Dee2rites Blog

Author: dee2rites

  • When You Get It Wrong – Again

    “For I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh. For the desire to do what is good is with me, but there is no ability to do it. For I do not do the good that I want to do, but I practice the evil that I do not want to do.” Romans 7:18, 19 (Holman Christian Standard Bible)


    Do you ever wonder why you did something you said you’d never do again? Or failed to do something you promised yourself you would do? That’s me all the time. I swear I’ll get up early and walk, but then stay in bed too long, or start doing something else and forget about it. I promise myself I won’t get upset over trivial things, but catch myself getting irritated or angry over minor issues. Sometimes it’s not just little failures we suffer, but real sin catches us unaware and before we know it we’re right back in the midst of it, again.

    The Apostle Paul certainly knew about it. Even he felt there was nothing good in himself. Wow! You mean the man who wrote most of the New Testament struggled with sin? Yes, even Paul. There was only One who never sinned, Jesus,  and even He faced temptation.  (Read Matthew 4:1-11.)

    One of the many things I love about the Bible, it shows us that the men and women God used in the past were just like us. They sometimes got things wrong over and over, yet God was able to pick them up, clean them up and use them. Just like He picks us up, cleans us up, and desires to use us today.

    Gideon questioned God, not once, but three times. But God still used him to deliver Israel. (Read Chapter 6, 7 and 8 of Judges.)

    David was an adulterer and a murderer. But because he desired to be made clean and repented, God was able to call him a man after His own heart.

    Moses lost his temper and disobeyed God, but the Bible says, “The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend”. (Exodus 33:11a)

    Jonah was angry at God because He didn’t destroy the city of Nineveh after the people repented when Jonah preached to them. And remember it took a whale to get him there. Think about that. He finally obeys God, goes to preach in one of the most wicked cities of the era, the entire city repents, including the King, and Jonah is angry because God did not destroy them. How many preachers can say they went to a city and the entire city, including the Mayor got saved? Not that many.

    Peter denied Jesus three times. But after the resurrection Jesus gave Peter three opportunities to reaffirm his love for him. “Lord, You know I love You” and Jesus replied “Feed My sheep.”


    The Apostle Paul says “O unhappy and pitiable and wretched man that I am! Who will release and deliver me from [the shackles of] this body of death? O thank God! [He will!] through Jesus Christ (the Anointed One) our Lord! So then indeed I, of myself with the mind and heart, serve the Law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.” Romans 7:24, 25 (Amplified Bible) In other words, it is through Jesus Christ we can overcome and we can be free from sin.

    When we do fail, praise God, He’s made the way for our restoration. The very next verse says God will not condemn us, but He will set us free. “THEREFORE, [there is] now no condemnation (no adjudging guilty of wrong) for those who are in Christ Jesus, who live [and] walk not after the dictates of the flesh, but after the dictates of the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life [which is] in Christ Jesus [the law of our new being] has freed me from the law of sin and of death.” Romans 8:1, 2 (Amplified Bible)
    Matthew Henry says in his Concise Commentary on the Bible, “Believers may be chastened of the Lord, but will not be condemned with the world. By their union with Christ through faith, they are thus secured.”

    So, the next time you know you’ve gotten something wrong, the next time you feel unworthy of God, or doubt your usefulness to Him, remember you are not alone. We’re all there one time or another, and some of us on a regular basis. And God knew your weaknesses when He called you, but He chose you anyway. Pick yourself up, repent, and start over.

    “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9

    Peace and blessings in our Lord Jesus Christ to you all,
    Dee

  • Obituary for Skeeter

    We lost our Rat Terrier, Skeeter, last night. He probably had cancer, but when he got sick he declined very fast and thankfully didn’t have to suffer.

    Skeeter was born in December 1995 and went to be with his companion, Shellie, October 16, 2009. He would have been 14, that’s almost 98 in dog years.

    Skeeter was a contrary little fellow, and not everyone loved him as my daughter Rachael and I did. When we got him he had been abused and like so many abused children, he carried the emotional scars all his life. Those scars sometimes made him not trust people and seem unlovable.  But he did love us in his own way and even thought he could be unpredictable, he never growled, sniped, bit or even turned his lip at my grandson Christopher. Not even when Christopher tried to crawl into Skeeter’s kennel with him – a sacred place to Skeeter and not to be broached by humans.

    Skeeter loved to play fetch and would bring you his toy to throw as long as you would throw it. He’d drop it at your feet and if you didn’t reach to pick it up in a timely manner, he bark as if to remind you it was your turn.

    The strongest attachment he made was with an older woman – our dog Shellie, a lab mix. They would sleep next to each other and howled at the fire truck sirens together. As Shellie aged and seemed to have trouble getting around, he would stay by her side as if to be her guide. When Shellie died, Skeeter went into a depression for several days and would not eat or even come out of his kennel.

    The first time Skeeter fell into the swimming pool, I ran to get him out because he was sinking and about to drown. Instead of licking me with gratitude, he tried to bite me. Not because he was angry at me, but because he was scared and he lashed out at the closest thing to him. He just wanted to get to his safe place and dry off by himself. We later learned that Rat Terriers are the only breed of dog that do not have an instinct to swim or dog paddle.

    What God showed me is we are often the same way. We react out of hurt or anger and in so doing hurt the very person who loves us the most. Instead of receiving the love and help we are being offered, we reject it and end up feeling alone and wet. We’ll even lash out at God as if He caused our hurt, as if He pushed us into the pool. But He is the one who truly loves us most, warts flaws, hang-ups and all.

    1 John 4:10 says, “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” Warts and all God loves us.

    Thank you Skeeter for teaching me the blessing of loving the unlovable.


    Peace and blessing in our Lord Jesus Christ,
    Dee

  • Lessons of Michal

    “Let all bitterness and indignation and wrath (passion, rage, bad temper) and resentment (anger, animosity) and quarreling (brawling, clamor, contention) and slander (evil-speaking, abusive or blasphemous language) be banished from you, with all malice (spite, ill will, or baseness of any kind).

    And become useful and helpful and kind to one another, tenderhearted (compassionate, understanding, loving-hearted), forgiving one another [readily and freely], as God in Christ forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:31, 32, The Amplified Bible)


    Over and over in the New Testament we are warned against allowing bitterness into our lives. In the passage above, the Apostle Paul says to let it “…be banished from you”. That’s pretty strong. The key to doing that is found in the following verse:  “… forgiving one another as God in Christ forgave you.”  When we hold on to unforgiveness, bitterness is allowed to take root in our hearts and from there grows resentment, anger and ill will.

    We justify ourselves by focusing on what was done to us by someone one else. “You just don’t know what he said to me” or “You don’t know what she did”. But God didn’t say “forgive them if they deserve it”. He only instructed us to forgive and to banish all bitterness from us. When we allow unforgiveness and bitterness to remain in our hearts, we are the ones who bear the consequences.

    “The heart knows its own bitterness, and no stranger shares its joy.” (Proverbs 14:10) When we wallow in self-pity, we wallow alone.

    One example in the Old Testament is the story of David and Michal. Theirs was a love story turned bad. (You can read their entire story in 1 Samuel chapters 18, 19 and 25, and 2 Samuel chapters 3 and 6.)

    Michal was the younger daughter of King Saul, the sister of Jonathan, and she was David’s first wife. First Samuel 18:20 says she loved David and after they were married, she defied her father and helped David escape when Saul was trying to kill him. (1 Samuel 9:11-19) Years passed, and she was abandoned by David. Her father gave her to another man in marriage and David took other wives. After Saul died, David finally decided to send for her. By this time he has six sons, all by different wives. Michal is not coming home to a husband whose has been lonely and yearning for her.  And she is forced to leave a husband who probably loves her. 2 Samuel 3:16 says “But her husband went with her, weeping behind her all the way to Bahurim.” We don’t have any details of their reunion, but I suspect it probably was not the joyous reunion of long lost lovers.

    The next detail of their story we have in Scripture, takes place when King David brings the Ark of the Lord to Jerusalem and he danced “with all his might” before the Lord. It was a great time of celebrating. David made burnt offerings and peace offerings to God. He blessed all the people with cakes and meats – it was a party. The Scripture says he returned to bless his household and Michal came out to meet him.  Nothing can throw a wet blanket on a good time like an angry, bitter woman. She accosted David and tried to shame him about his behavior. Michal had let her anger and bitterness turn to hatred.

    David was not moved by her tirade. His heart was right with the Lord at that moment and he knew what he had done was approved by God. He let her know he would continue to worship the Lord who had chosen him to be king.

    The sad end to the story just says “And Michal the daughter of Saul had no child to the day of her death.” (2 Samuel 6:23) Years of hurt, anger and bitterness had finally bubbled out and she bore the consequences. To be without a child in that day was a sign of God’s displeasure.  No doubt it was a continued source of pain for her to the end of her life.

    Michal had a right to be hurt by David actions – he’d abandoned her, taken other women and then forced her back with him. Sometimes we have the right to be hurt by others actions or words, but we must not allow that hurt to fester into bitterness and anger. It’s for our own good that we must forgive others as Christ has forgiven us.

    “Work at getting along with each other and with God. Otherwise you’ll never get so much as a glimpse of God. Make sure no one gets left out of God’s generosity. Keep a sharp eye out for weeds of bitter discontent. A thistle or two gone to seed can ruin a whole garden in no time.”     (Hebrews 12:14-16, The Message)

    By choosing to hold on to her anger, bitterness and hurt, Michal missed all the blessings that could have been hers. She was left out of David’s generosity. She could have joined the party and received the blessing David wanted to share with his household. She could possibly even had a child.

    What blessings are we missing by holding on to things from the past? If we want the Holy Spirit to heal our past hurts, we must first chose to forgive and chose to let go of any bitterness we may be holding on to.  Sometimes we don’t feel like we can forgive but we’re not called to do it on our own power. We can’t. We may not even want to. But through the power of the Holy Spirit, God will give us the grace to forgive if we make the decision and chose to forgive. And with forgiveness comes peace. With forgiveness comes the joy of knowing we’re walking in obedience to God.

    Peace and blessings to you all from our Lord Jesus Christ
    Dee

  • Learning to Read the Bible

    “Your Word have I hid in my heart that I may not sin against You.”  (Psalm 119:11)

         Last Saturday I decided I had to clean my kitchen. I mean really clean it. Not the daily wash the dishes, wipe off the counter type cleaning but a through floor to ceiling cleaning. I felt a little overwhelmed – like where to start? I think that’s how many people feel about reading their Bible. They want to do it, know they need to do it, but where do they start?

         When I first began to desire to know God more and to know His Word, I thought well, I’ll start at the beginning. I’d never read much of the Bible except for excerpts I’d read in church and Sunday School. I’d certainly never read it through.  So the next morning after I’d taken my son to kindergarten, I sat down with my King James Bible and started reading. Genesis 1:1 – “In the beginning God . . . .” Yep, this was where I needed to start. I decided I could read a couple of chapters every day and then I’d know the Bible. It started off interesting enough, but I didn’t really get any goosebumps or spiritual high from it. But I felt good because I felt like I was doing what I needed to be doing.

          That was wonderful until I got to chapters 10 and 11. I started reading the genealogies, who begat whom,  who was the father of whom and fell asleep trying to get through it. Had not a clue who most of those people were or why it was important all their names be listed.  But I continued. Not really understanding what I was reading, and finding my self frequently skipping ahead, trying to find some point for all this. Thankfully before I just gave up and quit, a dear friend helped me out. What she suggested to me is what I suggest to you now.

         First find a modern translation like the New International or the New Living Bible. The Message is great for anyone who is new to reading the Bible. Before you start reading, pray and ask the Holy Spirit to be your Teacher and to help you receive something from God from His written word.  Jesus said the Holy Spirit would be our teacher and He would teach us all things. (See John 14:26). Start with the Gospel of John and there you will met Jesus, the Son of Man. If  you want to also read something from the Old Testament, start with the Psalms or Proverbs. There you will find comfort and practical thoughts for living. Then read one of the other gospels, Matthew, Mark or Luke.  The book of Ephesians is good to help learn about who we are in Christ.

         Don’t feel like you have to read any set amount. It’s better to spend time reading and meditating on one verse and learn something for your life than to read long passages and not really absorb anything.  When you find  something that starts to speak to you, stop and read it again, several times even. God reveals Himself to us in small steps and He knows what we need to receive and learn from Him.  And He knows our heart. If we desire to know more of Him and His Word, God’s desire is even greater for our fellowship with Him through His Word.

          It’s been over 30 years since I first started on my journey studying God’s Word.  Little did I know then the wonderful treasures God had in store for me or the life-long love relationship I was beginning with Jesus and His written word. Even today, every time I read  a passage and take the time to meditate over it, I learn something new. His Word is as fresh as the most recent on-line news feed. It’s as relevant today as it was the day it was written. There is so much, we will never know it all in this life. 

    “How can a young person stay pure? By obeying your word and following its rules. 
    I have tried my best to find you– don’t let me wander from your commands. 
    I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. 
    Blessed are you, O LORD; teach me your principles. 
    I have recited aloud all the laws you have given us. 
    I have rejoiced in your decrees as much as in riches. 
    I will study your commandments and reflect on your ways. 
    I will delight in your principles and not forget your word. “
    (Psalm 119: 9-16)

    Peace and blessing in our Lord Jesus Christ,
    Dee

  • Billy Graham’s Prayer For Our Nation

    Like most Christian Americans I know, I’m concerned about the direction our country seems to be going. This is not a forum where I choose to discuss politics, but sometimes it is appropriate. This nation has made some bad choices in leadership and we are just beginning to see the consequences.

    Sin is increasing, our liberties are being subtly but surely diminished. Free enterprise is being taken over by government under the guise of  financial bailout, freedoms of speech are being challenged just to mention a few things. What gives me hope and comfort is I know God’s Word is true and His promises are sure. He called this nation into existence and even though we may go through a time of tribulation, He will not abandon His people.

    I received a copy of Rev Graham’s prayer in an email and felt it was appropriate to post here.  Let us make this our daily prayer for our nation until we see revival and healing in this nation.

    Billy Graham’s Prayer For Our Nation


    “Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance.  We know Your Word says, ‘Woe to those who call evil good,’ but that is exactly what we have done..  We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values. We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery. We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare..  We have killed our unborn and called it choice. We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable..  We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self esteem.  We have abused power and called it politics.. We have coveted our neighbor’s possessions and called it ambition.  We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression.  We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment.  Search us, Oh God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and Set us free. Amen!”

    Peace and blessing to you all in our Lord Jesus Christ.

    Dee

  • DEBRIDEMENT OF THE SOUL

    Have you ever been in a bad place emotionally or spiritually and thought it would be that way the rest of your life? The days so dark you believed you’d never feel right again? I have. I’ve been in that place. I understand exactly what the Psalmist was talking about in the 102nd Psalm:

    “By reason of my loud groaning [from suffering and trouble] my flesh cleaves to my bones.

    I am like a melancholy pelican or vulture of the wilderness; I am like a [desolate] owl of the waste places.

    I am sleepless and lie awake [mourning], like a bereaved sparrow alone on the housetop.”

    (Psalm 102:5-7, The Amplified Bible)

    When my mother died in June 2000, it was unexpected. Even though her health had not been good, none of us, except perhaps my dad, had a hint it was as bad as it was. As Christians, we all rejoiced that she was no longer in pain and that she was with her Lord, but that did not mean our pain or our lost was not real.

    Over time, my grief turned to anger and I turned inward. Outwardly, I said and did all the things expected of me. I told my children not to be angry at God because Mamma was gone, but inside I was questioning God. How could He let this happen without preparing me?

    I became angry because I didn’t feel my husband was as supportive as he should have been, but I was too inward to tell him what I needed. Issues arose in our marriage and we became more and more distant. When we did reconcile, it was still not as it should have been because I began substituting my relationship with my husband for the relationship I’d once had with God. I expected more of my husband than God ever intended.

    Except for a couple of friends, most of the people at my church were clueless about what I was going through. Even those who knew I’d lost my mother had no idea that I was struggling. I kept my feeling inside, not letting anyone close enough to see my pain. We stopped going to church for a while because I felt the church had let me down.

    I stopped reading my Bible or praying. I questioned God’s love for me or if I had really ever heard from Him. But even when I was deep in unbelief, there was still a small spark of hope. God’s call to us is “without repentance” – He promised to never leave or forsake us, even when we turn our backs to Him.

    Sometimes God uses things from unexpected sources to reach us. The Creator of the universe creates a way to reach us even at our lowest. For me, it was a song. Not a “Christian” song, but God used it to scratch the scab on my heart.  The same year my mother died, Kathie Lee Gifford put out a CD “Born For You”. I’d listened to it many times, but one night while I was up late writing, one special song touched that small spark in me and something began to break.

    “I’d like to lose all time again

    And look for trees to climb again

    Recite a little rhyme again

    And dream a reckless dream.

    For someone I’ve exiled in me

    Awoke today and smiled in me.

    I need to find the child in me again.”

    (Child in Me Again, written by Annie Dinerman)

    Yes, I needed to find the child in me again – the child who’d trusted God with her whole heart without question or reservation. The child who could laugh at life and who loved without reservation or expectation.  I sat face to face with who I’d become and desperately wanted to go back to the child I had been before. The last line of the chorus goes, “Oh I need to recapture the truths I’ve unlearned.” I needed to recapture The Truth I’d turned from.

    I still was a long way from being spiritually or emotionally healed, or even wanting to do what I needed to do to get there. But it was beginning. Some of the hardness had been removed.

    A few days later I “just happened” to read a verse of scripture from the Message Bible in a magazine.

    “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me – watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” (Matt.11:28-30, The Message Bible)

    It was as though Jesus was speaking directly to me, inviting me to just walk with Him. “Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.” I don’t have to try to please anyone. I don’t have to be a certain way. Religion had burned me out and let me down. He was offering me what I’d needed all along – a relationship with Him alone.

    There is a medical procedure called Debridement which is the medical removal of infected tissue to improve healing of healthy tissue. It can be painful, but sometimes is necessary for the antibiotic treatment to work. Once the infected or dead tissue is removed the healing medicine can be applied.

    Sometimes we need something to remove the dead part of our souls before the healing balm of God’s Word can heal what remains. It can be a painful process, but if we allow it, the Holy Spirit will do a work in us that will start the healing process that comes with the application of the Word.

    “He sends forth His word and heals them and rescues them from the pit and destruction.” (Psalm 107:20, The Amplified Bible)

    Whatever is the cause or source of your pain, whatever the pit is you’ve fallen in, or whatever the sorrow is you’re carrying, you are not alone. Allow the Spirit of God to move in your life and He will heal you. The process may not be easy, it probably won’t be exactly what you expect, but true healing is yours through our Lord Jesus Christ.

    Peace and blessings,
    Dee

  • RELATIONSHIP WITNESSING

    “Even though I am free of the demands and expectations of everyone, I have voluntarily become a servant to any and all in order to reach a wide range of people: religious, nonreligious, meticulous moralists, loose-living immoralists, the defeated, the demoralized—whoever. I didn’t take on their way of life. I kept my bearings in Christ—but I entered their world and tried to experience things from their point of view. I’ve become just about every sort of servant there is in my attempts to lead those I meet into a God-saved life. I did all this because of the Message. I didn’t just want to talk about it; I wanted to be in on it!” 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 (The Message)

    Look around you in church sometime, I mean really look at the people who are there. Who do you see? Do you see non-Christians searching for the answers for their lives or believers there to assemble themselves together? More than likely most of them are believers. So then, how are we to get the gospel to those outside who need Jesus? The Bible says how can they believe except they hear, and how can they hear except someone is sent?  (See Romans 10:14.)

    We have to do it outside the church. That’s what Jesus did. He went about his daily life, meeting people on the street and calling them to follow him. He went to dinner with sinners, not so he could tell them what great sinners they were – they already knew that – but to show them God.

    We’re to do the same thing. That’s what the Apostle Paul was talking about in the passage above. He didn’t participate in their sin, but he adapted himself to their circumstances so that he could share the gospel with them.

    The question is how do we do that? How do we show Jesus to the outside world in a way they want to know more? Reciting religious platitudes and quoting scripture will usually turn them off and away from you. Conversations that are great when you’re with fellow believers and Christian friends are not always so great around non-believers. When my best friend and I talk, we have a wonderful time sharing what we’re learned from the Bible and what God is doing in our lives. But I can’t have that type of relationship with everyone.

    The first thing we need to do is to be nice to people. Sometimes we pick and choose how to treat people based on appearance. That’s not how God calls us to be. Jesus went to the outcasts. Probably few if any of the 12 disciples Jesus called would qualify to serve on the staff of any of our modern churches. They were for the most part uneducated and a few of them were pretty rowdy.  James and John were called Sons of Thunder and Peter cut off a man’s ear! Be nice to everybody – the store clerk who can’t make change, the stressed out parents in the restaurant with a screaming child, the dirty day-laborer in line at the convenience store. Show them who God is by being nice.

    Then just be a friend to people we meet. Get to know them and learn about their lives before we start telling them how they need God. Be their friend first and wait for God to open the door for spiritual discussions. It may take months, it may take years.  It may never happen in the way you expect. But never underestimate the impact a godly life just lived openly and honestly in front of someone can have.

    Be sensitive to other people’s needs and their feelings. I’m as guilty as the next person about saying something “religious” because I thought it was what I was supposed to say only to realize later that what I said was not what the person needed to hear at all. What they needed most was for me to just be their friend. Offer help when they need help, and give it without any “religious” strings attached. When we meet peoples’ needs, they have the chance to see Jesus but only if we do it freely and without preaching to them about it.

    Most of all, we cannot hold ourselves out as being better or more righteous than they are.  Arrogant spirituality turns people away. The only difference between them and us is Jesus. Paul said he did not participate in their sin, (“I am committed to the law of Christ”, I Cor. 9:21b) but he accepted them as they were.  We can decline to participate in sin without having to expound on the evils of it. Jesus said to let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no and that is enough. (Matt. 5:37)
    Jesus said we’re to be the light of the world. Light in only noticed where there is dark. During the daylight, you don’t usually notice that a lamp is on. But as soon as it gets dark, that lamp becomes useful. If we’re to be useful “lamps”, we need to get out of the daylight of our church pew and go out to the dark where we’re needed.

    Peace and blessings in our Lord Jesus Christ.
    Dee

  • BE VIGILANT

    Flip Wilson used to portray a TV character who would say “The devil made me do it” every time he (or she sometimes) did something wrong. It became a popular catch phrase imitated in commercials and in everyday life.
    For a Christian, such a statement would be Biblically incorrect. The devil cannot make us do anything against our own will. He tempts us with evil, but it still our choice to do it or not.
    A statement I hear frequently today from some Christians is that the devil caused this or that to happen.  Looking at what the Bible says about the devil, that may or may not always be the case. It is true that as believers in Jesus Christ, we have an enemy who works against us and we are cautioned to be on guard against him. But we are also given weapons to use and instructions concerning him.

    “In conclusion, be strong in the Lord [be empowered through your union with Him]; draw your strength from Him [that strength which His boundless might provides].

    “Put on God’s whole armor [the armor of a heavy-armed soldier which God supplies], that you may be able successfully to stand up against [all] the strategies and the deceits of the devil.

    “For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the despotisms, against the powers, against [the master spirits who are] the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) sphere.” Ephesians 6:10-12 (Amplified Bible)

    When I hear Christians give the devil credit for every bad or unpleasant thing that happens to them, I have to wonder why. The Bible says we are to put on the “God’s whole armor” and when we do, we are able to withstand any attacks of the enemy.
    God’s Word is greater than any evil spirit or demon. The Blood of Jesus is greater than all the powers of darkness combined. They tremble and flee at the very Name of Jesus.  The Holy Spirit is our teacher and He gives us direction. And as if that weren’t enough, God’s holy angels have been charged to assist us.

    “Are not the angels all ministering spirits (servants) sent out in the service [of God for the assistance] of those who are to inherit salvation?” Hebrews 1:14 (The Amplified Bible)


    What I have observed is that usually what people give the devil credit for are things that are the consequences of their own bad choices or the results of the actions of someone else. If I speed on the freeway because I was late leaving for an appointment, and I get stopped by a police officer, it won’t be the devil writing the ticket! It will be the consequences of my actions.
    Sometimes bad things happen because we live in a fallen world. Sin abounds in the world; it’s not necessarily a personal attack against us from the devil.     I’ve decided that whatever comes my way, I will not give the enemy any credit, not for anything. Even when I know it is him attacking, I will not give him credit for hurting me. In Jesus Christ I am more than a conqueror. God orders my steps and He guides my life. God is my provider and my protector. When problems arise, I will seek my Father’s face. I will search His Word. I will call on His Name. And I will be vigilant.

    “Be well balanced (temperate, sober of mind), be vigilant and cautious at all times; for that enemy of yours, the devil, roams around like a lion roaring [in fierce hunger], seeking someone to seize upon and devour.
    “Withstand him; be firm in faith [against his onset–rooted, established, strong, immovable, and determined], knowing that the same (identical) sufferings are appointed to your brotherhood (the whole body of Christians) throughout the world.”
    I Peter 5:8, 9 (Amplified Bible)


    Peace and blessings in Our Lord Jesus Christ.
    Dee

  • Catching Up

    I’m appalled how long since it’s been since I’ve posted anything but I have a very good reason.

    New Granddaughter

    Our new grand-baby, Kaylee Nicole came a week early – June 1 instead of the planned June 9.
    But she is here and she is healthy and as beautiful as her mother was when she was born.  So the first week, I was spending as much time as possible at the hospital getting acquainted with Kaylee. Then the following week and this week I spent 3 days of the week at their house helping.  Yesterday the doctor released Rachael to resume most of her routine, including picking up 19 month-old Braden, so I’m back home playing catch up. But I only have today.

    Tomorrow we’ll be picking up our 10 year-old grandson, Christopher, and having him with us for 2 weeks. Monday he starts swimming lessons, and there will be trips to Taco Bueno, the movies and the library.  And anything else we come up with that sounds fun.

    Can I just say I love being a grandparent! You get to re-do the fun stuff you did with your kids, plus add some things you missed. And without the pressure to be a “good” parent – you just get to relax and enjoy it.  The greatest blessing and biggest responsibility is humbly going before the Lord, thanking Him for these precious grandchildren and asking for His protection over them.

    Indeed, children are a blessing from God, and grandchildren are the greatest blessing of all!

    Peace and blessings from our Lord Jesus Christ,

    Dee

    Precious little girl.
    Precious little girl.
    Braden loves his new sister.
    Braden loves his new sister.

  • Waiting for Granddaughter

    “Your eyes saw my unformed substance, and in Your

    book all the day’s [of my life] were written before

    ever they took shape, when as yet there was none of

    them.” Psalm 139:16 ( The Amplified Bible)


    Two weeks from today my daughter will be having her second child.  We know from the sonograms the baby is a girl; the doctor knows her approximate size and weight and the position the baby is in right now. Modern medical technology makes it possible for doctors to have valuable information about an unborn baby. But as miraculous as that is, God knows even more. God was there when she was conceived; He’s been there as she was developing and growing inside her mother’s womb and He will be there as she makes her entrance into the world.


    As we eagerly anticipate the birth of this new grandchild, I wonder what will she look like? Will she have her mother’s beautiful blue eyes like her older brother? Will she be outgoing and talkative like her mother or will she be quiet and introspective like her dad? These are questions parents and grandparents ask while waiting for a new baby, and there are deeper questions we ask as well. What will her life be like? Will she make good choices?

    As we wonder, God already knows. He knows each one of us intimately. He knows the very number of hairs on our head. He knows our very thoughts; there is nothing in us that is hidden from Him.  Knowing us so intimately even before we were born, He has provided for us everything we need for life and godliness.

    “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.” 2 Peter 1:3,4 (New International Version)


    Through Jesus Christ, God has provided us with the means to live our lives as He intended them to be. Through knowing Jesus Christ, we not only have eternal life after we die, but we have the tools we need for this  life. Without Him, we can never fulfill the plan God laid out for us.

    I can trust God to give my new granddaughter, and well as my grandsons, the tools they need for their lives. My job is to help their parents teach them, to love them and to point them to Jesus. God will do the rest.

    “Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out;
    you formed me in my mother’s womb.
    I thank you, High God—you’re breathtaking!
    Body and soul, I am marvelously made!
    I worship in adoration—what a creation!
    You know me inside and out,
    you know every bone in my body;
    You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit,
    how I was sculpted from nothing into something.
    Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth;
    all the stages of my life were spread out before you,
    The days of my life all prepared
    before I’d even lived one day.”     Psalm 139:13-16 (The Message)

    Peace and Blessings

    Dee