The Permanence of Christianity

There are so many fads out there, and I'm not saying they aren't good things. Sometimes they work and help us, and thank God for those who study these things to better our lives. But one day all these things will be a part of our past. 

We have fad diets, one popular right now is the paleo diet. Who remembers the Atkins Diet? Then we have fad excercise programs. We start them, for some of us we continue but others randomly fall out of the good habits quickly. We have fad skin care and vitemin programs. There's fashion fads, and even music fads.Then we have the actors actresses and now U tubers everyone loves. 

 There's two things about these fads. We are doing them most likely bc they are popular and we have someone (a friend or family member) we know that introduced us to them bc they also thought it was cool. 

The thing about these cool fads whether people or products 20, 40, 100 yrs from now. They will have changed more times than we can count. 

Then we have Christianity, our relationship with Jesus Christ. Almost all of us were introduced to Christ through someone who also was a Christian. Maybe it was at a conference and a lot of people were praying and walking forward. Maybe it was friends but more than likely you didn't make a decision to follow Christ in an environment where people were not accepting, supportive and yes somewhat trying to sell you on The best decision of your life!! 

However all fads no matter how grand fade off and end. They change as new and better things hit the horizon. As people continually study skin care, weight loss, excercise programs, the older one take the backstage. The famous singers, models, fashion designers and actors that were famous in my day my children have no idea who they are!! 

But thank God for Jesus Christ. He is the same Yesterday ,Today and Forever. I find quite a bit of peace and confidence in this and knowing, "He loves me the same today as he did the day I accepted him!" Jesus isn't just another fad He is a way to life. The Life. The Only One True Life. 

Hebrews 13:8New International Version (NIV)

8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

Hand in hand w My Father

Last night I took my daughter to the haunted corn maize. She's 13 not much phases her. My son Kasen and I went too since his friend Charlie was going to be there. Not knowing how my four yr old would respond to people dressed up as creepy monsters and scary stuff, I thought we all may be able to go through the maize! We got in line and found out kids 5 and under were free. Approaching the counter to get tickets, there was a rather large black grim reaper thing on stilts. It reached down to give him five and scared him.  He looked around at all the creepy things and clung tight to my hand. I thought for a min as he looked around Id have to hold his hand all night long. That's practically what I did except when he got to shoot corn cobs or do paintball. 

As the creepy,scary things walked by I told them to back off! He's just not into this. One creepy guy in a mask with a large clear knife even proved it wasn't real by offering it to Kasen and allowing him to cut him with it. He gave his knife back and nudged me to leave.

 Holding my hand I realized. He feels safe. No one will mess with him and I can keep the creeps from bothering him. 

It was then it occurred to me as Christians we are like my four yr old satan and evil may be around but as we are hand in hand w our father who loves us, wants to protect us and our innocence, The demons can't mess with us. Our father says already knowing he's conquered them and to us as Christians they are not real! Just like I knew the monsters and creeps were not real. Our Heavenly Father says. Go she/he's not into you. And your not going to phase him/her. This is my Child. 

What a beautiful thing to know that even in the dark, hand in hand with the father, we have confidence knowing he's conquered evil and we can too. 

I thought it was neat how God showed me this glorious truth while I was at a Halloween event. Just proves he can speak to us anywhere. 

 

1st John 5:18

18We know that God’s children do not make a practice of sinning, for God’s Son holds them securely, and the evil one cannot touch them. 

Esther

We have been studying Esther at the bible study I attend for mothers on Thursday morning here in town. The study of Esther is a beautiful story of a girl who is a slave in this Kingdom due to her descent but because of Gods intervention and intricate plan she is moved to the palace and crowned the queen. This is a story that has always intrigued me but this time God opened up heaven to me and showed me the truth of what I believe is why he placed this story in the bible. Although God isn't mentioned here in this book you see nothing but his handprint and I would be bold enough to say his face print all over this book. His Glory shines all over this book.
In this book Haman this evil man has put out a edict to anniahlate all the Jews. The Jews are the lineage from which Jesus was prophesized to come from the savior and this was written in the book. bible
Haman becomes Satans puppet and wants to kill all the jews because of his hatred of Mordecai.
What God showed me is this we live in this world, but we are in the middle of Good vs. Evil. Satan is Evil and wants people to follow him to hell. God is good and wants for us all to go to heaven. In the end there will just be two places heaven and hell.
When we become a christian we make a commitment to Christ to become one with him, as a christian God has a kingdom out there for us. Just as Esther had to save the jews, the lineage of christ we are called as christians to continue that lineage with Christ. and just like haman ruled in Media-Persia. Well Satan rules in this world. And just like haman was after Esthers bloodline, Satan is after our blood line. this showed me why we are accepted through the blood and Christ had to die for our sins. When we accept him as our savior we become his blood line and therefore we have a kigdom to protect. Satan wants to destroy your kingdom God has with your name on it. This revealed something else to me. We have to come to a point where we see we have a kingdom to protect, and that we like esther can not save it alone. But although satan rules here on the Earth. Where satan rules God over rules. Just like Esther knew she had to approach the king (her husband) do you see the parrallel here!!!! in order to over rule hamans evil plan. When we arte christians Jesus is our bride groom and we are one with him. When we realize we have a kingdom and it is under attack, and we go to God because we know he's the only one who can over rule. We come to a point of humility the exact opposite of pride. I believe that satan probably hates humility as much as Jesus hates pride because he knows that humility brings honer and glory to God. God has called us to be humble and he will exalt us. When we like Esther get to that point of If I perish I perish. We like Esther must approach the king and he will over rule and save your kingdom because it his kingdom, and he has the power to over come all evil, seen and unseen, for his glory forever and ever. This truth is summed up in the end of the Lords prayer,that my daughter spoke to me while I was studying this two days ago. For thinme is the kingdom and the power and the Glory forever and ever Amen.
So if your going through a tough time right now God puts trials in our lives to show us our kingdom we have for him. Maybe it's a miscarriage,not being able to have a child ,maybe its a troubled marriage,a single mom, divorce, or an addiction problem. Whatever it is these trials make up the kingdom God has for you to touch. God is trying to do one of two things, He is trying to show you your kingdom he has for you with your name on it and He wants you to see it's under attack, or he wants you to humble yourself before him so that you can appropriate(take in gain) his power and the two of you can bring Glory to him.
So think about the kingdom God has for you Who out there can you touch? and continue the lineage of Christ.You are here!!!

For Such a Time is This.

To live with Christ and to die is gain

Well it's been awhile again since I've written, but trust me God has been at work, and then just today this profound truth hit me. I was praying this morning and in my quiet time God was showing me about how he resurrects situations that look dead and how he also sometimes breaks things down to the point of having no visual return. He showed me in Hebrews 11, how it was by Faith that Noah built an ark, and it was by Faith that Abraham packed his bags and left to a country that only God knew about to build a nation and a heritage only God could see. I t was by Faith that David as a shepherd boy took 3 stones and a sling and faced the Giant because he knew who his God was. And it was by Faith that Jesus went to the cross for us. I had known that he was trying to show me something but it hit me when my counselor said "ya know even a seed of corn must die to live, a kernel must be buried in order to take root and become a plant that bears more seed. I began to ponder this thought thinking about the dream God had given Russell and I to glorify the Lord and how right now it didn't appear to be happening, or even to be alive. But when I heard this it opened a new door and shined a new light on my perspective.

I began to think this is carried out all through nature and the Bible. A plants seed must die and be buried in order to live. Even Christ died and was buried and rose again on the third day, He died for our Salvation. We must die to this life in order to live a life with, for, and through Christ. His picture of Salvation is everywhere even in a kernel of corn, or a mustard seed. So now even though from human perspective I can't see my dream or God's plan flourishing out as I had hoped and believed it would be by now. I know that it too must die so that God can reproduce what he wants to out of my life He can resurrect it as his plan and he alone will be glorified. So should I give up? since God didn't show up on my time? Is my dream dead? No!!! It (like all things with eternal value)must die and be buried so that God alone can resurrect them. To God be the Glory forever!! So now I have a different way of seeing the vs. To live as Christ and to die is Gain. It's not the end only a new beginning.

Judgement Falls, Mercy Reigns.

I know it's been a while since I've been here, for anyone who reads this blog. Even though I haven't blogged in a while God has not and will not cease to work in our lives. I am going through a rather interesting test of faith right now, the father of my children and my fiancee has come back home. it's like finally I see light at the end of this tunnel. God has worked a miracle in his life. I couldn't be happier yet I know I will as we continue to grow in the Lord together. He's become active at our church, helping to coach our oldest sons baseball team, working out daily, we go to marriage counseling, all these good things and then we have to go to court tomorrow to find out what judgment will be, now we've done all the things we should ,gotten letters of recommendation and accountability, gotten jobs, seeked counseling, but still tomorrow will be the judgment and we do not know which way the gavel will fall.
I read tonight about another man in the bible who thought he knew which way the gavel would fall, but God had mercy on him. His name was Barabas, I'm sure you all know the story. He was a sinner the worst, the dirtiest most wanted criminal in the kingdom of all Israel. But I never thought of it like I did tonight as I read a devotion on Mercy. Barabas knew he was sentenced for death, the stench was in the air he breathed. His life was going to come to an abrupt end and rightly so, after all he had the worst record of the whole country. However, God had a plan and it must come to pass. His son had to die for all of our sins, even Barabas's and so was the first person given salvation from the worst of sins. Here on Earth Jesus took Barabas's place so he could free not only Barabas from death but also us eternally. Wow!! I just want to shout Amen because the prophecy that took place there is so apparent that God uses everyone, Christian, not Christian, criminal or not, to do his work, to fulfill his plan. He turns hearts that never thought they'd be turned, he shows mercy to the least of these, he offers salvation and eternal life to all who believe. He's in Control, and He's an awesome God!!!
Tomorrow we go to ct. and we'll stand before a judge. Knowing that what we deserve is jail, but we have God on our side we know he's conquered all sin, and he'll be the judge to serve mercy upon us. He will use the judge to appropriate his will for his purpose to bring about his plan for our future. Even though the judge of that ct room will legally sentence and drop the gavel, the gavel will fall in the way of the Lord. Judgement falls but Mercy will Reign. no matter the outcome it will be the will of the Lord.

I must decrease so that He may increase.

Well this entry comes late but still in due time. The last entry I wrote in January, I did not realize the truth in such a real way until after I wrote it out.

I must decrease so that He may increase

And so God began to clean out my glass, I believe what hurts the most about a cleaning process is first of all we are so content in our dirty state. It's like we have become so used to the comfort of the shape, and hey the water is running through just fine, to us. We don't even realize that we need to be cleaned out. Second thing that is hard, I believe in order to clean the glass out He must close for a while the flood gate of his living water, I believe this is why we as Christians wake up out of the blue and feel as if God has left us even though we know

that it is written:
He will never leave us nor forsake us

It is hard when you feel like God has shut off His living water to you, for me I became anxious of everything you could imagine, I felt how can God get glory out of my life when I am dry and have not enough water for my own self. How am I to give to others? How is his living water to overflow when I am dry? How can I bring glory to God with my life. I began to feel like I was ill having a fast heart rate and pains all over to the point of imagining myself ill thinking surely God is going to bring me back to him through an illness. This sprang up fear in me like you wouldn't believe. I can write myself out a diagnostic list a page long with all the F.E.A.R.s that I had.and God is still continually helping me to overcome them

FEAR
False Evidence About Reality

Although this seems like a long process, and I guess it is as Gods children, we will constantly be being molded into the image of Christ which is Gods finished product for us. as vessels we will constantly be emptied out scraped clean and refilled. The glorious part of it is every time that God scrapes us out we become larger on the inside, able to hold more of his living water and able to overflow at a greater distance. I imagine that when he scrapes the inside clean and the livingwater has cleaned the clay . He begins to shape the clay changing the shape of our vessel into a larger more glorious piece that he can use to fill with living water that overflows. I can picture God taking vessels turning them into pitchers because we are but a piece of clay in the potters hand. And using these pitchers to pour his living water which saves and washes away sin all over the world.

This to me is a picture of his grace and his Glory, and how he uses ordinary people to do his extraordinary work

For me He is cleaning me out of pride: showing me that anything he does in my life is by His Grace and for His glory , not anything I deserve from all the hell I've lived through which by grace he brought me through anyways, not because I had a strong faith not because he wants to show anyone who I am, It's not about me, or for me. It's by his grace and for his glory.
He also dealt personally with me on time I get very overwhelmed with time so many good things I want to do or just normal everyday things like eat shower feed kids teach Christopher cook clean exercise go to dr. apmts. the list goes on and on. I began to think How is God going to find time to use me. I don't have time to be used. Here's what he showed me. not only if we are walking with him he is constantly using us even if we neither feel nor realize it. But he made this world this whole world out of nothing in a matter of seconds by the sound of his voice. If he can do that who am I to doubt he can't turn out his work through me or anyone else in a matter of a life time. However I do find it interesting that although he spoke the world into existence in a matter of seconds, he chose to marvel gaze and enjoy it for a whole day before making the next step.

For me God is still working because all I am is a sinner saved only by his grace. He will constantly be working on me until the day of Christ Jesus.

Heres a verse I have been declaring over my life that has brought me Joy

Philippians 1:6

Being confident of this that,He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus

Living water flows......

Yesterday Christopher and I did a project for homeschool with some friends. We are studying weather so we decided to make a storm in a bottle. It looks like a tornado if you do it rite, but we won't go there. Let's put it this way, I have a 2 liter of nice green soap now haha.. I had to use a 2 liter bottle. Well we don't drink out of two liters at our house so I had to go buy one and empty it because I needed just the empty bottle. All I needed was the container. I poured the contents out into another container so we didn't waste anything and we had an empty container that we could use.
Having just had a conversation about how God is more interested on us cleaning out the inside of us than the outside God began to show me something I found interesting, I only needed the container for my project, the shell of what held the original contents. God only needs our container, the shell of who we are so he can fill us up. Think about it if his Living water is forever flowing but has nowhere to land we cant catch it. It's like if someone asked you for a drink but there cup was filled with concrete and the water just flowed all over the floor there would be nowhere to catch it and no way to get it into their body for refreshment and enjoyment.
However if we look into our life and try to empty the filth out of our life ,the jealousy, anger resentment, fear,and sins we carry. And give them to God,whom they belong to anyway, He can use our emptied container. He can fill us up with "His Living Water" The Holy Spirit.
God says his Living Water flows eternally it has no beginning and it has no end. It will land somewhere.....

Will you be one to catch it???