Dee2rites Blog

Tag: Growing Spiritually

  • I Didn’t Plan This Trip – Cold Coffee

    “Because of the Lord’s faithful love we do not perish, for His mercies never end.

    They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness!

    I say: The Lord is my portion, therefore I will put my hope in Him.”

    Lamentations 3:22-24 (Holman Christian Standard Bible)

              My favorite time of day used to be early mornings, when I would be the only one up. I’d enjoy a nice cup of coffee, or sometimes hot tea, while I read my Bible and prayed. I still enjoy those things, but not always in the usual way I used to know. Some days are easier than others, and some days are difficult to say the least. The best days are the ones when we don’t have to be anywhere, and can just take the day as it comes.

              I make my coffee, and about that time Larry puts the dog out of the bedroom because she’s wanting out. I open the dog door to let her out and feed her, put Larry’s bowl for cereal on the island and unload the dishwasher. A few minutes later, he’s up and usually needs a little help with shoes and socks. We get that done, and it’s time for breakfast. If we get the bowl of cereal and milk to the table without spilling, that’s a plus! Otherwise, I’m moping at least part of the kitchen floor.

              After he’s had his breakfast and taken his morning meds, he usually settles on the couch and watches reruns of M.A.S.H. or Andy Griffin. I shower and dress while he’s not needing me. At last, I’m ready for my day. But first I need to carry out garbage. And finish cleaning the kitchen. Oh yeah, I need to decide what to make for dinner and set something out to thaw. I make the beds because a nicely made bed makes me feel good about one thing being done well today.

              As I leave the bedroom to go to my workspace or the office, I see my cup of coffee sitting on the side table where I’d left it to go let the dog out. It’s cold by now. But hey, it’s summer, I’ll just add some ice and pretend I’d planned it that way.

              “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, And He delights in his way.” Psalm 37:23 (NKJV)

    Peace and blessings in our Lord Jesus Christ,

    Dee

  • I Didn’t Plan This Trip – The Beginning of Our Journey

    “I will remember the works of the Lord; Surely I will remember Your wonders of old.”  Psalm 77:11

              “I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever; With my mouth will I make known Your faithfulness to all generations”  Psalm 89:1

              This post is a little different from some of my others. July 12 2025, Larry and I will celebrate our 57th wedding anniversary. Because of knowing it was coming up, I have been even more respective that usual, thinking back over our years together. The years have gone too fast, even the ones that seemed long at the time.

              We’ve had some good times, we’ve had some bad times. But through it all, we’ve seen God’s hand in our lives. It is only through His grace and mercy that we’ve made it this far, and I know He’ll be with us through our last years. I’ve put bad memories out of my mind, focusing on all the good ones, except for the ones when we saw God move at the time of our need.

              I put together a video of photos us, only a very few but special ones. I hope you enjoy it. One word, embrace every moment you have with your loved ones. You don’t know how much time you have, so make the most of it.

  • When I Saw my Daddy Cry

    When I Saw my Daddy Cry

              “I would have lost heart, unless I had believed That I would see the goodness of the Lord In the land of the living.” Psalm 27:13

    “A righteous man regards the life of his animal, But the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.” Proverbs 12:10

              With all the recent flooding in Texas, my heart aches for the families who have lost loved ones, or have loved ones still missing. Locally, there were no fatalities, Praise God! But many families have been displaced due to flood damage in their homes, some losing everything; farmers and ranchers missing livestock, and I can’t help but remember a time when the rain devastated our family.

              When Mother and Daddy married in 1949, Daddy was a cowboy, working for other people in San Saba County. In 1953 they moved to McCulloch County, and Daddy went to work for a rancher there. He leased a farm near Rochelle where we lived until 1958 when Daddy and Mother borrowed money to buy the farm, which we still have, just north of Richland Springs. The Richland Creek ran along the South side of the property.

              One weekend in the Summer of 1959, my Mother, my baby sister and I, went to visit my Granny for the weekend in Cisco. While we were gone, heavy rains came and the Richland Creek rose up until it was covered most of the cotton field.

              Only as an adult looking back can I understand the sense of loss my Dad was feeling. He had to make an annual land payment, plus he’d borrowed money to plant the cotton. Now that crop was wiped out. I remember sitting on the front porch with my Daddy, looking out at the flooded field and seeing his tears fall as he whispered, “I’ve lost it all”.  I’d never seen my Daddy cry, until that day.

              But he was a man who believed in the goodness of God, and even in the worst of times, which this was only one, he never lost his faith. I don’t remember the details of the next few weeks and months, but I only know we always had what we needed. We never missed church and we always put in offering to God.

              What I learned from my Daddy, is that God is always there and He is always good. Even when our prayers seem like they aren’t heard, God is there and He is always good.

    “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6

    “The Lord is my strength and my shield; My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart greatly rejoices, And with my song I will praise Him.” Psalm 28:7

    Peace and blessings in our Lord Jesus Christ,

    Dee

  • I Didn’t Plan This Trip – I Just Don’t Have the Words

    I Didn’t Plan This Trip – I Just Don’t Have the Words

    “Give ear to my words, O Lord, Consider my meditation.

    Give heed to the voice of my cry, My King and my God, For to You I will pray.

    My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord; In the morning I will direct it to You, And I will look up.” Psalm 5:1-3 (NKJV)

              “I just don’t have the words” – how many time do we say that phrase meaning we just can’t explain what we saw or experienced. Perhaps it was too beautiful to describe, such as the majestic Rocky Mountains. Perhaps it was something miraculous, such as seeing someone healed. Or too horrible to describe, like the aftermath of a tornado or hurricane. There is another reason – we actually forget or lose words. This is called Aphasia.

    Aphasia can be mild and normal as we age. Talking to a friend, we may not be able to recall the name of a person or place, but only later to have it come back to mind. No cause for alarm, it’s common in older adults. But for the person with Dementia, it’s much more serious.

    “Difficulty with language and communication (Aphasia), is a common symptom in dementia, especially as the condition progresses. It arises from the damage to language-processing areas of the brain caused by dementia. This can manifest as problems understanding or using language, including difficulty finding words, forming sentences, and understanding what others say.” (Google)

    This is where we are.

    When Larry and I were first married, he was the outgoing one. The person who talked to everyone at church or social events. I’m naturally introverted, and have always been uncomfortable at parties and social events. Even with family, he was the one joking and teasing. He especially loved teasing my Mother, and she loved teasing back. Dad and I were content to listen on the perimeter. Larry made friends easily and with most everyone he met. I had fewer, but closer, friendships. He was a natural born salesman because of his outgoing personality.

    As the Alzheimer’s has progressed, he has become quieter. He still enjoys going to church every Sunday, and wants to get there early so he can have a cup of coffee with the guys. And he enjoys going to the Men’s Bible study on Wednesday evenings when I can take him. But he’s the quiet one now.

    I was updating my sister and cousins on a Zoom call last Saturday about Larry’s condition, and my sister said that when she and her husband visited us last July, she noticed that Larry wasn’t as outgoing as he used to be. And there it is. Because he can’t always find the right words, or form a cohesive sentence, he just stays quiet. I’ve noticed that often when someone says something to him, he just laughs (sometimes inappropriately!) and I believe that’s because he didn’t comprehend what was being said.

    And that is the other side of the coin – Comprehension. There are days that I have trouble explaining something to him. He just can’t understand the meaning of the words I’m saying. I’m learning to use shorter sentences because if I give too much information at once, he’s forgotten the first part of what I said the time I finish.

    This is something else we’ve lost on this trip. Our ability to communicate. There used to be a time when we could almost finish one another’s sentences, we were so in sync. We talked about everything – the kids, church, politics and what was going on in the country. We said “I love you” frequently, at least once a day. What I miss the most is talking in bed at night before we kissed goodnight and fell asleep.

    Part of my prayer for myself is that I can be patient when I need to be patient in communicating with Larry on his bad days, especially in the evenings.

    ” (I pray) that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy.”  Colossians 1:10-11

    Peace and blessings in our Lord Jesus Christ,

    Dee

  • Be The Church

    “We will never change the world by going to church. We will only change the world by being the church.”

    I saw this quote on a Facebook post, and I agree, but what does it mean to “be” the church? Are we supposed to walk around saying Bless you my child to people? That’s pretty meaningless. So assuming the Church is made up of Jesus’s disciples, what did say to His followers before He ascended into heaven?

    “Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.” John 8:32

    We have to spend time in The Word to know how to be the Church.

    “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:35

    The outward evidence that we are disciples of Jesus, the Church, is our love for other believers. Too many times the world has been witness to church disputes, so called Christians speaking negatively about other churches or other believers. Where is the love? The Apostle Paul said in his letter to the church in Ephesus to “speak the truth in love”.

    The Gospel of Mark records these instructions that Jesus gave His followers, “And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” Mark 16:15-18

    Our assembling ourselves with other believers as we’re commanded to do, changes us. We hear the Word taught, and it empowers us to take Jesus to the world outside our assembly.

    And Jesus last words to the disciples before He ascended into heaven,  “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:8

    The church is not a building, it is not even the meeting together of believers. The church is the individual believers, all parts of one body doing what Jesus said and being His witnesses.

    The early church went about teaching and preaching Jesus. They laid hands on the sick people who then were healed. They cast demons out of people in Jesus Name. They raised the dead. They did all the things Jesus did because He had said “You shall receive power and be My witnesses”. They believed Him and did what He said and changed civilization. They spread the gospel throughout the entire known world. They literally “turned the world upside down”.

    Is it not time for believers to really believe what Jesus said and take the gospel to the world? Show Jesus to the world by our love.

    Romans 2:4 says “Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?” Show unbelievers the goodness of God by praying for the sick, by giving to the needy, caring for one another. Often in the gospels people came to believe Jesus was the Messiah when they saw the miracles. He showed them who He was by what He did. Maybe we need to show unbelievers who we are, the Body of the Anointed One, by what  we do.

    Yes we need to be in a Bible believing church and attend regularly. If your church doesn’t teach the Bible, or changes things in the Bible, then you need to find another assembly to go to to be fed.

    Our society is hurling toward destruction, wickedness is so prevalent we are becoming immune to it. Just as God gave people time to repent before the flood, He’s giving us time for people to repent now. And just as Noah was a preacher of righteousness, we’re to be preachers of righteousness to a lost world.

    Peace and blessings in our Lord Jesus Christ,

    Dee

  • “I Will Give You Rest”

     

    “Come unto Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matt. 11:28

    What does that mean? In our crazy world, with our busy messy lives, how can we rest? Most of us feel like at times we need more hours in the day.

    Some of the definitions from the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary for rest are: (noun) repose, sleep; a place for resting or lodging; peace of mind or spirit; something used for support or (verb) free of anxieties

    Let’s consider some of these definitions.

    1. Repose, Sleep

    We all know our physical bodies need rest. Article I read list some of the health risks of too little or poor sleep.

    Weight gain/Obesity – people with poor sleep habits typically have a higher BMI (body mass index) than those who get 8 hours.

    Diabetes – inadequate sleep influences the way the body processes glucose and can contribute to Type 2 Diabetes.

    Heart Disease and Hypertension – insufficient sleep with people suffering from hypertension can cause elevated blood pressure, eventually increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke.

    Mood Disorders – Irritability and moodiness can be caused by a single sleepless night, and long term mood disorders such as depression, anxiety and mental distress have been connected to chronic sleep issues.

    Performance and Public Safety – Poor job performance and accidents can sometimes be attributed to lack of sleep.

    Life Expectancy – Studies show that sleeping five hours or less a night increased mortality risk by roughly 15 percent.

    God created our bodies to renew and refresh themselves through sleep. Cells regenerate and brains sort out superfluous information stored over the day. If you have trouble falling to sleep, ask God for restful sleep.

    Psalm 4:8 (AMP) says “In peace [and with a tranquil heart] I will both lie down and sleep, for You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety and confident trust.”

    Psalm 127:2 says “It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows; for so He gives His beloved sleep.”

    Proverbs 3:24 promises “When you lie down, you will not be afraid; yes, you will lie down and your sleep will be sweet.”

    The Amplified Bible says in Proverbs 19:23 “The fear of the Lord leads to life, so that one may sleep satisfied, untouched by evil.”

    Sometimes, we need to take a break from whatever we are doing, especially when we are overwhelmed with activity and business.

    In Mark 6: 31, Jesus told the disciples to come rest awhile. “And He said to them, ‘Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.’”

    The Greek word translated “rest” here is anapauð : (reflex.) to repose (lit. or fig. [be exempt], remain), by implication to refresh:-take ease, refresh, (give, take) rest. (Also the same word translated rest in Matt. 11:28) Jesus knew the disciples needed to take time refresh, take rest.

    1. Peace of mind or spirit; free of anxieties

    God created us as a three part being just as He is – He is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We live in a physical body, we have a soul (mind, will and emotions) and we are a spirit.

    Not only does our physical body need rest, but also our mind and emotions. Sometimes the poor state of our physical body can affect our mental or emotional being, but we also need to rest, or refresh our mental state of being.

    We all have a certain amount of stress, it’s called life. But prolonged stress can damage our body, even to the point of serious illness or death. God did not create us to carry excess stress.  And He has given us instructions and the tools how to handle it.

    In 1 Peter 5:6, 7 tells us, “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.”  We do not need to spend time stressing over situations, needs, problems especially those things we have no control over. We do need to acknowledge we are unable control it, and then cast it all over on God. And if that means we have to do it over and over, then we do it over and over, repenting for taking it back.

    A lady named Phyllis Ford said “Rest is displayed in our ability to yield to the presence of God, trusting that He is in control of our lives… We relinquish our ability to fix, manage, and control things.” Yield to God’s presence and trust He is in control. And trust Him that if there are things we can do or need to change, He will reveal it to us.

    Zephaniah 3:17 says “The Lord your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.”

    “He will quiet you with His love.” Just like a mother quiets her crying child with words of love and comfort, God will quiet our hearts no matter what is going on in our lives, even in the craziness sometimes if we only trust Him. God is in the midst of the worst circumstances and will quiet us with His love. He is the only one able to truly give us peace of mind.

    Jesus said in verse 29 of Matt. 11, “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” The interesting thing here, the Greek word translated rest here, is anapausls : (from anapauð,) but it means – intermission; by implication recreation; – rest. Jesus is inviting us to come take a break from things with Him. Come to Him, and we can take an intermission from worry, from stress, from sorrow.  When I was on Grand Jury, some days were so very hard and at times depressing. No matter how hard I tried, I could not “unsee” or “unhear” some of the horrific photographs I saw or the disturbing testimony I heard. If I went home and brooded over things, I usually would have trouble sleeping, thinking about what I’d seen and heard. But If I went home, took a walk and invited Jesus to come along with me, and talked to Him about it, the burden of it always lifted and I was able to put it out of my mind and sleep that night.

    In the book of Acts Peter was thrown into prison, probably to be executed just as James his brother had been, what was his response? (Acts 12:5) He was asleep bound between 2 guards! Why? How? Because he’d cast the care of his life over on God.

    So when a stressful situation is keeping you up at night, pray “Father, I cast the care of this (whatever it is) over on You because I know You care for me. Now I will lay down and sleep because You have promised to give your beloved sleep.”

    Jesus said “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me… Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (John 14:1, 27)

    1. Something used for support or a place for resting or lodging

    Now just as rest is important for our physical bodies and our souls, rest is essential for our spirits. When we are physically tired, when we are mentally or emotionally stressed and drained, our spiritual life suffers and we are ineffective for the Kingdom of God. But equally, when we’re not refreshed and growing spiritually, our bodies and souls suffer. Each part of our being is dependent on the other – when one part suffers, our entire being suffers.

    What is it that is rest for us, that something we can use for support? Where do we go to find a place of resting?

    The NKJV of Psalm 94:12-15 says, “Blessed is the man whom You instruct, O Lord, and teach out of Your law, that You may give him rest from the days of adversity, until the pit is dug for the wicked. For the Lord will not cast off His people, nor will He forsake His inheritance. But judgment will return to righteousness, and all the upright in heart will follow it.”

    Now listen to it from The Message: “How blessed the man you train, God, the woman you instruct in your Word, providing a circle of quiet within the clamor of evil, while a jail is being built for the wicked. God will never walk away from his people, never desert his precious people. Rest assured that justice is on its way and every good heart put right.”

    “Providing a circle of quiet in the clamor of evil.” When we meditate on God’s Word, when we spend time alone with God, when we pray, God will provide a circle of quiet.

    In John 16:33 Jesus said, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

    Jesus is the One we can lean on for rest. In this life we will have problems, we will have conflicts, we will have family issues, we will have financial issues, we will have health issues. But Jesus says “In Me you can have peace.

    Why is this important?

    Today we are in a spiritual war as never before. There are things happening in the world, in our country, all around us, things that in the natural realm we have no control over. Satan is trying to destroy our nation, he wants to destroy our families, he wants to control our children.

    But in the spirit realm, we have power because Jesus said, “I will give you the keys (authority) of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind [forbid, declare to be improper and unlawful] on earth will have [already] been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose [permit, declare lawful] on earth will have [already] been loosed in heaven.” (Matthew 16:19 AMP)

    The most important thing we can do for the Kingdom of God is pray. Pray Spirit led, Word based prayers. The last phrase of James 5:16 says, “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”

    But if we’re struggling in our own soul, if we’re worn out, how effective can we be?

    Matthew 28:18a says “And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.  Go therefore..”

    We have been given the authority in Jesus’ Name, we have been commissioned by Jesus, to work for the Kingdom of God. But we have to be ready and be prepared before we can be effective in this Kingdom work. We have to be ready for battle when God calls us.

    We have to be physically and mentally ready as well as spiritually prepared for do Kingdom warfare.

    The Bible says of Jesus: “Early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left [the house], and went out to a secluded place, and was praying there.” Mark 1:35 (AMP)

    Jesus began His day, spending time with the Father, listening to what the Father said. If you’re not an early riser, ask the Father what time He’d like you to meet with Him and ask Him to help you to set your schedule accordingly. We have to fit our schedule into God’s plans, not expect God to fit His plans into our schedule. Spend time during the day just quietly sitting, listening for His voice. You can pray, or not; read your Bible or not; but just bask in His presence.

    Listen to Jesus speaking in Matthew 11:27-30.

    “Jesus resumed talking to the people, but now tenderly. ‘The Father has given me all these things to do and say. This is a unique Father-Son operation, coming out of Father and Son intimacies and knowledge. No one knows the Son the way the Father does, nor the Father the way the Son does. But I’m not keeping it to myself; I’m ready to go over it line by line with anyone willing to listen.

    ‘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.’”

    Peace and blessings in our Lord Jesus Christ,

    Dee

     

  • A Strong Foundation of Faith

    “For what does the Scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness’ …Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all.” Romans 4:3, 16 (NKJV)

    Abraham, called the Father of Faith, shows us how to build a foundation of faith. It starts with hearing God. God spoke to Abram (Abraham as he was called later), Abram heard and obeyed.
    “Now the Lord had said to Abram: ‘Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’ So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.” (Genesis 12:1-4)

    God told Abraham to leave the place where he was and go to a place that He would show him. Years before God had lead Abram’s father, Terah, to leave Ur the land of the Chaldees (in modern day Iraq) to go to Canaan, but he only made it as far as Haran (Turkey) and settled there and there he died. God spoke to Abram and he heard and he obeyed.

    The first thing we have to do if we’re to have a strong foundation of faith is to hear God and then obey. How do we hear God? By taking in His written word, by reading and meditating on what is given to us through the Scriptures. Once we have it in our hearts, then we have to be obedient to it. It’s not enough just to read it or hear it preached; we have to apply it by being obedient, doing what we hear God telling us to do.

    “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise.” (Hebrews 11:8, 9)

    If we desire to live a life for God, we have to learn to be obedient to Him and be fully surrendered to His will. It requires faith to be fully surrendered to God. When we doubt, or lack faith in God and His Word, it hard to give up our plans and desires to surrender to His. It requires spending time in the Scriptures to come to the place where we can genuinely say “Not my will, but Yours be done.”
    But when we know the Word, we can also know that God’s plans for our lives are far better than anything we can imagine. He tells us in Jeremiah 29:11-13 “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.”

    Seek Him with you whole heart, through His written word, and you will find Him. Dwell on that Word and your faith in it will grow. Then you will have a strong foundation of faith that can stand against any circumstance that life on this planet gives.
    Peace and blessings in our Lord Jesus Christ,
    Dee
    Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.

  • What’s That Smell?

    “God, create a pure heart in me. Give me a new spirit that is faithful to you.”  Psalm 51:10 (NIRV)Image

              A few days ago I noticed a slight odor in the refrigerator when I was getting my morning yogurt. I was getting ready to go to work so I noted to myself that I needed to clean out the refrigerator when I got home from work that day. By the time I got home, I was too tired and decided it could wait until the next day which was Saturday. Saturday morning I went to younger grandson’s baseball game, ran some errands on the way home and by the time I got home, I had other things on my mind and forgot about it. Since hubby was out of town, that evening I went out to dinner with a friend from work and didn’t open the fridge again until Sunday morning. Ugh! It was worse, but no time to do anything about it. Went to church that morning and since it was Mother’s Day I met my daughter and her family for a special lunch. By Monday I didn’t even have to open the door to smell the odor coming from the refrigerator. Good thing I’m off work this week, because there was no more putting it off. It had to be cleaned out now!  
                 I emptied the contents of the fridge, checking expiration dates on every bottle and container. Finally I found the culprit – a plastic container of leftovers that had gotten pushed to the back and forgotten. As I was wiping down the inside walls and shelves of the fridge, God began speaking to me about how just as those rotten leftovers created a bad odor in the refrigerator and finally the kitchen, that is what unconfessed sin does in our lives.
               We go to church, pay our tithes and keep the Ten Commandments. Everything is good, right? Ok, what about that little white lie we told to get out of doing something we’d promised to do but really didn’t want to do? Cover it up and push to the back the fridge. What about that word muttered at the driver who cut who cut us off in traffic? Wrap it up and put it on the bottom shelf. There they’ll stay and grow mold. Any sin, even ones we consider small are an affront to our God because He is holy and He calls us to be holy. “For I am the Lord your God. You shall therefore consecrate yourselves, and you shall be holy; for I am holy.” Leviticus 11:44a (NKJV)
               John the Apostle writes in I John 1:8 “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”    We all sin, even after we are born again we all say or do things we know are not what we’re supposed to do. And we fail to do things we know God has told us to do.  Even the Apostle Paul struggled with this. “For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice.” Romans 7:19
                So what is the answer? Paul continues on to tell us – Jesus. Jesus has made the way.  “O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!” Romans 7:24,25a
    Then John continues his message in First John. “My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.” 1 John 2:1, 2
                We have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)  All we have to do is confess and Jesus will cleanse us.
                Just as I not only had to clean the refrigerator interior with baking soda to eradicate the smell, I also had to throw out the leftover food that was causing the odor.  Jesus cleanses us of all unrighteousness the moment we confess, but we have to remove it from our lives. Stop doing whatever that sin was. If it’s a bad habit, ask the Holy Spirit to help you. He abides within you once you are born again and He is called to help us and to guide us. If you have unforgiveness towards someone who offended you, start praying for them. It’s hard to hold a grudge against someone you’re praying for!

    Father, thank You for cleansing me of all unrighteousness. I pray that my life will be holy, a sweet aroma to You. In Jesus Name, Amen

    Peace and blessings in our Lord Jesus Christ,
    Dee

     

    New International Reader’s Version (NIRV)
    Copyright © 1996, 1998 by Biblica

     New King James Version (NKJV)
    The Holy Bible, New King James Version Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

  • Through Jesus Christ I Have…

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    “For while the Law was given through Moses, grace (unearned, undeserved favor and spiritual blessing) and truth came through Jesus Christ.” John 1:17

    A number of years ago I was challenged to read the New Testament looking for all the prepositional phrases referring to Jesus. I don’t know how many there are, I lost count but I know it’s in the hundreds. But the purpose of the assignment was not to count them, but to grow in my understanding of everything Jesus has done for us. I began reading and every time I came to a phrase referring to Jesus, I would circle the phrase and meditate on what the Scripture was saying to me. The result was I came away with a deeper understanding of who I am in Jesus Christ.

    I encourage anyone wanting to grow spiritually to try the same process. Starting reading the New Testament actively looking for “in Jesus Christ”, “in Whom”, “by Jesus Christ”, “through Jesus Christ”, “through Whom”, “from Whom” and so on. As you find one, stop and meditate on what the verse is saying. Ask yourself how that applies to you and your life, what exactly has God done? Sometimes you need to consider the verse before and after it to fully understand the context of the verse.

    To help you get started, here is a small list of verses. But these are but a small sample of what is waiting for you in your Bible.

    John 1:17 – we have grace and truth through Jesus Christ
    Romans 8:1 – we are free from condemnation
    1 Corinthians 5:18 – we are reconciled to God through Christ Jesus
    Philippians 1:11 – we are filled with the fruits of righteousness by Jesus Christ
    Colossians 2:3 – wisdom and knowledge are in Christ Jesus
    Romans 5:11 – we have eternal life through Jesus Christ

    Peace and blessings in our Lord Jesus Christ,
    Dee

    Amplified Bible (AMP)
    Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation

  • Resurrection Power

    Resurrection Power.

    Since I first wrote this blog, I have heard one of my pastors teach from Ephesians 1:18-20 more than once that the same power that raised Jesus from the dead dwells in believers through the power of the Holy Spirit.

    “By having the eyes of your heart flooded with light, so that you can know and understand the hope to which He has called you, and how rich is His glorious inheritance in the saints (His set-apart ones), And [so that you can know and understand] what is the immeasurable and unlimited and surpassing greatness of His power in and for us who believe, as demonstrated in the working of His mighty strength, Which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His [own] right hand in the heavenly [places]” Ephesians 1:18-20 (Amplified Bible)

    Feeling powerless? Feeling low? Feeling defeated? Call on the Power that dwells within you by the Holy Spirit. If you’ve been born again and filled with the Holy Spirit, It is there.

    Praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

    Dee