Waiting for a Miracle?

I know a lot of people are having a rough time right now, especially those who were affected by the devastating 6.0 quake just over the hill in Napa County. As for physical pain, I am just one of many who are suffering and while I suffer physically, my husband has been out of work for over two months, but I trust God to provide for us. I also trust that I will eventually get in to see a specialist so they can figure out why all my fingers, both wrists and elbows are filling up with fluid which over time has gotten worse and worse and more and more painful. My one hope is that God, no matter what happens will be glorified. It's the only thing that matters to me. For those of you reading this, would you please pray for me? I would greatly appreciate it. I truly feel that I am under demonic attack. I need my hands to type and that is where I am most greatly affected.

We all know there a lot of other people out there suffering much more than we are. I start to get a little grumpy, until I think of the man or woman who has no arms or hands. It's a great attitude adjustment and those of us who suffer need to do it every day. Take a moment and think of others who are suffering way worse than we are. That really helps me to get my mind off of myself, and I usually end up going to the Lord, ashamed, and in tears to ask His forgiveness. 

My Dad once said something to me that I've never forgotten. "There was a man who was upset that he had no shoes, until he saw a man who had no feet." When you stop to think of others who have it worse than you do, that's when humility kicks in every time. Then, when we ask  forgiveness for our thoughts, even when we are just suffering beyond what we think we can handle, God is right there and He is ready to not only forgive us, he will carry us through to the other side! He carries us through our depression, our addictions, our pain, our illnesses, etc., etc.. I could go on and on, but it's hard to type today! = )

I hope those of you who are suffering won't wait until your pain goes away to face the Lord and do what is right. A lot of people who suffer do so with a smile and with faith that could move a mountain. I'm going to try to have that kind of faith and I'm just gonna keep praising Him no matter what. We are to praise Him in all circumstances and rejoice when we are hurting! It will make us feel better, just like Peter who sank under the waves? Jesus saved him, so why wouldn't he save us? 

We are all a miracle to God. He created us and wants us to turn to Him always, especially in our deepest moments of sorrow and anguish. I know what both are like and I'm grateful that I know God because without Him? Well I could see my story ending in a much more tragic way. For some of us, tomorrow may never come so try to think about what you do have and be grateful for it. 

I was a slave to sin, but now, thank God, I'm free! I'm free because of Jesus gift, given to all of us through His cross! We may lose our perspective once in awhile, but the minute we turn to Jesus? Well, He will find a way where there seems to be no way! It's humility that saves us every time. Think of others before yourself and watch for the miracles that God will do in your life! Commit your life to Him daily and you will see Him working in you and around you! You will be amazed! 

This One's For the Girls

I know at times, we can feel a little down because we feel inadequate. Some of us grew up being taunted by other students because we weren't perfect like the cheerleaders or other girls who were popular. I went through it too, so it's nothing new. The only thing that's new is cyber-bullying and texting photos of a not so flattering nature to the entire school! That can be horrifically embarrassing, and some girls have been so tortured by these types of things that they took their own lives. If these things are happening to you, please don't do anything to hurt yourself? Get help! If you are considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 and they will help you. Sometimes, even if you just need to talk and don't feel like there is anyone you can confide in, please go to their website and either call them, or click the "Chat Now" button. They want to help and none of us wants anyone who is going through this type of bullying to harm themselves.

I was the ugly duckling, and I was extremely insecure. I didn't feel loved at all, and I didn't know there was a God, my Father, my Abba Daddy, who loved me no matter what. I would try to stick up for myself, which in retrospect was kinda dumb. Had I let it roll off of my back like water on a duck, maybe they would've stopped. My problem was that I always felt like I had to defend myself. It wasn't until later on in life that I learned that if someone says something about you, and you can look inside your heart and honestly say to yourself "that's not true," then there is nothing to defend! Even Jesus spoke not a word when challenged by Pilate and the Chief Priests and Elders just before Pilate washed his hands and delivered Him to be crucified. (Matthew 27:11-25). So, in my situation, I eventually just chalked it up to being a kid. Yeah, the other kids taunted and tortured, teased endlessly, etc., and I let them get away with it. Plus the more I tried to defend myself, the worse the taunting and teasing got. I just thank the Good Lord we didn't have the type of instant media then that we have today or I might not be here!

If you are feeling low because you think you aren't pretty enough, good enough, or even worthy enough, then take this to heart. God created you. He created you special. (Psalm 139). Don't look at your shortcomings, look at the gifts He gave you. There is probably something you are very good at, that others are either jealous of, or don't understand. Some of you may not be as pretty as other girls, but perhaps your smart, get all A's and get called a "geek" or a "nerd." While it is wrong for others to say such things about you, you'll get your laugh some day when you graduate a four year college with honors! Most of them? Well most of them won't even make it to college!

You are so special and unique, there is only ONE you! So stop looking in the mirror and seeing flaws. Stop belittling yourself, thinking you aren't good enough because if you have Christ, you are better than "good enough." You are a child of the King and you are c0-heirs with Christ! No matter what those other kids say, God has your back and if you read your bible and allow His words to sink in, then the devil that rules their lives, will not be able to rule yours! You have to block him out, and rest on the word of God first! "Submit to God, resist the devil and he will flee. (James 4:7). Also, "Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you at the proper time, casting all of your anxiety upon Him because He cares for you. Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour." (1 Peter 5:6-8). I wish I had known these scriptures and understood them better when I was a teenager. I might have had more confidence and it may have made my life a little easier, even though I was tortured so horribly. I should've placed my confidence In Christ. (2 Corinthians 3:4).

So lift up your spirits and walk with your heads held high! Jesus is walking with you and when you get down and feel like you're being pushed around, teased beyond what you can emotionally handle, just remember, Jesus will be carrying you! Another thing you need to understand and never forget is that you cannot trust your emotions, and I mean, NOT EVER! It's through our emotions that the devil gains a foothold in our lives and then destroys any peace of mind, joy, confidence, you name it. He is the destroyer and the "liar from the beginning." (John 8:44). Those kids who taunt and tease you? They need your prayers! They are being run by the devil himself when they tease, torture, expose, etc., and hurt you. Jesus said we should turn the other cheek, but he also said "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." (Matthew 5:44).

You are the "Only One and Only You," and God loves you very much. He wants to watch you blossom in your faith, and He wants you to see and understand what He wants for your life. Not depression and loneliness or a fear that you'll never have good friends. And be careful of those who say they are your friends? They may have ulterior motives? "One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother." (Proverbs 18:24).  And remember this one as well: "Do not be deceived! Bad company corrupts good morals." (1 Corinthians 15:33).

God bless you today and may God guard your heart in Christ Jesus until that day when He will arrive on a very special cloud directly from heaven above to take us all home! Be at peace ladies, for the Lord is definitely with you!

He Knows My Name

I have been watching all the news reports about ISIS in Iraq/Syria and all the awful, murderous things they are doing. I just saw another report from a former Homeland Security advisor, that said they have been collaborating with the Cartels down in Central America and Mexico to bring these terrorists and their weapons of warfare into the United States. With the border so overrun from Texas to California, not to mention the tunnels they have been finding on the southern border, it should make each and every one of us hyper aware of where we are, who is around us and to watch for unclaimed or unguarded bags, backpacks, etc. They found tunnels in Israel/Gaza, which is how they planned to attack the Israeli's. We've found them here too, but I never put two and two together until I saw that interview. These people want to kill Americans just as badly as Hamas/Hezbollah/Iran wants to kill the Israeli's. 

I will not stop writing, speaking out, and screaming WAKE UP AMERICA until everyone is awake and alert and watching not just their backs, but those of their neighbors and friends. It's time to sound the alarm from the Church to the White House! I am grateful that I live in a relatively safe community where our Police Officers are totally alert, on guard and have, so far, been able to keep us all very safe! We are lucky to have them! I live in a community of less than 100,000 in between San Francisco and Sacramento. It's a military town and leans in a very Christian/Conservative way. We have Pastors from every church that meet on a monthly basis to pray for this city, for her people and for our safety. God is watching over us. I worry about two of my kids who live closer to the bay area. One even rides the train from Saratoga/San Jose area to San Francisco each day to get to and from work. There are terrorists from several groups, all hell bent on destroying America and killing her people. Two of these groups are in San Francisco and in San Jose/Santa Clara where the new Levi Stadium has just opened for the 49ers. It is no doubt a huge target. These things frighten me, but I refuse to let fear run my life. The bible says we were "not given a spirit of fear, but of power, of love and a sound mind." (2 Timothy 1:7).

I hope everyone is aware of this one thing: He knows our names! He knows our circumstances. He knows everything about us, for we are His children! He knows what our motives are when we do good works, and whether we have truly compassionate hearts and whether we are trying to be obedient to Him. I have struggled just looking in the mirror at times because I have been a complete failure in my life. But God hasn't stopped loving me. I have failed so many times, I cannot count them all, but God tells me it's alright. I have failed forward directly into the arms of Jesus, who has completely forgiven me and wants the very best for me! All I have to do is let go and let Him lead me! I have to become more like Him. "Do not conform to this world, but instead be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is the good, acceptable and perfect will of God." (Romans 12:2).

I work on it everyday. I truly hope that everyone who reads this blog today is trying to do the same thing. I may fall flat on my face trying, but "His mercies are new every morning," (Lamentations 3:23), and I take full advantage of His wonderful forgiveness each and every day, sometimes several times a day! It's the only way to truly change. Being completely dependent on Him and not on ourselves. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight." (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Remember to Trust in God! For there are things coming onto the stages of our lives that will bewilder us. But He knows what will happen. He knows every minute, every second of what will happen in our lives today, tomorrow and in the future. So do not fear. If we follow Him and stay true to His leading in our lives, He will protect us and keep us safe from the things that are coming. I pray for our law enforcement officials, for our Homeland Security teams, and for all of our intelligence experts, that they will continue to be able to continue to keep us all safe. 

Remember: God knows your name! He will protect you if you turn your life over to Him. He adores us! He loves us so much He sent His one and only Son, Jesus, to die a horrible death on a Roman cross so that we could have life, and life eternal. It doesn't end with physical death. In fact, if you believe on Jesus, the Lamb who took away the sins of the world, then when your physical body dies, you will be in heaven with God for all eternity! Simply believe! We don't need applause, or approval or people to see us as famous. God already does! We are His children! He loves us and wants the best for us. We simply need to follow His lead. 

Trust Him. He loves you and He chose you! (Ephesians 1:4). God can make something out of nothing! He did that in my life, and He can and will do it in yours! He is ready to make something spectacular out of your life! He will give you beauty for ashes, joy for mourning and He will help you to do above all you could dare to ask or think! (Ephesians 3:20).  He stands behind each of us hoping that we will make the correct choices so He can be glorified! 

Whatever you do? Don't give up, because you are loved!

METS on Steroids!

GOTCHA! I know today's post title probably got all you baseball fans, especially Mets fans, to click and see what I had to say today! GOOD! You need to read this!

The other day while watching the news about the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, they were calling them "savages." Personally? I think that is a complete INSULT to American Indians everywhere, so while trying to come up with a new acronym for ISIS, what I came up with was "Militant Extremist Terrorist Syndicate." While it fits, the acronym was METS! It was then that I realized I couldn't call them that without people getting confused and ticked off at me and I didn't want to disparage a good baseball team either, so I dropped it. They are monsters, butchers, killers, serial killers, etc., so what would you call them? They are pure evil!

I believe that we are living in end times. This means we are literally living on the precipice of the Rapture, when Jesus will call us into the clouds and we will ever after be with the Lord! I gave some of the reasons I believe this in yesterday's post.

As for the Islamic State and the evil things they are doing to people, such as crucifying Christians who refuse to renounce their faith, executing Sunni Muslims, who are their own people, and blowing up churches, one of which was an 1800 year old church named St. Mary's, which held in it the tomb of Jonah and other horrific acts, remember the words of Jesus. He said, "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated Me first!" (John 15:18).

We should all be in prayer, deep intercessory prayer, for the Christians over in Iraq and Syria who are in danger! These monsters are crucifying children, beheading babies, and taking hostage Christian women and girls under the age of 35 and you know what these evil monsters are doing to them, I don't need to actually spell it out! I have been praying that God would have mercy on all of these people who are being persecuted and for the Peshmerga, the troops from Kurdistan who have been protecting them. Yes, they are Muslims who are protecting Christians! Imagine that! They are a peaceful people who are well trained and very capable, but they need our help, in fact they have been begging for our help, but President Obama has been fiddling while Iraq burns!

We need to be on our faces begging God for help, strength and for His mercy! We have turned against Him, not just here in America, but all over the world. The other day I heard that a young girl was told she couldn't say "bless you" to a friend who sneezed because it "might offend another student." Good grief Charlie Brown! What is the world coming to! When Dr. Kent Brantley thanked God for allowing him to live through his Ebola scare at a hospital in Atlanta yesterday, a guy with the Twitter handle @TheDudeBlog said in a Tweet "Ebola Patient Dr. Kent Brantley is the Douchebag of the day, thanking God rather than the doctors who saved his life." He actually did thank his doctors and hugged every person who was a part of his recovery! Obviously the "douchebag" who Tweeted that didn't see the press conference! 

This is nothing more than the intolerance of the left and Atheists who believe they have more rights than those who believe in God or Jesus Christ, and oh be careful not to say the name of Jesus! Just look at how Tim Tebow got treated for his faith! It isn't right, but it's happening all over the world! While Christians are being literally crucified in Iraq, Christians in the US are being crucified with words, and threats! It isn't just bullying anymore. Even our own government labeled us as "right wing terrorists," in a document produced by Homeland Security in 2009. They even listed former military members, yes, Veterans, as possible right wing extremist terrorists, and then they called the episode at Ft. Hood, "workplace violence," even though Hassan was yelling "Allahu Akbar," which means "God is greater," as he proceeded to shoot and kill 13 members of the Army! These Veterans and the families who lost a loved one that day deserve the pay and benefits of a soldier who died in battle, but they never received it. There is a terrible rift between those who believe and those who don't, but whose getting more 1st amendment protection these days? It's certainly not bible believing Christians!

I hope I got you to read this entire article, and I hope that you will begin to pray for the Christians of the world who are literally being exterminated and that you will pray for the Christians in Europe and America! We need to stand strong until the end. For "He who endures til the end will be saved." (Matthew 24:13). Have faith! Look up, for our redemption is drawing near! (Luke 21:28). For those of you who think I "protest too much?" God forgive you! I refuse to sit idly by while Christians are persecuted! I will not be quiet! I refuse to sit here and say and do nothing! It isn't right and I will shout it to the rooftops to anyone who will listen because that is what God has called me to do! It's time that we all look inward and ask God what it is He wants us to do instead of doing what is politically expedient or politically correct! 

If God is calling you to speak, then do so and if you agree with this post, pass it on! Others need to see and read it to! These are not my words, they come directly from God! He is the one who gave me the gift to write! I give myself no credit, not one ounce! Stop sitting around and doing nothing! People around you are dying in their sins and time is very short! The Titanic is sinking as the band plays on. Is that how you want to be remembered? I for one refuse to stand silent while Christians are persecuted! Even it means being persecuted myself! So what will you do? It's time to make a choice. God is waiting!

Pushin Back the Dark!

The world is completely upside down right now. Christians in Iraq are being crucified, Christian children are being crucified and beheaded like that American photo journalist Jim Foley who was kidnapped in Syria two years ago. These butchers are kidnapping Christian women and girls and raping them! They are the purest form of evil I believe the world has seen, at least in this century. Personally, I think we should bomb them back to 2000 B.C.!

They blew up St. Mary's in Mosul, where the tomb of Jonah was and all manner of evil has come from these characters who now call themselves the "Islamic State." Jesus said these things would happen, so if you think you can't hold on much longer, please don't lose your faith, not now! Jesus is coming again very soon! He said there had to be several things that would happen kind of all at once, that race would turn against race (nation against nation), earthquakes, famines, pestilences, (Ebola in South Africa), kingdom against kingdom (Russia/Ukraine), and that there would be a great falling away from the faith. (Matthew 24:10 & 1 Timothy 4:1). There is a great apostasy among our own preachers going on right right now as well. If they aren't preaching on end times prophecy in your church, pray about finding a new one! People need to know what to expect or they will indeed, fall away! 

Some churches aren't teaching prophecy anymore and they need to be, especially now. If you're in a dead church and you aren't feeling the spirit of the Lord there, it may be time to move on. Investigate the pastor of a new church by matching what he is teaching up against scripture. Yes, it's okay to do this! "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman who need not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." (2 Timothy 2:15). It's okay to leave the church you're attending if you don't think you're getting "meat and potato's" preaching there. It's one of the reasons I watch John Hagee, T.D. Jakes, Joyce Meyer, Charles Stanley, Jack Van Impe and Hal Lindsey. These preachers have proven to me throughout the years that they are good teachers who have not fallen away from the faith! 

No matter what you do? Never stop looking up! I truly believe with everything that is happening at this very moment, hope is something we can't afford to let go of and fear is something we cannot afford to feel! It can run our lives, and it can run us right out of hope if we let it control us. Jesus return is very near! Soon millions of bible believing Christians will suddenly disappear off the planet and we will meet Jesus in the air. It will be the millisecond elevator ride of a lifetime and I for one, am holding on for dear life so that I don't miss it! 

If your head is full of thoughts that are negative, change your stinkin thinkin! "As a man thinketh, so he is." (Proverbs 23:7). This is one scripture that I have discovered over and over to be very true! Philippians 4:8 says that we are to think about positive things, not negative things! Kay Arthur, the renowned Precept Ministries bible teacher once said that we should "Philippians 4:8 everything that comes to our minds." I think she's absolutely right! When I let my mind wander that's usually when I get in trouble!

Just remember, "God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him." (James 1:12). 

Stand on the Promises of God! He will never leave you nor forsake you, nor will you ever be disappointed! Just remember, that "when these things begin to take place, lift up your heads, for your redemption is drawing near." (Luke 21:28). Keep pushing back the dark and let your light shine among men so that they will know who you belong to! Give them a reason to follow! So many are still lost, it's a very serious matter at this point!

Don't let all the evil in the world get you down either. Let your light shine and push the dark out of the way as you pass it by. Preach the Gospel, drop that mustard seed of faith in the lives of those around you and someone else will come along and water it! Die to self and try to become more like Christ! Drop the ego and continue on! God will reward you for your efforts, which is just one of the many promises God has made to us in His word!

The darkness is growing around us, but never underestimate the God you follow! There isn't anything He can't save us from if we just call upon the name of the Lord! If the darkness starts to creep up on you, just pray and say the name of Jesus out loud and the darkness will flee along with the demons of hell that brought it into your path! 

Have hope in God, cuz we CAN do this!