While I was sleeping the Holy Spirit was teaching me about battling~
A lot of battling for the Spirit or for God seems pretty straight forward, like praying in Jesus' name, but the part the Spirit was showing me was that the most important part is that even when it appears the battle is lost....keep walking out what you know to be true, or "of God"...keep walking in faith!
Faith is what will allow you to stay in God. When you keep walking in faith against all odds is when God is able to step in and turn the battle to the victory that He has ordained. Your faith is vital, not just a faith that allows you to sit still and say God will handle it...it's faith that keeps you moving forward, even if you're the only one that is still holding on.
Faith is what keeps you in partnership with God. Faith that He will move, faith that He is engaged with you, faith that you are not alone....even if it appears that you are (from a world point of view).
In our future, faith is going to be an attribute that will bring victory....our faith and God's power working together! I know faith is important now also, not just the future, but the lesson the Holy Spirit was showing me was for our future battles and victories. It was encouragement to not give up, ever! Have faith, Walk it out!
"So He did not do many miracles there because they had no faith." Matthew 13:58
And Jesus answered saying to them "Have faith in God, Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain. 'Be taken up and cast into the sea' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him. Therefore I say to you all
things for which you pray and ask believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you. Mark 11:22-24
Faith means being sure of the things we hope for and knowing that something is real even if we do not see it. Hebrews 11:1
Saturday, November 15, 2014
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
Revival ~~(Originally written on Friday, November 9, 2012)
Friday, November 9, 2012
Revival
Lord, Loving Father, Redeeming Brother, Comforting Counselor,
You are the Great I Am, the Alpha and Omega, the Amazing Creator - You know all things from the beginning to the end (but there is no end!). You hold the universe in the palm of Your hand! and yet You are mindful of us...even to know the number of hairs on our head!
When we grasp the truth of this, how can we let any fear take root in our hearts?!
You are our Shepherd, You protect us, guide us and provide for us. Over and over You have told us "Fear Not!".
Lord, I know I previously lived my life in my own power, what a foolish thing! I did what "I" thought was right. I prayed and asked for direction but I have only recently learned how to listen to the answer. Thank You for Your Holy Spirit living in me being Your Communicator, Guide and Teacher to my spirit. I have been "saved" for a long time, but I didn't know Your power. I had not learned how to walk, live, breathe and rest in You. Even now I'm still learning to grasp the authority You have provided for us! "Us" as Your children, but also "Us" as Your body on Earth!
Thank You Lord! You have provided all we need to walk in victory, please help us find our way to the path of victory, please remove the scales from our eyes! Remove our apathetic hearts! I ask that Your whole body wake up and "hear" Your call!
If this election had gone to the candidate that I supported would people have backed off on their drive to bring our nation into Your will? ...Probably...Even now we have shown ourselves too weak to successfully support a man that wanted to stand with Israel and to protect unborn babies! We need You Lord! We need the strength of Your Holy Spirit poured out upon our Nation! We need revival that can only be brought through an outpouring of Your Spirit! Lord we pray now, Let it be! Pour Your Spirit over our Nation, One Nation under You! In Jesus' powerful name and through His precious blood we pray, Amen!
You are the Great I Am, the Alpha and Omega, the Amazing Creator - You know all things from the beginning to the end (but there is no end!). You hold the universe in the palm of Your hand! and yet You are mindful of us...even to know the number of hairs on our head!
When we grasp the truth of this, how can we let any fear take root in our hearts?!
You are our Shepherd, You protect us, guide us and provide for us. Over and over You have told us "Fear Not!".
Lord, I know I previously lived my life in my own power, what a foolish thing! I did what "I" thought was right. I prayed and asked for direction but I have only recently learned how to listen to the answer. Thank You for Your Holy Spirit living in me being Your Communicator, Guide and Teacher to my spirit. I have been "saved" for a long time, but I didn't know Your power. I had not learned how to walk, live, breathe and rest in You. Even now I'm still learning to grasp the authority You have provided for us! "Us" as Your children, but also "Us" as Your body on Earth!
Thank You Lord! You have provided all we need to walk in victory, please help us find our way to the path of victory, please remove the scales from our eyes! Remove our apathetic hearts! I ask that Your whole body wake up and "hear" Your call!
If this election had gone to the candidate that I supported would people have backed off on their drive to bring our nation into Your will? ...Probably...Even now we have shown ourselves too weak to successfully support a man that wanted to stand with Israel and to protect unborn babies! We need You Lord! We need the strength of Your Holy Spirit poured out upon our Nation! We need revival that can only be brought through an outpouring of Your Spirit! Lord we pray now, Let it be! Pour Your Spirit over our Nation, One Nation under You! In Jesus' powerful name and through His precious blood we pray, Amen!
Peace And Happiness
In Christ we are required to let go of much! And like in many relationships of love we think we can do that easily. Let me be the first to tell you....it's not always so easy.
In Christ we are told to consider others as more important than ourselves...it's not so easy either!
In Christ we're not to cling to the things of this world, but to lay up treasures in heaven....yep, not so easy either(small note here, some people have no issue with this, or any of it for that matter, I can only share from my own experience)
I am a sentimental "collector" and have many things that are filled with memories. I remember where I was and how I felt with those things, kind of like a song or fragrance can stir memories. Letting go of those things is like ripping away those memories...like having part of my past(or myself) sliced away.
As you go through life you are required to let go of many things, life is full of change, the first I remember that I was forced to let go of was a kitten~killed by a dog...the next was a purse(and trust)~stolen from me...then relationships, dreams, homes, cars~ I'm not talking about things you let go of yourself, because you wanted to, but things that life and other people have forced you to let go.
The experiences are scattered through life and you don't have to let go of everything all at once so it can sneak up on you, until all of a sudden you feel quite naked standing there having let go of everything!
Yesterday I had one of those "naked" experiences! God has taken me through a lot of exercises lately of letting go of things, He has been showing me that it's ALL His~ I don't mean just the things that we already know... the sky, the mountains, the sunset, the sunrise~ He has shown me that it is ALL His...the man He lets me live with as my husband is really "His man", the sons I gave birth to, are His men also...the house we live in, the clothes I wear, the very skin I wear is His~ in the kitchen is a cutting board with my name burnt into it, but it's His too! The hair on my head is His! (Let that soak in and quit complaining about your body, your features and your hair, they are all His! and you can also apply that to your spouse! Should you really criticize the things of God?).
When God was showing me all of this, I easily agreed, "Yes Lord! It's all Yours!". It's a lot easier to do things when you're in a conversation with your Abba, than when life just hits you in the cold daylight~
~ in life I have let go of much! Somethings by choice, somethings not by choice at all. My parents moved quite a lot during my childhood, and I let go of friends, homes, schools, teachers~ then I went through a bad marriage, I let go of more, the hardest and most regretted is innocence and belief, I let go of home again, friends, family, until finally I let go of hope and the marriage ended~
I walked through life with little hope for several years(I was not walking with Jesus then!), just looking for a place to "be", just to be in a little quiet corner of the world and be left alone to live my life and not have to deal with so many things taken by force or to have to let go of just to survive. Like a coyote that has chewed it's own leg off to escape a trap, I just wanted to heal.
Find a place to heal I did! I found a life of peace and soul's contentment, for many years I lived in "peace and happiness", I loved my cocoon! But as life always does, change happens and you have to let go of things again. My cocoon crumbled around me and there was the hard world again, ready to take things from me ...my elderly father, my husband, my spiritual father, my marriage, my home, my family, my world~
Picking up the pieces that were left I gathered the things that I could that had been part of my "peace and happiness" and moved on again, looking for another corner of the world where there could be a new "peace and happiness". The search can be tricky and treacherous! Sometimes we think we've found it when actually we've found something worse than we left. (Now I know to search in God)
With going through my lessons from God, that it's ALL His, I thought I'd learned that "peace and happiness" can only be found in Him! But yesterday I was shown that I'm still holding on to things(it was a little Piggy Bank that could transport me back to the "cocoon of peace and happiness" that someone dared empty!), that even in clinging to memories I'm preventing myself from walking where He intends for me to go. How can I cling to things, to sentimentality, to memories, to "peace and happiness" and still be able to pick up my cross daily and follow Him? This is my current lesson! The first step is to mentally let go, recognize that it is truly ALL His, then ask Him to help you with the rest. So Lord, please help me to let go of the desire to create a cocoon, help me to grow into the "peace and happiness" of Your presence and it alone! I surrender all~
In Christ we are told to consider others as more important than ourselves...it's not so easy either!
In Christ we're not to cling to the things of this world, but to lay up treasures in heaven....yep, not so easy either(small note here, some people have no issue with this, or any of it for that matter, I can only share from my own experience)
I am a sentimental "collector" and have many things that are filled with memories. I remember where I was and how I felt with those things, kind of like a song or fragrance can stir memories. Letting go of those things is like ripping away those memories...like having part of my past(or myself) sliced away.
As you go through life you are required to let go of many things, life is full of change, the first I remember that I was forced to let go of was a kitten~killed by a dog...the next was a purse(and trust)~stolen from me...then relationships, dreams, homes, cars~ I'm not talking about things you let go of yourself, because you wanted to, but things that life and other people have forced you to let go.
The experiences are scattered through life and you don't have to let go of everything all at once so it can sneak up on you, until all of a sudden you feel quite naked standing there having let go of everything!
Yesterday I had one of those "naked" experiences! God has taken me through a lot of exercises lately of letting go of things, He has been showing me that it's ALL His~ I don't mean just the things that we already know... the sky, the mountains, the sunset, the sunrise~ He has shown me that it is ALL His...the man He lets me live with as my husband is really "His man", the sons I gave birth to, are His men also...the house we live in, the clothes I wear, the very skin I wear is His~ in the kitchen is a cutting board with my name burnt into it, but it's His too! The hair on my head is His! (Let that soak in and quit complaining about your body, your features and your hair, they are all His! and you can also apply that to your spouse! Should you really criticize the things of God?).
When God was showing me all of this, I easily agreed, "Yes Lord! It's all Yours!". It's a lot easier to do things when you're in a conversation with your Abba, than when life just hits you in the cold daylight~
~ in life I have let go of much! Somethings by choice, somethings not by choice at all. My parents moved quite a lot during my childhood, and I let go of friends, homes, schools, teachers~ then I went through a bad marriage, I let go of more, the hardest and most regretted is innocence and belief, I let go of home again, friends, family, until finally I let go of hope and the marriage ended~
I walked through life with little hope for several years(I was not walking with Jesus then!), just looking for a place to "be", just to be in a little quiet corner of the world and be left alone to live my life and not have to deal with so many things taken by force or to have to let go of just to survive. Like a coyote that has chewed it's own leg off to escape a trap, I just wanted to heal.
Find a place to heal I did! I found a life of peace and soul's contentment, for many years I lived in "peace and happiness", I loved my cocoon! But as life always does, change happens and you have to let go of things again. My cocoon crumbled around me and there was the hard world again, ready to take things from me ...my elderly father, my husband, my spiritual father, my marriage, my home, my family, my world~
Picking up the pieces that were left I gathered the things that I could that had been part of my "peace and happiness" and moved on again, looking for another corner of the world where there could be a new "peace and happiness". The search can be tricky and treacherous! Sometimes we think we've found it when actually we've found something worse than we left. (Now I know to search in God)
With going through my lessons from God, that it's ALL His, I thought I'd learned that "peace and happiness" can only be found in Him! But yesterday I was shown that I'm still holding on to things(it was a little Piggy Bank that could transport me back to the "cocoon of peace and happiness" that someone dared empty!), that even in clinging to memories I'm preventing myself from walking where He intends for me to go. How can I cling to things, to sentimentality, to memories, to "peace and happiness" and still be able to pick up my cross daily and follow Him? This is my current lesson! The first step is to mentally let go, recognize that it is truly ALL His, then ask Him to help you with the rest. So Lord, please help me to let go of the desire to create a cocoon, help me to grow into the "peace and happiness" of Your presence and it alone! I surrender all~
~~These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 ~~
Friday, August 8, 2014
God is ~
God is~
God is ~
A Shield about me ~ My Glory ~ and the One who lifts my head ~
But You, O Lord, are a shield about me,
My glory, and the One who lifts my head. Psalm 3:3
The One who answers me ~
I was crying to the Lord with my voice. And He answered me from His holy mountain. Psalm 3:4
The One who keeps me safe ~
I lay down and slept, and I woke up again, for the Lord keeps me safe. Psalm 3:5
The One who saves me ~
I am not afraid of the tens of thousands
set against me on every side.
Rise up, Adonai!
Save me, my God!
For you slap all my enemies in the face,
you smash the teeth of the wicked. Psalm 3:7
The One who has salvation ~
Salvation belongs to the Lord;
may Your blessing be on Your people.Selah Psalm 3:8
A Shield about me ~ My Glory ~ and the One who lifts my head ~
But You, O Lord, are a shield about me,
My glory, and the One who lifts my head. Psalm 3:3
The One who answers me ~
I was crying to the Lord with my voice. And He answered me from His holy mountain. Psalm 3:4
The One who keeps me safe ~
I lay down and slept, and I woke up again, for the Lord keeps me safe. Psalm 3:5
The One who saves me ~
I am not afraid of the tens of thousands
set against me on every side.
Rise up, Adonai!
Save me, my God!
For you slap all my enemies in the face,
you smash the teeth of the wicked. Psalm 3:7
The One who has salvation ~
Salvation belongs to the Lord;
may Your blessing be on Your people.Selah Psalm 3:8
Friday, July 18, 2014
Free To Walk
A lot of times people turn on the TV for background sounds for their day. I usually turn on the Christian radio station or a praise CD while I'm in the house, outside the birds and breeze are the soundtrack for my day.
One day while I was working in the kitchen, or painting, or making jewelry, or something I had the radio program on and caught a bit of story shared about a child that had been in Sunday School and was relating a story they had learned about Enoch. When asked to retell the story the child said that everyday God would come by Enoch's house and say "Hey Enoch, let's go for a walk!" and Enoch would say sure, and away they would go to return late in the evening. Everyday God would come by and ask Enoch to go walking and everyday Enoch was ready to go and off they would go for a wonderful day of sharing. One day they had walked further than normal and it was getting quite late. Enoch told God that they better head back to his house so he could get home before it was too dark and God said "Enoch, we're closer to my house than to yours, why don't you just go home with Me tonight?" And Enoch did! That's a pretty good summary of the story of Enoch as it's told in the bible!
The same day I heard this story I also listened to a lesson given by Cindy Jacobs about prayer. The lesson concerned how we block God from answering our prayers by unforgiveness. I went through thinking of offenses I had taken in my life and forgave everyone that was involved. I've done this before several times and you'd think I wouldn't have anymore left but it's amazing how many little things we can pack away in our trunk of offenses! It starts in childhood or maybe babyhood? And goes through every day we breath! Being offended is easier than to NOT be offended! Anyway, I worked to bring to mind anything I needed to let go of and prayed about it, releasing the people, the offense and myself!
Later when I was working in the garden the Holy Spirit showed me how unforgiveness binds us to an anchor that keeps us from being free to doing the things God wants us to. He showed me how it's like a big ball and chain! When God comes by our house to ask us to go walking with Him, as He did with Enoch, we can't even get out of our doors because the ball and chain has us anchored! When we work on it, we make it smaller and smaller, but it is a continual work and it doesn't usually happen overnight. Many times we need to give the offense to God and ask Him to help us to let it go, to help us heal, to put it away from ourselves. And many times we have to do this day after day until finally we find it gone! Then we have the freedom to go walking with God, to go where He wants us to go!
One day while I was working in the kitchen, or painting, or making jewelry, or something I had the radio program on and caught a bit of story shared about a child that had been in Sunday School and was relating a story they had learned about Enoch. When asked to retell the story the child said that everyday God would come by Enoch's house and say "Hey Enoch, let's go for a walk!" and Enoch would say sure, and away they would go to return late in the evening. Everyday God would come by and ask Enoch to go walking and everyday Enoch was ready to go and off they would go for a wonderful day of sharing. One day they had walked further than normal and it was getting quite late. Enoch told God that they better head back to his house so he could get home before it was too dark and God said "Enoch, we're closer to my house than to yours, why don't you just go home with Me tonight?" And Enoch did! That's a pretty good summary of the story of Enoch as it's told in the bible!
The same day I heard this story I also listened to a lesson given by Cindy Jacobs about prayer. The lesson concerned how we block God from answering our prayers by unforgiveness. I went through thinking of offenses I had taken in my life and forgave everyone that was involved. I've done this before several times and you'd think I wouldn't have anymore left but it's amazing how many little things we can pack away in our trunk of offenses! It starts in childhood or maybe babyhood? And goes through every day we breath! Being offended is easier than to NOT be offended! Anyway, I worked to bring to mind anything I needed to let go of and prayed about it, releasing the people, the offense and myself!
Later when I was working in the garden the Holy Spirit showed me how unforgiveness binds us to an anchor that keeps us from being free to doing the things God wants us to. He showed me how it's like a big ball and chain! When God comes by our house to ask us to go walking with Him, as He did with Enoch, we can't even get out of our doors because the ball and chain has us anchored! When we work on it, we make it smaller and smaller, but it is a continual work and it doesn't usually happen overnight. Many times we need to give the offense to God and ask Him to help us to let it go, to help us heal, to put it away from ourselves. And many times we have to do this day after day until finally we find it gone! Then we have the freedom to go walking with God, to go where He wants us to go!
Friday, November 23, 2012
Confusing Contradictions
Does everyone face such confusing contradictions in their emotions as I experience?
Let me explain what I mean. Recently we were blessed with the use of a car for about 2 and 1/2 months. The car was new and had no mechanical issues and we had no expense connected to it, the owner was going to be out of the country and just didn't need it and God had impressed on their heart to leave it for my enjoyment! (That's my Abba, blessing me in surprising ways!) Anyway, I knew the time was getting close to when we would need to give the car back to the owner and I was prepared for that, I thought I was at least, but then unexpectedly the owner returned and needed their car about 2 weeks earlier than we had expected.
It was a shock to me and I found I didn't want to give the car back! I also thought this showed how much we needed a second car! I struggled through the emotions of not wanting to turn loose of the car and giving it back to the rightful owner and after much prayer was able to take my tight grasp of the keys away long enough to give them back!
Now I have been without a car for a week and I am experiencing such a wonderful peace! I am not sure why the car removed peace from me, because I did enjoy having the flexibility of having a car to drive if I wanted to run an errand or even just to get out of the house for a while. Maybe the car brought extra pressure into my life? Or maybe it was an illusion of independence? Now I am back to being more dependent and therefore more in tune with the leadings of God? (I"m not saying that having a car causes us to not be in tune with God, I'm just curious why I have more peace when I don't have a car!)
I just know that now that I am more housebound I have a level of peace that I did not experience while I had the car available for my pleasure. So there you go, when I was first told it was time to give the car back, I actually cried because I wasn't prepared to let it go! And now here I am enjoying a new level of peace because the car is gone! But I am also recognizing a new level of dependence on Abba, my heavenly Father, Who has promised to provide for my needs. I am experiencing Psalm 23 in a real-life way.
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul;
He guides me in the paths of righteousness
for His name’s sake. Psalm 23:1-3
but I like the Message version here also~
God, my shepherd!
I don’t need a thing.
You have bedded me down in lush meadows,
you find me quiet pools to drink from.
True to your word, you let me catch my breath and send me in the right direction. Psalm 23:1-3
He provided a car when I needed one, and I did really need it, I made several important trips that I would not have been able to make otherwise. And now He has placed me by a quiet pool to be restored. (Our apartment is perfect for someone like me who is not a good "apartment" dweller". When I look out of our deck windows I see a beautiful lake and a forest surrounding it, it is a beautiful backyard to be restored by.)
Thank You Lord for Your provision, You know what I need more than I can know myself. Thank You for "making" me lie down in green pastures! Thank You for making sure that I catch my breath! and especially~ Thank You for being my Shepherd!
Let me explain what I mean. Recently we were blessed with the use of a car for about 2 and 1/2 months. The car was new and had no mechanical issues and we had no expense connected to it, the owner was going to be out of the country and just didn't need it and God had impressed on their heart to leave it for my enjoyment! (That's my Abba, blessing me in surprising ways!) Anyway, I knew the time was getting close to when we would need to give the car back to the owner and I was prepared for that, I thought I was at least, but then unexpectedly the owner returned and needed their car about 2 weeks earlier than we had expected.
It was a shock to me and I found I didn't want to give the car back! I also thought this showed how much we needed a second car! I struggled through the emotions of not wanting to turn loose of the car and giving it back to the rightful owner and after much prayer was able to take my tight grasp of the keys away long enough to give them back!
Now I have been without a car for a week and I am experiencing such a wonderful peace! I am not sure why the car removed peace from me, because I did enjoy having the flexibility of having a car to drive if I wanted to run an errand or even just to get out of the house for a while. Maybe the car brought extra pressure into my life? Or maybe it was an illusion of independence? Now I am back to being more dependent and therefore more in tune with the leadings of God? (I"m not saying that having a car causes us to not be in tune with God, I'm just curious why I have more peace when I don't have a car!)
I just know that now that I am more housebound I have a level of peace that I did not experience while I had the car available for my pleasure. So there you go, when I was first told it was time to give the car back, I actually cried because I wasn't prepared to let it go! And now here I am enjoying a new level of peace because the car is gone! But I am also recognizing a new level of dependence on Abba, my heavenly Father, Who has promised to provide for my needs. I am experiencing Psalm 23 in a real-life way.
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul;
He guides me in the paths of righteousness
for His name’s sake. Psalm 23:1-3
but I like the Message version here also~
God, my shepherd!
I don’t need a thing.
You have bedded me down in lush meadows,
you find me quiet pools to drink from.
True to your word, you let me catch my breath and send me in the right direction. Psalm 23:1-3
He provided a car when I needed one, and I did really need it, I made several important trips that I would not have been able to make otherwise. And now He has placed me by a quiet pool to be restored. (Our apartment is perfect for someone like me who is not a good "apartment" dweller". When I look out of our deck windows I see a beautiful lake and a forest surrounding it, it is a beautiful backyard to be restored by.)
Thank You Lord for Your provision, You know what I need more than I can know myself. Thank You for "making" me lie down in green pastures! Thank You for making sure that I catch my breath! and especially~ Thank You for being my Shepherd!
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Ramblings
Work hard and become a leader; be lazy and become a slave. Proverbs 12:24
When I reflect on this I think of our society that wants something for nothing. So many people today want a life of ease with cheap products and are even willing to amass a debt that they will most likely never be able to pay off in their lifetime just to chase after their hearts unquenchable desires.
Part of this situation can be blamed on society but you also have to accept the fact that each person as an adult is responsible for their own decisions. Unfortunately our younger generations are not being equipped with teaching that helps them to make wise choices and evidently, the older generation hasn't learned either.
I looked at the reality of people and the choices they make and unfortunately the truth of the matter that I see is not attractive! People left to their own devices will choose the easiest way, causing our society to degenerate year by year, generation by generation. There are a "few" people of integrity and they will make choices reflecting a respect of themselves and for others, but they are "few".
Even when each generation tries to teach morals and decent living the next generation will take the laxer side and stretch it out even further. There are many people on the more liberal side of society that believe that people are really "good" and that they only make bad choices and do bad things when they are not allowed to be their "good selves". I disagree with this philosophy and say that people are naturally bad and will continue on a long slide into darkness unless their actions and choices are interrupted by an encounter of a spiritual nature.
Of a spiritual nature meaning recognizing that they are more than just a physical being. they are a spiritual being with a body. Once a person recognizes the truth of this situation then they realize that they are not free to just live life in their body and not expect to have repercussions. In other words, if they live like there is no tomorrow then they have yet to understand that they have a spirit that will not stop living just because their flesh body dies.
As a person becomes aware of their spirit being living beyond their flesh then they start to realize that their decisions will have a ripple effect and start to want to learn more about the things that are currently at their fingertips. The new TV, new car, new electronic device, the latest style in shoes that they had to have!
It is very hard for a person that has become a slave to their lifestyle of ease (no strenuous work) and material possessions to turn from the addiction of flashing their plastic charge card to buy whatever their latest whim or desire might be demanding to be satisfied.
Recently my husband and I were sharing some scripture reading, Psalm 12 to be specific and this verse (24) stood out to me. As we went through our business and were out in society for the next few days I watched people and thought how true this scripture is and the American people are the ones that have become lazy and are becoming slaves.
We as Americans have no concept of the freedom that our ancestors lived in. They may not have had all of the luxuries that we currently thing we have to have just to get through our day, such as a cellphone...but believe it or not, they did and so could we. I do believe that our lives would be better if we did not have so much "stuff".
I am guilty of having too much stuff and I struggle with it. My "stuff" isn't the latest gizmo, but it is sentimental things that I have attached memories too. Even those I need to cut back on and simplify to improve my quality of life, but at least they aren't causing me debt!
This is a rambling statement of what I have observed and some things that weigh heavily on my heart.
From these observations, I have to believe that people are not inherently good because if they were, divorce rates, abortion rates would improve, not grow at such an alarming rate. Without a spiritual awareness, society is lost. The society that tries to live simply as "good" physical beings will sink to a base level of self-fulfillment, not rise to a self-sacrificing level where they focus on the well being of all.
I do know the answer to this problem, but in our society, there are few that want to know the solution. A person has to hit bottom and realize that they don't have all of the answers in themselves. Unfortunately, there are many people that are still floating along, they can feel the waves picking up in their lives but they have not felt the tidal wave that will create a heart that is open to hear or see the true way out of the slave, self-absorbed mentality that has consumed them.
I have walked a path of trying to find my own happiness and thinking I could handle it all also, now I have confidence and joy! When you're ready, send an email, I'll be happy to share with you the very same things that I have grabbed hold of (or that has grabbed a hold of me!) that has opened my heart and my eyes. The answer is easy, but your heart has to be open and ready~
Lorna Mercer
When I reflect on this I think of our society that wants something for nothing. So many people today want a life of ease with cheap products and are even willing to amass a debt that they will most likely never be able to pay off in their lifetime just to chase after their hearts unquenchable desires.
Part of this situation can be blamed on society but you also have to accept the fact that each person as an adult is responsible for their own decisions. Unfortunately our younger generations are not being equipped with teaching that helps them to make wise choices and evidently, the older generation hasn't learned either.
I looked at the reality of people and the choices they make and unfortunately the truth of the matter that I see is not attractive! People left to their own devices will choose the easiest way, causing our society to degenerate year by year, generation by generation. There are a "few" people of integrity and they will make choices reflecting a respect of themselves and for others, but they are "few".
Even when each generation tries to teach morals and decent living the next generation will take the laxer side and stretch it out even further. There are many people on the more liberal side of society that believe that people are really "good" and that they only make bad choices and do bad things when they are not allowed to be their "good selves". I disagree with this philosophy and say that people are naturally bad and will continue on a long slide into darkness unless their actions and choices are interrupted by an encounter of a spiritual nature.
Of a spiritual nature meaning recognizing that they are more than just a physical being. they are a spiritual being with a body. Once a person recognizes the truth of this situation then they realize that they are not free to just live life in their body and not expect to have repercussions. In other words, if they live like there is no tomorrow then they have yet to understand that they have a spirit that will not stop living just because their flesh body dies.
As a person becomes aware of their spirit being living beyond their flesh then they start to realize that their decisions will have a ripple effect and start to want to learn more about the things that are currently at their fingertips. The new TV, new car, new electronic device, the latest style in shoes that they had to have!
It is very hard for a person that has become a slave to their lifestyle of ease (no strenuous work) and material possessions to turn from the addiction of flashing their plastic charge card to buy whatever their latest whim or desire might be demanding to be satisfied.
Recently my husband and I were sharing some scripture reading, Psalm 12 to be specific and this verse (24) stood out to me. As we went through our business and were out in society for the next few days I watched people and thought how true this scripture is and the American people are the ones that have become lazy and are becoming slaves.
We as Americans have no concept of the freedom that our ancestors lived in. They may not have had all of the luxuries that we currently thing we have to have just to get through our day, such as a cellphone...but believe it or not, they did and so could we. I do believe that our lives would be better if we did not have so much "stuff".
I am guilty of having too much stuff and I struggle with it. My "stuff" isn't the latest gizmo, but it is sentimental things that I have attached memories too. Even those I need to cut back on and simplify to improve my quality of life, but at least they aren't causing me debt!
This is a rambling statement of what I have observed and some things that weigh heavily on my heart.
- We as a people have become fat and lazy, wanting only our ease and comfort. (Even to the point of electing candidates that promise to give us more benefits from the government coffer
- We are in debt and we are happy to be there. We are selling ourselves into slavery to the highest bidder, even if it's a store that has convinced us we have to have whatever the item of the month is. Or a credit card that gives us the benefit of buying things that we really can't afford!
- We are neglecting our families, I see couples and parents that pay more attention to the cellphone in their hands than to the people (children and spouses) that should be receiving all of the current attention. (How many people will wonder why their spouse wants a divorce? or Why their children have grown up to have no connection to them? and it will easily be tracked back to the quality time that was lost while they were busy texting a friend that wasn't even really important in the big picture of their lives?!) How sad to see a young mother with her children at a playground and she never even looks up at them, she is too busy focusing on her cellphone. She wanted these children and now she can't be bothered to watch them when they need her attention, it's not just mothers...fathers are just as guilty. We have become too concerned with our own self-pleasure to be distracted by responsibilities or the needs of others that we are responsible for. Not to mention couples that started their paths with eyes only for each other and now they sit together physically, but their eyes are glued to a cellphone or television and won't make any effort to connect with the person they had hoped to spend the rest of their lives!
- We are losing all respect for ourselves and each other. Why would people be seen in public the way they are and why are they so rude to the people around them?
From these observations, I have to believe that people are not inherently good because if they were, divorce rates, abortion rates would improve, not grow at such an alarming rate. Without a spiritual awareness, society is lost. The society that tries to live simply as "good" physical beings will sink to a base level of self-fulfillment, not rise to a self-sacrificing level where they focus on the well being of all.
I do know the answer to this problem, but in our society, there are few that want to know the solution. A person has to hit bottom and realize that they don't have all of the answers in themselves. Unfortunately, there are many people that are still floating along, they can feel the waves picking up in their lives but they have not felt the tidal wave that will create a heart that is open to hear or see the true way out of the slave, self-absorbed mentality that has consumed them.
I have walked a path of trying to find my own happiness and thinking I could handle it all also, now I have confidence and joy! When you're ready, send an email, I'll be happy to share with you the very same things that I have grabbed hold of (or that has grabbed a hold of me!) that has opened my heart and my eyes. The answer is easy, but your heart has to be open and ready~
Lorna Mercer
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