God's Rainbow

 

A Christian thought to ponder...

Does the rainbow represent a symbol, a mythology, or one of God's promises? In truth, it represents one of God's promises.

God created the rainbow to show his everlasting promise that He would never flood the earth again. As stated in Genesis 6:5-8, God destroyed the earth with a flood and destroyed all because people had become so evil and wicked it grieved God. There was widespread corruptness, violence, sexual immorality, and wickedness; people were prideful, hateful, focused on self-pleasure, and full of self-indulgence. All accept Noah. Noah found grace in the eyes of Lord. 

5 The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. 7 So the Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.” 8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.

It is written in Genesis  9:11-17 (ESV) that the rainbow is an everlasting covenant between God and all living beings. It is a divine symbol within the sky to remind us of His everlasting promise and to remind us that God is mighty, just and merciful.

11 I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” 12 And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: 13 I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14 When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, 15 I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh. And the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16 When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” 17 God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.”

If you were to actually examine and break down the actual color spectrum of the rainbow, it has numerous colors. The human eye can only see seven colors. God's intention for the rainbow was not to represent pride, nor to represent a group, nor to represent some symbol, nor to represent some mythology. But the rainbow represents a divine promise to all living creatures on the earth that God would never destroy the world again with a flood due to human wickedness, corruptness, and evilness. 

Some men and women would have you believe that the rainbow represents an organization that promotes diversity, equity and pride for the LGBTQ community. LGBTQ stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning (sexual or gender identity). The original pride flag was designed in the 1970s by drag performer Gilbert Baker and friend Lynn Segerblom. The original eight pride flag colors were hot pink, red, orange, yellow, green, turquoise, indigo and violet. Hot pink represented sex, red represented life, orange represented healing, yellow represented sunlight, green represented nature, turquoise represented magic and art, indigo represented serenity, and violet represented spirit. The colors and style arrangement have changed over time. There is specific pride flag for lesbian, gay, transgender, bi-sexual, non-binary, polysexual, abrosexual, drag queens, genderfluid,  asexual, demi sexual, pansexual, and on and on. They have over 30+ flags to represent each gender/sexual preference within their organization. But the pride rainbow flag is a false representation of the one and only true rainbow. The organization's agenda celebrates everything that God abhors and condemns. In Proverbs 16:5 it states how God abhors pride. "Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the LORD; be assured, he will not go unpunished. Satan is the ruler over all people who are filled with pride. “He beholdeth all high things: he is a king over all the children of pride.” Job 41:34 (KJV). Satan desires to lead people away from the One True God, who is good, righteous, merciful, faithful, loving, longsuffering, and just.

Baker and Segerblom - Original Pride Flag

Another flag, during another time, also represented pride. The Nazi flag represented German pride and symbolized their persecution and hatred of Jews. The red represented the social thought underlying the movement. The white represented their national thought, and the black swastika was an emblem of the Aryan race. 

By German Government - Die Hoheitszeichen des Deutschen Reiches, herausgegeben vom Reichsministerium des Inneren, 1933, Tafel I, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=551410

Sin is sin is sin. Pride is a sin in God's eyes. Sexual immorality is a sin in God's eyes. Hate is a sin in God's eyes. Murder is a sin in God's eyes. Lying is a sin in God's eyes. The list of sins can go on and on. But people don't want to be told or reminded of what sins they are committing. But to use God's divine symbol for something wicked and evil and warping and tainting what God's rainbow truly represents is a heinous sin, especially pushing and forcing this symbol's agenda onto young adults and children.

Just as Noah lived in grave times, so do we now. Our day and age are rapidly becoming much like the days of Noah. Evil is abounding. Wrong is right, and right is wrong. Hearts have become cold, darkened, and self-centered. As it states in 2 Timothy 3:1-5, people are focused on self-pleasure, materialism, immorality, violence, idleness and reject all things that pertain to God. 

1 But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power.

But we have the rainbow as a reminder that God will not destroy the earth again with a flood. A flood isn't coming again, but God's wrath and judgment are around the corner. Just as stated in the book of Revelation and many other books of the Bible, God will not allow people to continue to commit evil and wicked sins. The wicked must be punished. We do not know the exact day or hour, but the Lord will be returning soon. 

If you have not received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, I encourage you to do so now. Seek him during these dark days of uncertainty. Look to him. He is our light and hope. Pray to him and accept the free gift of salvation. Ask him to come into your heart, repent of your sins, and you will be saved.

Dear Lord,

I admit that I am a sinner and I believe that you died on the cross to save me. I receive You as my Lord and Savior. Please forgive me of my sins. Take control of my life and help me to live a life that pleases you. I love you, Lord, and I thank you for the free gift of salvation and that I will spend eternity with you.

Amen.

Have a blessed week!

Carol

Heaven or Hell: Which Are You Headed For?

 

Castle door stock by Elandria. Sky stock my own.

A Christian thought to ponder...

Are you going to heaven or are you going to hell?

This is a pretty blunt question. Some people do not like it when you ask blunt questions. It is also a reasonably simple question. As the answer is either A or B. There is no in-between answer. It amazes me that when you ask non-believers this question, they have a hard time answering it. They either refuse to answer the question, are defensive, they will mock the question and God, or they will have a meltdown. Talking about heaven and hell can stir up all sorts of emotions, such as fear. People have a fear of the unknown or a fear of what others might think. And then of course, you have downright rebellious people who hate God and do not believe in a heaven or hell. 

However, it is an important question. Why? Because people's souls are at stake. I once shared this question bluntly with a family member, and this person had a meltdown. They went to their mental health counselor and complained, and their counselor told me I could no longer talk about religion with the family person. Never mind about my first amendment rights. This family member has a weird perception of who God is. This family member is not living a godly life, and they do not believe the Bible is the living word of God. I feared for this person's soul. Hence, I asked the question are you going to heaven, or are you going to hell? 

Charles Spurgeon preached a lot about heaven and hell. He was a very blunt preacher. As it has been said by other Christians, "he was a preacher out to save souls." Not with words that were pleasing to the ears but with words that would convict the souls of his listeners. He wanted people to see that heaven and hell were very real places. 

"Shall we keep men in a fool's paradise? Shall we lull them into soft slumbers from which they will awake in hell? Are we to become helpers of their damnation by our smooth speeches? In the name of God, we will not!"                                         

The fact is if you believe in Jesus Christ that he is the Son of God, and he died for your sins on the cross, and he rose on the third day and now sits at the right hand of God, and you have asked him to forgive you of your sins, you will be saved from an eternity in hell. You will spend eternity in heaven. You will be amongst the great gathering as it says in Revelation 7:9-10, “After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!'"

Heaven is the place where believers will gather before the throne of the Almighty. It is a place of beauty, and a place of ultimate rest. It is a place that is free of persecution. It is a place free from the cruelty of humanity. Let's see what the Bible says about heaven.

• In Revelation 21:4 it says the Lord will wipe away every tear from the eyes of those who have entered through the gates of heaven. There will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain. A place of rest. 
• In Luke 23:43 Jesus calls heaven paradise.
• John 14:2 it says there are many dwelling places.
• In Revelation 2:7 it says the the tree of life will be in the paradise of God.
• In Revelation 22:1 it says the water of life will be coming from the throne of God.
• In Revelation 21:11 it shines with the glory of God. 

Hell, on the other hand, is an altogether different place. It is a place of torment, destruction, unrest, and fire. Let's see what the Bible says about hell. 

• In 2 Thessalonians 1:9 it says it is a place of everlasting destruction.
• In Revelation 20:10 it says it is a lake of fire and brimstone and the place where the devil, the beast and the false prophet will be cast into. It is a place where one will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
• In Revelation 14:11 it says it will be a place of no rest day and night.
• In Matthew 13:42 it says it is furnace of fire where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

From these list of verses, I don't think hell sounds like a very appealing place. Just as heaven is everlasting, so is hell. Heaven and hell unquestionably exist. The believers who are holy and righteous will enter the gates of heaven. The non-believers who are depraved, immoral, rebellious, and wicked will enter the gates of hell. Psalm 118:19-20 affirms the righteous will enter the gates of heaven, "Open to me the gates of righteousness: I will go into them, and I will praise the LORD." Nowhere does it say in the Bible that the unrighteous will enter the gates of heaven. Unholy people cannot be in the presence of God. But those who believe in Jesus Christ, have sought forgiveness, and have been born again will enter heaven's gates and stand in the presence of the Lord. 

So, I am asking this question again are you going to heaven, or are you going to hell? Are you going through the gates of the righteousness, or are you going through the gates of the depraved? 

Heavenly Father,

You are holy and righteous. You are the Creator of all things. One day, You will create the new heaven and earth. What a joyous day it will be when we stand in Your presence. We thank you for your Word to teach us and guide us. We pray for the souls who mock you, don't believe in You, heaven or hell, and have been blinded by Satan. We pray that You would soften their hearts, help them all to see the Light and the Truth, and give them the spiritual sight they need to break the influence that Satan has hold over them. Amen.

Have a blessed week!

Carol

The Rejection of God and God's Redemptive Plan

A Christian thought to ponder....

Sexual immorality and perversion are running rampant in this nation. Many people are blind from seeing the progressives' agenda as wicked or evil. Why? Because they have rejected God. As a result, God has allowed darkness to come upon them, and they have become blind. The Bible clearly states it in Psalm 81:12, "So I let them follow their own stubborn desires, living according to their own ideas."

Because they have rejected God and refused to believe in God,  God has allowed them to walk this evil path. They are blind, and they do not understand (Isaiah 44:18).

There is nothing we can do to open the eyes of the blinded other than to pray that their eyes will be opened to the Truth.  In 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 it states, “But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.” We need to keep praying for those entrapped in sin and for the unbelievers. Ask God to open their eyes and help unbelievers to see their need for Him. We need to keep sharing the Truth.

In this video, Pastor Tom Hughes and Tim Thompson share what is going on with Disney's agenda of the sexualization of young children and how America is being destroyed from within by the left wing's agenda. 

This agenda that is being pushed by the Disney company is wicked and evil.

However, we must remember that sexual immorality is not an unforgivable sin. For instance, look at King David in 2 Samuel chapter 11. David was so blinded by his passion for Bathsheba that he committed adultery with her. He then had her husband killed when he discovered that she was pregnant with his child. 

2 Samuel 11:4-5 and  11:14-15

 

4 Then David sent messengers to get her; and when she came to the palace, he slept with her. She had just completed the purification rites after having her menstrual period. Then she returned home. 5 Later, when Bathsheba discovered that she was pregnant, she sent David a message, saying, “I’m pregnant.”

14 So the next morning David wrote a letter to Joab and gave it to Uriah to deliver. 15 The letter instructed Joab, “Station Uriah on the front lines where the battle is fiercest. Then pull back so that he will be killed.”

But the Lord forgave David when he confessed his sin. He turned to God and repented and sought the Lord's forgiveness. 

2 Samuel 12:13-14

13 Then David confessed to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” Nathan replied, “Yes, but the Lord has forgiven you, and you won’t die for this sin. 14 Nevertheless, because you have shown utter contempt for the word of the Lord by doing this, your child will die.”

As it goes on in chapter 12, God punishes David for his horrible deeds. God allowed his son to die, his household to rebel against him, and his wives were given to another man. David, a man after God's own heart, had fallen into the trap of sin. The enemy ensnared him. 

The enemy methodically and purposefully lays out traps to destroy people. He does not want anyone to go to heaven to be with the Lord eternally. He wants you to go to hell with him to be in anguish, pain, and torment eternally. He wants people to reject God. 

But just as David was redeemable from his sin, so are each and every one of us. John MacArthur stated, "All of our sins, even the ones we don’t recognize, are the sins that nailed Jesus Christ to the cross. They are the sins for which He died. And yet we witlessly, ignorantly, and sometimes even willfully, continue to live in these same sins." 

We need to open people's eyes to the sin, and we need to share with them that despite what they have done or are doing in the present moment that Jesus loves them and that he died on the cross for all of our sins. God knows who has been called and who His children are. We do not. Our job is to share the Gospel - God's great plan of redemption.

Heavenly Father, 

We thank You for blessing the United States. You are Lord of Lords and King of Kings. Only You alone can revive and restore the United States. We lift this nation up to You and seek your forgiveness for our abominable sins. Our nation has strayed so far from the principles and practices of our great founders, who drew up our constitution based on Your Word. Help guide the men and women in positions of power, both in local and national government. Give our leaders the grace and wisdom to guide our nation back from the path of destruction, and onto the path where You are the One in Whom we place our trust.

In Jesus Name,

Amen.

Grace and Blessings to you all!

Carol Moore

A Voice in the Wilderness

Photo by Carol Moore

 A Christian thought to ponder ...

If you see evil at work, do you remain silent, or do you take action and point out the evilness?

It is something I have been pondering for quite some time now. Today, if you raise your voice to point out that what someone, some organization, or some government is doing is evil and wrong, you are canceled, thrown in prison, or even killed.  

Almost 89 years ago, in 1933, many people sat idly by while an evil, tyrannical dictator began his attack on the Jews, people with disabilities, homosexuals, and anyone else the Third Reich deemed as an enemy or not superior. The Nazis established a boycott against the Jews, set up Nuremberg laws, and anti-Jewish policy to ostracize and ban the Jews. They confiscated all Jewish property and gradually removed the Jews from all economic life. In 1938, it became legal to take all property from the Jews. Homes, apartments, businesses, cultural and artistic treasures were all seized from the Jews. The Third Reich set up concentration camps, and then they began their satanic scheme of the persecution and genocide of the Jews.  An evil dictator whose people believed he was the savior of Germany and could do no wrong.

Does any of this sound familiar to what is happening in the world today with unvaccinated people or people who have different political or religious beliefs? Canada? Australia? China? Russia? United States? Primo Levi once stated, "Monsters exist, but they are too few in number to be truly dangerous. More dangerous are the common men, the functionaries ready to believe and to act with out asking questions." There are evil monsters spewing propaganda worldwide, and the lost sheep believe every word.

Evil will grow if we allow it to, and people will continue to cancel, ostracize, condemn, and hate anyone who may have different beliefs, ideas, or agendas.  Will Christians do nothing and let the darkness descend and see history repeat itself once again? Will Christians not point out that people will face the wrath of God's judgment if they do not repent of their evil ways? When did the church become so soft and so silent? Was John the Baptist silent when he saw people who were sinning? No, he was not. In fact, he pointed out to Herod that he committed a great sin by marrying his brother's wife in Luke 3:19 "John also publicly criticized Herod Antipas, the ruler of Galilee, for marrying Herodias, his brother’s wife, and for many other wrongs he had done." John was a great preacher. In Matthew 3:1-3 it states he was a voice crying out in the wilderness, and he was not silent. He warned people of their un-repenting sin, and he prepared people for the coming of the Christ. John preached with great power and spirit. 

Matthew 3:1-3 

"In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea,  “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.’”"

Just as John prepared the people for Christ's first coming. It is our job to prepare the world for Christ's second coming. It is our job to be the voice in the wilderness. God has placed us in this world, during this generation, at this moment for a reason. God called us to be His children, to take up the cross, and preach and share the Truth. God calls us to be loving, kind, patient, merciful, good, and to be of good moral character. We are called to scatter the seeds of Truth and let God do the rest. 

Nowhere in the Bible does it tell us to tolerate sin, to be silent about sin, or allow sin to continue unopposed. The world will say we are racist, hateful, evil, Nazis, communists when we point out the sin or expose the evil. But the world is wrong, for we love everyone, just as Jesus loved everyone. It is our task assigned by the One who called us to point out the evil and wrong's in the world because we do not wish for anyone to face the second death and go into the lake of fire for all eternity. Jesus repeatedly called out the hypocrites and pointed out their sin and evil ways. As a result, they grew to hate him and conspired to have Jesus killed. Jesus was not silent. He pronounced seven woes upon them in Matthew 23:13-36. 

Matthew 23:13-36

13 “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you shut the door of the Kingdom of Heaven in people’s faces. You won’t go in yourselves, and you don’t let others enter either. 14 What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! You shamelessly cheat widows out of their property and then pretend to be pious by making long prayers in public. Because of this, you will be severely punished. 15 What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you cross land and sea to make one convert, and then you turn that person into twice the child of hell you yourselves are! 16 Blind guides! What sorrow awaits you! For you say that it means nothing to swear ‘by God’s Temple,’ but that it is binding to swear ‘by the gold in the Temple.’ 17 Blind fools! Which is more important—the gold or the Temple that makes the gold sacred? 18 And you say that to swear ‘by the altar’ is not binding, but to swear ‘by the gifts on the altar’ is binding. 19 How blind! For which is more important—the gift on the altar or the altar that makes the gift sacred? 20 When you swear ‘by the altar,’ you are swearing by it and by everything on it. 21 And when you swear ‘by the Temple,’ you are swearing by it and by God, who lives in it. 22 And when you swear ‘by heaven,’ you are swearing by the throne of God and by God, who sits on the throne. 23 What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore the more important aspects of the law—justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things. 24 Blind guides! You strain your water so you won’t accidentally swallow a gnat, but you swallow a camel! 25 What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy—full of greed and self-indulgence! 26 You blind Pharisee! First wash the inside of the cup and the dish, and then the outside will become clean, too. 27 What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs—beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people’s bones and all sorts of impurity. 28 Outwardly you look like righteous people, but inwardly your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness. 29 What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you build tombs for the prophets your ancestors killed, and you decorate the monuments of the godly people your ancestors destroyed.  30 Then you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would never have joined them in killing the prophets.’ 31 But in saying that, you testify against yourselves that you are indeed the descendants of those who murdered the prophets.  32 Go ahead and finish what your ancestors started.  33 Snakes! Sons of vipers! How will you escape the judgment of hell? 34 Therefore, I am sending you prophets and wise men and teachers of religious law. But you will kill some by crucifixion, and you will flog others with whips in your synagogues, chasing them from city to city.  35 As a result, you will be held responsible for the murder of all godly people of all time—from the murder of righteous Abel to the murder of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you killed in the Temple between the sanctuary and the altar. 36 I tell you the truth, this judgment will fall on this very generation."

Pointing out sin and evil offends and stirs up hatred. If we do not speak out against sin and evil, who will? Who will be the voice in the wilderness in this generation, in this day, and in this time? Will we let evil silence us from speaking the Truth? Will we be complacent? Simon Wiesentnal once said, "For evil to flourish, it only requires good men to do nothing." Will we do nothing as evil flourishes, or will we be a voice in the wilderness?

Divided We Fall

Our country is more politically divided than ever, and with the onslaught of censoring, accusations, lies, incitement, fake news, the woke crowd, the cancel culture, and the condoning of domestic terrorism, a wedge of division has been driven into families, friends, co-workers, and even churches. The left side of the political spectrum believes they are right and the other side is wrong. On the other hand, the right side of the political spectrum believes they are right and the other side is wrong. 

In my opinion, neither side is right, as both sides fall short of being perfect. Only God's ways are perfect. But my question to you is which side-lines up more with Christ and with God's Word? Is it the right side or the left side?

Specifically, is it right to censor people because of their political or religious beliefs? Is it right to condone domestic terrorism, vandalism, and violence? Is it right to shun loved ones, friends, and co-workers because they do not want to get vaccinated or wear a mask or vice-versa? Is it right to censor someone because they dare to share a post that might disagree or differ from what you believe is true or fact? Is it right to tell someone they are a racist when they have never said or done anything racist in their entire life?

So the question is who is dividing who and why are they trying to divide us? The main culprit behind this division is Satan. Satan wants to divide and destroy us. He is using tactics, tools, and people to trodden us, divide us, and destroy us. Satan knows that a nation divided, will fall. He is circling our wagon train and we are in for a great spiritual battle.  

n the video by Olive Tree Ministries, "The Strategy? Deceive, Divide, Destroy", this spiritual battle is brought to light, and Christians need to beware of this purposeful division. Christians need to be sober, vigilant, and put on the armor of God. Satan has got his targets set on us and he is going to throw darts of division, fear, doubts, anger, jealousy, guilt, confusion, violence, and all forms of lawlessness our way.

So therefore, we must fix our eyes on Jesus and keep rooted in His Word. We must not let the enemy divide us or our churches.  As Paul tells the people in 1 Corinthians 1:10, "Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment." Paul knew a church divided would fall right into the enemy's hands. A church divided shows that we are being controlled by our sinful nature. Division shows that we are living as people of this world. A world of people that is full of hate, cold hearts, unforgiveness, unkindness, impatience, immorality, and divisiveness. We must stand united in one mind and one body and live in a Christ-like manner.

For we, who are born again, live for Jesus. We should not condone any of this wicked behavior and division. The only division that should be clear is that we are showing that we are God's chosen people. 

Heavenly Father,

You are Sovereign and You are our Hope. We thank You for equipping us for battle and for giving us Your armour. Help us to stay rooted in Your Word. Help us to rest in Your strength and wisdom to help us in the oncoming spiritual battles. Help us to stand united in one mind and in one body and help us to hold fast to our confession of faith. 

In everything we give thanks and give You all the glory. 

In Jesus name,

Amen.

Pray you all have a blessed day!

Carol Moore

Time for a Spiritual Check-up

“With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments. Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.”

Psalm119:10-11

Psalm 119 is a Psalm that glorifies God and His Word. It is passionately written by one who truly loves the Lord. The Psalmist states in verses 10-11, “With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments. Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.

How often do we get into a spiritual rut where our hearts no longer seek God? We let the world slowly ease in and infiltrate into our lives, and the world’s ways slowly become our heart's desire, replacing God’s ways. God is no longer the central focus of our lives, nor are His commandments hidden in our hearts. A thick wall of plaque and grime has encased around our hearts in which His Word cannot penetrate through.

Does His Word penetrate through your heart? Do you seek the Lord with all of your heart? Have you wandered away from His commandments? Do your words and actions bring glory to God? Do you harbor ill will, bitterness, hatred, or unforgiveness towards others? Are you kind, loving, and empathetic towards others?  Does your heart beat for God or yourself? Are you growing in the Word? Are you praying regularly? This list of questions could go on and on. None to say there are times in our lives we need to stop and examine our hearts and ask these questions. We need to self-discipline ourselves and feed our spirits, so that we do not clog up our hearts with sin, apathy, complacency, and the world.  

Our clogged hearts can be shown in our words and actions. If we allow the sinful worldly plaque to build up around our hearts, and not maintain a healthy heart line to God, our hearts will not be one with Him. Your heart will become a hardened wall of plaque that is deaf and blind to His Word. Therefore, your words and actions may not be holy or godly. We need to do periodic spiritual check-ups, so we do not fall to the wayside, and so the wall of plaque does not form around our hearts.

Heavenly Father,

Thank you for Your Word. Thank you for the Holy Spirit that guides us, comforts us, and encourages us. Help us to keep Your Word hidden within our hearts and to obey it. Help us to keep our hearts free from the plaque of the world so that we may heed Your call and serve You and bring glory to You. And Lord please give us the grace to seek you continually with our whole hearts.

Amen.

Love and Blessings,

Carol

Good News

Image by MAG

Luke 2:10-11 "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord."

During these uncertain times, I hear many people saying that they are unhappy, and people are saying that there is no good news in their life right now. Many people are saying that there is nothing to be laughing about or to be joyful about. But I am telling you that there is something to be joyful about, during these uncertain times and that is the Good News. 

What is the Good News? The Good News is Jesus. Jesus, our great God, who became a man, and who died on the cross for us. He suffered terribly for us, for he was mocked, spitted upon, hit in the face, and was scourged. He loved us so much that he died on the cross to save us from our sins and to save us from the wrath that is to come. He bore our sins, our griefs, and our sorrows on the cross.  

And yet, people still say there is nothing to be joyful about? I am telling the world that there is plenty to be joyful about and that everyone should be shouting alleluia about it! And his name is Jesus, our Messiah, our Healer, our Lord, our King of Kings, our Victor over death, our Redeemer, and our Savior. In the book of Isaiah 53:5 (KJV), it says regarding Jesus Christ, "But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes, we are healed."

Heavenly Father, 

I thank You for the great gift that was given to all Your people so many years ago. A gift that was announced through Your angelic host announcing the great news and bringing such great joy. Thank You for Jesus and for the joy and peace that floods all of our hearts who have found Him and accepted Him into our lives. 
Lord I pray for those who do not know Jesus that they would come to know Him personally and that they would be saved by Your grace by accepting Him into their lives. I pray that they would be able to experience the joy and peace that surpasses all understanding and that Your joy and peace would just flood their inner being. Amen.

Love and Blessings,
Carol

Amidst Tragedy There is Hope

Many think tragedies are brought on by our sins. For example, in the book of Job, Job's friends, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, believed that Job’s suffering was brought on due to some great sin that Job had committed. The three of them urged Job to seek God and repent. God has punished people for their sins, such as God punished the Israelites' to wander in the wilderness for forty years for their disobedience and unbelief. But not all tragedies are brought on by our sins.

Some tragedies are brought on or allowed to test our faith. As was the case in the book of Job in chapters 1-3, Satan was allowed to test Job’s faithfulness. Satan was certain that Job's faithfulness would fail amongst tragedies and anguish. 
How true will we be to our Lord when tragedy strikes? Will we stand firm in our faith and hold fast when tragedies strike, or will we begin to blame God, hate God, or run away from God because He has allowed such circumstances to happen in our lives?

Perhaps the tragedy is a wake-up call to shake you to your core to get you back on the right path towards God. God may use several tragedies to draw you back to Him and to get you to lean on Him for strength once again.

The tragedy could be the result of simply of living in a fallen world. A world that once was perfect, but due to the fall in the garden, the world is now in a state of suffering, decay, and death.

Or maybe, the tragedy is meant to show God's glory and to bring someone who is a non-believer to Him. 

We may never know, or we may never understand why certain tragedies befall us, but we can rest assured that God does, and He is in control. Maybe not during the tragedy, but later on in life, you will see His great love for you, His plan for you, and His goodness. Goodness, you say!? Yes, because amidst the tragedy there is hope. And that hope is in Jesus. Place your hope in Him amidst the tragedy, and He will carry you through.

Heavenly Father,

We thank you for Your great love and for the hope You gave us through Your son Jesus. A hope You have given us to be the light that leads us and comforts us during great and small tragedies throughout our lives. As you tell us in John 16:33, we know Lord that we were never guaranteed to have a trouble free life.  In fact, you tell us that we will, but we can be at peace for You have overcome the world. We thank you Lord that you will carry us through these great and trying times.

Amen.

May you have a blessed week.

Carol

Wiping Dirty Corrupted Records Clean

A Christian thought to ponder…

What if Christians just viewed each other’s past records as wiped clean, embraced and loved one another the way Jesus’ did?

Acts 3:19  “Repent, therefore, and reform your lives, so that the record of your sins may be cancelled, and that there may come seasons of revival from the Lord…”

Each of us has a record of our own life. A record that God knew even before He created us. Some of us have clean records, some not so clean, and some of us have dirty, corrupted records. Where does your record lay? Mine lays in the middle between not so clean and dirty. I am not perfect. Moreover, I am not worthy or deserving of any kind of forgiveness because I have lied, stolen, envied, worshipped idols, followed other religions, broken hearts, ruined lives, and so on. I have failed God in many ways ever since I knew right from wrong, and I feel like I continue to fail Him. I have strayed from God, I have ran away from God, and I have disappointed God. Before I even dropped to my knees, God knew I needed a reboot, and my system wiped cleaned.

Because of those dirty, corrupted records, I often think about how or why  God would ever want me to serve Him; I feel so unworthy, but I know that God loves me, and He has forgiven me of all my sins. So, how can one get past that feeling of unworthiness and not let the enemy cloud our hearts and minds with fears, doubts, sadness, regret, and bitterness? 

• Keep focusing on God.
• Dive into the Word everyday.
• Pray to God daily. 

The people in this world may hate and despise you, but if you demonstrate to all of them Christlike qualities - love, kindness, and forgiveness you might lead others to Christ, or you might lead others closer to Christ. It states in Ephesians 4:32 that we are to “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”  It is difficult when you don’t see those same Christ-like qualities (and I am so guilty of this as well) within the Christian community; Instead, you are more apt to get cold, deathly stares or an icy, cold shoulder from other Christians that are quick to condemn you or ostracize you because of those past records. And we, who are the fallen and broken, let those past records and those people who have condemn us hinder us from helping God complete His work. Instead we begin to focus on ourselves and on how people dislike us, hate us, or how much of a disappointment we are to God and others. We let the enemy take all the joy out of everything, not realizing that those marred, black-stained, corrupted records have been wiped clean. We have a clean new record; We have been born again!! Hallelujah!!! 

Start today by focusing on God and His plans and not on the plans of the enemy. The enemy wants to prevent people from drawing closer to God; We cannot erase those dirty, corrupted records on our own. Only Jesus can erase those records that mar our lives. Jesus died on the cross to save us from those darkly blotted records. Seek Jesus, repent, and ask Him to forgive you of all those black corrupted marks upon your records. Focus on God’s plan to reach the lost and reach out in brotherly and sisterly love towards everyone.

Dear Lord,

I love you so much. Thank you for always being there for me, standing by my side, and being my Rock. Thank you for dying on the cross for all our sins and for providing us with clean new records. Thank you so much for your love, grace, and mercy and accepting us as your children despite those dirty, corrupted records. Amen.

May you have a blessed week!

Carol

The United States Supreme Court Defines Marriage

What this nation deems now as a union of marriage is far from what the Bible states is a sacred union of marriage. President Obama claims it is a victory. Since when is a sin considered a victory? I thought the President was a self-proclaimed Christian? If you are a non-believer or not a true follower of Jesus Christ it would be considered a victory. I tend to go along with what Franklin Graham states "The President is leading this nation on a sinful course, and God will judge him and us as a nation if we don't repent".

I believe Christians cannot and should not shove the Bible down people’s throats, but we are to be examples of God’s Word and we are to share the Word with others willing to listen. But sometimes, no matter how hard you try to explain and quote scripture, people will not see that what they are doing is wrong unless God wills it so. Many are blinded to the truth due to the enemy’s deceiving tactics. You can only plant the seed, let God do the rest of the work. Fake Christians will twist and add words to Bible so as not to offend people. 

True Christians must remain strong and faithful. As pastor Greg Laurie states, “We must stand our ground”.  Also, it will and has come to the point where Christians are going to have to choose as to which side of the fence they are on. Are they on the side of the fence that represents the true Word of God or are they on the side the of the fence that represents the secular world and compromises and twists the words of the Bible aiding and abetting the enemy to do his deceitful and cunning work. 

Fifty years ago this nation had prayers in school, families sat down at the dinner table said grace and ate together, and they raised their right hand over their hearts and spoke the pledge allegiance to God and our nation. Now after the Supreme Court’s decision, God has been completely taken out of the family picture and this nation has deemed itself above God. We are a nation patterning ourselves after ancient Rome and we will soon meet the very same fate… a condemned country headed towards dictatorship, control and uncertainty. As disobedience, wickedness and pagan acts saturate this country it is only understandable that God should punish this nation, as we have become a nation that has directly violated His laws.

Why Should Christians Care?

Christians should care because Jesus gave us a task to reach out to those who do not know him and share the Good News.

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20 (NKJV)

So what is the Good News? That despite your sins and/or sinful past God loves you, we love you and He has a plan for you. The only thing that is required of you to be a follower of Jesus Christ is to seek him in prayer, ask him to forgive you of your sins and accept Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior. For

Jesus said to Thomas and all believers, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6 (ESV)s. 

Is Homosexuality a Sin?

Well, according to the Bible it is. “Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.” Leviticus 18:22 (KJV) and Romans 1: 22-32 (KJV) makes it quite clear the fate of all who practice such immoral sexual acts. But it is not an unforgivable sin. All of us our sinners. Sin is sin whether you lie, steal, kill, commit adultery. All sin is equal in God's eyes.

“22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,

23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.

24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:

25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:

27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.

28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;

29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,

30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,

31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:

32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.”

According to the secular world homosexuality, is not a sin. It is also considered discrimination to think or state otherwise. If you are a believer of God, you have to take a stand, for there is no standing in the middle with a foot in this world and a foot in God’s world. We are to set our minds on the things above, not on the things of this earth. As it states in Colossians 3:2 (KJV), “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.”

We are all born with sin. Not one of us has a right to point a finger and condemn one another. But traditional marriage is defined by God as one man and one woman, even though the media and many so-called Christians and non-believers try to convince people otherwise. For it states in Mark 10: 6-9 (KJV),

“6 But from the beginning of the creation, God made them male and female.

7 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife;

8 And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh.

9 What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.”

This controversy is not about hating homosexuals. How can we hate those whom God loves? God’s design for the sacred union of marriage is between a man and a woman, not Adam and Adam or Eve and Eve, but Adam and Eve. But as this country moves forward, it moves further and further away from the Christian beliefs our founding fathers once held. Christians will soon be the minority, and the media will do its best job to paint Christians out as evildoers. Yet all along, the main goal of a Christian is to help gather the lost sheep. Help bring the lost sheep back to Jesus Christ and to aid those who have been led astray. 

Many of us Christians have walked the path into darkness and have been led astray. It is a darkness that blinds you from the truth. It is a darkness that hardens your heart, and it deceives you into believing that what you are doing is right and not wrong. The enemy is powerful. His goal is to see the end and destruction of all mankind. 

Yet through this controversy, we are to love one other, but that does not mean Christians should condone a sinful lifestyle. We need to reach out to those who do not believe, help them get to know God. Once one gets to know God, all the sins that take up one's life will begin to disappear. You will have the desire and yearning to have a deep personal relationship with Jesus. To get to know Jesus read the book of Matthew and then read the book of John. Get to know Jesus! 

Darkness is surrounding this world, and Satan is trying his best to deceive and confuse us all. Do not let him win. God knows we are not perfect. We are all born with sin. Bring it to his feet and let Him help you, and let him show you through His Words what His design and plan is. 

God’s Design for Family

• Created Adam to care for all living things.

• Created Eve to be Adam’s companion and helper.

• Adam and Eve are joined in unity become as one flesh for Eve was made from Adam’s rib. 

• Parents to raise their children up to walk in His ways and to know and love Him.

"This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh;she shall be called ‘woman,’for she was taken out of man. That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh”(Genesis 2:23-24)

In Matthew 19:4-5, Jesus reaffirms this: "He answered, ‘Have you not read that he who made them from the beginning made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one’?" 

God’s Goals

• To make himself known to all men and women.

• That no one should perish but repent and accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

• To have a personal relationship with you.

Satan’s Design for Family

• Deceive Eve in the Garden of Eden to cause the downfall of man and to prevent the Messiah from being born

To destroy God’s design for family and all mankind

• Through divorce             
• Through homosexual marriage             
• Through polygamy            
• Through pre-marital sex            
• Through abortion             
• Through transgender             
• Through death

Satan’s Goals

• To cause pain, torment, depression, sadness and disconnection.

• To deceive and confuse as many of God’s people as possible

•  To have people disregard the truth of the Bible.

•  To have Christians compromise and be apathetic towards God’s word.

•  Manipulate and deceive non-believers that they were born this way or it is the only solution.

• To portray Christian’s that they are hateful people.

• To undermine and twist God’s words about sinful acts and being obedient to God.

• To portray God and believer’s in a negative light.

• Use non-believing government employees and the nation’s leaders to achieve his agenda.

• Use the media to twist the truth about God and true followers of Jesus Christ.

• Use the race card (yet it is not an issue of African American, Caucasian, Asian or Native American etc.) to target against Christians to avoid the issue that homosexuality is actually a sexual preference and lifestyle people choose by their own free will.

• To harden the hearts of Christians who are not true followers of Jesus Christ; to stir up hate and cruelty.

• To destroy God’s people who are a reflection of God.

• To elevate himself above God.

Where Christians have Failed

Each and every one of us has failed, but we can be thankful and sing praises for those who have been saved.

• Not being warm, welcoming, loving and accepting of ALL people/sinners who walk in through the church doors.

• Being hateful, mean and cruel.

• Not reaching out to those lost, hurting, lonely and feeling disconnected.

• Not letting God be the one to change the sinner.

• Not teaching children about God’s design for family.

• Closing the church door to God and not letting Him fill His holy place with His presence.

• Not teaching and sharing the true Word of God.

• Compromising beliefs and twisting the truth.

• Not sharing with others of own experiences with battling with sin and how God helped triumph over those sins.

What Christians Need to do Now

• Pray for those who are still lost.

• Pray for this world.

• Give thanks to those who have been saved.

• Reach out to those who are lost.

• Share with those who are lost how God rescued you from the darkness and brought you into the light.

Testimonies from Homosexuals who Found Christ & Changed Their Lives

These are just a few. There many testimonies out on the internet and within churches.

•  http://blogs.cbn.com/homosexuality/archive/2008/11/20/deceived-by-homosexuality.aspx
•  http://www.precious-testimonies.com/BornAgain/w-z/ZornesJennifer.htm
•  http://www.christian-faith.com/my-testimony-about-deliverance-from-homosexuality-by-maw/
•  http://2praisegod.com/testimony/2009/07/overcoming-homosexuality/