Where will you build your house?

 

Where will you build your house?

My husband and I moved to the Pacific Northwest in April 2019; we live less than thirty miles from the ocean. We like to get in the water up to our knees and let the waves crash into us as the water gets higher and higher. When one stands in the stand, you feel yourself sinking, and need to continually shift position to keep from losing balance. It was that experience that inspired this blog.

Matthew 7:24-29 (posted at the end) paints a picture of two different types of houses during a storm. It is clear Jesus was speaking of our spiritual lives. No one is exempt from the storms of life. We will all face hardships. It is during those life-changing moments when it matters most where you have chosen to build your house. Faith in Jesus Christ, the Rock, is a wonderful start. If you are angry with God and refuse to cling to Him in your time of need, you are on shifting sand and are sure to wash away with the debris brought by the storm.

I want to take this theme a step farther from the lessons we were taught in Sunday School. (Remember the song, "The rains came down, and the floods came up," and doing the hand motions up and down?) For starters, many only call on Jesus and claim Him as their Rock when the storms come. We need to go beyond the hard days and focus on every day! As I mentioned above, I felt the need to move and shift while standing in the waves to keep from falling. The waves of my analogy now represent temptation. Standing in shifting sand will not do you any good, you will still keep sinking as long as you stay put. You need to get out of the sand (move away from your sinful lifestyle) and get to Jesus the Rock!

The last time my hubby and I waded in the waves, another angle of this theme occurred to me. I can stand on all the rocks I want, but if I'm in the middle of the ocean when the waves hit, I will still be knocked over. You cannot simply stand on the rock; you must abide in the house on the rock. Does that make sense? In other words, you must remain grafted together with Jesus, you cannot make it on your own.

The best way we can remain in that safe house on the rock is by having a firm, solid faith and a sound doctrine. Just as we can choose to walk out the door of any house, we can choose to walk away from Jesus. If you do not pay your mortgage payment or rent, you could end up homeless. You need to keep living a clean life and ask for victory over habitual sins to keep abiding in Jesus. Do not walk away from the house on the rock and go to the house on the sand by believing you are eternally secure. That doctrine will wash you away with the incoming tide.

The book of Jude, written by one of Jesus' brothers, warns us that the grace message will be skewed and misrepresented, verses 3-4 say, "Dear friends, I’ve dropped everything to write you about this life of salvation that we have in common. I have to write insisting—begging!—that you fight with everything you have in you for this faith entrusted to us as a gift to guard and cherish. What has happened is that some people have infiltrated our ranks (our Scriptures warned us this would happen), who beneath their pious skin are shameless scoundrels. Their design is to replace the sheer grace of our God with sheer license—which means doing away with Jesus Christ, our one and only Master." (the Message version, which I don't usually read, but this is a good interpretaion) Sadly, this is too true. People have exchanged the Truth of God's grace when we repent (the Rock), for a lie that says grace is an excuse to sin without repenting (the sinking sand). This false teaching gives people "sheer license" to do whatever they want and never worry about the consequences. (Romans 6:1-2- What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?)

(Revelation 20:12) And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.

Yes, the love and grace of Jesus and salvation are absolutely free gifts that we do not have to earn to receive, we just need to ask for them. Jesus will never stop loving us (Romans 8:39). However, we can lose our salvation when we treat it carelessly. We must work out our salvation with fear and trembling as it states in Philippians 2:12, not to earn it, but to keep it! We must stand on the Rock of Truth to keep from toppling over when the waves hit.

 
Think of it this way: Have you ever called your boss and said, "I really don't feel like working, can you do all my work for me and still give me a paycheck?" Of course not, you would be fired! Your job is to read your Bible, spend time in prayer and praise, and follow the laws of Jesus by doing your very best to keep habitual sins at bay. Don't be lazy or rebellious but truly try to conquer and eliminate the sins you know God hates. The Holy Spirit will enable you to get victory over sin!

In Matthew 16:18, Jesus tells Simon that his new name will be Peter, because Peter means "rock." He says Peter is a rock because "the gates of Hades shall not prevail against" the church Peter is destined to establish. When Jesus is our rock, and we do our best to walk down paths of righteousness, we in turn become rocks for others. We need to encourage others to live holy lives and not shy away from the popular beliefs of the world. Sadly, the majority of Christians are falling away as predicted in 2 Timothy. Many now support the LGTB+ lifestyles, abortion, sex outside of marriage, ungodly entertainment, have no problem going into a bar, taking drugs, support witchcraft, and the list goes on and on. 

Do not be surprised when friends and family members become angry with you for speaking the Truth. You may even lose those relationships. However, now is not the time to be shy; we must stay strong and be a rock and encourage others to not only build their lives on Jesus, but to stay in that house!

(2 Timothy 4:2-4) Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers;and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.

(Matthew 10:33) But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.

(Matthew 7:24-29) “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.” And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

When is shame not shameful?

When is shame not shameful?

(I originally wrote this in 2019) I started a new job in June that is approximately thirty minutes from home. The drive is a bit tedious, but to make the time go faster I switch back and forth between two Christian radio stations. My intent is not to insult these stations so I will not name them specifically; one is a national station and the other local.

When we lived in a small mountain town in Idaho, we were limited to radio stations, so it has been four and half years since I have listened to music other than on CD. I am not surprised to hear the constant greasy grace message, but I am surprised to hear the trend of music take the non-Biblical version of grace message even farther out of bounds by saying that feeling shame is wrong. Whether this is a new theme or one that has been around for a while, I cannot say.

Before I go on, I want to make it clear that there are levels of shame I believe one needs NOT to feel. If you are a victim of any form of abuse and feel as if it is (or was) your fault and you feel shame over what your attacker did to you, please seek help and know you are not at fault (family member or not). Plead the blood of Jesus over your heart and pray you heal from feeling shame as a victim.

The type of shame that so-called Christian singers are trying to insist is wrong, is when we feel shame over our sins...

I have to pause for a moment. While I am writing this, I switched over to https://www.biblegateway.com/ to search scriptures for this blog, and, wow, this just happened to be the verse of the day:

(Jeremiah 17:9-10) The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins [the depths of our heart and mind], even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.

Fits in nicely with this theme. Anyway, what I was going to write was that the artists (and most preachers) love to quote Romans 8:1, but what they all fail to do is finish the verse. What you are used to hearing is:
There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus...

However, it goes on to say:
...who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

In other words, there is no condemnation (shame) for our actions WHEN we walk in the Spirit instead of in the flesh of sin. How many of you knew this verse had 10 extra words? In fact, as I searched images for this blog and typed, "Romans 8:1 images," at least 75% of the images left out the last 10 words! Preachers (and singers) want you to believe you do not have to ever feel shame if you call yourself a Christian. From now on, please remember the rest of Romans 8:1 and that, yes, there is condemnation when we walk in fleshly sins. In fact, read verses 2-16 as well. I know it's long, but carefully read over all the words and let the message sink in. Romans 8:1-16 is posted at the end of this blog.

The Bible tells us to examine ourselves daily (read also Psalm 139):

 
(2 Corinthians 13:5 & 15:21) Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified. ...in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.

(Luke 9:23) Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.

Taking up your cross daily and denying yourself means to daily lay down your sins. It is daily giving Jesus control of your life and kicking sin's temptations to the curb. In order to know what sins we must lay down, we must listen to our conscience, which, yes, can be called shame. When you feel no shame or remorse, you are basically saying you have not sinned.

(1 John 1:8-10) If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.

And, yes, absolutely check out verse 9 above. Jesus is full of grace when we confess our sins.

As I mentioned at the beginning there are forms of shame that are unhealthy. There are forms of shame that are from the devil. When you have repented from your sins and have true remorse and are working hard at not repeating the same mistakes, you should not feel guilt over your past. I do agree that the devil wants to inflict unnecessary shame upon the past you have overcome. When this happens, rebuke Satan in the name of Jesus Christ and remind yourself that Jesus forgave you when you repented, and that you are doing your best to never repeat your sins.

(Revelation 12:10-11) Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.

Satan wants to accuse us day and night, but when we have overcome our sins by the blood of Jesus, then we need not feel shame. Again, remember, when you confess your sins, Jesus will forgive you. However, do not use the true grace of Jesus as an excuse not to feel shame or as an excuse to sin.

 
(Romans 6:1-2, 6, & 11-13) What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.

True shame is not shameful when we feel remorse for sins we refuse to let go. When we say, "I feel bad I am addicted to porn," or "I feel shame that I have cheated on my spouse," or "I feel guilty for stealing, taking, drugs, cheating," etc., then this type of shame is VERY good for your spiritual health. That is the Holy Spirit speaking to your conscience, prompting you to repent and give up your sinful ways.

I could probably go on a little longer on this subject, but instead, as promised, here is Romans 8:1-16. Please read these verses carefully and see how a life lived in the flesh will cause shame, but when you chose to do your very best to walk down paths of righteousness (holy living), then and only then, will there be no condemnation.

(Romans 8:1-16) There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.

The Lord of the Harvest, Written by my Husband & Will You Answer the Call? Written by Me

The Lord of the Harvest
Written by my Husband (Mel)

(Luke 10:1-2) After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also, and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go. Then He said to them, “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.

The entire world is a mission field and if you belong to Christ then you are called to share your faith with those who are perishing. You do not need to be a pastor or have a degree in theology to be a missionary for Christ, only faith. The Lord is looking for willing hearts who will be vessels that he can work through. God is not pleased with manmade denominations or seminaries, because they tend to stifle the work of his Holy Spirit. God is looking for humble people who will reflect the love of Christ. Peter and John were uneducated men but they were vessels that God's Spirit could speak, as well as work through.

(Acts 4:13) Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.

Peter and John were not trained with the theology of man, but by the Master himself. God's Word teaches us that we need to study to show ourselves approved, a workman not ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of truth. This means that we are not to only just read God's Word, but to study it, so that we may interpret the scriptures correctly and teach others sound doctrine. We should consume God's Word, because it is spiritual food that will teach us God's ways and lead us to Christ, our only hope of salvation. If a person is truly filled with God's Holy Spirit, then his Spirit will teach us his ways and open up our minds to understand scripture.

(John 14:25-26) “These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.

All a person needs is the Holy Spirit to teach them God's Word, not the schools of manmade doctrine which are Spiritless.

If you pray for divine appointments, God will bring people to you so that you may share your faith with them. I have witnessed to people in Wal-Mart, the laundry mat, on hiking trails (etc.), as well as to my neighbors. If you make the most of every opportunity to share your faith when engaged in a conversation, you may plant a seed of faith in someone. You may plant the seed, then God may raise someone else up to water the young plant, then yet another person to reap the harvest. God's Word teaches that everyone who sows faith into another's life will share in the reward for their salvation.

I have noticed that people get very defensive, as well as sometimes hostile, when you share your faith with them, this is because their conscience is being pricked by God's Spirit. Quite often you are getting through to them when they become agitated, so don't be discouraged by their reaction. We are living in a lost and dying world, and you may be the only reflection of Christ that someone will see, so always keep this in mind when someone is being offensive.

If you were on a boat and saw someone drowning, wouldn't you throw them a life preserver, or even possibly dive into the water to save them? Or if you saw a young child playing in the middle of the road and a semi-truck was heading their way, wouldn't you try to save them? True love warns people of danger even if they don't want to hear it. People all around us are dying spiritually, and it is up to us to share our hope of salvation which comes only from a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ with them. So, I encourage everyone who is born again, to become a worker in the fields of the Lord, for they are truly ripe for the harvest!

Will You Answer the Call?
Written by Me (Julie)

How many of us pray, "Here I am, Lord, use me?" Now really be honest; how many mean it? If God said, "Wonderful, now go serve Me in homeless shelters and retirement homes," would you do it? If God asked you to go overseas on a mission trip, would you quickly pack your bags? Not so easy to literally answer the call, is it? The harvest being "truly great" means the whole world is our mission field. Schools, workplaces, grocery stores (or anywhere you are with other people), and the Internet are all places we can witness to people. But what about spending time with the homeless, incarcerated, and mentally ill? What about telling the homosexuals their lifestyles are wrong, but non-judgmentally tell them that God loves them and wants to see them repent, change their sinful ways, and come to His Kingdom? Are we willing to be bold for Christ and go against the popular opinion? Would you travel to another country and risk your life to witness to the starving people whose lives are terrorized by war?

Here's the truth: God will not call you to a place you are unwilling to go. What He will do is soften your heart and gently try to encourage you to go where He needs you to serve. God is a gentleman; He will not make you go anywhere you feel uncomfortable. If you really have zero desire to go overseas, chances are that is not where God wants you to go. We are not all called to be missionaries in foreign countries. We can and should minister right where we live. I am very shy. Therefore, it is not likely God will call me to public speaking. However, I can write for the few that read my blogs as well as serve dinners for the homeless and work with children. I can show the love of Christ to co-workers and even strangers one-on-one. However, If God did call me to a more outspoken ministry, I am certain He would gift me with boldness. My husband has been involved in street ministries in New Orleans during Marti Gras as well as ministering on the streets of Kansas City, MO and Little Rock, AR. He is also a gifted pastor and preaches bold sermons behind the pulpit as well as through on-line writings.

Ministry does not have to involve money. At the moment, I am not able to bless others monetarily, but I would if I could. What I can give is my time.

(Luke 10:2) Therefore said He unto them, "The harvest is truly great, but the laborers are few: pray ye the Lord of the harvest, that He would send forth laborers into His harvest."

There are many examples in the bible where God called His children, and they answered the call. I am not using myself as an example to follow, but these Godly saints. Here are just a few:

When Mary was called to be the mother of Jesus Christ, it is easy to assume she was terrified. Yet, she said, "Behold the handmaiden of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word." (Luke 1:38) She had one of the greatest responsibilities in the world, and yet she said was willing to serve. She did not question the reality of a virgin becoming pregnant with the Son of God. Her faith was truly great as she was quick to be willing to serve God.

In Mark 1:16-20, Jesus meets Simon (Peter) and Andrew, and asks them to follow him. Verse 18 says, "straightaway they forsook their nets, and followed Him." Then Jesus meets James and John. When Jesus asks them to join, verse 20 says, "they left their father... and went after Him." In Mark 2:13-14, Jesus calls Levi (Matthew) who, when Jesus asked Him to follow, Matthew "arose and followed Him." Notice there was no hesitation in these first five disciples that were called.

In Exodus 3, God dramatically calls to Moses from a bush that is on fire but does not burn. When God says, "Moses, Moses," he says, "Here am I," but then argues with God that he is not worthy to serve God due to being poor of speech. Perhaps he was shy or stuttered, we don't know. What we do know is that although God was angry with Moses' impertinence, He agrees to send Moses' brother Aaron as his mouthpiece. God chose Moses (as He chose all before and after) because God sees a broken vessel willing to be used by and for God. God reminded Moses that He would be with His servant, and Moses would be more capable than he could ever imagine. God knew Moses was the right man for the job not just to go before Pharaoh to demand he free the Hebrew slaves, but also to be the leader of those he helped escape from Egypt.

Also consider the prophets that were willing to prophecy even after being badly mistreated: Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, (etc.) as well as Paul, Silas, Peter, and Barnabas (etc.). They were all willing to answer the call even though they did not all see their predictions come to fruition in their lifetime.

There are so many others I could name that willingly said, "Here I am Lord, use me," such as Samuel, David, John the Baptist, and John the apostle (etc.) in some form or another, but for the sake of time, I will move on.

God does not demand perfection. What He expects is one who is willing to be obedient not only to what he/she is called to do, but to follow the laws of Jesus Christ. No matter how willing you may be to serve, God wants vessels that are clean inside and out.

(Luke 11:39-40) And the Lord said unto them, "Now do ye make clean the outside of the cup and the platter, but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness? Ye fools, did not He make that which is without make that which is within also?"

In other words, wearing expensive clothing or looking like a fashion model are not requirements for serving the Lord. Having humility and a clean lifestyle to back up the words you want to preach is much more important. I have many flaws, but if I try to tell you not to cheat on your spouse while lusting after a man not my husband (which I would never, ever do), I am merely a hypocrite and have no place writing a blog. Why do you think the false "grace for everything without repentance" message is so popular? Sadly, it is because so many that stand behind the pulpit are into pornography and other habitual sins of which they do not want to let go. We must clean up our act before serving the Lord. And not just by our moral actions, but by our attitude. Don't walk into a homeless shelter and sit at a table with them and witness about the love of Christ than walk outside and insult the people inside. Most of us are all one or two paychecks away from being in the same situation, so please do not judge them for losing their homes. Do not go into the inner cities if you cannot love your fellow man no matter what color his skin is.

Don't minister with a condemning heart, but with a heart of compassion and a goal as a healer, not a criticizer. I see my job as attempting to lead people down paths of repentance while making a daily choice to continue down the roads of righteousness based on the teachings of Jesus, not based on the teachings of Julie or anyone else. I want people to understand God's grace and salvation are free, but we still need to keep our garments clean less we fall away and wind up in Hell. (Backsliding away from salvation is in the Bible, readers, these are not my theories.) I want to see my fellow man in heaven worshipping at the feet of their Maker, not tormented by flames.

If your goals have anything to do with fame or money, then shame on you! Serving God is all about bringing glory to God. We should want to decrease so God can increase. When I pray that God would empty me of me and fill me with Him, I am sincere in my prayers. I do not want to shed the light on what I have done, but on the Love of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. Obviously, if you are behind a pulpit, you will receive a lot of attention. If you publish books or end up on the radio, or television you may get some semblance of fame. As long as you use your notoriety for God's kingdom and do not heap riches on yourselves as the television evangelists do, God very well may bless your life with wealth. But keep the focus off yourself and keep your ego in check. Give glory where glory is due. It is difficult for me to put it into words so this paragraph makes sense, but I think it's pretty obvious there are lines that can be crossed when we preach, write, or serve just to get attention and make ourselves look holy.

If you are willing to answer the call to be a servant of Christ, serve God with a pure heart, pure motivations, and pure lifestyle. Whatever your motivation is to serve, God knows your heart, always keep that in mind.  

Song below, "Just One more Soul." Amen!

Turn Your Eyes on Jesus and Off of Yourself (Includes my Poem "No Cure?")

Turn Your Eyes on Jesus and Off of Yourself (Includes my Poem "No Cure?")

While I am mostly an upbeat person and very rarely get down, I still have phases where I focus too much on me. It was one of these rare, but recent sleepless hours of self-deprecation a few nights ago that is inspiring this blog. It is so easy for us to get caught up in all the things we have failed at, the lack of skills/talents we possess, physical ailments/limitations, and even past mistakes. 

Let me address the last part of that sentence first.  It is very important that we feel remorse for our sins, but once we ask God to forgive us, we need to trust His Word is true that He forgives out sins when we ask Him to. 

(Psalm 103:11-13) For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him.

Therefore, our repented of sins are under the blood, so once we sincerely ask God's forgiveness, we need to move on and quit beating ourselves up over the issue.

(1 John 1:9) If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Those two verse alone (and there are many more in the Bible that tell us God graciously forgives us) will hopefully help you quit focusing on your past mistakes and more on how you can keep your future actions pure before the Lord.  However, it is still a good idea to remember the past for the sake of keeping yourself from repeating the same mistakes.  

It is not healthy, however, to spend so much time on issues that drag down our self-esteem. 

My message today is a very simple one, but I just wanted to encourage all of you who struggle with self-doubt. When I find myself trapped in feeling inadequate, I pray.  This can sometimes be hard to do if I am in a bad mood because Satan likes to add fuel to my fire and try to trick me that God doesn't really care about me.  Satan doesn't want any of us to pray and turn our focus on Jesus, but to stay in perpetual states of self-dislike.  That's why we must learn to recognize these low points as spiritual attacks and turn our eye on Jesus!  Remind yourself that Jesus loves you and wants the best for you.  You are a child of the King of Kings, and you are precious in His sight!

I know I will probably never accomplish anything as grand as I once dreamed for my life, but I should not consider myself a failure in the eyes of the Lord. Accepting His free gift of salvation, loving Him in return, and living for Him are the biggest successes I can ever have. They are worth celebrating and should always cancel out any negative opinions I have on nonspiritual issues about myself.

Also, I struggle with some physical conditions that are very difficult at times not just for the pain and weakness I experience, but because it can also wreak havoc on my spiritual emotions as well.  I find myself not feeling wonderfully made.  But again, I remind myself that I am loved by God and when I get to heaven, this inadequate body will be perfect, and I will run into the arms of Jesus with no pain or weakness!

If you truly feel your life is lacking direction, pray and ask God to help you know how and where to better serve Him rather than focusing on what you think may be your limitations.  God can use anyone at any age or ability.  Ask Him to open the doors you are incapable of opening.  Serving others is another wonderful way to take our thoughts from our own egos and care more about what others are going through.

Maybe not an overly profound message today and I realize there is a lot more I could say, but just remember to put the devil in his place when you are feeling tempted to call yourself bad names.  Turn your eyes on Jesus and off of yourself.  Read you Bible and remind yourself just how much Jesus loves you.  

I am not a very good poet, but here is a poem I wrote in 2025 that matches today's theme.  After that I posted a beautiful version of the song, "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus" written by Helen Howarth Lemmel.

This poem is based off a real experience of feeling devastated after my doctor told me the pain and weakness in my body will never improve and will probably only get worse.  He was very blunt in telling me treatments would not help and the best I could hope for was to try to manage my symptoms as best as possible.  You can see my reaction by reading the poem.  

What is also true is that I had requested my Echo speaker to play music by The Gaither Vocal Band right before the doctor had called me.  I had walked out of the room to take the call (I often request phone appointments to receive medical results, so I don't have to waste gas going back to the doctor's office), and when I went back into the bedroom, the music was still playing.   It had already been a physically difficult day, and now my head was reeling after the conversation.  I was trying to simply change my sheets, but my body was rebelling, so I literally laid on the floor crying as pain was making it difficult to move.  The songs sung by one of my favorite groups truly washed over me in such a wave of God's comfort and love that by the fourth or fifth song, I was feeling emotionally, mentally, and spiritually strong in the power of Jesus!  

Yes, the Word of God should be our number one source of Biblical encouragement, but God also truly uses Godly men and women to write, sing, and play instruments that can minister to a hurting soul.  I am very grateful for such writers and musicians!

(1 John 1:3) Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God.

No Cure? (2025)

Perhaps not the worst words one can hear,

But certainly ones that elicit fear,

“There is no cure for you,

Treatments won’t help much,

And you will only get worse.”

Panic. 

Hopelessness. 

Self-pity.

Tears.  

As I lay on the floor,

In too much pain to move,

And too distressed to breathe,

My heart cries for a song,

More than my broken body needs,

My soul craves healing.

I let the music play,

Surrounded by songs I love,

Resounding in a not-so-random order,

As if God planned this play list just for me,

To remind me of all that Jesus is.

Pain taker.

Mountain mover.

Path straightener.

Joy giver.

The songs continue to bless me,

To strengthen me,

To remember that some mountains are necessary,

And that God is always with me;

May I never forget I am a child of the King!

No cure for this mortal body,

But Jesus is the remedy for my immortal soul,

His blood has healed my sin-sick spirit,

His medicine I want to take daily,

To stay clean, joyful, and whole.

Peaceful.

Forgiven.

Loved.

Royalty.

His love has cured my despair,

His mercy has inspired my actions,

I desire only to live for Him,

And though I may be crooked in body,

I can forever soar in my soul!

"Don't tell me what the Bible says about sin!"

"Don't tell me what the Bible says about sin!"

I have been debating on what God wanted me to write about next and wondering if the idea for this blog was too repetitive of previous writings.  Before I read my Bible this morning, I was praying and asking God if He thought I should again post on this topic, and this verse just happened to be in my reading for today:

(Job 21:14) Therefore they say unto God, "Depart from us; for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways."

I would say that is confirmation that this is the topic I should address today.

As I mentioned in my post about a week ago, "Who are we trying to influence others to love? Jesus, the world, or us?" I do not spend a lot of time on any social media platform.  However, my husband spends a lot of time scrolling through and he often shares with me the sad and frustrating things he reads from other ministry pages. It would seem a very common trend (not necessarily a new one, but maybe more blatant), is that people are saying we do not ever need to repent of our sins.  Not even to accept Jesus' free gift of salvation.  All we have to do is believe in Jesus.  They scripture pick only the verses that speak of believing to be saved and fully ignore the verses that speak about repenting.  In a nutshell, these people are all saying, "Don't tell me what the Bible says about sin!"  They want to live comfortably in their sins and not be told to give up their self-centered and spiritually dangerous ways. They want to feel God by saying God loves them but not to reciprocate and live for Jesus as if they actually loved Him in return.

One person even posted a large meme he made that said something along the lines of (I don't remember the exact quote), "We can sin 24 hours a day every day and still go to heaven." Many others loved and shared that post. No matter how many scripture verses my husband tries to share, these people refuse to believe they have to give up their sinful lifestyles.  

Rather than give you any more of my own words on this subject to try to convince you that a rebelliously sinful lifestyle will lead to hell, I will tell you what the Bible says, and I pray you take God's word for what is says, and never, ever say, ""Don't tell me what the Bible says about sin!" 

These are not all the verses in the Bible that speak of giving up sin, of course, so if these verses are not enough to convince you that God does not wink at sin, please do your own research. 

(These verses are in no particular order.)

(Romans 6:1, 2, & 6) What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

(Romans 14:10-12) For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written, "As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God." So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.

(Luke 13:24) Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.

(Hebrews 12:14) Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.

(Isaiah 1:16-18) "Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil, Learn to do good; Seek justice, Rebuke the oppressor; Defend the fatherless, Plead for the widow. Come now, and let us reason together," Says the Lord, "Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool.”

(Matthew 19:16-21) And, behold, one came and said unto [Jesus], "Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?:

And He said unto him, "Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments."

He saith unto Him, "Which?"

Jesus said, "Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself... If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me."

(1 John 2:3-6) And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, "I know Him," and keepeth not His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.

(1 John 2:15-17) Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

(2 Corinthians 5:10-11 & 15-17) For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences. And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again. Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more. Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 

(Revelation 20:11-12 & 21:7-8) And I saw a great white throne, and Him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. 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. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.  But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

(Galatians 5:16-21) This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. 

(2 Peter 2:20-22) For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.

(2 Peter 3:9) The Lord... is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

(Revelation 2:4-5) "Nevertheless, I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent."

(1 John 4:7-12 & 19-21) Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.  He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation [that is, the atoning sacrifice, and the satisfying offering] for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.  And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. We love him, because he first loved us. If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.

(Romans 10:9-13) that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

(1 John 1:9) If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

(1 Timothy 6: 11-12) But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

(2 Corinthians 7:10) For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.

(Luke 15:7) I say to you that likewise there will be joy in heaven over one sinner who repents.

(1 Corinthians 6:9-11) Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.

(2 Corinthians 7:1) Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

(John 3:5-7) Jesus answered, "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again."

(Jeremiah 3:13-15) "Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the Lord thy God... and ye have not obeyed my voice," saith the Lord. "Turn, O backsliding children," saith the Lord; "for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family... And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding."

(Hebrews 6:6) If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.

(Hosea 14:1-9) Return unto the Lord thy God; for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity... and turn to the Lord: say unto him, "Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves [confession] of our lips." 

[And God will answer,] "I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for mine anger is turned away from him... His branches shall spread, and his beauty shall be as the olive tree... They that dwell under His shadow shall return; they shall revive as the corn, and grow as the vine..."

[And they will say], "What have I to do any more with idols? I have heard Him, and observed Him: I am like a green fir tree. From me is thy fruit found."

Who is wise, and he shall understand these things? prudent, and he shall know them? for the ways of the Lord are right, and the just shall walk in them: but the transgressors shall fall therein.

(Matthew 16:17) [Jesus said,] "For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works."

(John 16:8) [When speaking of the Holy Spirit, Jesus said,] "And when He is come, He will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment."

(Romans 13: 11-14) And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly (other versions say "decently" or "honestly"), as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.

(Psalm 51:1-4; 6-13; 16-17) Have mercy upon me, O God, According to Your lovingkindness; According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, Blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions, And my sin is always before me.

Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your sight-- That You may be found just when You speak, And blameless when You judge. Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me hear joy and gladness, That the bones You have broken may rejoice. Hide Your face from my sins, And blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners shall be converted to You. For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart-- These, O God, You will not despise.