat upon us. Take comfort when those times come because Jesus didn't walk on water to His disciples when the water was calm, He came when the waters were troubled. Jesus will come "walking" on the troubles to get to where you are. He doesn't only show up when things are going well. He will be there even when they aren't. 

 

Have a great day. Jesus doesn't just show up in your life when things are calm and smooth. He shows up when things are "beating" against your life. 

 

For further reading:

Matthew 14: 22-27

"Don't Limit God"

"Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us," Ephesians 3:20 

The verse above has been on my heart for the last week. Each time I think about it, I find myself breaking it down in such a way where my understanding gains greater enlightenment and my faith is becoming stronger in its truth. Let me break it down for you this morning.

 

"Him"-- God, not man.

"that is" -- not will be, but already is.

"able" -- not unable, but well able, always able.

"to do" -- that's action, not passive, at work.

"exceeding" -- to go beyond, in great measure.

"abundantly" -- plenty, more than enough, excess.

"above" -- more than just enough, but over the top, beyond.

"all"-- not some, not a little, not just barely enough, not just part.

"that we" -- you, me, anyone.

"ask or think" -- what I can say, request, hope for or imagine.

 

Do we really take this verse to heart? Do we really believe what it says? Do we believe it with limitations on God? Martha believed that Jesus could raise her brother Lazarus from the dead, but she believed it for the future- in the Resurrection. She was limiting His ability to do exceeding abundantly above what she could ask or think at the present. She was limiting Him because of the situation-- he was already dead and buried for four days. She was limiting Him because of her own reasoning-- he stinks.

 

When you ask the Lord concerning a need, don't limit Him in your asking. When you think about the Lord, don't limit Him and bring Him down to the level of just another person. He is not a person, He is God, and He is able-- more than able-- to do exceeding abundantly above all that you can ask or think.

 

Have a great day. God is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we can ask or think.

 

For further reading:

Jeremiah 32:27

John 11

"Learn Him"

"Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls." Matthew 11:29 

"... Learn of me..." Jesus did not say to "learn about Him", but to "learn Him". Many are just learning about Him. They are learning facts and figures, so to speak, about who He is and the work that He did. They know He healed the sick, opened blinded eyes, died on the cross, and rose from the dead, but that is all they know about Him. This doesn't mean you know Him though. 

 

We all have individuals in our lives that we know such details about as where they live, where they work, what their spouse's name is, how old they are, but past that we don't know anything else about them. Then there are also individuals in our lives that we know more personally. We know more about them than just facts about their lives. My sister is my best friend. I can tell you more than her street address or where she works. I can tell you what her gifts are. I can tell you about her character. I can tell you what makes her happy, what makes her sad, how she feels about certain subjects, in certain situations I can tell you exactly what she is thinking and how she is going to respond. Why is that? Because I know her. I have spent my whole life with her getting to know her.

 

This is the "knowing" that I am talking about where Jesus is concerned. Do you know Him in such a way where you know how He thinks about certain things? What makes Him happy, what makes Him sad? What His heart looks like? What His thoughts on certain issues are? 

 

"He made known his ways unto Moses." (Psalm 103:7) Moses not only knew what God was doing in His dealing with His people, but why He was doing it. He knew God's heart on the matter of the children of Israel. He knew why God was bringing the plagues on Egypt. He knew what pleased and displeased the Lord. If God showed Moses who He was in the Old Testament how much more in the New Testament under grace does He desire to show us who He is. 

 

Learning who He is only happens one way. It happens by spending time in His presence and in His Word. This is not the same as just having your little ten-minute prayer time where you give God your list of wants. This is not the same as doing your daily reading through the Bible in a year program. This is quality time spent daily waiting on Him, being still and quiet before Him, listening to Him, reading His Word with the intention of discovering Who He really is. As you spend more time with Him, you will get to learn/know Him in a more personal way.

 

Have a great day. Knowing about God and knowing God are not the same thing,

 

For further reading:

2 Corinthians 2:9

Hebrews 8:11

John 4:9

"The Path Of Least Resistance"

"He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)" John 7:38,39

When water (such as in a river) is flowing, it always takes the path of least resistance. It will flow in the direction that does not hinder it. If there is something that completely blocks its path it will not flow at all. 

 

There is a chorus that says-- "I've got a river of life flowing out of me. It makes the lame to walk and the blind to see. It opens prison doors, sets the captives free. I've got a river of life flowing out of me." This song is, of course, talking about the Holy Spirit. Jesus in His teaching said that the Holy Spirit would be a (spiritual) river of living waters (life) that flows out of us. 

 

Do you ever wonder why the "river" doesn't seem to be flowing from your life? Do you wonder why you are powerless when it comes to doing the works that Jesus said we would do? Do you wonder where the signs are that should be following your life as a believer? Those works are not done through our power, strength or ability, but they are done through the power of the Holy Spirit. The problem is not with the Holy Spirit. He is able, He is all-powerful, nothing is too difficult for Him, and it is His will to do the works through you that honor and glorify God. 

 

The problem is found in our opening sentence. Water takes the path of least resistance. The flow of the river (living waters) of the Holy Spirit in our lives also takes the path of least resistance. If there is any "resistance", then He is hindered in flowing freely in your life. In other words, He doesn't have the liberty He needs; therefore, He is being quenched. 

 

Are there "resistances" in your life? Fear, unbelief, selfishness, self-righteousness, compromise, laziness, bitterness, unforgiveness, etc.-- all these will cause Him not to flow freely. And if we don't deal with these resistances, 

they will block His flow completely and we can become spiritually stagnant. 

 

Have a great day. Is the Spirit flowing freely in your life? Or is He met with resistance?

 

For further reading:

John 14:12

Acts 1:8

Zechariah 4:6

Mark 16:17,18

"Misplaced Hope - Part 2"

"And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them. Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk." Acts 3:5,6 

Yesterday we talked about putting our hope (expectation) in people to meet our needs. I want to talk about that again today. There are several reasons why we should not expect people to be our source of provision. 

 

First, man doesn't always have what we need. "Silver and gold have I none". And second, if he does have it, what he has to give will only bring a temporary solution. The need is only met for the moment. 

 

Had Peter and John given the lame man the money he needed; they would not have solved his problem. He would have still been lame. He would have still had to depend on others. He would have been at the gate again the next day and the next day and the next day. He would have continued to be a beggar. All man's ability can do is give you a temporary "fix"-- if he can even do that much.

 

But when we look to God as our source, we can expect our needs to be met perfectly. God is not limited by what He has. There is no lack or shortage in His resources. If by chance He does not have it, He can simply create it. God's provision is not a temporary one. He doesn't meet a portion of the need only, He supplies all the need. When God meets and supplies the need, He does it well. In the beggar's case He healed his body, He restored his soul, He gave him his freedom and independence, and He gave him back his life. 

 

Expecting man to give you what you need will leave you still lacking and disappointed. Placing your expectation in God will never leave you lacking or disappoint. 

 

Have a great day. When we place our trust in God, we can expect our need to be met perfectly.

 

For further reading:

Philippians 4:19

Acts 3:1-13

 

"Misplaced Hope"

"My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him." Psalm 62:5 

Where is your expectation (hope) being placed? Upon man? Upon governmental programs? Upon leaders? Upon financial institutions? Upon a relative or someone of means? Upon the medical profession? Upon the invention of a miracle cure?

 

When you are in need, are you looking to some person to meet that need for you? When you are in a storm, are you expecting the boat to keep you safe? When you are fighting an illness, are you expecting the prescription to heal you? Life is full of problems, situations, difficulties and times that give us opportunity to fret, worry, become fearful, depressed and confused. When those times come, do you run here and there seeking someone or some source that will come to your rescue?

 

The verse above tells us where that source of help and hope is to be found-- "wait only upon God, your expectation (hope) is from Him". Our hope and help comes from the One who created the universe and all that is in it. If He can create everything, even down to the smallest molecule which can't been seen with the naked eye, can't He supply your need? If He can send water from a rock, if He can send manna from heaven, if He can put money in a fishes' mouth, if He can heal a leper, open blind eyes, raise the dead and give you life through His shed blood, can't He provide and make a way for you? 

 

Does that mean that God can't use human or earthly resources? No, that is not what I am saying. God has and often does. What I am saying is that for too often we put our expectation in what man can do for us. We put our hope in them and act as if God can't do it. If your hope is in a person, if you are looking to them to provide what you need instead of placing your hope in God, then you have misplaced hope. 

 

Have a great day. Where does your expectation (hope) lie? Are you expecting man to solve your problems or God?

 

For further reading:

Philippians 4:19

Genesis 1:1

Colossians 1:17

 

"The Priority Of Seeking God"

"And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:13 

We have a promise from the Lord that when we seek Him, we will find Him. But there is more to seeking than just saying a prayer. We think seeking means to send up some "microwave" prayer and get an instant answer. We think that seeking takes only a minute, if any longer we stop. Seeking and praying are not necessarily the same thing although they are both part of the communication process with the Lord.

 

When my daughter was about two years old, I took her to the fair. While I was getting us something to drink, I let go of her hand. I placed my order which took only a couple of seconds, but in those few seconds she was gone. Just that quickly she had gone from my sight. What do you think I did? I began to seek for her. I started my search without reservation, without embarrassment, with perseverance. I did not stop until I found her. At that moment there was nothing more important than finding my daughter. Everything else was unimportant. I didn't finish getting our drinks. I didn't take time to place another order. I didn't go ride another ride then get back to the task of trying to locate her. My goal was to find her, therefore, that was my only priority at the moment. 

 

Most of us pray to God, but do we seek God? While you are seeking Him is He alone your priority at that moment? Are you pulled between Him and something else? Do you seek with a cluttered mind-- thoughts of other things you should, or want to, be doing? Seeking God involves whole-hearted commitment. It involves perseverance- not giving up until you have found Him like the woman with the issue of blood. She did not give up, she did not stop, she did not get side-tracked, she did not let anything else capture her thoughts or attention. She had one goal. She was committed to reaching Jesus- it was her ONLY priority. She persevered and did not quit until she reached Him. Is that how you seek Him? Or do you seek Him with a divided heart instead of all your heart?

 

Have a great day. While we are seeking God, seeking Him until we find Him has to be our only priority. 

 

For further reading:

Mark 5:25-30

Psalm 119:2, 10

"No Escaping This Place"

"And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works." Revelation 20:12

A few days ago, I was in a store and the music was playing pretty loudly. I didn't know the song because I don't listen to that type of music. But because it was so loud and the group kept repeating the same words over and over, it caught my attention. (Actually, it turned out to be an old song.) The repeated words were: We gotta get out of this place. 

When I heard the words, not knowing what the artist was referring to, the thought occurred to me that one day there would be a multitude of people chanting these same words to themselves. That day will be the day when they stand before the Lord-- Judgment Day. They will want to get out of that place because they know that the words they will hear will be, "Depart from Me." They won't want to be there. But there is no escaping "that place". We will all stand before the Lord one day and give an account of our lives-- whether we want to be standing before Him or not. 

Since there is no getting out of standing before the Lord at the Judgment, the question is: What will He say to you? Will you be among those who will weep and gnash their teeth because you know what judgment will be passed on you? Will He tell you to depart because you have chosen to reject His way of salvation and follow your own path in life? 

There is another group who will stand before Him on that day and not desire to get away from that place. It will be the ones who have received His gift of eternal life through His Son Jesus, followed Him in loving obedience and surrendered their lives to Him. They look forward to that day and hearing the words-- "Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord."

Which group you will be in is up to you. That day will either be a terror or a joy to you. If it is a terror, then turn your life over to Jesus. He loves you, died for you, and wants to give you eternal life. 

Have a great day. Many will want to escape the day of Judgment, but we all must stand before God. What will you hear Him say on that day?

For further reading: Matthew 7:23; Matthew 25:23; Luke 13:23-28

"Pronouns"

"Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created." Genesis 5:2

I had my first encounter with the "pronoun" issue the other day. I was in a store and the girl who helped me had on a name tag. It had her name on the top line and the second line said-- she/they. (I don't know if this was her preference or the company's policy.) 

It is so sad that people don't even know what gender they are-- male/female. They are being deceived by the enemy of their soul.  Satan comes to steal, kill and destroy. If you don't know the most basic, elementary fact about yourself-- what gender you are-- then he can deceive you in every other area of your life. Thus, ending in destroying you. 

Satan, who is trying to destroy our soul, is behind the confusion about gender. He was the first one to want to reidentify himself. He was an angel, but he wanted to identify as God. 

His plan is to destroy our identity, so he will have an open door into our lives. He knows that everything a person does flows from who they are. He did it in the Garden of Eden. He deceived Adam and Eve in the area of their identity. He wanted them to identify with being "like God"-- they missed it because they were already created in the likeness of God. He wanted them to reidentify themselves with being God so he could gain access into the earth.  When they yielded to it, the door opened for satan to come in and destroy their relationship with God and all the paradise they had been blessed with. 

He tried to do the same with Jesus in the wilderness. The first temptation after Jesus had fasted for forty days and nights was-- "If You are the Son of God". He put the identity of Jesus into question. But Jesus knew His identity and stood against him. Had Jesus yielded by creating another identity for Himself, other than the one the Father had created for Him, He would have never gone to the cross and you and I would never have a way to be saved. 

I am not judging or condemning anyone on this issue. I just want to bring truth and light into the issue. God made us all. He has a plan for us all. He made us the way He did so that we could fulfill that plan. If you are confused about who you are, ask God to give you a clear view of how He sees you and made you. 

Have a great day. Enjoy being the person God made you to be, and you can if you will embrace your God-given identity. You are who He made you and He didn't make a mistake.  

For further reading:  Matthew 4:3; Genesis 3:5; Isaiah 14:13; Jeremiah 1:5