We Are Heaven Bound (part two)

...God's dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death, or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. Revelation 21:3-4

That part of scripture has to beat any other promise we can find in the bible to hold on to. Once this life is over for the Christian, there will be no more mourning, crying, pain. No more death.  He is going to wipe every tear from our eyes.

And it seems unfathomable. Unattainable. Almost unimaginable. And yet there it is. God's promises to us. And perhaps the greatest part of all says that God himself is going to dwell among us and we will be his people.

How can this be? How can this happen?

I can't give you the answers to those two questions. What I do know about it in my limited capacity to think and understand, is that we just have to faith and believe. Only God knows the secrets of those things that are to come. We just have to wait and see.

Is it any wonder why so many people disbelieve? Yesterday my daughter was looking up a relative on Facebook that we had not seen or spoken with in 

several years. 

 It turns out she says she has become agnostic. 

How sad is that, that she does not able to put her trust and hope in the God that created her? She will one day stand before a holy God, who will not accept her into his kingdom if she did not accept him before she meets him.

And there are so many many others that will face the same judgement. 

It still causes me to wonder "why me, Lord." Why is that I have chosen a path that leads to you, when I could have gone down the one that doesn't, like countless others.

I don't know the answer to that one either. But the one thing I do know, is thank the good Lord, that I did. I am not perfect that is for sure. There is nothing so special in me that made me choose the right path. What is special in my life is God's grace and his ability to forgive me of my sin.

There is a path that leads to destruction. But there is also a path that leads to life. Mathew 7:13-14. Which would we choose? I choose life. How about you?

July 19, 2019 Promise: I have set the Lord always before me: because he is my at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Psalm 16:8

Hi Friends. What a week we have had. Trying to get somewhat settled into a new place. A new land really. One much different from where we came in a lot of ways. It reminds me of the Children of Israel and how they must have felt leaving their home land to go off to the place that God said was "flowing with milk and honey.". Were they apprehensive? Discouraged at times? Did they do like I did the first night I was here, and ask myself just what was I thinking when I took on this move to another state? I am sure all of the above and more. Thankfully, we did not have to trek across a wilderness on foot or the backs of animals. But just like them, God made the approriate provisions and help that we needed. And though I am still wondering about what is still ahead before we can truly call this home, I am settled in my thoughts about what reasons brought us here and know that no matter what, God has my back. Because as usual, he surely does!

Fighting Our War Without The Proper Weapons

The soldier was rushing into battle. He was going to destroy his enemy. But what if he went to battle and did not have his battle gear on? What if he was not prepared like he should have been for the battle that he knew was ahead?

Years ago, someone told me about a dream they had one night. A Roman Soldier had rushed rushed into a battle just like the one pictured above. That was all. She wondered what the dream had meant, so she asked the Lord to tell her its meaning because she felt that there was some spiritual meaning to it.

And God did tell her. He said that she had been trying to fight her battles (which had been serious ones) without the gear and weapons that he had made available to her. Just as the Roman Soldiers of their day, she needed to use them to fight against her adversaries.

That made perfect sense to her then. She had realized exactly what that dream had meant.

So what did it mean? Ephesians 6: 10-13 explains it for us.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can stand against the devils schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground and when you have done everything to stand, stand firm...."

Verse 14 goes on to tell us about the armor of God and what it means for us in order to stand firm against all the powers of darkness. Because as we know, they are out there and can be in anything we think or do. Anything we can encounter in the world. 

Starting on July 20, I will start listing the pieces of God's armor and give you more information about what they mean. If you would like to read ahead in that chapter, please do. It is something that we all need to know in order to be effective in our spiritual journeys with the Lord. 

July 18, 2019 Promise: Therefore, there is no condemnation for those that are in Christ Jesus. Romans 8:1

Hello Friends. Thanks for coming by today. I am hoping that for now the days of skipping days without posting are over. We are still busy but I think I will be able to post something everyday. Thanks again for sticking with me. Have a wonderful and blessed day!

God Can't Use Me

Have you ever thought that God could not use you? That he probably does not want to use you? Do you feel like you are a nobody and so why would he use you?

There were people in the bible that had flaws and problems like we do today. And yet he used them in great and mighty ways.

Naming just a few there was Abraham who was too old. Joseph was abused by his brothers. And the Samaritan woman that slept with men that was not her husband.

What do these and many more people all have in common? They were human. They had problems. They were loved by God for who they were. And they were used by him.

And so the next time you don't think God can use you or doesn't want to use you, get into some of their stories and get a new perspective on who God really is.

Because, he not only can, but he will use you. If you let him.

July 17, 2019 Promise: So is my word that goes out of my mouth; it will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and will achieve the purpose for which I sent it. Isaiah 55:11

Thanks for coming by today Friends. Have a truly wonderful and blessed day!

Too Good To Be True

You have heard of things that you know were just too good to be true. Such as false claims about cancer cures or doing a specific diet to lose weight, or a money scam.

But God always keeps his promises. If it is in his word, we can believe it to be true. Some times it may take time. He may need to get us to a certain place our lives to make it happen. He may not promise it in the way we expect. But he always keeps whatever he has promised us.

Sometimes we grow so weary of something in our lives and need so much to see him complete something he has promised us. It may happen right when we are about to give up.

God is never late with his promises. He always is on time. His time. And when it happens, he refreshes our spirits. He gives us what we need when we need it.

The next time you are waiting for him to keep a promise he has made to you, don't give up. The next minute may be the minute that you see it kept.

July 15, 2019 Promise: I have made you and I will carry you. I will sustain you and I will rescue you.

Hello Friends. Well, we are moved. To a certain degree at least. We have a lot of work we still need to do. But I am back and will try to be here as much as I can every day that I can. I am so blessed that you have stuck with me through out this time and thank you for your prayers as it has been some what of a difficult time. So please keep praying for us.

Take care and may God bless you!

God Will Make Crooked Paths Straight

Have you ever ventured into something unknown but you knew that God is in it? You know he is doing something even if you don't know what at the time. Or maybe you know what is ahead, but you just aren't sure what the whole picture of it will turn out to be.

It has been that way for us these last couple of months. The reasons I have not been here every day is what I am about to share with you  today. 

And why this will be my last post for a few more days.

The reason is that we are moving out of state to be closer to our two adult children. We have lived in our home state all our lives and they have been trying to get us to do this so that they can be around if and when we need their help, since we are getting older. So as much as we love our own state, we look forward to this move.

There is a mixture of sadness in leaving, but also a sense of joy for what is ahead. We know to some degree what is ahead, , but a little bit of unsurety of it as well, as we are not only approaching it, but approaching in our ages as well.

It will be a new chapter in our lives. A friend called it a " new journey with the Lord." And it is. Because I do know that while we are not sure of all that is ahead in our lives, he is making our crooked paths straight as we look to him for guidance. 

This decision to undertake this really began about three years ago or so. All of that time, we knew it was coming. We just did not know how or when it would. Not until a few weeks ago. God has revealed it a little at time, working on our behalf to straighten it out for us, up until this very moment, every step of the way. And it won't stop until we are settled there. If, even then.

Once we get there, we will be living very close to our daughter, and I will use her Internet for awhile until we get it again. And God willing, it should only be a short time, that I will be here once again to post on this blog.

Until then, I do hope you will pray for us. It is a big undertaking for us and we need any prayers for us to go up to the Lord for this move to go as smoothly as possible. 

Thanks to all of you that support this blog by your visits every day. May God richly bless you. I look forward to the time I get back here to post on this blog again, Until then, take care.

Happy 4th of July: The Day After. Will be posted by 12 a.m. EST

Hello Friends. I know. I am just a tad bit late for wishing everyone a Happy and Blessed 4th of July. I truly do hope you have had a safe one that will continue through this whole weekend. 

Thinking about the month of July, it makes me wonder just where this year has gone already. We are close to being half way through the year and it seems like just yesterday I was wondering where 2018 went. Not only that, but what would this year bring? Well, for us, it has brought a bit of sadness, but a good deal of happiness too. I still am not ready to tell you what we have been up to, but it will come soon. I promise. 

In the mean time, what has this day meant for the freedoms of our great country? Our own lives? The people we have voted in to office face challenging issues everyday, and parties remain pretty much divided. 

Still we are the greatest country on the earth, given to us by by God. And whether we realize it or not, governed by him as well. Right or wrong in what we do here, God will have his way for this country in the end. It is up to us to seek him about everything. Even who we put into office. Because as we know, there is evil there too and we need to do our best to get it out and we can do that not only by voting for who God would want us to vote for, but also with our prayers that he would put into office, who he would want to be there.

If my people, which are called by my name shall humble themselves and pray, and turn from their wicked ways;then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14.

Friends, a lot of this country turning from its wicked ways, starts with us. You and I. And then goes out from us to those whose lives we touch. Albeit, in ways not to offend, but just to teach. Jesus taught love, and though he got angry a few times, he had good reasons for those times. We must learn to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:1t5) because our anger gets us no where we don't want to be.

God has given us this wonderful land. And I agree with Lee Greenwood's song, "I am proud to be an American, where at least I know I am free. And I won't forget the men that died that gave that right to me..."  More then that, I am thankful that God gave me life here. I could not imagine living in any other place then this country.  But there is one more thing we cannot forget. 

There have been many soldiers that have fought for this country and died. We are so indebted to them and also their families that have lost them. Because freedom is not really free. It is a price paid by those willing to sacrifice their lives for it. And there is One other that sacrificed his life for us over 2000 years ago. Jesus Christ. He paid for our freedom from death. Because for those that have accepted him, death on earth is not the end. It is for us, the ultimate freedom. What more can we ask? He made this country truly, ONE NATION UNDER GOD.

July 5, 2019 Promise: Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest in your souls. Mathew 11:29

Have a blessed holiday weekend and stay safe Friends. Thanks for coming today.

The

Call to Him

When we call out to God, he will answer us with great and incomprehensible things that we otherwise would not ever know. (Jeremiah 33:3) 

How exciting is that amidst all the craziness that the world has to offer? 

Take a look around and see how things have changed in the world as you have known it even from the time of your birth. From just the very ways of communication.

My dad had just begun to become acquainted to using the internet a couple years before his death in 2005. And it has changed so much since then. My mom never knew anything about it when she passed in 1995. She loved to write and was using an electric typewriter for most of her written correspondence prior to that time. On back it goes to the earliest of all communication, the changes that have come about in the lives of the human race.  

When I was very young, we had what was known as a party line on our phone line so that several people share the same line. If someone was already talking on the phone in one household, and someone from a different household wanted to make a call, they had to wait until the person had hung up. Which meant you had to keep checking in to see if they were off yet. Talking about privacy. There was none in those days so far as that kind of communication went. There were ways you could sort of find out other people were calling without them knowing, as we found out an elderly lady on our road had been doing back then.  As time progressed, party lines in cities were gone and each household had its own line, its own number. But in the country, the party lines were still around when I was married in the early 1970s because phone lines were not yet set up so that each home could have its own line. 

We ourselves had to share a line for two or three years after we were married and lived in the country at that time. And it was not pleasant because we had to wait sometimes when we wanted to make a call, and we then deal with our neighbor too. 

Through the years, communication and ways of using it have surely progressed, of course. And as we know, it didn't start with the invention of the telephone. It didn't even start when cave men drew pictures on the walls of their caves, or when God's people walked the earth.

It started with God when he had created Adam and told him to work the garden in Genesis 2:15. This is the first biblical account we have, in his communication with human beings. From then to today, his communication has increased through the use of the tools that man has created (with God's help) to advance God's Word to us. From stone tablets (the Ten Commandments) , to being able to listen to it on CDs and videos, and even the Written Word can be had on Smart Phones. And who knows what might be next for as long as God tarries before coming back to take the church home. He has surely increased the knowlege of man to invent such things we enjoy today.

The thing is, God's Word, unlike all else man made on this earth, will never pass away. And while the progress of man has given man all the evil things it has on movies and the internet, it has also given us a wider range with which anyone that wants to can also have the good things of God.

Because why? Because God's Word will never pass away. Mathew 24:35.

And while we have his word, we also have communication with him through our prayers as well. God is always waiting for us. He is always listening to us. He wants to have communication with us because if he didn't, there would have been no reason for him to create us. He is our Father, and unlike many fathers and so called fathers that are human, he doesn't leave those that belong to him. It isn't in his nature because we are too important to him.

 We can bank on that, when there is little or nothing else we can bank on.

July 3, 2019 You will go out with joy and led forth in peace, the mountains and hills will burst forth in song before you and the trees will clap their hands. Isaiah 55:12

Hi Friends. Thanks for coming by today.I will try to be here again tomorrow. Take care over the July 4th holidays. In the mean time, God bless!