Who's your enemy?

While a friend was praying for me today, the Lord brought to my memory that when we’re taking ground for Him, the enemy will attack us where we have been injured the most in our lives, simply because he knows what is most painful to us.  He pulls out all stops to try to keep us from doing God's will. If he can get our focus off of Jesus and onto the pain that we're enduring, he can keep us from moving forward for the Lord.

Keep in mind that, so often, without people realizing it, they allow the enemy to work through them…or us…myself included.  Ephesians 6:12 tells us that it’s not flesh and blood that we wrestle with, but principalities, powers and the rulers of the darkness of this age.  ( Ephesians 6:12 NKJV - For we do not wrestle against flesh and - Bible Gateway )  It’s not people who are the enemy; it’s the enemy working through others. It’s important that we remember this when we are attacked in this way.

Like many of you, I have been rejected many of times in my life.  My first memory of rejection happened around age 3 by my grandma.  As I take aggressive steps forward for what I believe to be God’s will for my life, rejection as well as other things that plagued my childhood, spring forward quickly and strongly through others.  Now I wish that I could tell you that I’ve always handled these attacks well, but I would be a liar if I did.  Even now, when knowing what I know about the enemy and his ways, I don’t always respond in the best way.  I must say I’m grateful for friends who understand this and are willing to hear what’s on my heart and pray with me.  Ultimately, I’m grateful for the Holy Spirit for His willingness to continue to lead me, guide me, and like today...remind me of things that I’ve already been taught, but needed to be reminded.  This strengthens my mind and spirit.  Of course, praising and worshipping the Lord is always the best way to get your eyes off of yourself and back onto Jesus.

Another of the challenges of these attacks is to be kind to those who unknowingly cause pain.  In the majority of these situations, I’m positive that the folks causing pain don’t realize they’re even doing it.  Knowing this and continuing to treat them with love and kindness is another challenge all its own.

Since I’ve experienced this so much in my life, I am ultra aware of what I do and say to others.  I don’t want to be one to deliver pain to another person through the words of my mouth.  I ask myself if what I have to say to others is truly necessary and what my motives are.  If I have any doubt whatsoever, I choose not to speak.

I hope that sharing the challenges of my life help you in some way.  Jesus never said that following Him would be easy.  But, I totally and completely believe that living my life to be pleasing to God is definitely worth it.  When I look back on my life, see where I once was and where I am now, I am encouraged and strengthened for the road ahead…the road to being all that God created me to be.   

Money, Time, or Relationship?

 So, today I went to see the movie, “Million Dollar Arm.”  I was pleasantly surprised…pretty good stuff!  I don’t want to spoil it for anyone who hasn’t seen it, so I won’t go into great detail about it.  What I did like about it was that they filmed part of it in India and the rest of it in the US.  India is a place that I hope to visit one day so this movie really touched my heart.

The point of the movie was to get a couple of cricket players from India, convert them to Major League Ball Players and make a ton of money in the process.  Now, everything was based on a business plan…they had X amount of dollars and X amount of time to make this whole thing work.  All was going well until the big day for a Major League tryout for the 2 Indian fellows.  Unfortunately, they failed at attaining positions in the Major League.  Now it’s not because they didn’t have the ability, it was because of the way everything was handled.  The young men were basically handled like a commodity instead of human beings.  It was business for the Americans, just business!  Luckily, someone spoke up and informed the main guy that he handled the entire situation in the wrong way.  At that point, he corrected himself and truly took the time to get to know the players and so on.

I see so much of this that goes on everywhere here in the US.  Everything is about money and numbers.  How often do we actually stop and take the time to get to know somebody we come into contact with on a regular basis?  So often, whether it’s in business, our neighborhoods, schools, or even in church, we are in such a big hurry that we get “whatever it is we need,” and move on.  The quicker the better because you know, time is money and money is time…and heaven forbid that someone be seen speaking to someone “outside of their social status!!”  I’m SO tired of this way of life!!  We’re all human.  We all have struggles. We all have only 24 hours a day.  We all have to breathe the same air.  We all will exit this earth some day. 

How many people do you come in contact with on a regular basis that you can truly say you don’t even know their names, let alone whether or not they’re married, single, have children or other details of their lives? 

As followers of Christ, we should strive to know and care more about others.  It’s those interpersonal relationships that are so very important.  It let’s folks know that we truly care about them.  It would be easy for me to go to Wal-Mart, Starbucks or any place for that matter, go in get what I need, and not speak a word to anyone.  Get my business done and get out of there…after all…we’re all in a big hurry to get nowhere…right?  I wonder though…is that how Jesus handled things in His day?  No, I don’t believe it was. There are times when Jesus was headed from point A to point B and someone would cry out to Him.  Many of the miracles He did were in those times where He stopped on His way from A to B.  He took time out for people. As Christ followers, we should too!

A Christ follower = Love God, love people.  Take the time to get to know others.  If you’re a follower of Christ and you’re not sharing the love of God, what good are you to the Kingdom?  That doesn’t necessarily mean preaching Jesus everywhere you go.  It does mean to let the light and love of Jesus flow through you to others.  Jesus didn’t have a second thought about giving up His life on the cross for each and every one of us.  The least we could do is slow down a bit and take the time to get to know the people who cross our paths on a regular basis.  You never know, you may be the only way someone will ever get to experience the love of Christ.

Be led by the Spirit.  He is with us always, but do we always listen to what He’s guiding us to do?  I assure you, if you take to the time to get to know others by the guiding of the Holy Spirit, life will never be boring!  Just last week a woman approached me in Starbucks.  Apparently she recognized me because I’m a regular there.  She was drawn to me…or I should say, she was drawn to Jesus in me…whether she realizes this or not. J  She invited me to sit and visit with her and her friends any time.  Instantly I thought, “there’s no better time than now.”  So, I joined her and her friends.  Sure there was a little awkwardness, but I just pretended that I was comfortable until I was comfortable.  Now, none of us will ever have a second thought about visiting and getting to know each other when we see one another.  It would have been easy for me to brush off the invite.  I didn’t know this woman from Adam!  But…what if that moment was the only chance I had for the door to be open to them?  To me, eternity in heaven is too important to have turned down a moment like this.  God is all about people, and we should be, too!  

Take the time to get to know those in your world no matter how big or small your world is.  You won’t regret it!  Hopefully, when we get to heaven, we’ll be surprised at the folks who are there because we took the time for relationship here.    

What's the value of your sin?

So…first thing this morning, I saw a cartoon pic that had some men beating up another man who was lying on the ground, wearing a rainbow shirt and he was bleeding. The caption was…”If you’re using your Bible to hurt people, you’re using it wrong.”


I happen to agree with this statement. The Bible is our guide…our manual to living a Godly life. It’s not meant to be used to hurt others.


Is it up to us to point out everyone else’s sin? Or is it our job to examine ourselves for our own sin?

 I have found that it’s very easy to point out someone else’s sin, but that’s not my job. My job is to work out my own salvation…examine myself for sin in my own life. I ask God daily to show me if there is any sin in my life. I like to keep a blank page. I would have to say that a weak point for me is when I’m driving. I sometimes become angry…anger is an emotion that even God has…but my goal is that when I have anger, I don’t want to sin. But when I do sin, I realize it immediately and ask for forgiveness. It’s my job to allow the Holy Spirit to convict me of wrongdoing. I am uber aware of when I sin and I believe that’s because I keep a close walk with the Holy Spirit, who convicts me when I get it wrong. Philippians 2:12

 All too often in the Body of Christ, sins are given value. Is murder more of a sin than lying, cheating or gossiping? No, it isn’t. Sin is sin and the Bible clearly states what sin is whether it is lying, cheating, gluttony, homosexuality, fornication, adultery, abuse…sexual, physical, emotional or verbal, etc. Who are we to beat others up because we don’t like their sin more than we don’t like our own?


It’s time to have a look in the mirror…examine ourselves…and decide to live the life that God created us to live. When we look in that mirror, do we see ourselves…or do we see Jesus in our reflection? James 1:19-26


Jesus is the Light of the world and if we are Christ followers, we are the Light of the world as well. Let the Light of Jesus flow through you to all who see you. It’s the Light and Love of Jesus that will change the world, not us beating others up. Any and all who come to Jesus for salvation are subject to changing their lives to be more like Him…that’s a given. Let’s let the Holy Spirit do His job and let’s focus on ourselves, not others, to become all that He created us to be.

Please let me pass...

Valentine’s Day…the day that is set aside to let our loved ones know just how much we love them.  What a wonderful day it is for so many people.  Love is in the air!

On my way to the gym this morning, I was reminded by an unfriendly driver, that there are so many hurting people who just need to know that they are loved.

Hurting people hurt people…let’s never forget that.  You never know what others may be going through.  Let’s do our best to treat others with compassion.

Enjoy what’s left of your Valentine’s Day and let’s do our best as followers of Christ to show His love to those who are hurting…even those who may have hurt us…not just Valentine’s Day, but everyday.  With the love of Christ Jesus, our world can be changed. 

Where's your compassion?

You know, I don't claim to be perfect which is exactly the reason why I need a Savior.  I don't expect you to be perfect, either.  But…why is it that when I'm honest about the hurts in my life, you then choose not to meet my eyes any longer and conversation is next to nothing?(Not everyone, but many!!)  Is it because I'm not good enough for you? Probably not.  Is it because you don't know how to continue to be a friend to me in spite of my hurts? Maybe.  I'm not any different before your knowledge of my hurt than after the knowledge of it.  Why then, do you avoid me?  I don't know the answer to that, but I choose to love you anyway.  I do know this, though.  The church...the Body of Christ...is lacking in compassion towards those who are hurting…those who come from highly dysfunctional families.  I can honestly tell you that I have extensive experience in this at multiple churches throughout the past 20+ years.  My life has not been easy at all!!  And, I don’t make that statement to say that I’m special, either…because I’m not.  All too often, folks are pushed aside due to lack of compassion from fellow Christians.  "You need counseling!" "You need this program or that program!"  Those are just a few of the things that I've heard throughout the years.

I cannot change who I am within the Body of Christ.  God created me, placed me in the family that He deemed perfect for me, saved me, justified me and has placed me in the Body of Christ exactly where He wants me.  I know who I am in Christ.  Why is it that you cannot accept me for who I am...warts and all?  I accept you for who you are…warts and all.  My question is this; I wonder if that's how Jesus treated his disciples when He said for them to follow Him?  I won't speculate on that.  I'll let the Holy Spirit answer that.

You see, program or no program, I choose to go by the leading of the Holy Spirit.  I find that He has the answers to my questions.  He has the healing for my hurts…sometimes conventional…sometimes not so much.  I find that much of the Body of Christ not only lacks compassion, but they tend to believe that there is only “one” way to get the healing that is needed.  My God has infinite ways to help His children.  Each church is different.  They all have different programs that I believe can be helpful to folks.  But I also believe that the choice of each individual is just that…they’re. own. choice.  We shouldn’t judge someone because they don’t choose the same thing that we choose.  We should rejoice because we actually have the freedom to choose!!

As I close, I’ll say this.  Jesus came to supply our every need…every need. Philippians 4:19  What are the needs that you have today?  Is it healing…emotional or physical, clarity in any aspect, monetary needs, relief from addictions…perhaps compassion?  I implore you to search your heart.  Ask the Holy Spirit to show you, because He will, if you allow Him to do so.  Let’s do what we can to be Christians who are better at loving the hurting.  We need to be there for each other, not shun each other…shunning is the world’s way of doing things.

Please know that I do realize that I am very blunt and to the point in this blog…but know that every word is spoken in Love…from the bottom of my heart.  1 Corinthians 13:4-8  We need a revolution of love within the Body of Christ.  Isn’t that why Jesus came in the first place?

Ridiculous day at church!!

A few years ago while waiting for the church service to begin, I was having a conversation with my husband.  I wasn’t able to hear a certain announcement and asked him if he heard it.  He said that he couldn’t hear it and that usually folks quiet down when the announcements come on.  All of the sudden the woman in the row in front of us, who apparently was eavesdropping, began speaking belligerently to my husband.  She accused him of being “one of those Christians that give Christians a bad reputation,” and so on and so forth.  My husband and I were speechless.  First of all we weren’t putting anyone down.  We simply didn’t hear what the announcement was.  This woman continued on until she had most everyone’s attention in the area…and they were all staring at us.  Finally she stopped.  I won’t share everything with you that she said…no need.

I was stunned.  My husband got up and left.  Immediately, I began to pray for both my husband and the woman in front of me.  After a few minutes, I found myself tapping on this woman’s shoulder to get her attention.  These words came from my mouth.  I said, “Ma’am, my husband and I were having a conversation between the two of us.  Nothing that my husband said had anything to do with you.”  I said, “My husband is a young Christian and I’ve been waiting for him to attend church with me for nearly 20 years.  Do you know why he wouldn’t attend with me for such a long time?”  She shook her head.  I kindly said, “Because of people like you.”  I sat back in my chair and waited for the service to begin…and for my husband to return and continued to pray for both of them.

Finally he returned and the worship service had begun.  I said, “Holy Spirit, do your work.”  Well, 2 songs or so into the service the lady began to cry.  Then she turned around and just as profusely as she had verbally slapped him only moments ago, she apologized to my husband…again causing a ruckus.

We left that day totally stunned.  But this I know… my husband didn’t deserve what he got from that lady.  But, I prayed for both of them…hoping that she was only having a bad day and hoping that my husband would continue going to church with me.  I put the situation in God’s hands and watched him work this out to peace in front of my eyes.

Just keep in mind that you never know what someone may be going through and harsh words are not the answer.  A soft word turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. Proverbs 15:1  Even if you’re the one on the receiving end of someone else’s bad day.  Pray for them…it will do more good than a harsh word ever will.             

Put your faith into action!

Today my husband and I had lunch at one of our favorite local restaurants.  As soon as we walked in, we knew that we wouldn’t get good service.  One of the waitresses who had been gone for quite some time was back and she, of course, waited on us.  Sounds like an opportunity to me.   

This lady does the bare minimum as far as waiting tables go…and she’s not friendly at all.  I find it somewhat challenging to be upbeat and friendly to her…oh I do my best…to no avail, though.

It’s moments like these that I wonder just what could be going on in this person’s world that could make them so unfriendly and seemingly so unhappy?  We’ve been going to this place for more than 20 years and she used to be sort of friendly.  No matter what is going on in her life, I would make a guess that it’s totally the lack of Jesus…in a particular situation, in her job…or maybe she doesn’t know Him at all.

You see, this is where we get to put our faith into action.  I’m friendly to her.  I try to have conversation with her or make her laugh.  I ask my husband to tip her well in spite of the situation.  Silently, I pray that God would break down any strongholds that might be keeping her from seeing God’s goodness.  Really, praying is probably the best thing that we can do.

Remember, it is God’s will that not one of us should perish.  He loves us all so very much and He loves us all the same…no more or no less.  Pray for those who don’t know of our Father’s love.  You never know, you may see them in Heaven one day and then realize that they’re there because you prayed for them.  How exciting is that?