Saturday, December 25, 2021

Christmas 2021

Christmas. Christmas is here again. This year is different as we find that only one child of ours is living at home, and that child is now an adult. I take that back, our oldest daughter has moved back for a little bit, yet this Christmas morning was so different. 

The one constant is the Jesus is the reason for this season. 

If it wasn't for Christmas there would be no Easter. If it wasn't for Easter there would be no need for Christmas.

I am thankful for my family. I'm thankful for my faith. I'm thankful for all the blessings that God has given me. 

That is enough.

Sunday, May 23, 2021

Repentance


What does Repentance mean? It means that you are sorry for your sins and you turn from them. You change. You turn and walk away from your sinful ways you can. 

You can cry all the big alligator tears in the world , but if you do not change, all you did was give yourself a horrible headache.

Allowing the Lord to guide you when your first saved is easy. You are so on fire for the Lord. You want all of your friends to be saved. So you continue spending time with them. Before you know it, you are neglecting your walk with the Lord. You find it easier to just go along with your friends and do what you used to do.

What if I told you that you that you can really, truly, change? It is possible. If you find yourself in the same old lifestyle and you don't know HOW you got back there, just stop moving. Stop moving.

That's right. Stop and stand still. If you are still then you won't be moving in the wrong direction. And not moving is for the better. If we are still, we can ask the Lord about what is going on in our lives. We can also LISTEN to Him.  


Now that you have stopped and are listening, what is He telling you? CHANGE. Change. It's hard to do somedays. Somedays we wonder why we are finding it so hard to simply stop what is making us sin. Is it a habit that has gotten out of control or is it a person who you cannot stop being around? 

Real repentance means hard things will come your way because the enemy won't stop bothering. On the contrary he will harass you even more. He don't want you to be a God fearing person. No. He wants you to stay in your  sinful ways and continue to believe that God is a forgiving ,loving God and that he won't ever let you go to hell because you won't change. That is not entirely true. See Satan will tell you half truths. Just enough of the truth to get you to question just SOME of what God has said. 

God wants you to really repent. To turn from whatever you are in. To CHANGE your behavior or whatever it is that is keeping you bound. Repent. 













Saturday, May 15, 2021

Women leading men

I had a very nice young woman tell me recently that I am willfully sinning against the Lord because I am a preacher. She said that God will not call a woman to preach. She always used the same Scripture in Corinthians to tell me this.

I want to say right off at the beginning that God is no respecter of persons and that He can and DOES call whomever He wants to call into the ministry. It matters not a particular denominations view on the subject, because when He calls you, you will answer one way or the other.

Throughout the history of time, women have been leaders over men numerous times. Deborah, Esther, Lydia, the 4 daughters of Philip, Mary and as recent as Queen Elizabeth II, Goldie Meir of Israel  Margaret Thatcher of England and many, many more.

Why is it that women will try to tear down other women whom God has called into the ministry? Simply, it's how they were taught. Or another reason is their husbands are telling them what to think and believe.

I am all for the husband being the head of the wife. My husband is my leader. He is the one whom I submit to. He is the one whom the Lord has reveled to that confirmed what the Lord was calling me to do. I didn't tell him what the Lord was calling me to, he brought it up one night. I had asked the Lord to have my husband bring up the subject  to me. When he did, I knew that was confirmation of what He was calling me to.

If I was willfully sinning against God, He never would have placed this upon my life. Just because someone don't like the idea, doesn't mean that I should stop preaching the Good News. I will preach the Gospel until the day I take my last breath.

Thursday, May 23, 2019

Salvation...

The following is a post I saw on facebook. I want to talk about it.
A young lady committed a crime and she was sent to court. The punishment for the crime was life imprisonment. She shed tears for help but to no one available for help. When the case was called in court she started weeping.
Her family and friends who accompanied her started weeping but there was no hope. But something happened. Before the young lady could stand in the witness box a man stood up and the court room was silent. Everyone looked at Him. He was noble and gentle. He stood in the witness box and interceded on behalf of the woman.
The case was difficult, yet He used all His strength, energy and resources to fight on behalf of the woman. After a long legal battle between the man and the accusers, the lady was set free. The lady fell before the man and asked *'WHO ARE YOU'*
The only thing missing from this part of the story is this, the woman didn't ask for forgiveness. 
 The next day the lady deliberately committed another crime and was sent to the same court.
As soon as she entered the courtroom, she saw the man who interceded for her the previous day on the judgement seat. He was no longer a lawyer, but a judge. With smiles on her face the lady said *'I have come again'*
The man lifted his head and said 'yesterday I was a lawyer, so I fought for you, even when you were guilty. But today I am a judge and my judgement must be fair.' With tears in the ladies eyes she asked for the second time *'WHO ARE YOU'* and the man replied
*"YESTERDAY I WAS YOUR SAVIOR. BUT NOW I AM YOUR JUDGE"*
What do we get out of this story? We get a woman of self-indulgence
The way to Salvation is being drawn by the Holy Ghost. Another word for it is conviction for our sins. The lifestyle we are living in. The feeling of regret for how we live our lives. 
In this story we see the young woman and her family weeping because she had been caught in her sin. She was brought before the court to face her fate.  As she was slowly walking to the witness box, her attorney pleaded her case very  well. So well in fact that her case was dismissed. She was free to go. 
When we come to the alter and ask for forgiveness of our sins, Jesus is standing by God the father pleading our case for forgiveness. His Blood will cover the sin and it will be remembered no more by God. You then become a child of God through His Son Jesus Christ. The next step is living your life according to the Word of God also known as the Bible. 
The next part of this story says that she deliberately  committed another crime. It is true we as children of God live under Grace and not the Law but that does not give us the right to go out and commit sin. The Word says....

James 4:14-17 

14Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. 15For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. 16But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil. 17Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.

Jesus came to FULFILL the Law not give you permission to break the Law because He saved you and you are living under GRACE. You can walk away from the Lord and return to your previous lifestyle. That is called Backsliding. And if you die in that state, you will not be entering into Heaven because you threw your salvation away. Don't let that happen. 
If you have turned away from the Lord and walked away, there is still time to make it right with Him. 

Revelation 2:5

Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.


You can make it right. Repent. The woman in this story did not. She died in her sin. Once death happens there is no "do overs" for us. We are to live our lives for Him like he is coming back at any minute because He is. 
Revelation 22:12-15
12And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. 13I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. 14Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. 15For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.
Today Christ Jesus is our lawyer and redeemer, but a day is coming when He will give a fair judgement to everyone.
*JESUS IS COMING SOON, SO PREPARE TO MEET HIM*.

Friday, August 17, 2018

This Little Light of Mine

Jesus said that we are to be the light of the world. How are YOU the light of your little part of the world? Are you shinning your light in the darkness? Do you remember the children's song "This Little Light of Mine"?

This little light of mine. I'm gonna let it shine. This little light of mine. I'm gonna let it shine. This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.

Hide it under a bush, Oh NO!. I'm gonna let it shine. Hide it under a bush, Oh NO!. I'm gonna let it shine. Hide it under a bush, Oh NO!. I'm gonna let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.

Won't let Satan blow it out. I'm gonna let it shine. Won't let Satan blow it out. I'm gonna let it shine. Won't let Satan blow it out. I'm gonna let it shine, let it shine, Let it shine.

Have you let the enemy blow out your light? Don't worry. You can get it re-lit. How? By going to the Lord Jesus and ASKING Him to re-light your candle.

Reconciliation of a Marriage





Why is it so important?



These are all valid questions. Scripture tells us that we are to make our marriage work. Marriage is HARD work. Marriage is not 50/50 like people think it is. Marriage is 101/101. Yes, you read that right.  Give 101% and expect in return to receive 95%. Sadly, young people go into a marriage for the fairytale wedding and not really look for the hard spots that marriage will bring.
Why is it important?
God did not join two people together as one for it to be broken apart. If a couple claim to be born again Christians it isn’t something to be taken lightly. Scripture tells us that we are to work very hard to keep the marriage intact.
1 Corinthians 7:10-16
                   10: “Unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart form her husband:
                 11: But and if she departs, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband: and let not the husband put away his wife.
                 12: But the rest speak I, not the Lord: If any brother hath a wife that believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away.
                 13: And the woman which hath a husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him.”
This is why it’s so important. Especially if children are involved.
                14: For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean: but now they are holy.
                15: But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God has called us to peace.
                16: For what knowest thou, O wife, weather thou save thy husband? Or how knowest thou, O man, whether thou shalt save thy wife? 
People tell me, “We have separated because of the children.”  Unless there is physical or mental abuse happening in the home, it is not because of the children. The children are being used as a scape goat in the situation. Leaving a wife or husband because of the children is wrong. Period.  No where in Scripture does it tell us to leave our spouse. Even Jesus Christ Himself was asked a question about leaving your spouse. Please read this correctly. It don’t mean that only the men are at fault, women can do the same thing.
Matthew 19:3-9
              3: The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?
              4: And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,
              5: And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?
              6: Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not  man put asunder.
              7: They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away?
              8: He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.
              9: And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, commiteth adultery: and whosoever marry her which is put away doth commit adultery.

Jesus said that is wasn’t meant for divorce. Not from the beginning. But when pressed on what Moses allowed, he told them, Sorry guys. Moses allowed you to do this because of the HARDNESS of your hearts. Just because it was allowed don’t make right. The Father in heaven didn’t want a couple to divorce. Marriage is hard.

 Is it worth trying again even if the divorce proceedings have already started?   
Yes it is worth trying. The marriage isn’t terminated yet. Any marriage is worth trying. I get it, some people just want out. They really don’t care to try. But it is so worth it especially if children are involved. I wonder if those who don’t want to work on the marriage really truly don’t get it.
Working on the marriage means, get counseling. And don’t expect to have the other person change. You are working on yourself. I have seen some people who wants to be right all the time and they are never wrong. That they are not the problem. They want the other person in the marriage to make all the changes. It will not work. Those are the ones who will not try to work on anything because they don’t see themselves as wrong.
Even Christians fall into this category. Some just can’t wait to be single again. They will use the excuse that “The Lord knows, he will forgive me for the divorce because he loves me.”  Yes he will forgive but what if the Trumpet sounds before they can ask for forgiveness? I don’t know the answer to this really, but just that I’m scared that the person won’t make it for the hardness of their hearts.    

What about other family members?
Yes, What about other family members? It is not their RIGHT nor PLACE to get involved in a marriage they are not partners in themselves. I’m talking about parents, grandparents, siblings, cousins, etc. They can give advice if asked, but it should stop there. Stepping into another’s marriage because you are not happy with your child’s spouse is the wrong thing to do. Not allowing your child to have a relationship with their spouses family is wrong. How does that happen? Keeping your child so busy with your family things that they cannot spend time with the other side of this new little family. It really isn’t anyone else’s place to but into a marriage.

Is it really anyone else’s business if we reconcile?
No. NO. NO! It is no one else’s business except the couple. Not the parents. Not the siblings. Not the grandparents. No one ELSE. The enemy wants to destroy a marriage. Satan is out to destroy anything that God made. And He made marriage. If the enemy can get a couple to divorce, he can hurt so many people with the one act of divorce. He thrives on the loss of love that happens, the distrust, the hurt, also the hatred that can come about in a divorce. Marriage isn’t easy. It’s a lot of work. But it is so worth it.

Saturday, February 3, 2018

Furn Vaughan my Friend

Since December 21, 2017 I have known 8 people who have passed away.  In only 4 weeks. That's an average of 2 a week. Staggering statistics if you think about it.

Out of the eight people I knew six of them were ready to meet the Lord. I'm not sure about the other two but God knows. I want to talk about my ex-mother in law  Furn today.

 I haven't been married to her son for over 30 years, yet I was able to reconnect with her a couple of years ago when she got sick with cancer a second time. I would run into her at the store over the years and chitchat about little things. But when the cancer returned, my ex-husbands wife Deborah called me. We talked and I told her to give Furn my number if she needed anything.

 A few months went by and I didn't hear anything. But one day, I received a call from her asking me to come over to her home. Of course I would come.

You see, Furn was brought up in church. She knew the Truth. Her parents made sure their children knew the Truth from a young age. Furn grew up and met her husband Sam and married, had children and hardly went to church again.

I went to visit with her a few times, she was tired from her last round of Chemotherapy but in good humor. Until one day she was upset about dying. Sam called me to come over, so of course I went.

She was laying on the couch sleeping when I arrived. I got on my knees beside the sofa and touched her. She awoke and smiled. I asked her what the matter was. She said she was scared of dying and she wanted to make sure her soul was right with the Lord. It was such a PLEASURE to lead her to the Lord that day she was 70 years old.

This past Easter, Furn wanted to be baptized. Two of her children live out of state so she decided to be baptized on Memorial Day 2017 in her front yard. She was to ill to be put into the water for a full immersion so she sat in a chair in front of her church family and her children. With a gallon of warm water, I poured the water over her head and soaked her from head to toe. She was so happy that day. Her daughters took her in to get her changed and dried. It took a lot out of her, but she was glad she made it.

Father's Day came right after, Sam came to church with her that day. She was radiant. And time passed. I would call and go over to visit.

At Thanksgiving her children ALL came to visit. She was headed downhill. They were worried but happy that she was a Christian. A couple of weeks passed and she was in bad shape. The kids came down the week before Christmas where Furn slipped into a coma. With her children and husband surrounding her she let out a Victory Roar as she left this life and walked into the next with the Lord on December 21, 2017.

Furn will be missed by many. She is missed by me.  I know that one day I will see her again when the Trump of God sounds and the dead in Christ shall rise then we who are remain will be caught up together to be with the Lord.