Q & A How Do I Resist Temptation? (part two)

Earlier this week, I had told you that we had gone out of town. We were staying in a hotel across town from my daughters. The morning after checking in we were going to her home and then from there going on over to my son's home. We left the hotel about 9 a.m. or so and made our way back there with directions printed from off the internet because it had been some years since we had been to the area that they live in. Unfortunately, we got turned around but after a half hour or so, we did find our way to her house

Once there, we had some breakfast, and about 45 minutes later got ready to leave for my son's. I went to gather my purse and things I needed to take with me. But when I got into my bag, I couldn't find my wallet. As I pawed through it wanting to pull it out for something in it, I became a little frantic that it was not coming out with the rest of what was coming out. There were quite a bit of things in it) When everything was out, there was no wallet. Oh no! I had to have left it at the hotel.

Just that morning, in the information provided by the hotel, I had read that starting at 9 am, the cleaning service would be cleaning the rooms. We had left about that time, and now here it was going on 11! There was no doubt in my mind that they had already been to our room, and most likely, whoever had done ours, probably done had that wallet in their possession. I tried calling the hotel and to my dismay, could not get through. It seemed their phone was out or something. I do not know what the problem with that was and never found out.

 Maybe I am just too easy to jump to conclusions. But unlike in years gone by where we learned to trust everyone, that is not just the case in today's world. And so I am getting really upset as the seconds' tick by and we need to go back over to the hotel to try to find it. 

Now I have to tell you. I am not a rich person. I am not a well-to-do person. In fact, just a couple more days we would need to start heading back home and needed to depend on the credit card in that wallet to put gas in the tank to get there. Because also to my dismay, I had forgotten to let the credit card know that we were going to be out of town in case there was any suspicious activity on it during the time we were gone. That is what I get for not taking the time to do it even though it had been a rush job and very busy getting ready for it.

And so I prayed rather hastily mind you because all the time I was still worrying, "Please God, if the cleaning service has not been there yet, please stall her from our room and if she has, let her be honest not to take it." Or something like that. As I said, I was hasty in my prayer, worrying about it. But I knew God heard my heart.

We got to the hotel room and parked in the space in front of it. There she was. At our door. Her cart of supplies holding our door open. I told my husband to look the cart over as we went past it before we got out of the truck. Which I did as well, but not seeing it. We went in and right inside was a black lady. We told her we were the ones that had the room and immediately-and I do mean immediately, she said, "Oh, I found a black wallet and took it up to the office where you can go to pick it up!"

Now, I do not just go up and hug strangers. And being white myself, though I am not at all predijuced against any other race, I would not have done so with a white person, nor any other race either. Not in this day and time.

However, I was so relieved that it was as if I knew this lady personally. I stepped toward her asking if I could give her a hug, gave her one anyway, without waiting for an answer. Thankfully, she hugged me back and had a big smile on her face.

I don't know if she was tempted that morning when she saw my wallet lying wherever I had left it in the room. Maybe so, and maybe not. Whatever, she had done the right thing and not been taken to follow through if she had been. And in this kind of a job, and being an older lady, I am sure it might have been.  She had been honest and returned it and I will never forget her for making me happy. I pray that she too will get gratification in knowing she had done the right thing and she had also gotten a hug from a white and very grateful lady. And I also pray God's blessing on her as well because I know what it is to be older and have to work hard. And this kind of job is not the easiest kind to do.

And God? He is all too faithful to us at all times. even when we don't think he is. Especially at times when we forget to remember not to worry because he has all things in his control.  And he heard and answered my prayer that day!

The next morning, my old feelings from our world today did pop up again, however. We had slept in later than usual that morning at the hotel. The cleaning service gal showed up and asked us if we needed anything to which we said we didn't think so for now. This time she was white and young and I thought, "I am glad she wasn't here yesterday, she probably would have taken it."

As usual, I had to repent. "Sorry, Lord. Please forgive me for that!"

Temptations come at us all the time. Some of them are not as bad or not as hard to overcome perhaps as others. Until we let them go on, never dealing with them. Something small can become bigger and bigger until they make us into someone we never thought we would be. They are sin and that is all there is to it. And that is what Satan does to us. Lead us to it. Hoping we will take the bait and not giving up so as to lead us so far away from God we have no idea or maybe no desire to get back to him. It maybe starts with one little innocent (so we think) lie and lead us to hell if we let it. But thank God that he kind, patient and he is forgiving. Wishing that none
of us would be lost without him. (2 Peter 3:9) All we have to do is get the help we need as in some of the ways I mentioned in part one of this particular post, and most of all ask for God's forgiveness when we follow through on the things we do that are wrong. Because after all, that is the most important.

Thanks for coming by Friends. Have an awesomely blessed day on this the Lord's Day!
(Up tomorrow: Are dragons mentioned in the bible? Find out tomorrow.)

Q & A How Do I Resist Tempation?

Temptation: A desire to do something wrong or unwise

No temptation has overtaken you that is common to man. God is faithful and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability but with the temptation, he will provide a way of escape that you may be able to endure it. 1Corthianians 10:13

Temptation is not an easy thing to overcome. Our flesh wants to indulge itself in all kinds of it, not only everyday but most likely every minute.  And sometimes those temptations get us into trouble that we sure really do not want.

Of course, we know where it starts and who it starts with. Satan knows our weaknesses and when we have given into one, he will attack us at that very same point. He wants to draw us away from God into the very sin that we hate. Or come to hate. Because if we are Christians and truly saved, we might start out enjoying our sin because the bible says that sin is enjoyable for a season. Hebrews 11:25. But in time, we do begin to hate what we are doing and yet may feel that it is impossible to get away from. 

Even Jesus was tempted by the devil. Mathew 4:1-11. I wonder really, who Satan thought he was when he tried that of the Son of God. I mean come on, God did throw him out of heaven. Did he not get the idea then that he was not quite as important as he thought he was? But indeed, he tried it and Jesus did not fall for such a stupid temptation.

Of course, he was God's Son. Perfect in every way. How can we measure up to such a person? The fact is, we can't. Not under our own power. Our salvation from sin and temptation comes only from his redeeming grace. But there are ways we can avoid it when Satan is on our backs trying to draw us away.

The best way is to know his Word. The psalmist said, "Thy words have I hid in my heart that I may not sin against you." Psalm 119:11. 

When Satan threw something (temptation) at Jesus, he (Jesus) threw Satan an answer (his word) right back at him. We can do the same if we know God's word. Quote the scripture to let him know we are not falling for his tricks. Jesus even told Satan to get behind him in Mathew 16:23. If Satan is tempting us to do something we do not want to do, we need to tell him the same thing.

We need to spend time in God's Word daily. To pray and ask him for his help. We need to run away from it when are being tempted. Avoid it at all costs. And it helps to be accountable to someone we trust. Seek counsel from another Christian or a pastor. Attend a good home bible group where you can ask people to pray for you. You don't have to be specific but God knows what we need, and by others just praying that God will meet our needs, can go a long way in helping us overcome what Satan is trying to get us to do.

Finally, just know that God is faithful and just. And when we go to him and repent, and ask for help and we are sincere, he will get us through it. He will forgive us and we can depend on that!

Thanks for spending some time with me this morning Friends. I want you to know that I have some things going on right now that are keeping me busy and I am having trouble getting to my blog on time. However, I am committed to this blog, I love God and I love sharing with you. So I will try hard to get it posted sometime during the day, even if it is not on time until things get back to normal again. Thanks for your patience and spending the time with me. 
Wishing you the most wonderful blessings possible! PS. I am not sure yet what I will be posting for tomorrow. 

Q & A What Does it Mean to Be the Apple of God's Eye?

Back when our 4 children were growing up, we had 4 apple trees in our backyard. 

They were a wonderful thing to have to help supply our family with this fruit not only for that reason but because raising 4 kids on a budget....well you know, it can be expensive. And the apples themselves were delicious as I used them in so many ways in my cooking. Not only that, but the peelings were not even wasted when not eaten because, at the time, we also had 4 4-H hogs that enjoyed them as well!

And so what does it mean that we are the apple of God's eye?

David, the Psalmist said, " Keep me in the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings" Psalm 17:8

In Deuteronomy 32:10, God related his care of Isreal to Moes in this way, "In a desert land, he found him, in a barren and howling waste. He shielded him and cared for him, he guarded him as the apple of his eye."

God's people, the Israelites were rebellious and stiff-necked, (Ummm...who does that sound like? Perhaps all of humanity?) But, he loved them and did see them as the apple of his eyes. He cared for them and even when they were disobedient, he never stopped cherishing them.

And just as God loved them his love is as Christ loves us. Like any godly parent who loves, protects, guides and disciplines their children, he loves, protects and guides and disciplines us as well.

And so, the next time you bite into that juicy, sweet apple that tastes so good, remember that God looks at you like he did the Israelites o old and remember the following:


:

I am so sorry that I could not get online yesterday to get a blog posted. As I explained on a short one last night, I did go out of town. So I apologize for not getting here. I hope you enjoy my post today and if you haven't seen your self before as the apple of God's eye, or just had never thought of it as being that to him, do it now because just between you and me....you really are!


Thanks for coming by and please come back tomorrow when our next post will be: Resisting Temptation. Just how can I do that? Blessings to all today, Friends!

No blog for 9/28

Sorry friends for not getting a blog done for today. I had to go out of town and thought I would be able to post it. However, was unable to. I am hoping to post the next one some time tomorrow. Please be patient with me this week until I can
back on track. Thank you.






.

Q & A Can A Christian Give Back His Salvation?

Can a Christian give back his salvation?

The answer is no. We who are truly saved were predestined from the foundation of the world by God to obtain salvation. He adopted us as his sons. Ephesians 4:5-6.  Therefore nothing can separate us from God's love. Nothing! Romans 8:38. Because when we became believers, we were sealed with the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 1:13-14. God accepted responsibility at that time to keep us saved.

Good news, huh? But wait. What about those that had been truly saved, but some time later decided they do not really want to live the life of a Christian and they walk away from it. 

We all have a rebellious spirit in us. And when someone walks away from God, he understands our hearts because he created us. But like the sheep that wanders off on its own and is lost, he will pursue us until we come back into the fold. We may have to go through some hard times when we go off on our own. We may have to pay the consequences for it. But eventually, we will see that doing that is not worth paying the price. And we do go back to God. 

Jesus paid too heavy a price for us and when we are saved, he is not going to let us go because now we belong to him. 1 Corthianian 1:18-19. That means that he owns us. Not anyone else, and we cannot walk away to leave his fold to lose our salvation.

Have you ever walked away from God? Whether to just throw your hands up and not want to be a Christian anymore or just to do your own thing? Have you done that and wondered if you would now go to hell for being disobedient?

Some of us do at some point in our lives. But God does love us anyway, and he will let us go do our own thing at times because he gives us the free will. In the meantime, he will lovingly pursue us until we come back to him and ask for his forgiveness. And he welcomes us back with open arms, forgiving us for our rebellion. Because that is his nature. His love is his nature.

Tomorrow's blog: The Apple of God's Eye? What does that mean?

Todays Cartoon

How easy it is to look at the dark things in our lives when

it rains. Better we do look for the rainbows because 

God promises that they will come when we look to him.

I hope you have a wonderful and blessed day today Friends. Thanks for visiting! See you tomorrow!

                                                                                                         

New Series Coming: Q & A About God and the Bible

Indeed. We can question God. We can question the bible. Have you ever had questions that you would like answers for? I know I have. So I am starting a new series to search and answer some of those questions that you and I have wondered at times. I do not profess to be a great student of the bible. But I believe it to be the Word of God inspired by the Holy Spirit. If you would like to learn more, please join my starting tomorrow September 26th. My first question will be:  Can a Christian give back his salvation? Please feel free to join me. In the meantime, I will not be doing a regular devotion today. So I am including some fun and inspiration things for you to view. 

                                              LOL

 LOL

Going over our church finances, I found a receipt
from a local paint store signed by someone
named Christian. I wasn't aware of anyone buying paint so I called the store to point out its mistake. "I'm sorry," I told the manager, but there are no Christians here at First Baptist Chuch.




The Lord stood with me and gave me strength
2 Timothy 4:17


Be still in the presence of God,
Wait patiently for him to act
Psalm 37:7























Thanks for coming by today Friends. May many blessings drop in on your day!

Do You Have Enough Time?

Friends, yesterday I told you I would be doing another day on prayer under a different heading, However, I am going to switch gears instead and save that for another day. For the last few days, I have been going through papers that had been my now deceased parents, sorting out what I wanted to keep or throw away. Yesterday I found a letter that I am going to put in for today. I have never read it before myself and do not know who authored it.
However, I hope it will have meaning for you.

Do you Have Enough Time????

Dear Friend,

As you got up this morning, I watched you and I hoped you would talk to me,

even if it was just a few words, asking my opinion or thanking me

For something good that happened in your life yesterday-but I noticed

you were to busy trying to find the right outfit to put on and wear to work

I waited again.

When you ran around the house getting ready, I knew there would be a few

minutes for you to stop and say hello, but you were still too busy

At one point you had fifteen minutes with nothing to do 

except sit in a chair

And then I saw you spring to your feet and I thought you wanted to talk some,
But you ran to the phone to call your friend to get the latest gossip. I
watched you as you went to work, and I waited patiently all day long. With all
your activities I guess you were to busy to say anything to me.
At lunch, I noticed that you looked around. Maybe you felt
embarrassed to talk to me, that is why you didn't bow your head. You glanced four or five tables over and you noticed some of your friends
talking to me briefly before they ate, but you didn't. That is okay.
There is still more time left and I hope you will talk to me
 even yet.
You went home and it seems as if you had lots to do. After a few of them were done you turned on the TV. I don't know
if I like TV or not. Just about anything goes there and you
spend a lot of time each day in front of it-not thinking about
anything, just enjoying the show.I
waited patiently again as you watched TV and ate your meal, but
again you didn't talk to me.
As you read the paper I waited again. While you did what you had
to do. At bedtime, I guess you were too tired. After you said goodnight
to your family, you plopped into bed and fell asleep in no time. That's
okay because you may not realize that I am always there for you. I've got
patience more then you'll ever know. I want to teach you how to be patient
with others as well.
Because I love you so much, a long time ago I left a wonderful place
called Heaven and came to Earth. I gave it up so that I could be
ridiculed and made fun of. And I even died so that you wouldn't have
to take my place. I love you so much that I wait every day for a nod,
prayers or thought, or a thankful part of your heart. Its hard to have a one-
sided conversation. Well, you are getting up again and once again I will wait with nothing but love for you hoping that today you will give me
some time. Have a nice day!

Your Friend Jesus
(author unknown}

Jesus does wait for us, everyday Friends. To ask him into our lives. To thank him for his provisions. To tell him of our needs. To just talk to him as we would any other friend. Sometimes we get so busy we forget. And yet he is always there, patiently waiting for us. Because why? Because he loves us. Thanks for your visit today! Have a wonderfully blessed day at the start of a brand new week!