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5 Lessons Learned In My First 50 Years

Posted in My Daily Life, tagged , , , , , , , on June 9, 2020| Leave a Comment »

 

I turned 50 yesterday! It is a milestone that has caused quite a bit of reflection. There is so much turmoil in our world today, that I have been reflecting on my own contributions whether for the good or bad. What have I put out into the world that made things better or made things worse? Have I been a light in this world or have I brought more darkness? How can I shine my light into a world full of hate, anger and chaos? What lessons have I learned in this half century that I can use to make this next half century better, not just for myself but for those around me?

Lessons I have learned:

  1. Jesus IS the reason – A life that isn’t Jesus centered is not worth living! There is no hope, joy, purpose, or true love without the ONE who makes every day worth living. When life is lived separated from God, there is an emptiness, a void that we try to fill with other things, but ultimately, life is not worth living if Jesus is not in it. I intentionally fill my life with prayer, digging into God’s Word, surrounding myself with other believers, and serving others. Being intentional about deepening my relationship with God, means that He is never far from me. Without Jesus, what is the meaning of life? There isn’t one.
  2. Love CAN conquer hate – I can personally testify to how love can drive out hate when we open our hearts and allow love in. Hate, anger and bitterness makes us miserable. When we carry hate and anger in our hearts, we are carrying around such a burden of negative energy that we close ourselves off to anything good. It becomes such a heavy load to carry that some are so overwhelmed by the pain and hopelessness that they make the decision to end their lives. When we decide to open our hearts to love, life changes. When we allow love in, our view of other people changes. We have to choose to love. We have to choose to let go of hate. It is a decision. I chose to open my heart and now hate has no hold on me.
  3. Money means nothing – WHAT??? I mean it. Money is the root of all evil. A simple life lived for God is a good life. I live simply. I have very little material possessions and I am free from the burden of having to financially care for those possessions. When we hoard our money and our possessions, we give up our freedom. We become robots who work to maintain our possessions and hoard more money. We give up our time to relax and play. Our possessions and money become our reason for living while the real meaning of life slips away.
  4. Community matters – Being surrounded by family and other believers gives life more meaning. We were never meant to do life alone. God made us to do life together. We need each other. Isolation brings on depression and pain. When we surround ourselves with others who share our values and lives, we can be there to encourage each other, help each other and love each other. We need other people. satan attacks when we are isolated and alone.
  5. Life can be peaceful – I realize that drama is a part of life. I don’t like drama. I don’t like chaos. I have dealt with so much worry and anxiety that all I really want is a peaceful existence. Life can be peace-filled, but that is part of having faith in a God who has every circumstance under control. We can have that deep seated peace that surpasses all understanding when we believe that God will bring good out of every situation.

 

Every lesson that I have learned is centered in having a relationship with Jesus. This next half century will find me becoming more intentional about sharing the light of Jesus in the chaos. Time is closing in. I feel it. I have more of a burden than ever to make sure that people know that redeeming love that ONLY comes from a relationship with Christ. A life without Jesus is no life at all.

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12 Reasons I Left The Church

Posted in My Daily Life, tagged , , , , on June 5, 2020| Leave a Comment »

 

It was January of 2011 when we decided to leave the Church as a family. We had decided at the beginning of 2010 that we would give it another year to see if things improved. They did not. We wanted to make sure that we, as a family, were making every attempt to make things work, because we really did NOT want to leave. We really didn’t want to leave on bad terms. Since then, we have struggled to find a church that we feel is right for us. I have attended other churches through the years, but have not found that home where I feel comfortable. Don’t worry, I am not putting that all on the Church. We are all human and none of us is perfect. I get that, but there are fundamental issues that I could not ignore. If it had just been people being imperfect, I could have dealt with that, but the issues that drove me away were a straying from the fundamental principals of Christianity. It was a straying away from God to please man and I could not support that.

The 12 reasons I left the Church are:

  1. Lack of meaningful prayer – I’m not saying that there isn’t prayer in the Church, but reading off our prayer requests is not all that prayer is about. Prayer is inviting God into the fabric of our lives. It is a communication with God where we talk to God, but we also listen. Prayer is the cornerstone in building an intimate relationship with God (Jesus). The Church is not teaching Christians how to pray. Most Christians don’t have an active prayer life because no one has ever taught them how to pray. Most Christians have never been taught how to incorporate prayer into their daily lives. Prayer is a partnership between us and God. Prayer is the way that God allows us to partner with Him in bringing about His will here on earth. We need active prayer in the Church.
  2. Too secular – The Church has become too secular. Leaders have decided that the way to bring people in is too become worldly. We have allowed things into the Church that are clearly against the Bible. Would Jesus watch horror movies, play violent or graphic video games, or go to rock concerts? I doubt it. Would He approve of videos in bars of comedians drinking alcohol being shown before the sermon and not having to do with the sermon? Would He approve of a church middle school girl’s group being taken to see the Twilight movies? Would He approve of a church throwing weekly watch parties to view the Walking Dead TV series? Would He approve of HIS Church becoming secular to appeal to the masses? I doubt it. We have forgotten that the Church is NOT SUPPOSED TO BE SECULAR! That’s why it is the CHURCH (the BRIDE OF CHRIST)! We need to get back to the foundation of Christianity, start teaching the Bible and allow the Holy Spirit to work in the lives of the lost.
  3. Stuck in the box – We, as Christians, are stuck in the box we call the Church. We refuse to go outside of the Church to bring people in. We expect people to come into the Church in their pain and heartache, but they won’t. People will not come into the Church, because they are afraid of being judged and they are afraid that they are not good enough. None of us is good enough! We need to be “backyard missionaries” and love the people in our own communities, where they are. We need to meet people in their need, build relationships and love them to Jesus without judging them. Jesus never intended for us to get stuck inside the walls of the Church. He set the example. He went out and met people in their need. He didn’t wait for the people to come to the Church. He healed them where they were and allowed the Holy Spirit to work in their hearts.
  4. Judgmental – We as Christians can be the most judgmental people in the world. We think we have the right to flaunt our “righteousness” while making other people feel as if they aren’t good enough to walk in our hallowed halls. Excuse me??? How did we get to the place where we think we are better than everyone else? Jesus was a humble servant and HE was the King of kings! He NEVER judged and He had every right too! Who are we to judge others, as we sit in our own sin?
  5. Lack of Faith – As a single mom of 5, I struggled at times with vehicle issues and just having a support system in place. When I reached out to local churches for help, I would get responses from the pastors saying that they didn’t have the resources to help me, but I was welcome to visit. Where is our faith in a God that has ALL the resources of the heavens and earth at His disposal? We should be a modern day example of the Church of Acts, giving our abundance to help those in need. Instead we sit back and say, “let the welfare system take care of them.” NO! The welfare system was developed because the Church quit doing the job God gave it. God designed the Church to look after the needs of the poor. He WILL provide when we have the faith to step out in faith to help others. I know of churches who save up “rainy day funds” of $28,000.00 or more, but claim they don’t have the resources to help those in need in our communities. Really? Where is your faith???
  6. Prideful Leadership – I realize that everyone sins. No one is perfect. This goes beyond that. I have seen pastors who will NOT have a mature discussion about decisions made by leadership, but instead feel like it’s a personal attack of their leadership. They refuse to be questioned about any decisions they make and if you do question leadership, you will be disciplined. Discipline could include being lectured via a Sunday sermon, being ostracised, or told to leave the church. I have heard a pastor say, “no one is going to tell me how to run my church.” Church members have a right to hold the pastor and other Church leadership accountable. The Church does NOT belong to the pastor or any other leader. The Church belongs to Jesus and we need to be good stewards with what Jesus ALLOWS us to lead for Him. When a pastor or other Church leader holds himself above those in the congregation He is wrong. When a pastor or other Church leader believes that he/she is above accountability he/she is wrong. You are leading a church, but you are not above anyone and we ALL answer to Jesus.
  7. Greed – I am blown away by these pastors and Church leaders who preach prosperity gospel. These leaders who have homes, cars and other material objects worth millions of dollars, while people are dying homeless on the streets. They sit up in their million dollar churches and guilt or bribe people into giving their hard earned dollars. I’m sure they do some good and help some people, but they have placed themselves on pedestals and believe that they have some spiritual super-power. The Bible clearly tells us not to store up treasures here on earth, but to give generously to those in need. What Bible are these people reading? Have they walked the streets and seen the need around them? Do they feel any compassion for the hurting? I am not just talking about the well known T.V. evangelists, I am also talking about our pastors in local churches in cities across this nation who think that for some reason they are to good to reach out to the homeless or the poor. Do we remember how Jesus lived?
  8. Discipleship – I grew up in the church and was never discipled. I went to Sunday school and Bible Studies, but those can’t take the place of intentional discipleship. Making disciples is about building relationships that continue outside of our Sunday and Wednesday corporate worship days. Discipleship is intentionally sharing life with a small group of people to help them grow spiritually. Jesus gave us an example of this in His relationship with His disciples. The Bible tells us to MAKE DISCIPLES! Sunday school is NOT enough! We go to Church on Sundays and Wednesdays and then leave new or struggling Christians to figure things out on their own the rest of the week. Jesus was available 24/7. I was actually discipled after we left the church in 2011. I was not discipled by a person. I was discipled by the Holy Spirit. I was desperate not to lose Jesus and I kept my heart open to the teaching of the Holy Spirit. It is a journey. He still leads and I still follow and I continue to learn.
  9. Lack of Community – We say that members of the Church are family, but we don’t act like it. Christians are the most stuck up people I know! Again, I am not talking about every Christian here. I have seen that most churches that I have visited are divided into cliques. Those cliques consist of the Haves and those that are “in” with the church leadership. They also consist of those who are thought of to be spiritually “above” everyone else. Those who belong in the cliques rarely step outside the walls of that clique to realize that we are ALL one family. We are ALL Christians and should not to be divided.
  10. Denominational Separation – Since I mentioned cliques in the above section, I think I need to mention the denominational division in the Church. Every denomination has tweaked the Bible in some sort of fashion to suit the purpose and beliefs of that denomination’s leaders. There is only ONE Bible! We should not be divided! When Jesus returns, He is coming back for the entire CHURCH! He did not say, “I am returning for Methodists, but those Baptists just don’t have it together.” And how many different Baptist Associations do we need? Really? We take PRIDE in what denomination we belong to like it’s some sort of prize, “I belong to the Southern Baptists! What denomination are YOU?” Seriously people? It doesn’t matter what denomination you belong to, if you are living in unrepentant sin, YOU ARE GOING TO HELL!!!
  11. Unrepentant Hearts – We think that if we ask Jesus into our lives and to be our Savior that we can live any way we want to live and that ALL will be forgiven. Not true! Once saved always saved is not a thing. If you are a Christian, but you are knowingly living in sin, you will go to Hell. We think that we can go to Church on Sunday and live the way we want the rest of the week and all will be well. Not true! If you profess to be a Christian then you need to live a Christian life at ALL times and when you sin go to God and repent. We will all at one time or another sin against each other and God. It’s time to repent. We wonder why our nation is in the state it is in. We have allowed sin into our churches and it is running rampant. satan is having a blast seeing how many Christians he can deceive into falling away from the Church and God.
  12. Business/Entertainment – It seems that the Church that is meant to be a place to worship God has become a place to show off to the world. It has become a contest. Which church has the most people, the biggest building, the most baptisms on Sunday, the biggest Sunday productions, the most money, the richest members, etc? Do we really need spotlights and smoke during our worship services? Do we really need our Sunday morning experience to feel like a rock concert? I don’t. It all seems sacrilegious to me. Jesus was born in a humble stable, without the fanfare. Who is the rock concert experience for anyways? I would say us, because I am pretty sure that God isn’t impressed.

I have wanted to write this post for a few years, but haven’t felt that it was the right time. Is now the right time? Maybe. I’m still not sure. These are my opinions based on what I have personally seen in the Church. I also realize that there are pastors, leaders and Christians that are living according to God’s will. What I saw was fundamental doctrinal issues that I couldn’t ignore. We all make mistakes, but when leaders go against the Bible, it’s time to leave. Will I go back?  Absolutely! I LOVE the Church with all of my heart. How could I claim to be a Christian and not love the Church? It is in finding that right church that holds to the Bible and the biblical view of how Christians should live. There is no compromise when you are a Christian. It breaks my heart to see the Church falling away from God’s will. I pray continually for a revival of our hearts. We don’t have much time left. Jesus will come. Are we ready?

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Finding My Way Back Home

Posted in My Daily Life, tagged , , , , on April 7, 2020| Leave a Comment »

 

It has been more than 2 months since I last wrote a blog post. It was with mixed emotions that I found myself moving back to Indiana on March 14th. Things did not work out the way I expected them to in Georgia and I in some ways felt that I was returning home with my tail tucked. I never allowed myself to connect with Indiana. I never allowed it to become home. I never gave Indiana a chance. I was uncomfortable in my circumstances and in my desperation to run away from the discomfort, I never allowed myself to be content in knowing that I was where God wanted me. When God finally answered my years long prayer for “deliverance” I took the opportunity to run to where I thought life would magically be easier. The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. I loved some aspects of Georgia, like the warmer Winters, but I also missed the gorgeous Fall foliage, lightening bugs, Spring colors, somewhat cooler Summers, and the lack of bugs in Indiana. More than anything, I missed family. I loved being with Kiowa, but I was isolated and I started to realize that I needed to return “HOME”. Yes, HOME. After 27 years of living in Indiana, I never considered it home. Now, I return and acknowledge that maybe I am a Hoosier. Maybe this place called Indiana is my home and I am now content enough to say that I will never leave again.

Sometimes, we need to leave in order to know where we belong.

Sometimes, God gives us what we want in order to make us realize that what we want may not be what’s best.

Sometimes, we need to trust God and allow God to work in the discomfort.

I made some awesome memories in my 10 months as a Georgian, but I am finding contentment in where I am right now. I am a Hoosier. Indiana is my home. The grass is NOT always greener and GOD ALWAYS knows better than we do.

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Teachable Moments

Posted in My Daily Life, tagged , , , , on May 5, 2019| Leave a Comment »

 

My daughter, Cherokee, parents Ava (5) and Christopher (3) using natural consequences. Christopher had gotten himself in trouble by throwing a disposable cup out of the car window as they were driving. When they arrived home, Cherokee took Christopher up one side of our street and down the other to pick up trash. Armed with a bag for trash, a bag for recyclables and the wisdom of her 25 years, Cherokee, made sure that as he picked up the trash that Christopher understood that his actions have consequences. Cherokee made sure that he understood that just as he did not like cleaning up after others, other people shouldn’t have to clean up after him. Christopher was disciplined for his disobedience and hopefully, he will remember the lesson and the trash will be properly disposed of in the future.

Just as Cherokee disciplined Christopher for his disobedience, there are times in our lives when God has to discipline us for ours. There are times when we have to suffer the consequences for our behavior. One of the hardest things for me to deal with is the distance that my disobedience puts between me and God. I always seem to have a troubled spirit when I know that my behavior has been against God’s will and a disconnect is the result.

What can we do if we have disobeyed God?

Upon returning from our trash collecting, Christopher needed to apologize for disobeying his mom. Cherokee forgave him with a hug and a kiss and all was forgotten. I always know that the only way to make things right with God is to apologize and ask for forgiveness. We still have to deal with the consequences, but the issue will not be completely resolved until we ask for forgiveness. God loves me. God loves you. He will never stay angry.

Psalm 103:12

as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

If you are feeling disconnected from God because of an act of disobedience, don’t despair. God loves you! Apologize and ask God for forgiveness. You will still have to suffer the consequences of your actions, but you will no longer be separated from the God who loves you! Lamentations 3:22-23 tells us that:

22 Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. 23 They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

We are going to sin. We are going to disobey God. Our reassurance is that God is compassionate and will not hold our transgressions against us. Every morning is a chance to start over. Don’t dwell on the mistakes of yesterday. Today is full of wonderful opportunities to turn things around and step into God’s will and purpose.

 

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Rest For The Weary

Posted in My Daily Life, tagged , , on March 13, 2019| Leave a Comment »

 

Matthew 11:28

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

I realize I haven’t written for awhile. There are times when I feel exhausted and just can’t bring it together. I am sick with the flu at this moment and feel drained. My diabetes and high blood pressure make it important for me to keep stress at a minimum and practice self-care. It has been hard to do with the stress at work and the stress of the Winter. Sometimes, I get buried in the chaos and stress of life and I forget to breathe. I forget to look forward to the Spring, but the Spring is coming. Jesus is coming! I hang on to Him and look forward.

He is inviting ALL of us who are exhausted and beat down by life to come to Him. When we run to Jesus, He WILL give us rest. Today, I rest in the shelter of my Savior’s arms. I don’t know how long this will last, but I know that I can find rest in Jesus. If you are exhausted and drained by the busyness of life, I urge you to run to Jesus and find rest in the arms of the Savior. Life is hard. Take care of yourself. Find rest in Jesus.

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Finding God In The Little Things

Posted in My Daily Life, tagged , , , , on February 23, 2019| Leave a Comment »

 

There are often times in my life when I know that God has intervened on my behalf. When circumstances come together in such a way that only God could have pulled it off. This happened to me this week.

Back in January I had decided to put full coverage insurance on my 2006 Mitsubishi Endeavor. I had debated about this because of the age of the car, but decided to go ahead because it is still in great condition and it is my only vehicle. My inflated payment was due February 28th for $377.00 and then would go down to $274.00 in March. I made the payment for $377.00 last Saturday 2/16. The payment had not cleared my bank account as of yesterday (2/21) and I was not sure why. In the meantime, my son Talon informed me yesterday that I could take his 1986 Chevy truck off the insurance because the cold weather in January blew the engine. I removed the truck and noticed that my insurance app was still saying that I had a payment due, only now the payment had gone from $377.00 to $179.00. I called the insurance company this morning to find out if my payment of the $377.00 had gone through or not. The payment had not gone through. It had been bounced back to the insurance company. I called the bank to see why it had not gone through. The customer service rep didn’t have an explanation. She said it was strange and she couldn’t see any reason that the payment wouldn’t have gone through. So, being reassured that the $377.00 payment did not through, I made the payment for $179.00 and thanked God for saving me $200.00.

I try to give and do what I can for others. I try to live in obedience to the Holy Spirit. I try to always trust that God will provide, but there are times when I falter in that faith. There are times when I falter in my belief that God will always provide and God in His goodness gives me a reminder of His greatness in the orchestration of an insurance payment to save me $200.00. I am not worthy of His goodness. I fail repeatedly every day and still He loves me enough to bring about small miracles to remind me that He is with me always. God will provide if only we believe.

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What Gift Shall I Give?

Posted in My Daily Life, tagged , , on December 20, 2018| Leave a Comment »

 

 

Matthew 2:10-11

10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

When the Wise Men saw the child Jesus with His mother Mary, they bowed down and worshiped Him. They presented Him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. These were the gifts presented to kings and the Wise Men knew that this child was the King of kings and the Savior of the world. The Wise Men’s gifts were:

Useful: The gold was likely used by Joseph and Mary to pay for their flight to Egypt. The Frankincense and myrrh could have been sold to pay for food and other needs.

Precious: The gifts of the Wise Men were valuable and rare. They came, bowed down and gave the best of what they had to this child who they knew was the long awaited for Messiah. They were gifts fit for a king. The Wise Men knew that this child was THE KING OF THE WORLD!

I had promised myself that this year I would slow down and really take time to enjoy the season. Christmas is about family, friends, but more importantly, Jesus. It is now five days before Christmas and the season seems to have flown by. There is no time to just sit at the feet of Jesus and abide in who He is. Time is flying by and Jesus gets forgotten in the midst of the busyness and distractions.

The passage of the Wise Men caused me to reflect on what I have to give Jesus. What gift do I have to give The King that is both useful and precious? What gift can I give not just in this Christmas season but in the next year too? One of the most useful and precious gifts I can give now and in the future is my time. I can let go of the things that are time wasters and start using that time to pray, study, reflect, worship, serve and abide. The Wise Men knew that their first priority was to worship Jesus. I don’t always put Jesus first. I get caught up in the latest T.V. show, Facebook, or the internet and I forget that my first priority should be Jesus. ALWAYS!

2019 is right around the corner and I am making a commitment to let go of what’s not important and make Jesus my first priority. This is my gift. My time is my gift to my Savior, my Messiah. My time in serving Jesus and serving others around me. The most important thing.

What gift can you give to the King of kings this Christmas season and in the next year? Is this gift useful? Is this gift precious? Is this gift worthy of a King? What gift can you give that will bring you closer to the Messiah? Reflect and then present your gift to the One who gave us the best gift of all: eternal life.

 

 

 

 

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Ordinary Ministries In Every Day Life

Posted in My Daily Life, tagged , , , , on September 2, 2018| Leave a Comment »

 

It started simply. A whisper of the Holy Spirit. A whisper in my spirit telling me to pray for the Police Officers in the Police vehicle in front of me. I obeyed and prayed. It was a simple prayer that God would protect them as they protect us. A simple prayer that their hearts would be filled with love and compassion. A simple prayer that they would act with wisdom.

It started in June, after our city lost a Police Officer in the line of duty. God started prompting me to pray for city officers, county sheriff deputies and state police officers. It has become a ministry in my every day life. I used to drive around the city and rarely see a Law Enforcement Officer and now I see them ALL the time. I used to get nervous when I would see a police vehicle. I now am glad when God brings them across my path, because I know I have a ministry to pray for these heroes. I am glad when I don’t go a mile without seeing an officer. The more I see, the more I get to cover with prayer. Always a good thing. In these times of chaos and evil, these men and women never know what they are walking into. A simple call can turn into a loss of life. They put their lives on the line to protect and serve their communities and if my simple prayer can protect them in the line of duty then I am happy. They will never know, as they sit in their car in front of me, drive past me, or sit in their spots looking for traffic violators that a 48 year old, ordinary woman driving a 12 year old SUV has just covered them in prayer. That’s okay. It doesn’t matter. All that matters is that I have the privilege to pray, partnering with God in changing the world, one community at a time.

I don’t know what God is calling you to do as you go about your life. I don’t know what ordinary ministry God has called you to, but nothing is ever to simple when it comes to obeying God. That simple thing that God has called you to do could keep someone safe, could give someone hope, could bring someone to Jesus. Some of us are not called to the billion dollar mega church ministries that get tons of media attention. Some of us (and that includes me) are called to simple ministries in our communities that may actually do more to change the world than all of those mega ministries put together. Do that simple thing that God is calling you to do. Simple ministries can change communities, when you and I obey God.

What is your simple ministry? What small thing is God asking you do to do to change your community? Will you obey? Will you do what God is asking you to do to make a difference in your community?

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A Move, A Wedding And A Visit

Posted in My Daily Life, tagged , , , , on July 30, 2018| Leave a Comment »

 

A Move

The last couple of months have been crazy and July has been a bit chaotic. After a year and a half of searching for the “perfect” house, Cherokee and Chris were finally able to close on the right house for their family. I had moved in with Cherokee two years ago to help her with bills and the kids. During this process, I had been worried (stressed to the max would be more like it!) that I would not have a place to live. I do work full-time, but do not make enough to support myself independently. This was something that I have struggled with. I hate asking for help! I explored all of my options and realized that none of them were good. It had become a matter of choosing the lesser evil. I was to the point of extreme anxiety (I actually did make a trip to the ER at the end of last September with chest pains) over this situation, when Cherokee and Chris asked me to move with them to help out with the kids. I was grateful, but still debated. In the last few months I decided that this was my best option, maybe for now or maybe forever. I am safe. I am in a position to save for the future and I get to spend time with my grand kids (Haydon 9, Ava 5, Keaton 4 and Christopher 2). We started moving the 6th of July and we are now settled in our new home. We are looking forward to things slowing down a bit, so we can enjoy the yard and our new lives. For Chris and Cherokee, this means discovering the joys and headaches of home-ownership and for me, it means enjoying family time and seeing where God leads. As I write this, 18 chicks have been purchased and a chicken coop is being built. I am grateful for this home. They are newlyweds who have just blended two families with four children and have been willing to throw Nana into the mix. We all come with our own personalities, ways of being raised and perspectives due to our different ages, but if we treat each other with love and respect, it can work. Nothing in life is easy, but with God ALL things are possible!

A Wedding

I mentioned above that Cherokee and Chris are newlyweds. They were married on July 21st. Added to the stress of moving, they were planning a wedding! It was simple, but beautiful. I am blessed to have Chris as my son-in-law and I am blessed to have Haydon and Keaton as grand-sons. I have been amazed at how well the newlyweds have worked together from the beginning and at how well they have blended their families. This is a marriage that will last forever!

A Visit

To add to the craziness of July, Kiowa was able to be here for a few days for her sister’s wedding and my parents drove from California to spend two weeks with us. They were able to be here for the wedding and we enjoyed getting to spend time with them. My parents visit every two years and the time is precious. I take a two week vacation then to spend as much time as possible with them and everything else gets put on the back burner. They left this morning. I miss them already.

I return to work tomorrow and life returns to normal. It is bitter sweet. I am left trying to find joy in the sadness of my parents leaving. I am left trying to calm my anxious heart over the thought of having to return to work. I remind myself that all I can do is embrace the good and surrender the rest to God. He is there in the center of it all!

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Fear Of Man

Posted in My Daily Life, tagged , , , on May 27, 2018| Leave a Comment »

 

Proverbs 29:25

Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.

Isaiah 51:12

“I, even I, am he who comforts you. Who are you that you fear mere mortals, human beings who are but grass,

Psalm 118:8

It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in humans.

1 Samuel 15:24

Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned. I violated the Lord’s command and your instructions. I was afraid of the men and so I gave in to them.

Galatians 1:10

Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.

Deuteronomy 31:6

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Acts 5:29

Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human beings!

Proverbs 19:23

The fear of the Lord leads to life; then one rests content, untouched by trouble.

I’m sure that I am not the only one who has ever been afraid of another person or group of people. I don’t know the statistics, but I would wager a guess that fear of people is high on the list of fears. In this world of chaos and evil, we are justified to be afraid. We are afraid of someone’s reaction if we don’t agree with them. We are afraid to defend someone because we may become the target. We are afraid to go to concerts or other populated venues because of recent mass shootings. It is normal to be afraid. I have lived a life afraid of people. I shrink from confrontations. I hate listening to the news because it scares me. We have had two standoffs in my own city of 80,000 people in the last couple of months that has led to the loss of life. We hear more about drugs, robberies and murder and it scares me.

It shouldn’t scare me. As a child of God, I should never fear man. I only need to fear God. I should never try to do well to impress so and so. I only need to glorify God. I should never give in to the manipulations of a bully out of fear. I need to trust God to work in the situation. I should never fear someone who wants to hurt me. My God is all powerful and is more than capable of protecting me from those who want to cause me harm.

Is the fear of man keeping you from your God given purpose?

In fact, 1 Samuel 15:24 tells us that fearing man is a sin! Acts 5:29 tells us that we MUST obey God rather than humans. In Deuteronomy 31:6 we are told NOT to be afraid of man, because God is with us. God tells us to be strong and courageous. Easier said than done, I know. I also know that if we live our lives in fear of man and what he can do to us, we will never be able to truly live. I have sacrificed to many years living in fear of what man can do to me. I am choosing to trust and obey God. I am choosing to allow God to protect me in those situations when I am facing an angry person or a possible negative reaction to news I have to give. We can’t run from people. We can’t bury our heads in the sand. Our only option is to trust God.

 

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