Today

Originally posted in May 2020:

Two nights ago I had an interesting dream that has prompted this blog topic.  I do believe the Lord gives his children messages in the form of dreams, including to my husband and I, however, I am not completely certain this particular dream was truly from the Lord or not, but because I did learn a good lesson from it, I feel it is worth mentioning.  Anyway, in the dream a man I do not know in real life approached me and told me that the Lord wanted me to read the entry from May 5 from my devotional book.  He said the message was something the Lord wanted me to understand.  That was all I remember from the dream.  When I woke, I wanted to figure out if that was just a nonsensical dream or not.  I only have one devotional book that is divided into daily readings (that I can think of or could find) so that narrowed down where to look.  The book I have is "Mornings With Jesus: Daily Encouragement for Your Soul" from the year 2017.  It is published by Guideposts; and I got it free from the library a few years ago.

The entry from May 5 was written by Suzanne Davenport Tietjen.  She was once a nurse in the ER, and it was her experience working around so many unexpected deaths that inspired the writing.  She reminded us that death occurs at any time and most of us have no idea when it is coming.  She also pointed out that we must be very careful with what we say or don't say because we don't know if it will be the last thing we ever say. We need to live for  today, not for yesterday or tomorrow.  

I really look that to heart but also felt like there was another lesson I needed to remember.  It is very important to let go of bitterness and resentment.  Ephesians 4:26 says we are not to let the sun go down while we are still feeling anger. We need to daily let go of our anger and hard feelings toward one another.  When years and years of hard feelings have built up, it may be hard to let the bitterness unroot itself.  You may even need to think of it as a daily project.  Each night when you go to bed do a self-evaluation of who you may be feeling angry toward.  Then pray that the Lord helps you to release those feelings and make a conscious effort to forgive each offense. If you have to re-release the hard feelings every night for years you probably are not truly forgiving that person, but if you acknowledge you need to get your attitude right with the Lord, that you are on the right path.

In Matthew 18:22 Jesus says we are to forgive one another 70 times 7. That does not mean we are to keep a tally of how often we forgave a specific person, but to do the opposite and lose count. As I mentioned above, we may need to re-forgive the same trespass many times over before our heart truly begins to change.  But do not give up on yourself and keep trying to heal no matter how hard your heart feels. With the strength of the Holy Spirit, you will eventually soften!

Lamentations 3:23  says, "..the LORD'S mercies" and "compassions fail not. They are new every morning..."  How can we be any less compassionate and less merciful?  We should also renew our mercies every day. We, and I very much am including me in the we, should remember to pay more attention to what we say and tell others more often that we love them.  We do not want any regrets when that person is gone and we realize we had been too unkind or stand-offish.  Quit worrying about rejection and past hurts and reach out today, just as Jesus would have you do.

Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. Ephesians 40:31-32

But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Matthew 6:15

I want to take this message from my dream in another direction the Guideposts writer did not take.  Mrs. Tietjen pointed out that life is short and unpredictable, but we need to do more than focus on others, we need to get our own act clean first. We need to make sure we are right with God today.

 I want to re-share this excerpt with you from my previous post, "Now is the day of Salvation:"

So do we wait until some crazy gunman is at our door (so to speak) before we choose to make the decision to live a holy life, or wait until we have the symptoms of the Coronavirus?  Of course not.  "There are no atheists in foxholes," so the saying goes.  And it is also true that God will have mercy on your soul if you wait until you are on your deathbed to call upon God and repent of your sins.  Yet, why would you wait until then?  If everyone died at the age of 99, most would wait until they were 98 ¾ to start living right.  But no one ever knows when their time on this world is coming to an end.  Nobody is invincible.  Let's face reality, we face our own mortality 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Age, race, wealth, none of it matters when you’re on a highway full of reckless drivers or the day to decide to go to the courthouse to renew your driver’s license just happens to be the same day a man with bombs storms in and blows the place up.     

For He says: “In an acceptable time I have heard you, And in the day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation. II Corinthians 6:2

You must repent to Jesus and ask him to save your soul and daily evaluate your life and walk with God and make sure you are still living a pure life. 

Don't wait - do it today!

Don't Place God in a Box

 
The idea for this blog came while I was working on one of my novels.  It was while I was writing the following excerpt that I decided it would make a good blog topic. 
 
Taken from "Zynastria: Pilgrimage" (book 2 in the Zynastrian Chronicles), chapter #24 titled "The Wrong Foot."  44 Year-old Branson is having a conversation with the almost sixteen-year-old Otto.  (This is a rough draft.) 
 
"Your family is pretty religious, huh?"  Branson asked as they began unloading the box of mismatched plates, cups, and silverware to set the table.
 
"I wouldn't use that term, but, yes, we are."
 
"What word would you use?"
 
"Well, 'religion' is man-made traditions.  You can't place God in a box.  What we have, what I have is a relationship with my Creator.  It is personal and different for everyone."
 
Branson nodded, showing he was listening, but did not respond.
 
"You're seeking, aren't you?"
 
"'Seeking?'"
 
"God."
 
Branson laughed, "You're pretty smart for a teenager."
 
Otto indeed was quite observant and usually accurately assessed those around him.  He had been watching Branson for around a month now.  He saw what everyone did on the surface, an arrogant, self-centered man.  Yet Otto also noticed Branson's tear-filled eyes he tried to hide during the praise services.  He knew Branson spent time praying with Paul from time to time.
 
"It is good to seek God," Otto encouraged, "He has always been chasing after you. Why not let Him catch you?"
 
"I have a little more changing to do, but I appreciate the advice, Pastor Otto," Branson's words were sarcastic, but his tone was sincere.
 
"We all have changing to do, it's not as if we quit growing up when we accept God as Lord of our lives.  It's a daily process," Otto continued.
 
"I know.  I'm not saying I see perfection in you believers.  I'm just saying I need to..." he paused with a frown, "I guess I can't quite put the right words to it."
 
"You need to repent.  Come to God so he can clean you up so you can and start over."
 
"Was that a question or an observation?"  Branson wondered.
 
Otto self-consciously laughed.  "Sorry, Mr. Branson, I know I have a bad habit of over-stepping my bounds with my elders.  I meant no disrespect."
 
"I may be old enough to be your father, but you can talk to me freely, Otto," he insisted, "And, again, I appreciate your council.

     
In 2013, Mel and I had been attending a church for a little over a year.  I was feeling increasingly more uncomfortable with the group.  I could see a love for God and compassionate hearts, but I also saw a lack of respect for the things of God.  I am not trying to be self-righteous or insult anyone, but the majority of these people were full of the world.  Of course, only God can judge the heart, but from what I observed, the church was more about religion than about seeking God.  

I wanted to leave the church but kept my opinions to myself as Mel seemed to be comfortable there.  What I didn't know was that God was also speaking to Mel's heart as well that we were in the wrong place.  

One morning during the singing portion of the service, I was closing my eyes and trying to worship God but kept feeling like my praise was hitting the ceiling.  I asked God why this was happening.  God spoke to me and said, "I am being restrained in this church."  I then had a vision of Jesus in a clear box squatting and pushing against the sides as if He were trying to push out of that confined space.  I thought the image in my mind had been too irreverent to be from God.  Yet, after the service I told Mel about what I had seen.  He was startled not because he thought I was being sacrilegious, but because he had seen the exact same image of Jesus in his dreams the night before.  The message was clear, you cannot, and should not try to, place God in a box. 

 
When a church or individual does not acknowledge the Holy Spirit, they are limiting one-third of who God is.  I believe God is one entity that manifests in more than one way, I believe in the Trinity of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.  If someone saw you as only your father's child, but not your mother's, they would be denying half of your heritage as well as probably refusing to acknowledge your full personality.  To reveal God in all His glory, we must acknowledge all sides of who He is.  

Some religions refuse to say Jesus is divine, while others say the Holy Spirit was only for biblical times.  God never changes; His ways are eternal.  The same Holy Spirit that set the church on fire in Acts is the same One we should call upon today.  

The above-mentioned church was afraid of the gifts of the Spirit because of all the counterfeit revivals that exist.  That is just one excuse to quench the Holy Spirit, fear of acting in a way you think is not natural.  Make no mistake, the Holy Spirit is a gentleman and will not make any person bark like a dog, laugh like a lunatic, or crawl around on the floor.  God is a God of order and respect.  When we accept the Holy Spirit, we may or may not speak in tongues, but if we do, it will always be done to honor God, not to bring attention to ourselves. 
 
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6
 
In my opinion, man-made religions are the biggest offenders of placing God in a box.  How can one define a religion as man-made?  As Otto said to Branson in the above passage from my novel, "Well, 'religion' is man-made traditions.  You can't place God in a box.  What we have, what I have is a relationship with my Creator.  It is personal and different for everyone."  When we confine God to ritual and obligation, we limit the spontaneous experiences.  By this I mean if we read liturgy or follow the exact same routine in church every week, we quench the leading of God's spirit.  When we pray, we should pray from our heart and use our own words, no matter if we think we sound awkward or don't quite know how to word ourselves. 
 
Religion is a thousand different denominations.  Relationship with God is about a one-on-one experience with God.  If you go to church and only say and do what your leaders tell you to, you are into religion.  If you only believe what you hear and never seek on your own, you are into religion.  

Read your Bible and study on your own.  Closely examine every book of the bible.  Not everything the church teaches is accurate.  I promise if you start reading your bible on your own, you will often find yourself sitting in church saying, "That's not what the Bible teaches."  The grace- for-everything-never-needing-to-repent message is one large example.  The idea of a pre- or  mid-tribulation rapture is another. 

 My point is, not seeking God's face and discovering who He can be to you is limiting God.  When you meet someone for the first time, do you take all the rumors you've heard about him at face value?  Or do you get to know this person based on forming your own opinions?  Would you get married and then never talk to your spouse?  Would you tell yourself you knew your mate well enough before you got married so you don't bother trying to learn all his layers and all he has to offer?  Would your love for each other stop growing after the wedding?  I sure hope not!  No, you would continue to get to know every nuance about each other and fall more and more in love.  Even 12 years into our marriage, Mel and I are still telling each other new stories from our pasts.  It is fun learning something new.  Mel and I fall more and more in love because we nurture our relationship and never let it grow stale.  The same attitude should be applied to Jesus.  Get to know Him better and better.  Walking with the Lord means you never stop learning and growing in Christ.
 
Read all of Mark 7, it gives just one example of how the religious leaders kept God in a box.  Jesus even tells them that they are restraining the gospel.  It also tells them that though they acknowledge God with their lips, they deny Him with their lifestyles.  We can say and do all the right things that look good on the outside; make it seem like we are glorifying God, but if our hearts are full of sin and our vessel is filthy on the inside, God is not honored,  (And the Lord said unto him, Now do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter; but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness. Luke 11:39).  We have to be a Christian in private, not just when others are watching. 
 
He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.  Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.   For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.  And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.  Mark 7:6-9
 
Not acknowledging God's power to perform miracles and speak to His children through dreams and visions, as well as lacking in faith in general, all place God in a box.  When we refuse to see God as sovereign and mighty, we deny His authority.  We all have periods of low faith, but when we say God is not capable of helping us or refuse to see His hand guiding our paths, we rob God of blessing us and us blessing Him.  There are several places in the New Testament where it says Jesus performed less miracles in certain cities because of their lack of faith.  He would have loved to have helped them, but their hard hearts caused Him to walk away.
 
Let me be perfectly clear, no one can prevent God from doing anything.  We are not actually holding him back by our own power.  God is the Creator of the universe, and nothing can truly restrain Him.  It is our actions that make it impossible for God to shine, to get the glory He deserves.  We throw a dark blanket over the Almighty by not sharing Him with others, by not allowing His spirit to move in our lives, or by habitual sins.  God is a holy God and cannot abide in an unholy dwelling.  Would you take a drink of water from a cup that was stained and full of dirt?  No, you would want to disinfect it first before allowing it to serve its purpose.  If God cannot use our talents because we refuse to let our sins go, we are squandering away God's gifts.
 
I hope this all makes sense.  As I have mentioned before, I am not a preacher, I am a storyteller.  However, God is still calling me to write articles and not just stories, therefore I must let God out of the box I have placed Him in and must be obedient.  I do this out of love for my Heavenly Father, not for reward.  I want to please Jesus for all He has done for me and just for being God.  I do not want any part of my service to Him to be boxed in.

Backsliding Unto Perdition, Written by my Husband

Backsliding Unto Perdition, Written by my Husband, Mel

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.

Salvation begins with repentance of sins. Repentance is a change of mind and heart in regard to the old sinful lifestyle, as well as a desire to become a new creation in Christ Jesus. To be truly saved, you must hunger and thirst for righteousness, and turn away from the old rebellious life you once knew.  When you repent and put your faith in the finished work of Christ upon the cross you are saved from perdition and have been given eternal life. We are justified by faith and saved by grace (unmerited favor). Christ will wash you clean and remove all of your sins and grant you a clean slate. Because of Christ's atonement made upon the cross you walk perfectly before him as long as you remain in the light. God gives us grace to grow in him. We come to him as babes on milk and learn to walk by taking baby steps. Through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, we are transformed from the inside out. 

Grace is for those who walk by faith in the light and Not for those who love darkness and are apathetic toward righteousness. Cheap grace or greasy grace is a term to describe the junk food gospel being taught in many churches today. The unconditional eternal security doctrine teaches that a saved believer cannot lose their salvation. This doctrine is contrary to scripture and leads many people to Hell. Hebrews 10:38-39 states that a believer can drawback unto perdition (Hell) if they do not remain in the faith. There are Christians who have lost their faith and died as atheists, Buddhists, agnostics etc. these will not enter the Kingdom of God.

2Peter 2:20-22 states that those who have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, to return to the old lifestyle and to be overcome by it, the end result is worse with them than the beginning. It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness or the holy commandment. These backsliders are compared to a dog returning to its vomit or a sow who was washed clean returning to the mire (mud, filth). Revelation tells us that a believer's name can be blotted out of the Book of Life and a lukewarm church (Revelation 3) will be vomited out!

 Revelation 3:5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.

We must deny ourselves daily, take up our cross and follow after Christ. If we love him, we will obey him. Christ taught us how we should conduct ourselves in this world. The sermon on the mount, also known as the beatitudes, are instructions that we should all live by.

Christ taught us the parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15. The son was tired of his rebellious life for he squandered his inheritance with riotous living. He returned home and his father ran to him, held him, and kissed him, put a robe on him, and a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. They killed the fatted calf for his son and the father said, "For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. " God Bless!

Hebrews 6:4-6 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, 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.

Hebrews 10:38-39 Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul. 

Luke 24:47 And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

2 Corinthians 7:10 For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.

Luke 15:17 -24 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.