1 John 4:16-17 "And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him."
Lord, "confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like Him", is a very precious promise! I have had to go before a judge only once in my life, and that was for a traffic ticket. I remember being terrified. First, because I had never been in a court before, and second because I was guilty and had no idea how severe the penalty would be. But here, You tell me that I can rely on Your love for me, and Your love is made complete in me so I will have confidence on the day of judgment.
I MUST show love and grace to all others because Your love and grace is so great for me. Lord, I must confess it is hard sometimes because the one I am to love might not be loving or lovable, but it is commanded none the less. I cannot accomplish it in my flesh, but must rely on the Spirit to enable me. I also must be completely void of pride and ego, and remember to see myself as what I am...a sinner. I fail to hit Your mark daily. How can I hold myself above those around me? I cannot! I can minister to others only by Your power. Without You, I can do nothing.
Precious Lord, I need you every minute of every day to live the life of love You ask of me. Thank You for making Yourself...the king of all creation, ruler over all that is, impeccable, holy, and righteous God, available to one such as I. It is a blessed mystery. I will never understand it, but love You for it!
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Monday, January 30, 2012
Lives In Us and We In God
1 John 4:14-15 "And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent His Son to be the Savior of the world. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in Him and He in God."
Lord, unlike John who walked and talked with You and was taught directly by You when You were here on earth, I have not "seen" you. However; I too can testify with him that You were sent by the Father to be the Savior of the world because You saved ME as well as countless others throughout history, and our world has never been the same!
You founded our America on Your love, justice and mercy. You then gave me and my family the amazing privilege to be born and live here in freedom. We are all unworthy sinners, living under grace. Dear Lord and lover of my soul, I do acknowledge You as the one and ONLY Son of the Living God, Jehovah, Father-the first person of the Holy Trinity.
For the first 26 years of my life, I knew of you, but did not KNOW You. Then one day, by Your grace and mercy alone, You opened my eyes to the truth that on that day that You hung on that wicked ugly Roman cross, You took the punishment and paid the price for MY sins...the ones I knew I had committed and should have been damned for. That day You became very real to me and I came to know You personally and our relationship began. How can I ever thank You enough, Lord?
Lord, unlike John who walked and talked with You and was taught directly by You when You were here on earth, I have not "seen" you. However; I too can testify with him that You were sent by the Father to be the Savior of the world because You saved ME as well as countless others throughout history, and our world has never been the same!
You founded our America on Your love, justice and mercy. You then gave me and my family the amazing privilege to be born and live here in freedom. We are all unworthy sinners, living under grace. Dear Lord and lover of my soul, I do acknowledge You as the one and ONLY Son of the Living God, Jehovah, Father-the first person of the Holy Trinity.
For the first 26 years of my life, I knew of you, but did not KNOW You. Then one day, by Your grace and mercy alone, You opened my eyes to the truth that on that day that You hung on that wicked ugly Roman cross, You took the punishment and paid the price for MY sins...the ones I knew I had committed and should have been damned for. That day You became very real to me and I came to know You personally and our relationship began. How can I ever thank You enough, Lord?
Saturday, January 28, 2012
When the Holy Spirit Moves In
1 John 4:13 "We know that we live in Him and He in us, because He has given us the Holy Spirit."
Dearest Lord, thank You for my internal tenant!
I remember our pastor at the Bible Baptist Church of Sodus, NY, Dr Bill VanSant, once told us, when asked how one could know if they were truly saved, that there could be no mistake if the conversion within us is real. He said that if someone moved into your home, you would know it. I can't remember exactly what examples he gave, but these are the ones I thought of:
There might be a drop of toothpaste in the bathroom sink I had just cleaned, the shower might already be wet when I stepped in for the first time in the morning., there might be a dirty dish in the sink I had not placed there, my water or electric bill would be unexplainably higher, and there would be food missing from the fridge and pantry.
The evidences of the invisible guest need not all be negative either. I might find a $20 bill in a pocket I know was not there before, the dishes I left in the kitchen sink might be washed and put away, my laundry might be done and folded for me to put away, and the bathroom might be cleaned before I ever touched it.
His point was that if I had truly trusted You as Savior, the Holy Spirit would have "moved in", and I would be able to see the changes He was making. The changes might be radical in a reprobate that had given his life to You, and might be much more subtle in the sweet natured compliant child who had been raised in a Christian home, but there would be evidence.
That is how I KNOW that I live in You and You in me. You have made such major changes in me over the years. Before salvation I never read Your Word, and could have cared less about going to church. Truth be told, there were times when a man came to the house to take Lance to church and I feigned that we were not up yet so we would not have to bother. Now, I can't wait to get with You in the mornings, and look forward to, and participate in, corporate worship. I love to spend time in Your word and with other Christians and feel more comfortable with them than I do the world. You have made me more patient, loving, wise, truthful, humble, gracious, and merciful than I ever was before. I cannot praise You enough!
Dearest Lord, thank You for my internal tenant!
I remember our pastor at the Bible Baptist Church of Sodus, NY, Dr Bill VanSant, once told us, when asked how one could know if they were truly saved, that there could be no mistake if the conversion within us is real. He said that if someone moved into your home, you would know it. I can't remember exactly what examples he gave, but these are the ones I thought of:
There might be a drop of toothpaste in the bathroom sink I had just cleaned, the shower might already be wet when I stepped in for the first time in the morning., there might be a dirty dish in the sink I had not placed there, my water or electric bill would be unexplainably higher, and there would be food missing from the fridge and pantry.
The evidences of the invisible guest need not all be negative either. I might find a $20 bill in a pocket I know was not there before, the dishes I left in the kitchen sink might be washed and put away, my laundry might be done and folded for me to put away, and the bathroom might be cleaned before I ever touched it.
His point was that if I had truly trusted You as Savior, the Holy Spirit would have "moved in", and I would be able to see the changes He was making. The changes might be radical in a reprobate that had given his life to You, and might be much more subtle in the sweet natured compliant child who had been raised in a Christian home, but there would be evidence.
That is how I KNOW that I live in You and You in me. You have made such major changes in me over the years. Before salvation I never read Your Word, and could have cared less about going to church. Truth be told, there were times when a man came to the house to take Lance to church and I feigned that we were not up yet so we would not have to bother. Now, I can't wait to get with You in the mornings, and look forward to, and participate in, corporate worship. I love to spend time in Your word and with other Christians and feel more comfortable with them than I do the world. You have made me more patient, loving, wise, truthful, humble, gracious, and merciful than I ever was before. I cannot praise You enough!
Friday, January 27, 2012
If We Love Each Other God Lives in Us
1 John 4:12 "No one has ever seen God, but if we love each other, God lives in us and His love is made complete in us."
Lord, I have heard it said that I am the only Jesus some others might see. They can't see You, Jesus, in the flesh, and no one has ever seen the Father or the Holy Spirit (except if the form of a dove). You make Your love complete in us for the benefit of the Family, but also to draw others to You. If I allow my flesh to rule in me, I will not love others unconditionally and will most likely draw others away from You, not to You. My flesh is pretty ugly, selfish, arrogant, prideful, and judgmental.
I beg of You, Dearest Lord, keep me in the Spirit and drive my flesh far from me. My flesh is like an angry pit bull. Keep it on a very short and very thick chain. I want others to see You in me and in other true believers so we might draw others to You!
Lord, I have heard it said that I am the only Jesus some others might see. They can't see You, Jesus, in the flesh, and no one has ever seen the Father or the Holy Spirit (except if the form of a dove). You make Your love complete in us for the benefit of the Family, but also to draw others to You. If I allow my flesh to rule in me, I will not love others unconditionally and will most likely draw others away from You, not to You. My flesh is pretty ugly, selfish, arrogant, prideful, and judgmental.
I beg of You, Dearest Lord, keep me in the Spirit and drive my flesh far from me. My flesh is like an angry pit bull. Keep it on a very short and very thick chain. I want others to see You in me and in other true believers so we might draw others to You!
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Love One Another
1 John 4:11 :Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another."
Lord, I do not want to be stingy with the love You have given to me. Help me, Lord to give real unconditional love freely to every Family member and also to those outside the Family. I know it will not always be easy to do so, and in myself it won't happen. I need Your help and the unbridled Holy Spirit in my life for Him to accomplish it through me. I know I am not always the most lovable person in this Family, and siblings have had to give me grace. I want to do the same so that Satan does not get a foothold in relationships.
Lord, I do not want to be stingy with the love You have given to me. Help me, Lord to give real unconditional love freely to every Family member and also to those outside the Family. I know it will not always be easy to do so, and in myself it won't happen. I need Your help and the unbridled Holy Spirit in my life for Him to accomplish it through me. I know I am not always the most lovable person in this Family, and siblings have had to give me grace. I want to do the same so that Satan does not get a foothold in relationships.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Amazing Love of God
1 John 4:9-10 "This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for (as the one who would turn away His wrath, taking away), our sins."
Sweet and precious Lord of Glory, there are not enough words in language to express the depth of the love You have for us. And You created us with the limitation that we cannot find enough words, do enough deeds, or witness to enough people in our whole lifetime to express our gratitude to You.
As a mother of two sons who decided on their own to join the US Armed Forces and to give themselves in service to preserve the freedoms we have, and having them both being placed in harm's way for that cause, I have a glimmer of understanding. When Tom was in Iraq, he said that it was hard to be there putting his life on the line to preserve the freedom of the very ones who daily lobbed rockets at their compound and blew up the soldiers in vehicles with the IED's. Lord, did You ever feel that was in Your humanness? I think You must have...but Your love is far greater than ours.
You, Father had but one Son, and He knew He would be hated and killed by the very ones for whom He would be giving His life. He was sinless and yet You would pile all of our sins from creation to the end of time on Him and He would pay the horrible price...MY PRICE, for those sins. He knew You would have to break the sweet fellowship He had with you from eternity past and that You would have to forsake Him for that time to bear that sin alone. How horrible that had to be for You both!
All of this was done for ME; a vile, selfish, stubborn, rebellious, arrogant, lustful sinner so that I could be free, cleansed, redeemed, and forgiven to live life through You! You did it for all mankind...but even if there had been only me, You still would have done it! How can I ever explain or understand such amazing grace? I cannot. All I can do is to be thankful.
Sweet and precious Lord of Glory, there are not enough words in language to express the depth of the love You have for us. And You created us with the limitation that we cannot find enough words, do enough deeds, or witness to enough people in our whole lifetime to express our gratitude to You.
As a mother of two sons who decided on their own to join the US Armed Forces and to give themselves in service to preserve the freedoms we have, and having them both being placed in harm's way for that cause, I have a glimmer of understanding. When Tom was in Iraq, he said that it was hard to be there putting his life on the line to preserve the freedom of the very ones who daily lobbed rockets at their compound and blew up the soldiers in vehicles with the IED's. Lord, did You ever feel that was in Your humanness? I think You must have...but Your love is far greater than ours.
You, Father had but one Son, and He knew He would be hated and killed by the very ones for whom He would be giving His life. He was sinless and yet You would pile all of our sins from creation to the end of time on Him and He would pay the horrible price...MY PRICE, for those sins. He knew You would have to break the sweet fellowship He had with you from eternity past and that You would have to forsake Him for that time to bear that sin alone. How horrible that had to be for You both!
All of this was done for ME; a vile, selfish, stubborn, rebellious, arrogant, lustful sinner so that I could be free, cleansed, redeemed, and forgiven to live life through You! You did it for all mankind...but even if there had been only me, You still would have done it! How can I ever explain or understand such amazing grace? I cannot. All I can do is to be thankful.
Monday, January 23, 2012
From a son's perspective
As many of you know my mom shared her testimony yesterday on Sanctity of Life Sunday regarding the two abortions that she had. After spending over and hour on the phone with her this morning, she asked me to share a side of the story that had not been told.
Growing up in a Christian household and attending church my entire life, I had always been taught and told that abortion was murder and that it was Biblically and morally wrong. This teaching was reinforced in my college years as I entered into this debate with classmates on many occasions in the course of my studies. I had gotten to the point in my life that I had the stand and the judgment that under no circumstances was anyone to ever have an abortion, and I could not understand at all why someone would want to kill their own child. Now please understand that the entire time that I would rant and rave about this, even when talking to my parents, did I know that I was talking to two people who had experienced this traumatic event.
You see, when my two older brothers were in their early teenage years, my mom told them what had transpired in her life, as she had started to share her testimony, and she did not want them to be shocked and scared. I was too young at that time to understand what was being said.
So as I grew up and became more and more stiff-necked towards those people who had had an abortion, you can imagine the fear and trepidation that grew in my mother’s heart, as she wanted to share with me what had happened in her life. Here was her own son standing in condemnation over her, even though I had no knowledge that she herself had gone through that experience, not once, but twice. My mother still had not told me what had happened, fearing that it would damage, if not destroy our relationship.
I was finally told at the age of 32 years of age what had happened in the life of my family. That was only just one year ago. I was told that I have two siblings waiting for me in Heaven.
After she shared with me what had happened and asked my forgiveness, I remember the silence that was on the phone as she waited to hear my response, or just to hear the slamming of the phone. I remember the tears that filled my eyes and the love that welled up in my heart, as I told her “I forgive you”.
Now let me share how I had come that point. I had learned through many life struggles that if I claim Christ as my Lord and Savior and claim His grace in my life, I am commanded to show that grace with others. I cannot claim His forgiveness and then deny it to others that ask it of me. I was able to look upon my mom, not as one who had committed some grievous sin, but as one that I loved so much that it didn’t matter what had happened, I HAD to forgive her just as Christ had forgiven me.
Ephesians 4:30-32 (NIV) states “30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”
I don’t know if some of you who read this might need to show some of that grace to others in your life. You may have someone that has wronged you, or you may be a parent whose daughter has experienced a similar situation that my mom faced. I pray that you will heed the scripture of our Lord and Savior. Allow God to march past your preconceived ideas, your judgmental feelings, your stiff- neckedness , and give you the strength to show His grace to those that need it from you.
“Lord, I pray for the one that is reading this and knows in their heart that there is someone in their life that needs the forgiveness that you have given to us, so that we may share it with others. I pray your strength into their life so that may see them through the eyes of your grace. We ask this in your name as we join in one heart, Amen”
Whoever Does Not Love Does Not Know God
1 John 4:8 "Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love."
Lord, You have told us in the book of Jeremiah that man's heart is deceitful, sick, and desperately wicked, who can know it? Without You, Lord, the kind of love for others that You have given is impossible. Man has a terminal heart disease that cannot be fixed by by-pass or catheterization. It can only be cured by a total heart transplant. That is what You do at salvation, and thank You for it! Only when we wholly trust You and Your perfect work on Calvary on our behalf can we love others as we ought.
Dick and I are reading the first book in the Great Awakening series, "Proof", written by Bill Bright and Jack Cavanaugh. The era is the mid 1800 in New York City. Thousands of immigrants pour in each day, High Society,is more concerned with proper etiquette and blood lines than to care about those having to freeze, go hungry, are dying of unattended to illness and disease, and who do whatever necessary just to survive in the sin and filth infested area called "Five Point". It is the story of a believer who is caught between the two. The precious thing we have seen in the book is the difference the Lord makes in how we view others. Without God we are consumed with ourselves. Jesus opens the previously locked door of our selfishness and pride and shows us the world as He sees it. Then He floods our hearts with a love that cannot be contained.
Hallelujah, what a Savior!
Lord, You have told us in the book of Jeremiah that man's heart is deceitful, sick, and desperately wicked, who can know it? Without You, Lord, the kind of love for others that You have given is impossible. Man has a terminal heart disease that cannot be fixed by by-pass or catheterization. It can only be cured by a total heart transplant. That is what You do at salvation, and thank You for it! Only when we wholly trust You and Your perfect work on Calvary on our behalf can we love others as we ought.
Dick and I are reading the first book in the Great Awakening series, "Proof", written by Bill Bright and Jack Cavanaugh. The era is the mid 1800 in New York City. Thousands of immigrants pour in each day, High Society,is more concerned with proper etiquette and blood lines than to care about those having to freeze, go hungry, are dying of unattended to illness and disease, and who do whatever necessary just to survive in the sin and filth infested area called "Five Point". It is the story of a believer who is caught between the two. The precious thing we have seen in the book is the difference the Lord makes in how we view others. Without God we are consumed with ourselves. Jesus opens the previously locked door of our selfishness and pride and shows us the world as He sees it. Then He floods our hearts with a love that cannot be contained.
Hallelujah, what a Savior!
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Love is From God
1 John 4:7 "Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God."
Lord, we have discussed this before, but today something else came to my mind by the Holy Spirit. The love John talks about here is far different than the love the world understands. There are billions of people on this earth right now. There are a lot of folks who are "in love" or who love their offspring and others who do not know You. That love is different than what You are speaking of here. That love is usually conditional and fragile. All anyone has to do is to look at the divorce rate and the number of "loved" children who have emotional issues and it is obvious.
In 1 Corinthians 13:4-8b, You tell us how love acts:
Love:
Is patient
Is kind
Does not envy
Does not boast
Is not proud
Is not rude
Is not self seeking
Is not easily angered
Keeps no record of wrongs
Does not delight in evil
Rejoices with the truth
Always protects
Always trusts
Always hopes
Always perseveres
Never fails
Sweet Lord, I know without You I cannot ALWAYS act this way to even the ones I love deeply, let alone other members of the Family. You have seen it and I have had to come to You for forgiveness and restoration. Lord, I desperately want to be like You and to show this kind of love,, Help me, sweet Lord, to do as You have asked of me.
Lord, we have discussed this before, but today something else came to my mind by the Holy Spirit. The love John talks about here is far different than the love the world understands. There are billions of people on this earth right now. There are a lot of folks who are "in love" or who love their offspring and others who do not know You. That love is different than what You are speaking of here. That love is usually conditional and fragile. All anyone has to do is to look at the divorce rate and the number of "loved" children who have emotional issues and it is obvious.
In 1 Corinthians 13:4-8b, You tell us how love acts:
Love:
Is patient
Is kind
Does not envy
Does not boast
Is not proud
Is not rude
Is not self seeking
Is not easily angered
Keeps no record of wrongs
Does not delight in evil
Rejoices with the truth
Always protects
Always trusts
Always hopes
Always perseveres
Never fails
Sweet Lord, I know without You I cannot ALWAYS act this way to even the ones I love deeply, let alone other members of the Family. You have seen it and I have had to come to You for forgiveness and restoration. Lord, I desperately want to be like You and to show this kind of love,, Help me, sweet Lord, to do as You have asked of me.
Saturday, January 21, 2012
From Sinner to Saint Only By God's Grace
I am a sinner, but praise God I am saved by His grace and mercy and I have been forgiven and have been cleansed!.
Romans 3:23 "For all of have come short of the glory of God."
Romans 5:8 "For God commended His love for us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
Romans 8:1 “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
I grew up in a dead church and did not have God’s standards as my own. A deacon in that church told me when I was in Junior High that if I did not find a mate by the time I was out of high school, I would be an old maid, but I cannot blame him or that church for the sins I committed. By nature I am rebellious against the God of Glory and was alienated from Him. I began my frantic search and became what some would call, “boy crazy”.
I went to college and thought I had found the perfect mate. It was the era of the sexual revolution. We dated for about 3 years and talked of marriage. He gave me the line, “If you loved me you would…” And I believed him. I gave in because I wanted to and became pregnant. As soon as he found out, he wanted me to have an abortion. I refused. He cursed at me and told me I was trying to trap him into marriage, and left my life forever. I cannot blame him for my sin either. I went home and my loving parents cared for me and forgave me, but I had guilt and shame I did not know what to do with.
When my son Lance was born I had given him up for adoption. However; God had a different plan because He can always see the end from the beginning. Lance was born with a birth defect that would require extensive medical attention so they said that would likely keep him from being adopted. God gave me the chance to keep him. How good and gracious God is that he would bless even an unbeliever!
One would think that I would have learned…but sin does not learn from past mistakes. When I was engaged to my precious, sweet, NURSE (Yes, God knows our need before we ever do!) husband, who was not saved either, I went into him and conceived again. We were both so ashamed and terrified to tell our parents, so we decided to destroy the evidence of our indiscretion and I had an abortion because we both believed Satan’s lie that this “thing” was just a bunch of cells and was not a baby yet. I cannot blame my husband for my sin either, because I could have disagreed again and faced the consequences, but did not. There was more guilt and shame with nowhere to take it.
A few years later after we were married I found that I was pregnant yet again. We were in a financial crisis and Lance was having surgeries. Satan whispered, yet again, that we could not afford to have another child, so we decided that I would have another abortion. I cannot blame my husband for my sin either, because I could have disagreed again and faced the consequences, but did not. There was more guilt and shame with nowhere to take it.
What Satan does not reveal to us is that after we do what he tempts and prompts us to do by his lies; he will hound us with regret, shame, and even despair. He did and I had nowhere to take all of it. I was shackled by the sin I had committed.
But God! Don’t you just love those words! God sent someone to tell me about His salvation and I accepted the truth that Jesus died to save ME! He took the penalty for all of my sin on himself that day on the cross so I did not have to. He paid the wages for my sin. Scripture says in Romans 6:23, "The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." The Holy Spirit opened my eyes to the truth.and I trusted in Jesus as my Savior and Lord. At that moment, He took all of that sin and junk out of my life and forgave me, cleansed me and made me a new creation. God does not forgive like we do sometimes. His word says that He refuses to remember our sin again. I was clean and free with a new live minus all of the guilt and shame! I also know now that in Heaven, I will meet the two precious children I never got to meet here and there will be no condemnation from them.
Hallelujah, what a Savior! I love You, Lord and I love Your word that reveals Your precious promises. I have been redeemed, restored, made whiter than snow because of Your precious blood shed on my behalf. You have paid the price for my sin debt and have satisfied the Father's judgment on me. I can never thank You enough for that.
I can start to believe Satan's lies if I am not wholly focused on Jesus. He wants me to believe that I am not a new creature, not forgiven, not restored, and am powerless against him. He wants me to hang onto the sins of my past and fill me with false guilt, shame, and even despair so I am not of use in God’s Family or as a witness to the unsaved world. He is a liar and the father of lies and in truth has absolutely no power over me unless I invite it.
The truth is that Jesus is the all powerful, great, and almighty God filled with majesty, honor, truth, love, and glory. He created all that is and yet He loves us fallen vile sinners, forgives us, and makes us His children when we repent. Then He fills us with His Holy Spirit so we can do all things in His purpose for us through Him because He gives us the strength to accomplish them for His glory. Only in His power have I overcome the false teachers I have heard who have tried to deceive me.
Thank You, Lord! I bless You and Your holy name!
He longs to do the same for you.
If you, like me, have been guilty of the sin of fornication and/or have had an abortion, or have encouraged someone else to have one, please know that You too can be cleansed of that sin and guilt…not because we deserve it, but because Jesus died to pay the wages of those and all other sins on that cross so many years ago. We may have taken a life, But Jesus gives life in abundance.
If you need help, please post it on my Facebook wall or send me a note at timiplyter@yahoo.com. I will be more than glad to share the TRUTH with you!
Romans 3:23 "For all of have come short of the glory of God."
Romans 5:8 "For God commended His love for us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
Romans 8:1 “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
I grew up in a dead church and did not have God’s standards as my own. A deacon in that church told me when I was in Junior High that if I did not find a mate by the time I was out of high school, I would be an old maid, but I cannot blame him or that church for the sins I committed. By nature I am rebellious against the God of Glory and was alienated from Him. I began my frantic search and became what some would call, “boy crazy”.
I went to college and thought I had found the perfect mate. It was the era of the sexual revolution. We dated for about 3 years and talked of marriage. He gave me the line, “If you loved me you would…” And I believed him. I gave in because I wanted to and became pregnant. As soon as he found out, he wanted me to have an abortion. I refused. He cursed at me and told me I was trying to trap him into marriage, and left my life forever. I cannot blame him for my sin either. I went home and my loving parents cared for me and forgave me, but I had guilt and shame I did not know what to do with.
When my son Lance was born I had given him up for adoption. However; God had a different plan because He can always see the end from the beginning. Lance was born with a birth defect that would require extensive medical attention so they said that would likely keep him from being adopted. God gave me the chance to keep him. How good and gracious God is that he would bless even an unbeliever!
One would think that I would have learned…but sin does not learn from past mistakes. When I was engaged to my precious, sweet, NURSE (Yes, God knows our need before we ever do!) husband, who was not saved either, I went into him and conceived again. We were both so ashamed and terrified to tell our parents, so we decided to destroy the evidence of our indiscretion and I had an abortion because we both believed Satan’s lie that this “thing” was just a bunch of cells and was not a baby yet. I cannot blame my husband for my sin either, because I could have disagreed again and faced the consequences, but did not. There was more guilt and shame with nowhere to take it.
A few years later after we were married I found that I was pregnant yet again. We were in a financial crisis and Lance was having surgeries. Satan whispered, yet again, that we could not afford to have another child, so we decided that I would have another abortion. I cannot blame my husband for my sin either, because I could have disagreed again and faced the consequences, but did not. There was more guilt and shame with nowhere to take it.
What Satan does not reveal to us is that after we do what he tempts and prompts us to do by his lies; he will hound us with regret, shame, and even despair. He did and I had nowhere to take all of it. I was shackled by the sin I had committed.
But God! Don’t you just love those words! God sent someone to tell me about His salvation and I accepted the truth that Jesus died to save ME! He took the penalty for all of my sin on himself that day on the cross so I did not have to. He paid the wages for my sin. Scripture says in Romans 6:23, "The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." The Holy Spirit opened my eyes to the truth.and I trusted in Jesus as my Savior and Lord. At that moment, He took all of that sin and junk out of my life and forgave me, cleansed me and made me a new creation. God does not forgive like we do sometimes. His word says that He refuses to remember our sin again. I was clean and free with a new live minus all of the guilt and shame! I also know now that in Heaven, I will meet the two precious children I never got to meet here and there will be no condemnation from them.
Hallelujah, what a Savior! I love You, Lord and I love Your word that reveals Your precious promises. I have been redeemed, restored, made whiter than snow because of Your precious blood shed on my behalf. You have paid the price for my sin debt and have satisfied the Father's judgment on me. I can never thank You enough for that.
I can start to believe Satan's lies if I am not wholly focused on Jesus. He wants me to believe that I am not a new creature, not forgiven, not restored, and am powerless against him. He wants me to hang onto the sins of my past and fill me with false guilt, shame, and even despair so I am not of use in God’s Family or as a witness to the unsaved world. He is a liar and the father of lies and in truth has absolutely no power over me unless I invite it.
The truth is that Jesus is the all powerful, great, and almighty God filled with majesty, honor, truth, love, and glory. He created all that is and yet He loves us fallen vile sinners, forgives us, and makes us His children when we repent. Then He fills us with His Holy Spirit so we can do all things in His purpose for us through Him because He gives us the strength to accomplish them for His glory. Only in His power have I overcome the false teachers I have heard who have tried to deceive me.
Thank You, Lord! I bless You and Your holy name!
He longs to do the same for you.
If you, like me, have been guilty of the sin of fornication and/or have had an abortion, or have encouraged someone else to have one, please know that You too can be cleansed of that sin and guilt…not because we deserve it, but because Jesus died to pay the wages of those and all other sins on that cross so many years ago. We may have taken a life, But Jesus gives life in abundance.
If you need help, please post it on my Facebook wall or send me a note at timiplyter@yahoo.com. I will be more than glad to share the TRUTH with you!
Holy Spirit vs spirit of Falsehood
1 John 4:6 "We are from God, and whoever is from God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood."
Sweet and forgiving Lord, I know from past experience that the truth of God is foolishness to those who are not true believers because Your truth is spiritually discerned. No Spirit=no understanding. Without Your Spirit, we can only guess at the truth and if we do not understand it, in our arrogance, we mock it and make up our own "truth".
We are seeing it right now in all areas of the media. Tim Teebow, the quarterback for the Denver Broncos, makes no secret of his deep faith in You and Your work in his life. Because of his own story, he stands against abortion. He does not "showboat", but when he receives a blessing from You on the football field, he bows the knee on the sideline and gives thanks to You. The secular society does not quite know what to do with him. He walks in integrity and lovingkindness, and is a great quarterback, so they can't find much to degrade him about. People either bless or mock him. Christians rejoice at his testimony, the world does not. He is a modern day Daniel.
There are others whose lives have become public and therefore subject to public ridicule, just like You were. Some, like the late Dr Jerry Falwell, Chuck Colson, and Dr James Dobson to name just a few, are involved in not only benevolent ministries but also speak out against the sin of the culture like the prophets of old, and have become fodder for the world's hunger for mockery. The world cannot understand them so they ridicule.
Even within the "church" there are those who teach a perverted gospel. They preach the social or prosperity gospel that has just enough truth sprinkled in (Satan's best deception) to make it look like it is from You. They pervert Your word to make their case and keep their hearers ignorant enough of Your word that they don't see the deception. It is very very sad, because those preachers are the most deceived. They are still of their father, the devil, and do not realize it.
Lord, Your truth is so beautiful! It is not always easy to accept even as believers. You tell us that the world will hate us, persecute us, and may even kill us because we stand with You. The human part of us wants to shrink away, but then You give the statement to not be concerned with what man can do to the body, but to guard our souls. You promise us grace and mercy in those times, like You gave to Steven when he was facing stoning, and only by true faith can we accept that as truth.
Lord help me to always remember that if I am following You and obeying Your commands there will be those who do not understand and will reject and mock me. Help me to remember what Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins said in the Left Behind series: "The cross is an offense. If I offend (when I speak of it), I am doing my job , if it is not an offense, the Spirit is doing His job." Keep me very close to You so I can discern truth from falsehood, and help me to lovingly guide others into Your truth.
Sweet and forgiving Lord, I know from past experience that the truth of God is foolishness to those who are not true believers because Your truth is spiritually discerned. No Spirit=no understanding. Without Your Spirit, we can only guess at the truth and if we do not understand it, in our arrogance, we mock it and make up our own "truth".
We are seeing it right now in all areas of the media. Tim Teebow, the quarterback for the Denver Broncos, makes no secret of his deep faith in You and Your work in his life. Because of his own story, he stands against abortion. He does not "showboat", but when he receives a blessing from You on the football field, he bows the knee on the sideline and gives thanks to You. The secular society does not quite know what to do with him. He walks in integrity and lovingkindness, and is a great quarterback, so they can't find much to degrade him about. People either bless or mock him. Christians rejoice at his testimony, the world does not. He is a modern day Daniel.
There are others whose lives have become public and therefore subject to public ridicule, just like You were. Some, like the late Dr Jerry Falwell, Chuck Colson, and Dr James Dobson to name just a few, are involved in not only benevolent ministries but also speak out against the sin of the culture like the prophets of old, and have become fodder for the world's hunger for mockery. The world cannot understand them so they ridicule.
Even within the "church" there are those who teach a perverted gospel. They preach the social or prosperity gospel that has just enough truth sprinkled in (Satan's best deception) to make it look like it is from You. They pervert Your word to make their case and keep their hearers ignorant enough of Your word that they don't see the deception. It is very very sad, because those preachers are the most deceived. They are still of their father, the devil, and do not realize it.
Lord, Your truth is so beautiful! It is not always easy to accept even as believers. You tell us that the world will hate us, persecute us, and may even kill us because we stand with You. The human part of us wants to shrink away, but then You give the statement to not be concerned with what man can do to the body, but to guard our souls. You promise us grace and mercy in those times, like You gave to Steven when he was facing stoning, and only by true faith can we accept that as truth.
Lord help me to always remember that if I am following You and obeying Your commands there will be those who do not understand and will reject and mock me. Help me to remember what Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins said in the Left Behind series: "The cross is an offense. If I offend (when I speak of it), I am doing my job , if it is not an offense, the Spirit is doing His job." Keep me very close to You so I can discern truth from falsehood, and help me to lovingly guide others into Your truth.
Friday, January 20, 2012
The Secular Worldview
1 John 4:5 "They (false teachers) are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them."
Precious Lord, the unsaved world has no understanding of the truth so they listen to the secular worldview and do not know they are being deceived. Because unregenerate man is sinful by nature, their worldview will be as well. There are so many "isms" today: Humanism, Polytheism, Deism, Naturalism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and the list goes on and on of humans trying to explain their existence, sin, purpose, and how to get to a better place if there is one. All fall horribly short of the truth. They either do not know the truth or, in their arrogance, will not accept the truth because Satan and their own sin has blinded their eyes to it.
Lord, thank You for opening my spiritual eyes to the truth that had stared me in the face for years, but I too was blind to it. Your truth makes so much more sense than all of the feeble human "ism" attempts to explain things. I am humbled and blessed by this priceless gift You, in Your grace and mercy alone, have bestowed on me.
Precious Lord, the unsaved world has no understanding of the truth so they listen to the secular worldview and do not know they are being deceived. Because unregenerate man is sinful by nature, their worldview will be as well. There are so many "isms" today: Humanism, Polytheism, Deism, Naturalism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and the list goes on and on of humans trying to explain their existence, sin, purpose, and how to get to a better place if there is one. All fall horribly short of the truth. They either do not know the truth or, in their arrogance, will not accept the truth because Satan and their own sin has blinded their eyes to it.
Lord, thank You for opening my spiritual eyes to the truth that had stared me in the face for years, but I too was blind to it. Your truth makes so much more sense than all of the feeble human "ism" attempts to explain things. I am humbled and blessed by this priceless gift You, in Your grace and mercy alone, have bestowed on me.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Our Savior is Greater Than Satan
1 John 4:4 "You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world."
Hallelujah, what a Savior! I love You, Lord and I love Your word that reveals Your precious promises. I have been redeemed, restored, made whiter than snow because of Your precious blood shed on my behalf. You have paid the price for my sin debt and have satisfied the Father's judgment on me. I can never thank You enough for that.
I can start to believe Satan's lies if I am not wholly focused on You. He wants me to believe that I am not a new creature, not forgiven, not restored, and am powerless against him. He wants me to hang onto the sins of my past and fill me with false guilt, shame, and even despair so I am not of use in Your Family or as a witness to the unsaved world. He is a liar and the father of lies and in truth has absolutely no power over me unless I invite it.
The truth is that You are the all powerful, great, and almighty God filled with majesty, honor, truth, love, and glory. You created all that is and yet You love me, a fallen vile sinner, forgave me and made me Your child. Then You filled me with Your Holy Spirit so I can do all things in Your purpose for me through You because You give me the strength to accomplish them for Your glory. Only in Your power have I overcome the false teachers I have heard who have tried to deceive me. Thank You, Lord! I bless You and Your holy name!
Hallelujah, what a Savior! I love You, Lord and I love Your word that reveals Your precious promises. I have been redeemed, restored, made whiter than snow because of Your precious blood shed on my behalf. You have paid the price for my sin debt and have satisfied the Father's judgment on me. I can never thank You enough for that.
I can start to believe Satan's lies if I am not wholly focused on You. He wants me to believe that I am not a new creature, not forgiven, not restored, and am powerless against him. He wants me to hang onto the sins of my past and fill me with false guilt, shame, and even despair so I am not of use in Your Family or as a witness to the unsaved world. He is a liar and the father of lies and in truth has absolutely no power over me unless I invite it.
The truth is that You are the all powerful, great, and almighty God filled with majesty, honor, truth, love, and glory. You created all that is and yet You love me, a fallen vile sinner, forgave me and made me Your child. Then You filled me with Your Holy Spirit so I can do all things in Your purpose for me through You because You give me the strength to accomplish them for Your glory. Only in Your power have I overcome the false teachers I have heard who have tried to deceive me. Thank You, Lord! I bless You and Your holy name!
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Test the Spirits
1 John 4:2-3 "This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Evert spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.""
Lord, You are my precious savior, my sovereign Son of the living God, God incarnate, God-Man, and the only savior of mankind. Satan is a liar and the father of lies. He wants to thwart Your plan and deceive as many of Your human creation as possible.
We have a horrible bumper sticker that I normally see on the back of a big pickup truck that says, "The one with the most toys wins". It's like Satan believes that he with the most souls sins. In his arrogance and pride, he does not want to admit that he is defeated. On the other hand, he does know and wants to take as many human souls with him to burn in hell with him as possible and in any way possible and sees that as some sort of worship for himself. Pride is so evil and destructive!
Because of the Fall, we have four groups of people:
Psalm 139 asks that You search me and know my heart, try me and know my thoughts, see if there is any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting. That is my prayer today and every day.
Lord, You are my precious savior, my sovereign Son of the living God, God incarnate, God-Man, and the only savior of mankind. Satan is a liar and the father of lies. He wants to thwart Your plan and deceive as many of Your human creation as possible.
We have a horrible bumper sticker that I normally see on the back of a big pickup truck that says, "The one with the most toys wins". It's like Satan believes that he with the most souls sins. In his arrogance and pride, he does not want to admit that he is defeated. On the other hand, he does know and wants to take as many human souls with him to burn in hell with him as possible and in any way possible and sees that as some sort of worship for himself. Pride is so evil and destructive!
Because of the Fall, we have four groups of people:
- The first have never heard of You at all so they have made gods of their own because man was made to worship.
- The second group are those who have heard of You, but have been deceived into thinking that You are simply a man, a good man and teacher, and maybe even a prophet, but certainly not the God-Man and God incarnate.
- The third group is possibly the most sad of all. They are the ones who claim to believe in You, but do not believe that salvation is by grace alone. They believe in works. They believe You were born incarnate but are now questioning the Virgin birth, or believe there is something other than simply trusting You for Your completed work on their behalf for salvation. They believe they must work and do enough good in their lives to outweigh the bad in order to earn entrance into heaven; or they believe there are levels of salvation based on their performance to gain the baptism of the Holy Spirit. This group breaks my heart most of all because they are the most deceived.
- Then there is this fourth group who are true believers who know You and have an intimate relationship with You because they have been born from above. They believe that they have absolutely nothing to offer You at salvation but their pathetic sinful soul, but believe solely in Your completed atoning sacrifice on their behalf that You accomplished on the cross. They believe what Your word says that our best works are like filthy rags and it is not by works that we have done, but by Your mercy You saved us.
Psalm 139 asks that You search me and know my heart, try me and know my thoughts, see if there is any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting. That is my prayer today and every day.
Monday, January 16, 2012
Your Word+Your Spirit=Guide to Truth
1 John 4:1 "Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world."
Lord, this was true in John's day and is even more true, if that is possible, today with the easy and prolific access to print, radio, TV, CDs, and the internet. More false prophets can reach more people much faster than in any time in history. Of course the same is true for true Christians who teach the truth as well.
Thank You again for Your Holy Spirit who guides me into all truth and alerts me of false teaching. Thank You for Your Word in print, on the computer, and in digital form so I can have access to it almost everywhere I am. Thank You for helping me to memorize scripture so when all of these resources are no available, I still can test the spirits with what I have hidden in my heart. You have commanded me to be like the Bareans who tested all the things Paul said by the scriptures. If I don't know the scriptures, I will not know truth from falsehood. Your Word is the standard by which everything is measured for truth.
Your Word+Your Spirit=Guide to Truth
Lord, this was true in John's day and is even more true, if that is possible, today with the easy and prolific access to print, radio, TV, CDs, and the internet. More false prophets can reach more people much faster than in any time in history. Of course the same is true for true Christians who teach the truth as well.
Thank You again for Your Holy Spirit who guides me into all truth and alerts me of false teaching. Thank You for Your Word in print, on the computer, and in digital form so I can have access to it almost everywhere I am. Thank You for helping me to memorize scripture so when all of these resources are no available, I still can test the spirits with what I have hidden in my heart. You have commanded me to be like the Bareans who tested all the things Paul said by the scriptures. If I don't know the scriptures, I will not know truth from falsehood. Your Word is the standard by which everything is measured for truth.
Your Word+Your Spirit=Guide to Truth
Saturday, January 14, 2012
This How We Know
John 3:24 "Those who obey His commands live in Him, and He in them. And this is how we know that He lives in us: We know it by the Spirit He gave us."
Lord, All through the book we have here, John writes a recurring phrase, "and this is how we know". You did not want me to be confused or insecure in my relationship with You and others. It was a very sad day when I asked my precious dad if he knew he was going to heaven and he replied that no one can ever truly know until they die whether they will be in Heaven or not. At that moment I could not go into detail with him but told him he could indeed know for sure and needed to know while he was still alive. I then wrote him an extensive letter with all of the scripture verses that told him how to know. A lot of them came from this little book. Lord, thank You for having all of them in Your Word for us to see. We can take stock and evaluate our thoughts, and attitudes that lead to actions.
I know that when You became my Lord and Savior, You made a huge change in me. Your Spirit moved in ad cleaned house! He took down all of the pictures of me that were on the walls and put just one of You in their place. I went from never wanting to hear Your name again to saying it over and over in loving thanksgiving and praise, from not wanting to read your Word or listen to a Pastor to not being able to
get enough of either, from having no understanding to having Your Word becoming crystal clear because Your Spirit, my teacher, comforter, convictor, and guide made it possible. He made it all possible! Thanks so much for leaving Him for me in Your physical absence. How I long to see Your face...but until that is possible, Your Spirit is a precious friend!
Lord, All through the book we have here, John writes a recurring phrase, "and this is how we know". You did not want me to be confused or insecure in my relationship with You and others. It was a very sad day when I asked my precious dad if he knew he was going to heaven and he replied that no one can ever truly know until they die whether they will be in Heaven or not. At that moment I could not go into detail with him but told him he could indeed know for sure and needed to know while he was still alive. I then wrote him an extensive letter with all of the scripture verses that told him how to know. A lot of them came from this little book. Lord, thank You for having all of them in Your Word for us to see. We can take stock and evaluate our thoughts, and attitudes that lead to actions.
I know that when You became my Lord and Savior, You made a huge change in me. Your Spirit moved in ad cleaned house! He took down all of the pictures of me that were on the walls and put just one of You in their place. I went from never wanting to hear Your name again to saying it over and over in loving thanksgiving and praise, from not wanting to read your Word or listen to a Pastor to not being able to
get enough of either, from having no understanding to having Your Word becoming crystal clear because Your Spirit, my teacher, comforter, convictor, and guide made it possible. He made it all possible! Thanks so much for leaving Him for me in Your physical absence. How I long to see Your face...but until that is possible, Your Spirit is a precious friend!
Only Two Commands
1 John 3:23 "And this is His command: to believe in the name of the Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as He commanded us."
Precious Lord, You give me just two commands! This should be a piece of cake!
The first seemed like the easier of the two until I realized it is a daily command. I trusted You as Savior believing in You and You work on my behalf on the cross and through Your resurrection. But I really need to believe in You daily in, and with, everything. I need to believe in Your unconditional love so I am not performance driven or a people pleaser, believe in your loving provision so that I am not stressed over my financial situation, the believe You are giving wisdom and discernment as I deal with others and make decisions. Lord, I confess that even after 30 plus years of walking with You daily that I, like Paul, have not "arrived".
The second command is harder to obey constantly then the first because You are perfect and always truthful and we humans, even blood bought Christians, are not. It is not hard for me to love the lovely, loving, and pure. However; to love the unlovely, unloving, and irritating is so much harder. But I am to love all men unconditionally, especially those in the Family. Not because they may or may not deserve it, but because it is for Your sake and You command it of me. This unconditional love requires pure selflessness and to see others as You saw/see me, a sinner in need of grace and mercy.
Precious Lord, You give me just two commands! This should be a piece of cake!
The first seemed like the easier of the two until I realized it is a daily command. I trusted You as Savior believing in You and You work on my behalf on the cross and through Your resurrection. But I really need to believe in You daily in, and with, everything. I need to believe in Your unconditional love so I am not performance driven or a people pleaser, believe in your loving provision so that I am not stressed over my financial situation, the believe You are giving wisdom and discernment as I deal with others and make decisions. Lord, I confess that even after 30 plus years of walking with You daily that I, like Paul, have not "arrived".
The second command is harder to obey constantly then the first because You are perfect and always truthful and we humans, even blood bought Christians, are not. It is not hard for me to love the lovely, loving, and pure. However; to love the unlovely, unloving, and irritating is so much harder. But I am to love all men unconditionally, especially those in the Family. Not because they may or may not deserve it, but because it is for Your sake and You command it of me. This unconditional love requires pure selflessness and to see others as You saw/see me, a sinner in need of grace and mercy.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
I Have Confidence Before the Lord
1 John 3:21-22 "Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from Him anything we ask, because we obey His commands and do what pleases Him."
Precious Lord and Savior, thank You for giving me Your Holy Spirit who convicts me of sin as I am truly Yours by my second birth. Romans 8:1 says, "Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death." Then 8:5b says, "but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their mind set on what the Spirit desires." Therefore; because I am Your child and live by the Spirit, I desire what the Spirit desires, and can come boldly before the throne of grace and ask for anything and You will give it.
However; James in 4:2b-3 says that I may have not because I ask not because I ask with the wrong motive to spend what I receive on my own pleasures.
So; if I am Yours, am walking in the Spirit, am asking with the right motives, obey Your commands and do what pleases You, You will give what I ask according to Your will. Thank You, Lord, not only for this clarification, but also for this amazing promise!
Precious Lord and Savior, thank You for giving me Your Holy Spirit who convicts me of sin as I am truly Yours by my second birth. Romans 8:1 says, "Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death." Then 8:5b says, "but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their mind set on what the Spirit desires." Therefore; because I am Your child and live by the Spirit, I desire what the Spirit desires, and can come boldly before the throne of grace and ask for anything and You will give it.
However; James in 4:2b-3 says that I may have not because I ask not because I ask with the wrong motive to spend what I receive on my own pleasures.
So; if I am Yours, am walking in the Spirit, am asking with the right motives, obey Your commands and do what pleases You, You will give what I ask according to Your will. Thank You, Lord, not only for this clarification, but also for this amazing promise!
Listen to Truth Not Emotions
1 John 3:19-20 " This then is how we know we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in His presence whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than outr hearts; and He knows everything."
Lord, my emotions are given by You and therefore are a good thing. However; sometimes...well most of the time... they can run amuck because I am in the flesh not the Spirit. I am not to be ruled by them, but am to rule over them with the truth.
For instance, there are times when I do not "feel" close to You, but in reality, there is nothing between us. I have been reading in Job and he felt as though You were punishing him and had deserted him. In reality that was far from the truth. He had to keep bringing himself back to the truth. David did the same in the Psalms.
I may, in an unguarded moment, act in a certain way, say something, or start to let bitterness grow because of a hurt, Then I ask myself how, if I am truly Yours, could I ever allow such a thing to happen. All through this book, John gives me the litmus test for a true Christian. I believe this is why You had him write this for us, and why You had him place 1:9 at the beginning. I am certainly not perfected on the day of salvation, but the perfection journey begins at that point. You made me a new creation and made a lot of changesat the moment I trusted You and made You lord of my life. However; because You did not remove my sin nature, I am still prone to sin. Daily, as I study Your word, I learn new promises and commands, and daily, well sometimes moment to moment, I must adjust my thoughts and actions to alighn with them and confess my shortcomings. You restore me when I confess and repent. In that way, I am not allowed to "continue" in my sin without conviction.
I praise You that You are indeed greater than our hearts because You know everything. That way I can rest in the TRUTH, not in my feelings!
Lord, my emotions are given by You and therefore are a good thing. However; sometimes...well most of the time... they can run amuck because I am in the flesh not the Spirit. I am not to be ruled by them, but am to rule over them with the truth.
For instance, there are times when I do not "feel" close to You, but in reality, there is nothing between us. I have been reading in Job and he felt as though You were punishing him and had deserted him. In reality that was far from the truth. He had to keep bringing himself back to the truth. David did the same in the Psalms.
I may, in an unguarded moment, act in a certain way, say something, or start to let bitterness grow because of a hurt, Then I ask myself how, if I am truly Yours, could I ever allow such a thing to happen. All through this book, John gives me the litmus test for a true Christian. I believe this is why You had him write this for us, and why You had him place 1:9 at the beginning. I am certainly not perfected on the day of salvation, but the perfection journey begins at that point. You made me a new creation and made a lot of changesat the moment I trusted You and made You lord of my life. However; because You did not remove my sin nature, I am still prone to sin. Daily, as I study Your word, I learn new promises and commands, and daily, well sometimes moment to moment, I must adjust my thoughts and actions to alighn with them and confess my shortcomings. You restore me when I confess and repent. In that way, I am not allowed to "continue" in my sin without conviction.
I praise You that You are indeed greater than our hearts because You know everything. That way I can rest in the TRUTH, not in my feelings!
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Our Love Must Be Shown By Actions
1 John 3:18 "Dear Children, let us not love with word or tongue but with actions and the truth."
Lord,this verse reminds me of a phrase from the musical "My Fair Lady"- Don't talk of love- show me! Love is of no value until it has hands and feet. We can "say" anything because words come easily to us and usually do not cost us anything. But if our love is real, there will be sacrificial actions attached.
If I hear of sickness- I should pray, but also volunteer to take that one to the doctor if they cannot take themselves, bring a meal or offer child care. If I hear of the death of a loved one- I should pray, but also be there to offer comfort, maybe meals and fellowship after the throng has left. If I hear of a financial need , I should pray, but also give of my surplus and maybe sacrificially. I might even be called to offer some sound financial training to help them to avoid the situation again. If there is a brother or sister who is in error, I should pray, but also speak the truth in love to bring that one back into truth.
I think all too often, Lord, I have good intentions, but do not follow through as I ought. I get busy with my own "stuff" that I have to do and the opportunity to show love to that one slips by. I don't really know why I let that happen except for selfishness. We have been on the end of unfulfilled promises from our family in Christ for this self same reason, so You would think that I would be more diligent. Oh Lord, forgive me, please. Shake me from my selfishness and make me see the hurting around me that You want me to minister to, and don't leave me alone until I do.
Lord,this verse reminds me of a phrase from the musical "My Fair Lady"- Don't talk of love- show me! Love is of no value until it has hands and feet. We can "say" anything because words come easily to us and usually do not cost us anything. But if our love is real, there will be sacrificial actions attached.
If I hear of sickness- I should pray, but also volunteer to take that one to the doctor if they cannot take themselves, bring a meal or offer child care. If I hear of the death of a loved one- I should pray, but also be there to offer comfort, maybe meals and fellowship after the throng has left. If I hear of a financial need , I should pray, but also give of my surplus and maybe sacrificially. I might even be called to offer some sound financial training to help them to avoid the situation again. If there is a brother or sister who is in error, I should pray, but also speak the truth in love to bring that one back into truth.
I think all too often, Lord, I have good intentions, but do not follow through as I ought. I get busy with my own "stuff" that I have to do and the opportunity to show love to that one slips by. I don't really know why I let that happen except for selfishness. We have been on the end of unfulfilled promises from our family in Christ for this self same reason, so You would think that I would be more diligent. Oh Lord, forgive me, please. Shake me from my selfishness and make me see the hurting around me that You want me to minister to, and don't leave me alone until I do.
Monday, January 9, 2012
Believers Give to Help Their Brothers in Need
1 John 3:17 "If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?"
Dearest, precious Lord! You saw us as needy and gave Your all for us to help us, how can we do less for a brother or sister in the Family? Our family has been priveleged to be on both sides of this, we have had the blessing to give and also to receive help . If a "chuch" attender claims to know You, but cannot part with the blessings You have bestowed on them because of a selfish or discompassionalte heart, there is a real heart problem. Those who are true family ned to come along side and lovingly confront them so as to either admonish them to do what is required of Family, or to put that person out if they are not repentant because they are in the wrong family altogether.
We also need to be discerning before we give as to who is a brother. Especially at Christmas time, every charity is asking for donations for their cause. We need to be helping those within our own families and local assembly before giving aid to an outside organization. Thank You for Your Holy Spirit that guides us to do Your will.
Dearest, precious Lord! You saw us as needy and gave Your all for us to help us, how can we do less for a brother or sister in the Family? Our family has been priveleged to be on both sides of this, we have had the blessing to give and also to receive help . If a "chuch" attender claims to know You, but cannot part with the blessings You have bestowed on them because of a selfish or discompassionalte heart, there is a real heart problem. Those who are true family ned to come along side and lovingly confront them so as to either admonish them to do what is required of Family, or to put that person out if they are not repentant because they are in the wrong family altogether.
We also need to be discerning before we give as to who is a brother. Especially at Christmas time, every charity is asking for donations for their cause. We need to be helping those within our own families and local assembly before giving aid to an outside organization. Thank You for Your Holy Spirit that guides us to do Your will.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Jesus Christ Laid Down His Life For Us
1 John 3:16 "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brother."
Lord, sometimes I think we see "laying down our lives for the brothers" as some sort of great martyrdom act in a foreign country. That is just not so. Laying down our lives for the brothers is to be a daily act in our homes, work, church, and neighborhoods.
Lord, we all seem to live such busy lives now days. With home, work, and church, there seems to be precious little "free time" for us as individuals and we guard that pretty selfishly. When I was first saved years ago, I had small children at home. I was so caught up in serving at the church, I found that my second and third priorities (husband and children) were catching my leftovers.
I believe moms, and I can only speak for them, can get so caught up in "Just say yes". It can happen very quickly without our notice. We get the "just say yes" for: everything at church (even if that is not Your purpose for us), for school PTA, booster clubs, volunteering in the classroom and for special activities and sports.
Lord, now in my elder years, You have straightened my priorities. Now I know that YOU are first, my husband second, family third and church fourth, then others. All of my boys are grown now with children of their own, so You have replaced them with Your children where I work at Liberty. Although I get paid for my ministry, I lay my life down for them daily during the week. With caring for my husband (who has been infirmed for years now), work, Sunday School and choir at church, my days are full.
Lord, thank You for these blessings of love You have given me. Help me not to guard my "me" time so I miss an opportunity to love others.
Lord, sometimes I think we see "laying down our lives for the brothers" as some sort of great martyrdom act in a foreign country. That is just not so. Laying down our lives for the brothers is to be a daily act in our homes, work, church, and neighborhoods.
Lord, we all seem to live such busy lives now days. With home, work, and church, there seems to be precious little "free time" for us as individuals and we guard that pretty selfishly. When I was first saved years ago, I had small children at home. I was so caught up in serving at the church, I found that my second and third priorities (husband and children) were catching my leftovers.
I believe moms, and I can only speak for them, can get so caught up in "Just say yes". It can happen very quickly without our notice. We get the "just say yes" for: everything at church (even if that is not Your purpose for us), for school PTA, booster clubs, volunteering in the classroom and for special activities and sports.
Lord, now in my elder years, You have straightened my priorities. Now I know that YOU are first, my husband second, family third and church fourth, then others. All of my boys are grown now with children of their own, so You have replaced them with Your children where I work at Liberty. Although I get paid for my ministry, I lay my life down for them daily during the week. With caring for my husband (who has been infirmed for years now), work, Sunday School and choir at church, my days are full.
Lord, thank You for these blessings of love You have given me. Help me not to guard my "me" time so I miss an opportunity to love others.
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Hatred for a Brother is Murder So Love Deeply Instead
1 John 3:15 "Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life with Him."
Lord, O Lord! If this was the only verse someone ever read from Your Word, they would get the idea from the enemy that no one who ever hated or murdered could be redeemed and forgiven. I praise You because that is not true!
What John is saying her is that if we are truly Yours, we will not hate our brothers in Christ. If someone claims to be a brother, but continues to hate, they are not of Your flock. This does not mean that we all have a gooey sappy love for each other all of the time in Your family. There are still personality differences and various level of maturity within the body. Just like any family, we have babies, children, adolescents, and mature adults. The first three stages are more prone to be irritating in their immaturity. But with Your "seed" within us You make it possible to overlook (love covers a multitude of sins) and to have such a deep love for each other that the siblings work out their difficulties through exhortation, correction, and sometimes discipline.
( Matt. 18) You have called us to ,"Get rid of all bitterness, rage, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. " Ephesians 4:31-32
Lord, if we all would live our lives in this way as family members, there would never be any room for hate.
Lord, O Lord! If this was the only verse someone ever read from Your Word, they would get the idea from the enemy that no one who ever hated or murdered could be redeemed and forgiven. I praise You because that is not true!
What John is saying her is that if we are truly Yours, we will not hate our brothers in Christ. If someone claims to be a brother, but continues to hate, they are not of Your flock. This does not mean that we all have a gooey sappy love for each other all of the time in Your family. There are still personality differences and various level of maturity within the body. Just like any family, we have babies, children, adolescents, and mature adults. The first three stages are more prone to be irritating in their immaturity. But with Your "seed" within us You make it possible to overlook (love covers a multitude of sins) and to have such a deep love for each other that the siblings work out their difficulties through exhortation, correction, and sometimes discipline.
( Matt. 18) You have called us to ,"Get rid of all bitterness, rage, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. " Ephesians 4:31-32
Lord, if we all would live our lives in this way as family members, there would never be any room for hate.
Friday, January 6, 2012
Anyone Who Does Not Love Remains in Death
1 John 3:14 "We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death."
Lord, throughout John's book, he gives me contrasts:
Believers do this--unbelievers do this
Believers teach truth--unbelievers teach lies
Believers live this way--unbelievers live this way
Believers truly love one another--unbelievers do not
Believers will enjoy an eternity with You--unbelievers will not
He gives us so many ways to gauge not only our own standing in the Family, but also to be discerning of others within the church who say they are Christians but who, in reality, are not and have been placed there by our enemy to destroy themselves and to try to destroy the church as well. It is impossible for an unbeliever to live the life of a believer because they are not a new creation and do not have You Holy Spirit within them to empower them. They may try with all that is within them, but there will be evidence against them.
In our day in the USA, and especially here in the South, but not exclusively, where church is a big part of "acceptable" social behavior, unbelievers who have been brought up in the church have been taught all of the "proper" church behavior and moral code but have never entered into a relationship of their own with You, are in the most danger of eternal damnation because they have been the most deceived. They equate "churchianity" with true "Christianity". However, just like me, they will not have God's standards as their own and will fall at some point.
Lord, help me to live a watchful life so I might confront one of these deluded ones with the truth for their sake. After all, I was once in their shoes too and am so glad someone confronted me.
Lord, throughout John's book, he gives me contrasts:
Believers do this--unbelievers do this
Believers teach truth--unbelievers teach lies
Believers live this way--unbelievers live this way
Believers truly love one another--unbelievers do not
Believers will enjoy an eternity with You--unbelievers will not
He gives us so many ways to gauge not only our own standing in the Family, but also to be discerning of others within the church who say they are Christians but who, in reality, are not and have been placed there by our enemy to destroy themselves and to try to destroy the church as well. It is impossible for an unbeliever to live the life of a believer because they are not a new creation and do not have You Holy Spirit within them to empower them. They may try with all that is within them, but there will be evidence against them.
In our day in the USA, and especially here in the South, but not exclusively, where church is a big part of "acceptable" social behavior, unbelievers who have been brought up in the church have been taught all of the "proper" church behavior and moral code but have never entered into a relationship of their own with You, are in the most danger of eternal damnation because they have been the most deceived. They equate "churchianity" with true "Christianity". However, just like me, they will not have God's standards as their own and will fall at some point.
Lord, help me to live a watchful life so I might confront one of these deluded ones with the truth for their sake. After all, I was once in their shoes too and am so glad someone confronted me.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
The World Will Hate Christians
1 John 3:13 "Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you."
Lord, Satan, the prince of this world, hates you because You defeated Him at the cross. His pride is so big he cannot stand that thought and will do anything to try to thwart God's plan. He also wants to deceive as many humans as he can. Since we are either his children from birth, or we are Your children because of re-birth into the Family of God, there will always be enmity until You banish him to the pit.
We Christians are not to live offensive lives, bringing disgrace to Your Holy name, but the Cross is an offense. If an unbeliever is offended by our holy life, the Cross is doing its job. If the Cross is not an offense, then Your Spirit is doing His. The world hated You when You came to save us, why would we expect anything other? You said Yourself that the world would hate us because it hated You first. But, like You, we are called to love them with Your love, and to see them as deceived sinners just like we were, headed for a horrible terrifying eternal destination they do not understand or do not believe exists.
At some point they all will, Satan and his hordes as well, understand and have to yield to Your holiness and kingship because, "Every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus is Lord to the glory of God the Father!" On that day they will all realize their deception or arrogance, but it will be too late. If that does not drive us to evangelize, even though we will be hated for it, then we need to check our standing with You.
Lord, Satan, the prince of this world, hates you because You defeated Him at the cross. His pride is so big he cannot stand that thought and will do anything to try to thwart God's plan. He also wants to deceive as many humans as he can. Since we are either his children from birth, or we are Your children because of re-birth into the Family of God, there will always be enmity until You banish him to the pit.
We Christians are not to live offensive lives, bringing disgrace to Your Holy name, but the Cross is an offense. If an unbeliever is offended by our holy life, the Cross is doing its job. If the Cross is not an offense, then Your Spirit is doing His. The world hated You when You came to save us, why would we expect anything other? You said Yourself that the world would hate us because it hated You first. But, like You, we are called to love them with Your love, and to see them as deceived sinners just like we were, headed for a horrible terrifying eternal destination they do not understand or do not believe exists.
At some point they all will, Satan and his hordes as well, understand and have to yield to Your holiness and kingship because, "Every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus is Lord to the glory of God the Father!" On that day they will all realize their deception or arrogance, but it will be too late. If that does not drive us to evangelize, even though we will be hated for it, then we need to check our standing with You.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Do Not Be Like Cain
1 John 3:12 "Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother's were righteous."
Lord, even from the beginning, Satan and his devils have wanted to destroy You and all of Your righteous ones.
My Husband and I just finished Frank Peretti's two books "This Present Darkness" and "Piercing the Darkness" . Although he wrote them as novels back in the 1980s, the truth of the content describing what we are living now is uncanny. He brings to light how the ACLU (no he does not call them that in the books) has their evil fingers in all walks of power from the local level in tiny towns to the Supreme Court, and how New Age thinking and Eastern mysticism infiltrates our schools and churches. He also shows how the power of praying saints empower God's holy angels to work on behalf of His saints to uncover and reveal the evil that abounds around us. He really did his homework. Thirty years later the effects are even more evident: unfounded child abuse and molestation cases (some founded and some not) being brought against Christian parents, churches, and schools are publicized and exaggerated in the media (almost with glee), home schooling parents are degraded and persecuted as are their children by the "professionals" in the public schools, which turn out few real champions with stellar education.
Lord, we must be diligent in our prayer life and vigilant! We must know the truth of Your Word. We must, "Study to show yourselves approved unto God a workman a workman that needs not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."
Lord, even from the beginning, Satan and his devils have wanted to destroy You and all of Your righteous ones.
My Husband and I just finished Frank Peretti's two books "This Present Darkness" and "Piercing the Darkness" . Although he wrote them as novels back in the 1980s, the truth of the content describing what we are living now is uncanny. He brings to light how the ACLU (no he does not call them that in the books) has their evil fingers in all walks of power from the local level in tiny towns to the Supreme Court, and how New Age thinking and Eastern mysticism infiltrates our schools and churches. He also shows how the power of praying saints empower God's holy angels to work on behalf of His saints to uncover and reveal the evil that abounds around us. He really did his homework. Thirty years later the effects are even more evident: unfounded child abuse and molestation cases (some founded and some not) being brought against Christian parents, churches, and schools are publicized and exaggerated in the media (almost with glee), home schooling parents are degraded and persecuted as are their children by the "professionals" in the public schools, which turn out few real champions with stellar education.
Lord, we must be diligent in our prayer life and vigilant! We must know the truth of Your Word. We must, "Study to show yourselves approved unto God a workman a workman that needs not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."
We should Love One Another
1 John 3:11 "This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another."
Lord, You have given us instruction in this all through Your ministry here and also throughout Scripture.
Loving one another means:
Living selflessly
Living without pride
Living without bitterness
Living by forgiving others unconditionally
Living a forgiven and Spirit empowered life
Living a willing servant life
Living a contented life
Living a grateful life
Lord, help me to live that way all day every day in Your power.
Lord, You have given us instruction in this all through Your ministry here and also throughout Scripture.
Loving one another means:
Living selflessly
Living without pride
Living without bitterness
Living by forgiving others unconditionally
Living a forgiven and Spirit empowered life
Living a willing servant life
Living a contented life
Living a grateful life
Lord, help me to live that way all day every day in Your power.
Gauge Your Relationship With God With These Verses
1 John 3:7-10 "Dear Children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as He is righteous. He who does what is sinful is from the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work. No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he is born of God. This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who doess not love his brother.
Lord, I know that You are saying here that anyone who continues to practice sins on a regular basis is not of You. Because we have the sin nature still within us, we are prone to sin from time to time, otherwise there would be no reason for You to put 1 John 1:9 in the Scriptures for us. However; we cannnot use that as an excuse to contuinue in presumptious sin if we are born of You. You have told us not to judge the heart of another unless we are willing to stand by that same judgement, but have also told us to be discerning and that we will know folks by their fruits.
Lord, thank You for coming to us incarnated at what we call Christmas...whenever that exact date was, to destroy the works of the devil! I praise You and bless You for loving us so much that You would even consider coming to this sinful place to save such as me!
Lord, I know that You are saying here that anyone who continues to practice sins on a regular basis is not of You. Because we have the sin nature still within us, we are prone to sin from time to time, otherwise there would be no reason for You to put 1 John 1:9 in the Scriptures for us. However; we cannnot use that as an excuse to contuinue in presumptious sin if we are born of You. You have told us not to judge the heart of another unless we are willing to stand by that same judgement, but have also told us to be discerning and that we will know folks by their fruits.
Lord, thank You for coming to us incarnated at what we call Christmas...whenever that exact date was, to destroy the works of the devil! I praise You and bless You for loving us so much that You would even consider coming to this sinful place to save such as me!
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