My Dear Father:
Let me start, firstly, by offering you praises for you surely deserve them. You are holy and awesome, You are the Alpha and Omega - the beginning and end. Lord, You are above everyone and everything. You are the creator of all, the great physician and healer. Lord, You deserve so much praise, yet I fear my words are not enough. Never the less, I do praise you Lord.
Thank you for the graduation ceremonies this afternoon. Thank you for each of my fellow grads. I pray that you will guide them and help them to know what is next. Thank You, too, that although Kate went to be with you about a month ago that they recognized her accomplishments and presented her degree to her family.
Thank You for the wonderful opportunity that I have had these past four year, to be able to attend university and work toward the goal of becoming a teacher. Father, You know that I stepped out in faith to do this, and I want to thank You for taking care of me every step of the way. I only pray that I have glorified you with my studies.
I have truly enjoyed my classes, though there were some that I didn't particularly care for and even complained about. Sometimes I am sure I may have complained (forgive me for this) more than anything, but all in all, I did enjoy them (except for stats...you know how much I really disliked that one - probably because I am not good at any kind of math).
Forgive me for those times when I lost sight of my goals, the belief that You called me to be a teacher. Forgive me for those times when I stepped off the path, for those times when I didn't give it my all or my best. Forgive me when I listend to the doubts and fears that Satan whispered in my ears. Forgive me for disobedience.
I admit that I am scared now Lord. I heard Krista telling someone she got accepted into the education program and then I asked when she found this out. She said she heard back about a week after her interview. She had hers the same day that I did (and I know this because she asked when I had mine and said she had hers the same day). I haven't heard anything Lord, and I fear that this means I did not get accepted. Krista said she heard they were interviewing 20 people then choosing 5 from that group, then interview 20 more and pick 5 until they are done.
I am trying to leave this in your hands, trying not to worry about it, but it doesn't seem to be working - I keep taking it back. I am so afraid that I did not get in. I am afraid now of having to tell people that I did not get in (especially all those who said they 'know' I'll get in and I won't have any problems getting in, etc.). That is my pride talking, I know. Forgive me for my pride Lord, and help me not to let it get in the way.
I am also scared because if I don't get in now, what then? What will I do? Sure, I can apply next year but it is so hard to go back after you have been away that long; trust me, I know because I was out of school for about 14 years. I really don't want to have to work at my old job again.
Student loans also worry me, because come November, I will have to start paying it back if I'm not in school. Once I start paying back, I don't know if they stop it once I start going back again to school or if it is something I will have to pay even then...
Father, I am starting to get really upset about this - probably because I am dwelling on it too much. At any rate Lord, help me to just hold Your hand and trust You. Take away my fear, (I know that isn't from you) and all the negative emotions and feelings I am experiencing. I think part of what is making me feel this way is because I told everyone that I'm doing this because I felt that you called me to do this, and if it doesn't happen then they'll think I was wrong or something. But, I guess that is pride too, isn't it?
So, Lord, forgive my sins and remove my fears and doubts. Help me to walk on the path that You have chosen for me. Help me to feel your presence and know that I am not a failure if I don't get in. I pray that you will give me wisdom to know how to handle this situation, and to listen to what You want me to do. I love You.
Your daughter,
Shelley, B.A.
Saturday, May 06, 2006
Friday, May 05, 2006
Be Prepared
"So then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober. " (1 Thessalonians 5:6-7).
I remember reading this verse at one time and thinking 'Wow, I'm not allowed to sleep? What's going up with that?!' Well, let's just say I was a little off on my interpretation of the passage.
This verse is in reference to the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. We are told to 'let us not sleep as others do', but it is not referring to a physical sleep, the rest we get at night (or day if we normally work the night shift). No, God has designed our bodies to sleep and rest each day/night so that we can rest up and be able to do our work the next day. If we did not get any sleep, we would not function very well. Ever try to do your job with only a couple hours of sleep? Studies have shown (if I remember correctly), that if a person does not get any sleep it can eventually lead to death - though I believe that this has to be a high number of nights/days without any sleep.
The version I quoted from is the NASB (New American Standard Bible), and for the word 'sober' there is a footnote that reads "or self-control". I used to think this verse backed up those who say that a Christian should not drink alcohol. However, again that is not really the context. I will just interject here long enough to state that my opinion is that one or two glasses of alcohol is ok, so long as that does not lead to intoxication. I believe that when that line is crossed to where one begins to lose self-control or becomes drunk, then that is where the sin lies. It is in drinking to excess that is wrong. So, it is meaning to make sure you are in control of yourself. When you are drunk you are not in control, even if you think you are.
What the verse is saying is that we need to have self-control so that we can be prepared for the coming of Christ, because we do not know when this will happen. Much like Jesus says, that in the last days it will be "just like the days of Noah" (Matt. 24:37), people will be "eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away..." (Matt. 24:38-39) The people in Noah's day were not prepared for the judgment of the flood. Had they been prepared, there would have been more people saved that day.
So too, we must be prepared. It is ok to eat, drink, marry...but we need to make sure that our spiritual life is in order. We need to be doing what the Lord has asked us to do. We need to be obedient to Him, to "go into the world making disciples", to serve others as Jesus did; to love our neighbours as ourselves; to have no other gods before Him...and it goes on. However, I wish to say that in doing these things in obedience, we will not be saved. There is only one way to become saved, and that is through the belief in Jesus Christ, His death and resurrection, and that He is who He says He is.
Because no one knows the day or hour when Jesus will return - we need to be prepared so that when He does come, we will not realize too late and not be able to do anything about it. So, be prepared and get right with God. Your future depends upon it!
I remember reading this verse at one time and thinking 'Wow, I'm not allowed to sleep? What's going up with that?!' Well, let's just say I was a little off on my interpretation of the passage.
This verse is in reference to the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. We are told to 'let us not sleep as others do', but it is not referring to a physical sleep, the rest we get at night (or day if we normally work the night shift). No, God has designed our bodies to sleep and rest each day/night so that we can rest up and be able to do our work the next day. If we did not get any sleep, we would not function very well. Ever try to do your job with only a couple hours of sleep? Studies have shown (if I remember correctly), that if a person does not get any sleep it can eventually lead to death - though I believe that this has to be a high number of nights/days without any sleep.
The version I quoted from is the NASB (New American Standard Bible), and for the word 'sober' there is a footnote that reads "or self-control". I used to think this verse backed up those who say that a Christian should not drink alcohol. However, again that is not really the context. I will just interject here long enough to state that my opinion is that one or two glasses of alcohol is ok, so long as that does not lead to intoxication. I believe that when that line is crossed to where one begins to lose self-control or becomes drunk, then that is where the sin lies. It is in drinking to excess that is wrong. So, it is meaning to make sure you are in control of yourself. When you are drunk you are not in control, even if you think you are.
What the verse is saying is that we need to have self-control so that we can be prepared for the coming of Christ, because we do not know when this will happen. Much like Jesus says, that in the last days it will be "just like the days of Noah" (Matt. 24:37), people will be "eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away..." (Matt. 24:38-39) The people in Noah's day were not prepared for the judgment of the flood. Had they been prepared, there would have been more people saved that day.
So too, we must be prepared. It is ok to eat, drink, marry...but we need to make sure that our spiritual life is in order. We need to be doing what the Lord has asked us to do. We need to be obedient to Him, to "go into the world making disciples", to serve others as Jesus did; to love our neighbours as ourselves; to have no other gods before Him...and it goes on. However, I wish to say that in doing these things in obedience, we will not be saved. There is only one way to become saved, and that is through the belief in Jesus Christ, His death and resurrection, and that He is who He says He is.
Because no one knows the day or hour when Jesus will return - we need to be prepared so that when He does come, we will not realize too late and not be able to do anything about it. So, be prepared and get right with God. Your future depends upon it!
Sunday, April 30, 2006
Chronicles of Narnia
Ok, I am sure this subject has been beaten to death with a stick many times over since the movie came out awhile back. However, I finally was able to see it this afternoon.
This was my first exposure to the movie, as well as the series in general. I have heard about the Narnia books, and have been aware of them for some time. I was informed that the other books are adventures these same kids take in the wardrobe as well, though I am not as aware of the titles or what they are about.
I enjoyed the movie, and I think it is good for older kids to watch...younger kids could as well, though I don't think the battle scenes are particularly something they need to see. It is also a good movie for adults to watch, in my opinion.
I love how C. S. Lewis used symbolism throughout the movie, relating to Jesus, etc. I feel fairly certain in saying that any Christian wouldn't (or shouldn't) have any difficulty picking the symbolism out. Non-Christians might not be able to as well (or maybe at all), unless they are aware of what the movie is really depicting. I know my brother (who is 30 and does not follow Christ) knows about this series, and was surprised that it was full of Chrisitan symbolism. He said he didn't know it was "a Christian movie" (his words). I think he had/has more knowledge of these books than I do, and may have read the book(s) at some point.
Anyway, I have often wondered what the difference is between such a fantasy movie/story as The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe and that of Harry Potter. My friend and I had a discussion on this once back before the movie had been released, and she had been reading the book to her young daughter. I posed the question basically because I didn't know anything about the Narnia books, but I do know what Harry Potter is all about. I asked what the difference would be, since both seem to include witches and some form of "magic". My friend responded by saying that maybe the difference lies in the fact that in the HP books, they try to disguise magic/spells, etc. as being good and that there is nothing wrong with it. In The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, magic and witches are bad/evil.
Now, I admit that I have listened to the HP books. But don't hate me. I read them so that I would know what they are about and so that I could be informed when discussing them with non-Christians (or even Christians) and be able to explain what the big deal is and why many Christians are opposed to them. I didn't want someone to say something to the effect of, "well, you haven't read them so how can you know what they are about or if they are so bad or not." So, I went ahead (praying before hand for the Lord to guard my heart and mind) and listened to them. I know what it is about, I know that they condone magic and spells and sorcery. I also know what the Bible says about these things, that we are not to have any part in these things. Was I wrong then in listening to these books? I don't know. I am sure some will think that I am some sort of heathen or something, but truly that is not their judgment call to make. Have I taken part in any magic or spell chanting or whatever? No way.
So, Narnia. With regard to the magic used by the witch in this movie (I guess you could call how she turned everything to winter and what she did with those she didn't like a form of magic), it is portrayed, in my opinion, as sinister and wrong. Though, this has just got me wondering with the whole "potion" thing given to the little girl (sheesh, I forget her name already), the one she uses on her brother, Edmond. How is that different; how can that be good? Or, is this 'potion' supposed to be symbolic of something?
In HP, the things that we know are evil (magic, spells) are portrayed as being good, fine, nothing wrong with them unless you use it for the wrong purposes. In the Narnia book, evil is exactly what it is - evil. Narnia shows you the difference between good and evil, while the HP books show you that there is evil, but instead of combating it with good, more evil is used - though it is disguised as good.
Anyway, I think I'm just rambling now so I am going to stop. Again, I don't know if I am making any sense with this post and I am sure that I will get comments on being judgmental against the HP books, or that I am bad for even reading them. I'm sure I'll even get comments saying that I shouldn't even compare the two series at all. But, you know what? It's my blog and I can do what I want!
Have a Christ filled day!
This was my first exposure to the movie, as well as the series in general. I have heard about the Narnia books, and have been aware of them for some time. I was informed that the other books are adventures these same kids take in the wardrobe as well, though I am not as aware of the titles or what they are about.
I enjoyed the movie, and I think it is good for older kids to watch...younger kids could as well, though I don't think the battle scenes are particularly something they need to see. It is also a good movie for adults to watch, in my opinion.
I love how C. S. Lewis used symbolism throughout the movie, relating to Jesus, etc. I feel fairly certain in saying that any Christian wouldn't (or shouldn't) have any difficulty picking the symbolism out. Non-Christians might not be able to as well (or maybe at all), unless they are aware of what the movie is really depicting. I know my brother (who is 30 and does not follow Christ) knows about this series, and was surprised that it was full of Chrisitan symbolism. He said he didn't know it was "a Christian movie" (his words). I think he had/has more knowledge of these books than I do, and may have read the book(s) at some point.
Anyway, I have often wondered what the difference is between such a fantasy movie/story as The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe and that of Harry Potter. My friend and I had a discussion on this once back before the movie had been released, and she had been reading the book to her young daughter. I posed the question basically because I didn't know anything about the Narnia books, but I do know what Harry Potter is all about. I asked what the difference would be, since both seem to include witches and some form of "magic". My friend responded by saying that maybe the difference lies in the fact that in the HP books, they try to disguise magic/spells, etc. as being good and that there is nothing wrong with it. In The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, magic and witches are bad/evil.
Now, I admit that I have listened to the HP books. But don't hate me. I read them so that I would know what they are about and so that I could be informed when discussing them with non-Christians (or even Christians) and be able to explain what the big deal is and why many Christians are opposed to them. I didn't want someone to say something to the effect of, "well, you haven't read them so how can you know what they are about or if they are so bad or not." So, I went ahead (praying before hand for the Lord to guard my heart and mind) and listened to them. I know what it is about, I know that they condone magic and spells and sorcery. I also know what the Bible says about these things, that we are not to have any part in these things. Was I wrong then in listening to these books? I don't know. I am sure some will think that I am some sort of heathen or something, but truly that is not their judgment call to make. Have I taken part in any magic or spell chanting or whatever? No way.
So, Narnia. With regard to the magic used by the witch in this movie (I guess you could call how she turned everything to winter and what she did with those she didn't like a form of magic), it is portrayed, in my opinion, as sinister and wrong. Though, this has just got me wondering with the whole "potion" thing given to the little girl (sheesh, I forget her name already), the one she uses on her brother, Edmond. How is that different; how can that be good? Or, is this 'potion' supposed to be symbolic of something?
In HP, the things that we know are evil (magic, spells) are portrayed as being good, fine, nothing wrong with them unless you use it for the wrong purposes. In the Narnia book, evil is exactly what it is - evil. Narnia shows you the difference between good and evil, while the HP books show you that there is evil, but instead of combating it with good, more evil is used - though it is disguised as good.
Anyway, I think I'm just rambling now so I am going to stop. Again, I don't know if I am making any sense with this post and I am sure that I will get comments on being judgmental against the HP books, or that I am bad for even reading them. I'm sure I'll even get comments saying that I shouldn't even compare the two series at all. But, you know what? It's my blog and I can do what I want!
Have a Christ filled day!
Friday, April 28, 2006
A Few Great Blogs
There are a lot of great blogs "out there". Here are a few you may have missed.
Happy Dance Blog
Good Like a Medicine
Show Them Through Me
These are great Christian blogs, so please check them out and let them know I sent ya. I don't get any commission or anything from sending you there. I do get to pass on a few great blogs that you might not have come across yet.
Anyway, I hope you decide to visit. Have a wonderful Christ filled day!
Happy Dance Blog
Good Like a Medicine
Show Them Through Me
These are great Christian blogs, so please check them out and let them know I sent ya. I don't get any commission or anything from sending you there. I do get to pass on a few great blogs that you might not have come across yet.
Anyway, I hope you decide to visit. Have a wonderful Christ filled day!
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
It Is Finished!
Indeed it is! Yep, it is finished. "What is finished?" You may ask. Well, I probably don't need to tell you, but I need a blog entry so guess what...I'm going to tell you anyway!
Exams are finished. School is finished.
Wow, I can hardly believe it. The last four years have flown by for the most part; though there were times that dragged by. It's hard to believe that this chapter of my life is over, and the next one is soon to begin. Wow - I guess I said that already...
I guess part of the reason why it might not feel like the year is over is because I only had one written exam this semester. I had a take home that was due last week, and my other course (I was only taking 3 this semester) didn't have any exam (there were several reports to hand in, three tests, a paper and a presentation, and class mark that made up that one. Those in the first semester of that course had to write a little test/exam, but we don't because the prof incorporated the 3 tests instead...the first semester didn't have any tests).
I had my exam in 2 Samuel tonight and I think I did fairly well. There were 20 short answer questions and 3 essay questions. I think I got the short answers all correct, though there are a couple that I'm not totally sure on, so I think I got at least 18 of them for sure. As for the essay, two of them I wrote a lot on and hope that they answered the questions enough, and the third one I didn't get as much written on but my mind was drawing a blank so I wasn't going to sit and fret over it. Well, regardless of how I did, it's over and I can't change anything.
Funny. This doesn't bother me at all like the interview did. Both are over and in the past now and I can't change either, yet with the interview afterwards I fretted over the answers I gave; with this it doesn't bother me at all. Like I said, funny.
So, now as I wait to hear the results of the interview for the B.Ed., I also wait to start work on May 8. I purposely chose that date because it is after graduation (which is May 6) and it also gives me some time to just veg and relax before going back to work.
My job is the same one I go to every summer, the one I quit so that I could go to school. I'm pretty lucky that they let me come back, because if I couldn't then I would have to rely on a minimum wage job more than likely and that would not help with school very much.
Anyway I am off to surf the net for a little bit and then probably do some guilt free knitting! I am so looking forward to that! I can knit all day if I want on my break before work. I'm hoping to get a few projects done that I've been slow with because of school, and I am wanting to start making Kristina's daughter a sweater as well (need to get a couple more balls of yarn for it though because it turns out I didn't get quite enough).
Hope you have a Christ filled day!
Exams are finished. School is finished.
Wow, I can hardly believe it. The last four years have flown by for the most part; though there were times that dragged by. It's hard to believe that this chapter of my life is over, and the next one is soon to begin. Wow - I guess I said that already...
I guess part of the reason why it might not feel like the year is over is because I only had one written exam this semester. I had a take home that was due last week, and my other course (I was only taking 3 this semester) didn't have any exam (there were several reports to hand in, three tests, a paper and a presentation, and class mark that made up that one. Those in the first semester of that course had to write a little test/exam, but we don't because the prof incorporated the 3 tests instead...the first semester didn't have any tests).
I had my exam in 2 Samuel tonight and I think I did fairly well. There were 20 short answer questions and 3 essay questions. I think I got the short answers all correct, though there are a couple that I'm not totally sure on, so I think I got at least 18 of them for sure. As for the essay, two of them I wrote a lot on and hope that they answered the questions enough, and the third one I didn't get as much written on but my mind was drawing a blank so I wasn't going to sit and fret over it. Well, regardless of how I did, it's over and I can't change anything.
Funny. This doesn't bother me at all like the interview did. Both are over and in the past now and I can't change either, yet with the interview afterwards I fretted over the answers I gave; with this it doesn't bother me at all. Like I said, funny.
So, now as I wait to hear the results of the interview for the B.Ed., I also wait to start work on May 8. I purposely chose that date because it is after graduation (which is May 6) and it also gives me some time to just veg and relax before going back to work.
My job is the same one I go to every summer, the one I quit so that I could go to school. I'm pretty lucky that they let me come back, because if I couldn't then I would have to rely on a minimum wage job more than likely and that would not help with school very much.
Anyway I am off to surf the net for a little bit and then probably do some guilt free knitting! I am so looking forward to that! I can knit all day if I want on my break before work. I'm hoping to get a few projects done that I've been slow with because of school, and I am wanting to start making Kristina's daughter a sweater as well (need to get a couple more balls of yarn for it though because it turns out I didn't get quite enough).
Hope you have a Christ filled day!
Monday, April 24, 2006
Interview Is Over
My interview for the B.Ed. program is now over. There was approximately half an hour of question answering in front of a panal consisting of two of the education profs and the woman who is the coordinator of the education program (she didn't ask any questions, but listened and jotted things down from time to time). One of the professors did most of the talking and asking questions, and then the other explained what the education program entails, the amount of work involved in the first year, etc.
The second part consisted of being given a question and having to write on it. The coordinator of the program took me to another room and explained the writing assignment. On the way to do this, she commented that she thought I did well.
At the time, and for a short while afterwards, I felt that I did not do too badly. However, now I am having second thoughts and doubts that I didn't answer the questions well enough or with the "right" answers.
The coordinator told me that we won't find out until early June whether or not we are accepted. She also said that the size of the envelope doesn't matter (she said that people think that if they get a thin letter it means they didn't get in, and if it is thick then they did because it would be filled with info on the course, etc.), that regardless of the answer, the envelope will be thin.
Well, this is now in God's hands, and I can't do anything about it - I can't go back in time to change my answers or anything. So, I am going to try to not worry about it - but that will only happen if I give the situation to God. He is the only one who can give me the strength to deal with this (and the results, regardless of what they are). If I try to rely on my own strength, I can guarantee you that I will run out quickly, and I will also continue to worry and fret over this. So, God...please take it!
The second part consisted of being given a question and having to write on it. The coordinator of the program took me to another room and explained the writing assignment. On the way to do this, she commented that she thought I did well.
At the time, and for a short while afterwards, I felt that I did not do too badly. However, now I am having second thoughts and doubts that I didn't answer the questions well enough or with the "right" answers.
The coordinator told me that we won't find out until early June whether or not we are accepted. She also said that the size of the envelope doesn't matter (she said that people think that if they get a thin letter it means they didn't get in, and if it is thick then they did because it would be filled with info on the course, etc.), that regardless of the answer, the envelope will be thin.
Well, this is now in God's hands, and I can't do anything about it - I can't go back in time to change my answers or anything. So, I am going to try to not worry about it - but that will only happen if I give the situation to God. He is the only one who can give me the strength to deal with this (and the results, regardless of what they are). If I try to rely on my own strength, I can guarantee you that I will run out quickly, and I will also continue to worry and fret over this. So, God...please take it!
Thursday, April 20, 2006
The Work of My Hands
So, what have I been doing lately? Well, let's see...I just finished up my take home exam for my communication disorders class (don't think I did it very well) a little while ago. I now have left to write just one exam, and that is on 2 Samuel. I am not too worried about this exam though, as I am doing pretty well in the class.
I have my interview for the Bachelor of Education program; that is coming up on April 24th (this coming Monday), and I've been doing some praying for it. I'm not really sure what to expect even though I have talked to some of the students in the program already and they have given me some examples of questions they have asked in the past. These types of questions are the ones I hate - they make you think! What is your greatest and weakest quality/characteristic; if you could change one thing about the school system what would it be; what makes you think you would be a good teacher...those kind of questions just make chills run up and down my spine!
Next, is graduation. That is on May 6. I am excited to graduate, yet nervous. The last four years have, in general, gone by fairly quickly. It scares me that student loan debt is great and that I will only be adding more to it in the next two years and when I get out, I am sure my monthly payment is going to be high. However, I can't worry about that. I feel the Lord has called me to be a teacher, and He will provide for me and help me to be able to pay off the debt.
I've also called into work today (technically now that it's past midnight it was yesterday that I called) and let them know when I am available to come back for the summer. I didn't get to speak with the supervisor I normally do, but this one said she will leave a message with the manager and they will get back to me. She said she thinks they will probably need me (people going on vacations and such), but the question is when (they might not need me until vacations start, which is usually the beginning of June). I am not worried about this though, so that is good.
Now, to get to the title of my post...the work of my hands (since my blog is titled Confirm the Work of Our Hands) - I thought I could use a little confirmation, or give some confirmation that my hands have indeed been working (oh great, by putting this in my blog I can just imagine the kind of things people will type into their search engines to get this!). Anyway, I have been doing a lot of knitting - some for me (a couple pairs of socks) and most for others (things I will probably put on/under the mitten tree at church next Christmas). If you are interested - ok stop rolling your eyes - you can check out my knitting blog (Kitten Yarns & Crafts) and scroll down to see pictures of the items I've been making. Feel free to leave a comment on the blog there and let me know what you think, or that you were there.
I also finally got around to writing another short story for the weekly writers challenge over at Faith Writers. I didn't place this week, though it did end up 10th overall in the intermediate level. If you would like to check it out, click this link and have a read. Let me know what you think in the comment section here on my blog (don't think you can leave one there unless you are a member).
Anyway, I am off to bed for it is late. Thankfully, I can sleep in - at least until my nephew gets here around 9:30 or 10:00!
Have a Christ filled day/night!
I have my interview for the Bachelor of Education program; that is coming up on April 24th (this coming Monday), and I've been doing some praying for it. I'm not really sure what to expect even though I have talked to some of the students in the program already and they have given me some examples of questions they have asked in the past. These types of questions are the ones I hate - they make you think! What is your greatest and weakest quality/characteristic; if you could change one thing about the school system what would it be; what makes you think you would be a good teacher...those kind of questions just make chills run up and down my spine!
Next, is graduation. That is on May 6. I am excited to graduate, yet nervous. The last four years have, in general, gone by fairly quickly. It scares me that student loan debt is great and that I will only be adding more to it in the next two years and when I get out, I am sure my monthly payment is going to be high. However, I can't worry about that. I feel the Lord has called me to be a teacher, and He will provide for me and help me to be able to pay off the debt.
I've also called into work today (technically now that it's past midnight it was yesterday that I called) and let them know when I am available to come back for the summer. I didn't get to speak with the supervisor I normally do, but this one said she will leave a message with the manager and they will get back to me. She said she thinks they will probably need me (people going on vacations and such), but the question is when (they might not need me until vacations start, which is usually the beginning of June). I am not worried about this though, so that is good.
Now, to get to the title of my post...the work of my hands (since my blog is titled Confirm the Work of Our Hands) - I thought I could use a little confirmation, or give some confirmation that my hands have indeed been working (oh great, by putting this in my blog I can just imagine the kind of things people will type into their search engines to get this!). Anyway, I have been doing a lot of knitting - some for me (a couple pairs of socks) and most for others (things I will probably put on/under the mitten tree at church next Christmas). If you are interested - ok stop rolling your eyes - you can check out my knitting blog (Kitten Yarns & Crafts) and scroll down to see pictures of the items I've been making. Feel free to leave a comment on the blog there and let me know what you think, or that you were there.
I also finally got around to writing another short story for the weekly writers challenge over at Faith Writers. I didn't place this week, though it did end up 10th overall in the intermediate level. If you would like to check it out, click this link and have a read. Let me know what you think in the comment section here on my blog (don't think you can leave one there unless you are a member).
Anyway, I am off to bed for it is late. Thankfully, I can sleep in - at least until my nephew gets here around 9:30 or 10:00!
Have a Christ filled day/night!
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Thankfulness
I remember awhile back I tried to find five different things to be thankful for every so often. I haven't done that in quite awhile, so I thought I would do it again. So, my post tonight is to list five things that I am thankful for this week.
1. Friends. After having one of my friends pass away last week, it reminded me of the value of friendship. Friendship is not just something that is received from others, but it is given as well - we give our friendship to others. Without friends, life is kinda boring. For a long time I didn't have a best friend; it was something I had decided I didn't want. I had two best friends at different times in my life, and both of them proved untrustworthy and hurt me a great deal. Eventually we lost track of each other.
Now, I have a best friend again. Correction, I have two best friends! Jesus is my best friend. He is always there for me and no matter what I do or say, he still loves me. My other best friend is Kristina. I have only known her for about four years now and over this time our friendship has grown and deepened. We've also discovered that we are a lot more alike than we thought. I am very thankful for my two best friends and I am glad that the Lord has given both to me, and I am also thankful for my other friends too.
2. Education. I am about to graduate soon with my Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Studies. I have learned so much, and I am thankful for this opportunity that I have been allowed to have. I know that there are so many people in the world who can't get a higher education for one reason or another. I am one of the lucky ones. I don't say this to lord over anyone who might not have a higher education (or the same kind as I do), but I say this because I strongly believe that the Lord has also given this opportunity to me. If it wasn't for Him calling me to become a teacher, I would not have gone on to get this education.
3. Colours. Sounds a little weird, I know, to be thankful for colours. But I am thankful that there are so many colours in this world; so many different shades and hues. It would be pretty boring if the world were all just black and white or red and green or just yellow. Colours are everywhere - tropical fish, flowers, trees, grass, people, the sky (sun sets and sun rises), pictures, TV, etc. I am thankful that I do not suffer from colour blindness (though my understanding is that it is only reds and greens that are hard to distinguish for people who are colour blind), and that I can see such beauty.
4. My bed. I know, another weird thing. I have been waking up for a couple of weeks now with a sore back. It feels 'lame' or 'stiff' and generally after I've been up awhile it works itself out. Sometimes it feels like when I have a bad back (I think it's a pinched nerve or something) and it bothers me often at times. I think I need to flip my mattress. However, I am thankful that I have a bed to sleep in and that I don't have to sleep on the floor or out on the street. I will try not to complain of my sore back, because it could always be worse!
5. The Bible. I am thankful that I have a Bible (actually I have three or four in different translations) because there are people who don't. I am thankful that I live in a place where I am free to open it and read from it, carry it around, etc. and not get thrown into jail or persecuted for it. I am thankful that God gave us His word to guide us and teach us. I find comfort in the Bible; strength and wisdom too. For these things I am also thankful.
1. Friends. After having one of my friends pass away last week, it reminded me of the value of friendship. Friendship is not just something that is received from others, but it is given as well - we give our friendship to others. Without friends, life is kinda boring. For a long time I didn't have a best friend; it was something I had decided I didn't want. I had two best friends at different times in my life, and both of them proved untrustworthy and hurt me a great deal. Eventually we lost track of each other.
Now, I have a best friend again. Correction, I have two best friends! Jesus is my best friend. He is always there for me and no matter what I do or say, he still loves me. My other best friend is Kristina. I have only known her for about four years now and over this time our friendship has grown and deepened. We've also discovered that we are a lot more alike than we thought. I am very thankful for my two best friends and I am glad that the Lord has given both to me, and I am also thankful for my other friends too.
2. Education. I am about to graduate soon with my Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Studies. I have learned so much, and I am thankful for this opportunity that I have been allowed to have. I know that there are so many people in the world who can't get a higher education for one reason or another. I am one of the lucky ones. I don't say this to lord over anyone who might not have a higher education (or the same kind as I do), but I say this because I strongly believe that the Lord has also given this opportunity to me. If it wasn't for Him calling me to become a teacher, I would not have gone on to get this education.
3. Colours. Sounds a little weird, I know, to be thankful for colours. But I am thankful that there are so many colours in this world; so many different shades and hues. It would be pretty boring if the world were all just black and white or red and green or just yellow. Colours are everywhere - tropical fish, flowers, trees, grass, people, the sky (sun sets and sun rises), pictures, TV, etc. I am thankful that I do not suffer from colour blindness (though my understanding is that it is only reds and greens that are hard to distinguish for people who are colour blind), and that I can see such beauty.
4. My bed. I know, another weird thing. I have been waking up for a couple of weeks now with a sore back. It feels 'lame' or 'stiff' and generally after I've been up awhile it works itself out. Sometimes it feels like when I have a bad back (I think it's a pinched nerve or something) and it bothers me often at times. I think I need to flip my mattress. However, I am thankful that I have a bed to sleep in and that I don't have to sleep on the floor or out on the street. I will try not to complain of my sore back, because it could always be worse!
5. The Bible. I am thankful that I have a Bible (actually I have three or four in different translations) because there are people who don't. I am thankful that I live in a place where I am free to open it and read from it, carry it around, etc. and not get thrown into jail or persecuted for it. I am thankful that God gave us His word to guide us and teach us. I find comfort in the Bible; strength and wisdom too. For these things I am also thankful.
Saturday, April 15, 2006
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
Jumbled Mind
Take two: ok, I had two bigish paragraphs written and deleted them. My mind is going around in circles I guess and I can't seem to come out with a straight line of thought. It's like every time I try to put words to what I have been thinking, it doesn't work and it comes out jumbled or not sounding 'right' or even make any sense.
I do feel that the Lord is drawing me closer to Him throughout all of this; not just to comfort me, but to urge me on with my walk with Him. I have been in a bit of a slump for a little while with my walk, and felt a little distanced from God. It has not been anything He has done - the fault lies with me for pulling away at times, and it has been harder and harder to get back into the kind of relationship I want to have with Him; to experience the closeness I once felt, the fire I had at the beginning, the passion to do for the Lord.
Maybe the Lord is using this tragic situation to speak to me, to remind me how precious our lives are and how little time we are on this earth. For some that time is less than it is for others. We just never know when He will call us home. To be honest, that is scaring me a little over these last few days.
I guess I am feeling afraid - afraid of having unfinished business here on earth; of not having done all for the Lord that I could have. Now, I know that it is not works that gets us into heaven, but only through the faith and acceptance of Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour. However, we are to be like Jesus and that includes being a servant to the Lord - Jesus was a servant (He said He came to serve not to be served), and so we should be too. I know I have not lived up to my part of the deal (if you want to call it that). I know I have not obeyed Him as much as I should, and maybe even "pretending" not to hear Him...you know, like if you don't hear what He wants you to do you won't have to do it, right? Or maybe if I avoid talking to Him in prayer He won't tell me to do something that I am uncomfortable doing (as in stepping out of my box)...I don't even know if this is making any sense or not right now.
Don't get me wrong. I want to serve the Lord and be obedient, to be Jesus to others - but I fail at this...sometimes a lot. I am not perfect. But I know that when I ask Jesus to forgive me for this disobedience that He does forgive me; I also know that I need to be obedient - more obedient!
My witnessing also lacks greatly. To be honest, to talk face to face with people about Jesus (that is to those who don't know Him) scares me because I am afraid that I won't be able to answer their questions, or that I'll mess up in my words and not make sense or not have some sort of "come back" (for lack of a better word) against the other person's arguments. I am not ashamed of Jesus - I am afraid that I will mess up.
I know that I am supposed to be a witness to Jesus, to go into the world and proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ. Yes, I can do it on the internet through my blog or in a chat room or what have you...but there is something about witnessing face to face. That scares the heck out of me and I don't think it should. So, since it causes fear, that is not from God...it's from Satan who is attempting to keep me from telling others about Jesus...and it seems to have worked (with face to face situations that is).
So, I feel like God is using this whole time of mourning to call me closer to Him and remind me that I need to be obedient. I need to witness. I need to be a servant. But I don't know what to do or where to start...I don't even know if I am making sense with this in my thoughts.
I don't want to stand before Him one day and be one of the goats who did not feed Him when He was hungry, or give Him a drink when He was thirsty, or clothe Him, etc. I want to hear Him say, "Well done good and faithful servant."
I do feel that the Lord is drawing me closer to Him throughout all of this; not just to comfort me, but to urge me on with my walk with Him. I have been in a bit of a slump for a little while with my walk, and felt a little distanced from God. It has not been anything He has done - the fault lies with me for pulling away at times, and it has been harder and harder to get back into the kind of relationship I want to have with Him; to experience the closeness I once felt, the fire I had at the beginning, the passion to do for the Lord.
Maybe the Lord is using this tragic situation to speak to me, to remind me how precious our lives are and how little time we are on this earth. For some that time is less than it is for others. We just never know when He will call us home. To be honest, that is scaring me a little over these last few days.
I guess I am feeling afraid - afraid of having unfinished business here on earth; of not having done all for the Lord that I could have. Now, I know that it is not works that gets us into heaven, but only through the faith and acceptance of Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour. However, we are to be like Jesus and that includes being a servant to the Lord - Jesus was a servant (He said He came to serve not to be served), and so we should be too. I know I have not lived up to my part of the deal (if you want to call it that). I know I have not obeyed Him as much as I should, and maybe even "pretending" not to hear Him...you know, like if you don't hear what He wants you to do you won't have to do it, right? Or maybe if I avoid talking to Him in prayer He won't tell me to do something that I am uncomfortable doing (as in stepping out of my box)...I don't even know if this is making any sense or not right now.
Don't get me wrong. I want to serve the Lord and be obedient, to be Jesus to others - but I fail at this...sometimes a lot. I am not perfect. But I know that when I ask Jesus to forgive me for this disobedience that He does forgive me; I also know that I need to be obedient - more obedient!
My witnessing also lacks greatly. To be honest, to talk face to face with people about Jesus (that is to those who don't know Him) scares me because I am afraid that I won't be able to answer their questions, or that I'll mess up in my words and not make sense or not have some sort of "come back" (for lack of a better word) against the other person's arguments. I am not ashamed of Jesus - I am afraid that I will mess up.
I know that I am supposed to be a witness to Jesus, to go into the world and proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ. Yes, I can do it on the internet through my blog or in a chat room or what have you...but there is something about witnessing face to face. That scares the heck out of me and I don't think it should. So, since it causes fear, that is not from God...it's from Satan who is attempting to keep me from telling others about Jesus...and it seems to have worked (with face to face situations that is).
So, I feel like God is using this whole time of mourning to call me closer to Him and remind me that I need to be obedient. I need to witness. I need to be a servant. But I don't know what to do or where to start...I don't even know if I am making sense with this in my thoughts.
I don't want to stand before Him one day and be one of the goats who did not feed Him when He was hungry, or give Him a drink when He was thirsty, or clothe Him, etc. I want to hear Him say, "Well done good and faithful servant."
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Saturday, April 08, 2006
A Warm Welcome!
I would love to give a warm welcome to all the new blog readers who head here from Christian Women Online! Please leave me a note in the comment section (on any post after this one too, not just this one) and let me know that you've been here. I'd love to hear from you!
For those of you who don't know what Christian Women Online is, click here to be transported. It's an online magazine devoted to the Christian woman, and it's edited by our own Darlene of What Would Jesus Blog fame, and she and a whole bunch of other women have done a fantastic job with it! Check it out!
If you notice, of course you'll probably have to scroll down, I'll wait while you do...ok now that you've done that, you'll see that I joined the CWO web ring. That is the link to other CWO blogs. You'll also notice way up in the upper right hand corner, again, I'll wait while you scroll back up...did you see it, the new corner banner? Isn't it great? Guess where I got that from! Yup, you guessed it CWO!
So, again, welcome to all the new passersby who ventured here from CWO webring. I hope you will enjoy the time you spend here at my blog, where I try to serve the Lord Jesus as best I can.
Have a Christ filled day!
For those of you who don't know what Christian Women Online is, click here to be transported. It's an online magazine devoted to the Christian woman, and it's edited by our own Darlene of What Would Jesus Blog fame, and she and a whole bunch of other women have done a fantastic job with it! Check it out!
If you notice, of course you'll probably have to scroll down, I'll wait while you do...ok now that you've done that, you'll see that I joined the CWO web ring. That is the link to other CWO blogs. You'll also notice way up in the upper right hand corner, again, I'll wait while you scroll back up...did you see it, the new corner banner? Isn't it great? Guess where I got that from! Yup, you guessed it CWO!
So, again, welcome to all the new passersby who ventured here from CWO webring. I hope you will enjoy the time you spend here at my blog, where I try to serve the Lord Jesus as best I can.
Have a Christ filled day!
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Love Is...
...more than just a word. Love is more than just a feeling. Love is an action.
"...let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth." 1 John 3:18
It is one thing to tell those around us that we love them. That is a wonderful thing as well, because we do need to hear the words from time to time. However, love is expressed more than just in words. Often times love is expressed with actions - through helping, through giving, through doing, etc. Unfortunately, far too often our actions aren't recognized as love.
It is easy to find some way of expressing our love to those around us. When someone is sick or in the hospital, a little visit or sending a card helps them to know they are cared about and loved. In winter maybe the elderly couple living down the street could use some help in shoveling out their driveway (and if you have a snowblower, even better!). Offering to babysit for someone who has just had a new baby so that the mother can get some much needed sleep, or so mom and dad can have a little time to themselves, would be greatly appreciated. Taking a prepared meal to someone who is not feeling well, or who has just come home from having an operation is also a good way of expressing love.
There are many, many things that can be done to show your love to others. You don't have to buy expensive gifts, but just by putting some thought into the idea, you can come up with ways that the receiver will benefit from them.
No, these actions will not save us. They will not make us earn brownie points with God. But through our faith, through our salvation we should want to share Jesus with others and share His love with them. Showing love to others through our actions is one way of sharing Jesus.
God shared His love with us, "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16). God sent His Son, Jesus, to offer eternal life and the forgiveness of sins to the world. Jesus' actions show just how great His love is for us - He willingly died on the cross so that all who believe in Him, in who He is, and what He did would have another gift of His love: eternal life with Him! "We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us..." (1 John 3:16).
There is no greater love than Jesus. As I have stated, our actions of love will not save us. But if we are striving to be like Jesus, to emulate Him in our lives to others, we need to put some actions in our love.
My challenge to you is to find someone and express your love for them through actions. The choice is up to you of what you will do, and to whom you will do it for. You don't need to tell anyone what you have done (in fact, it is probably better if you don't, that way the glory will go to God and there is no chance for us to seek any of the praise for ourselves). I encourage you to put your love into action today.
"...let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth." 1 John 3:18
It is one thing to tell those around us that we love them. That is a wonderful thing as well, because we do need to hear the words from time to time. However, love is expressed more than just in words. Often times love is expressed with actions - through helping, through giving, through doing, etc. Unfortunately, far too often our actions aren't recognized as love.
It is easy to find some way of expressing our love to those around us. When someone is sick or in the hospital, a little visit or sending a card helps them to know they are cared about and loved. In winter maybe the elderly couple living down the street could use some help in shoveling out their driveway (and if you have a snowblower, even better!). Offering to babysit for someone who has just had a new baby so that the mother can get some much needed sleep, or so mom and dad can have a little time to themselves, would be greatly appreciated. Taking a prepared meal to someone who is not feeling well, or who has just come home from having an operation is also a good way of expressing love.
There are many, many things that can be done to show your love to others. You don't have to buy expensive gifts, but just by putting some thought into the idea, you can come up with ways that the receiver will benefit from them.
No, these actions will not save us. They will not make us earn brownie points with God. But through our faith, through our salvation we should want to share Jesus with others and share His love with them. Showing love to others through our actions is one way of sharing Jesus.
God shared His love with us, "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16). God sent His Son, Jesus, to offer eternal life and the forgiveness of sins to the world. Jesus' actions show just how great His love is for us - He willingly died on the cross so that all who believe in Him, in who He is, and what He did would have another gift of His love: eternal life with Him! "We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us..." (1 John 3:16).
There is no greater love than Jesus. As I have stated, our actions of love will not save us. But if we are striving to be like Jesus, to emulate Him in our lives to others, we need to put some actions in our love.
My challenge to you is to find someone and express your love for them through actions. The choice is up to you of what you will do, and to whom you will do it for. You don't need to tell anyone what you have done (in fact, it is probably better if you don't, that way the glory will go to God and there is no chance for us to seek any of the praise for ourselves). I encourage you to put your love into action today.
Friday, March 31, 2006
Spring Is In The Air
It is definately feeling like spring around here lately. The temperatures have been great, hitting the low (or maybe even mid) teens celcius, the sun has been shining, and cool breezes blowing. I heard a couple of robins singing this morning, but when I looked out the window I didn't see them so I figure they must have been in the trees beside the house where there is no window.The crocuses have been out, and they look so beautiful! I think they might be a type of flower that spreads because we only started out with a few of them several years ago, and now there are so many of them...there are a few growing in the grass beside the flower bed even!
For some reason, I never thing to post pictures on this blog. I do on my knitting one, but they are usually pics of my completed knitting projects. So, after I was out and took a few pics of the crocuses I thought why not incorporate them in my post!
Spring is a time for rebirth. It is the time of year when flowers like the crocuses, daffodils, and tulips push their way up through the soil and reach up toward the sun, bursting forth with their beauty for all to see. The trees begin to grow buds, and soon leaves will sprout from them, growing until they create a canopy of shade.
I love spring. It it a time to grow, it gives me hope and makes me feel renewed and rejuvenated after a long (or even short) cold winter. I find that my dreams for the year seem to come alive at this time, rather than in January when the new year begins. I feel like I am like a bear (or some other animal) that comes out of hibernation.
I have even discovered that my walk with the Lord becomes renewed as well in the spring. I don't know why that is. It feels like during the winter my spritual journey goes into hibernation and I get lazy in my walk. Though I love the Lord and want to be obedient and do for Him all I can, I seem to run out of steam and get slack in my faith. Oh, I still have faith, etc., don't get me wrong. I just feel so sluggish and stagnant in my walk at that time.
In the spring, especially on the bright and sunny days, my faith and walk seems to get renewed as well. It seems, just like the crocuses, to just push up out of the dirt and stretch and grow in the Son shine. I want His glory and His beauty to burst forth in and through me. Yes, spring is a time for rebirth and new growth, and my prayer is that I will continue to experience a rebirth and new growth in my walk with the Lord, after the lethargy of a winter slump.
Thursday, March 30, 2006
Where Did All The Commenters Go and Other News
Yeah, so as anyone who has made a trip to my blog recently knows that I have just completed a nine part series on the Armor of God.
While my stats were pretty good during the run, or at least what I consider pretty good, my comments were mega low (not to be confused with the Megalo Mart on King of the Hill)! Now, granted I know not everyone leaves comments or wants to. Not everyone knows what to say in the comments. I know, because sometimes I myself am like that from time to time.
However, what's a girl to do to get comments? Be careful how you answer that...this IS a Christian blog! Oh, and I will not pay you to leave comments either...mainly because I can't afford it.
Now, to be fair, there were a handful of commenters on the posts and I want to thank you and let you know I appreciate them :o). And, I know that there were some lurkers, those who may have just read and not left a comment, thank you for taking the time to read. Oh, and someone (or more than one) found me several times by doing a search for the Armor of God. Hope you enjoyed the series!
Ok, yeah, back to reality...time to remind myself that it's not about the comments, it's not about me. It's about the Lord. If anything that I have written has even come close to helping someone, then the glory and praise all go to Jesus and not me!
So, in other news, back in February I applied for the Bachelor of Education program at school for next fall. A couple of weeks ago I heard back that I have been selected to have an interview for this. I am one step closer to getting accepted. Not everyone applies gets an interview - it's one of those weeding out processes. Anyway, I go for my interview on April 24, 2006 at 10:00am. I'm excited and nervous as the interview is in front of three or four of the professors and admissions people and I have never had an interview like this.
Also, with regard to school, things are slowly coming to a close and there is only a month left until graduation. Wow, the time has gone by fast! I just finished up my last paper that I will ever do for my BA and all I have left is a presentation (and two exams). My paper is for my world view class, and my topic was comparing the Jehovah's Witness worldview with Historic Christianity. What a broad subject that is! There is so much that I could put in the paper, but I am only limited to 10 pages...I tried to focus on a few main points, but honestly I don't think it came off too well. At this stage in the game, I am hoping for a C on it...though I would like something a lot higher.
I am told this prof is a hard marker, and when I submitted my outline to him on the topic, he let me know I was on the right page, but also put a lot of comments on it which totally confused me. I don't know if it was ok for minfo in the paper and just try to jazz things up for the presentation, or if he didn't want me to touch it at all. He did say to not focus too much on the Christian aspect because most everyone in the class has a good grasp of it, so he wanted me (I think) to mainly focus on the JW's.
I have an idea for my presentation for it, if I will just allow myself to step out of the box to do it. It's not the way I would normally do a presentation so I need to plan it and work it out. Thankfully I don't present until the 10th so I have a little time to prepare. I was hoping I wouldn't get the 3rd (there are 2 days of presentations because it's a fairly big class) because I have a test on the 4th and it's for my communication disorders class and I really need to study for it...though it doesn't seem to matter how long I study, I can't get higher than C+ and that grieves me.
Anyway, this is turning into a long post. If I expect comments I probably shouldn't have long posts...otherwise no one will want to read!
God bless you all!
While my stats were pretty good during the run, or at least what I consider pretty good, my comments were mega low (not to be confused with the Megalo Mart on King of the Hill)! Now, granted I know not everyone leaves comments or wants to. Not everyone knows what to say in the comments. I know, because sometimes I myself am like that from time to time.
However, what's a girl to do to get comments? Be careful how you answer that...this IS a Christian blog! Oh, and I will not pay you to leave comments either...mainly because I can't afford it.
Now, to be fair, there were a handful of commenters on the posts and I want to thank you and let you know I appreciate them :o). And, I know that there were some lurkers, those who may have just read and not left a comment, thank you for taking the time to read. Oh, and someone (or more than one) found me several times by doing a search for the Armor of God. Hope you enjoyed the series!
Ok, yeah, back to reality...time to remind myself that it's not about the comments, it's not about me. It's about the Lord. If anything that I have written has even come close to helping someone, then the glory and praise all go to Jesus and not me!
So, in other news, back in February I applied for the Bachelor of Education program at school for next fall. A couple of weeks ago I heard back that I have been selected to have an interview for this. I am one step closer to getting accepted. Not everyone applies gets an interview - it's one of those weeding out processes. Anyway, I go for my interview on April 24, 2006 at 10:00am. I'm excited and nervous as the interview is in front of three or four of the professors and admissions people and I have never had an interview like this.
Also, with regard to school, things are slowly coming to a close and there is only a month left until graduation. Wow, the time has gone by fast! I just finished up my last paper that I will ever do for my BA and all I have left is a presentation (and two exams). My paper is for my world view class, and my topic was comparing the Jehovah's Witness worldview with Historic Christianity. What a broad subject that is! There is so much that I could put in the paper, but I am only limited to 10 pages...I tried to focus on a few main points, but honestly I don't think it came off too well. At this stage in the game, I am hoping for a C on it...though I would like something a lot higher.
I am told this prof is a hard marker, and when I submitted my outline to him on the topic, he let me know I was on the right page, but also put a lot of comments on it which totally confused me. I don't know if it was ok for minfo in the paper and just try to jazz things up for the presentation, or if he didn't want me to touch it at all. He did say to not focus too much on the Christian aspect because most everyone in the class has a good grasp of it, so he wanted me (I think) to mainly focus on the JW's.
I have an idea for my presentation for it, if I will just allow myself to step out of the box to do it. It's not the way I would normally do a presentation so I need to plan it and work it out. Thankfully I don't present until the 10th so I have a little time to prepare. I was hoping I wouldn't get the 3rd (there are 2 days of presentations because it's a fairly big class) because I have a test on the 4th and it's for my communication disorders class and I really need to study for it...though it doesn't seem to matter how long I study, I can't get higher than C+ and that grieves me.
Anyway, this is turning into a long post. If I expect comments I probably shouldn't have long posts...otherwise no one will want to read!
God bless you all!
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
The Armor of God (Part 9)
Ephesians 6:18 "And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints."
We come to the final segment in the Armor of God series. This section deals with prayer. Prayer is a vital part of our Christian lives and it is something we should be doing often, for it is the way we can communicate with God!
According to William MacDonald in the Believer's Bible Commentary (pg. 1953), "Prayer is not mentioned as a part of the armor; it is the atmosphere in which the soldier must live and breathe. Prayer should be continual, not sporadic; a habit, not an isolated act. Then too the soldier should use all kinds of prayer: public and private, deliberate and spontaneous, supplication and intercession, confession and humiliation, praise and thanksgiving. And prayer should be in the spirit, that is, inspired and led by Him. There must be vigilance in prayer: watchful to this end. We must watch against drowsiness, mindwander, and preoccupation with other things. Prayer requires spiritual keenness, alertness, and concentration. And there must be perseverance in prayer. We must keep on asking, seeking, knocking (Luke 11:9). Supplication should be made for all the saints. They are engaged in the conflict too, and need to be supported in prayer by their fellow soldiers."
One never knows when a brother or sister is involved in a spiritual battle. Keep them in prayer often! Fellowshipping is also a good way to find out if our fellow saints are needing specific prayers for their battles. I encourage each and every one of us to develop a consistant prayer life. As said before: prayer is vital to the Christian!
Matthew Henry's online commentary states: "Prayer must buckle on all the other parts of our Christian armor. We must join prayer with all these graces, for our defence against these spiritual enemies, imploring help and assistance of God, as the case requires: and we must pray always. Not as though we were to do nothing else but pray, [but] we must pray upon all occasions, and as often as our own and others' necessities call us to it. We must pray with all prayer and supplication, with all kinds of prayer: public, private, and secret, social and solitary, solemn and sudden; with all the parts of prayer: confession of sin, petition for mercy, and thansgiving for favours received. We must pray in the Spirit; our spirits must be employed in the duty and we must do it by the grace of God's good Spirit. When God says, 'Seek my face', our hearts must comply. This we must do with all perseverance. We must abide by the duty of prayer, whatever change there may be in our outward circumstances; and we must continue in it as long as we live in the world. We must persevere in a particular prayer; not cutting it short. We must likewise persevere in particular requests. And we must pray with supplication, not for ourselves only, but for all saints."
I encourage everyone to pray. We need to make it a daily part of our lives. When one of God's children gets on his/her knees to pray, satan trembles! He will try to stop you by putting other thoughts in your mind of things to do, places to go, people to talk to, etc. Don't let that hinder you. Keep paper and pen handy and write those things down if you think you might forget. Seek forgiveness from God for your wandering mind, and continue to pray.
My prayer is that each one of us draws closer to Jesus Christ, striving to be the type of people He wants us to be, to use Him as our role model, and to unite together in this battle against evil, and to be effective for His kingdom. Satan will try to separate us and cause divisions, but if we stick together with Jesus Christ as our common bond, we can and will defeat Satan's attacks!
We come to the final segment in the Armor of God series. This section deals with prayer. Prayer is a vital part of our Christian lives and it is something we should be doing often, for it is the way we can communicate with God!
According to William MacDonald in the Believer's Bible Commentary (pg. 1953), "Prayer is not mentioned as a part of the armor; it is the atmosphere in which the soldier must live and breathe. Prayer should be continual, not sporadic; a habit, not an isolated act. Then too the soldier should use all kinds of prayer: public and private, deliberate and spontaneous, supplication and intercession, confession and humiliation, praise and thanksgiving. And prayer should be in the spirit, that is, inspired and led by Him. There must be vigilance in prayer: watchful to this end. We must watch against drowsiness, mindwander, and preoccupation with other things. Prayer requires spiritual keenness, alertness, and concentration. And there must be perseverance in prayer. We must keep on asking, seeking, knocking (Luke 11:9). Supplication should be made for all the saints. They are engaged in the conflict too, and need to be supported in prayer by their fellow soldiers."
One never knows when a brother or sister is involved in a spiritual battle. Keep them in prayer often! Fellowshipping is also a good way to find out if our fellow saints are needing specific prayers for their battles. I encourage each and every one of us to develop a consistant prayer life. As said before: prayer is vital to the Christian!
Matthew Henry's online commentary states: "Prayer must buckle on all the other parts of our Christian armor. We must join prayer with all these graces, for our defence against these spiritual enemies, imploring help and assistance of God, as the case requires: and we must pray always. Not as though we were to do nothing else but pray, [but] we must pray upon all occasions, and as often as our own and others' necessities call us to it. We must pray with all prayer and supplication, with all kinds of prayer: public, private, and secret, social and solitary, solemn and sudden; with all the parts of prayer: confession of sin, petition for mercy, and thansgiving for favours received. We must pray in the Spirit; our spirits must be employed in the duty and we must do it by the grace of God's good Spirit. When God says, 'Seek my face', our hearts must comply. This we must do with all perseverance. We must abide by the duty of prayer, whatever change there may be in our outward circumstances; and we must continue in it as long as we live in the world. We must persevere in a particular prayer; not cutting it short. We must likewise persevere in particular requests. And we must pray with supplication, not for ourselves only, but for all saints."
I encourage everyone to pray. We need to make it a daily part of our lives. When one of God's children gets on his/her knees to pray, satan trembles! He will try to stop you by putting other thoughts in your mind of things to do, places to go, people to talk to, etc. Don't let that hinder you. Keep paper and pen handy and write those things down if you think you might forget. Seek forgiveness from God for your wandering mind, and continue to pray.
My prayer is that each one of us draws closer to Jesus Christ, striving to be the type of people He wants us to be, to use Him as our role model, and to unite together in this battle against evil, and to be effective for His kingdom. Satan will try to separate us and cause divisions, but if we stick together with Jesus Christ as our common bond, we can and will defeat Satan's attacks!
Friday, March 24, 2006
Armor of God (Part 8)
Ephesians 6:17 "Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."
Before we can get any piece of the armor, we need to be secure in our Salvation. We need to know and accept Jesus Christ as our personal Saviour, for without Him we will not get the armor, nor will we be able to stand up to Satan. If you have not accepted Jesus Christ as your Saviour, I highly encourage you to talk with someone, be it to a pastor, a Christian friend, or parent (or you can leave me a comment). Jesus Christ is our only hope for salvation and eternal life!
Here is what the Believer's Bible Commentary by William MacDonald (pg. 1952) has to say about the helmet of salvation: "No matter how hot the battle, the Christian is not daunted, since he knows that ultimate victory is sure. Assurance of eventual deliverance preserves him from retreat or surrender. If God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31)."
Matthew Henry's online commentary states: "Salvation must be our helmet; that is, hope, which has salvation for its object. The helmet secures the head. A good hope of salvation, well founded and well built, will both purify the soul and keep it from being defiled by Satan, and it will comfort the soul and keep it from being defiled by Satan, and it will comfort the soul and keep it from being troubled and tormented by Satan. He would tempt us to despair; but good hope keeps us trusting in God, and rejoicing in him."
The sword of the spirit refers to the Word, that is the Holy Bible. I encourage everyone to read their bibles on a daily basis, and become familiar with the passages. Scripture memorization is also a great way to use the sword against Satan and his minions. When Jesus was in the wilderness for 40 days and nights being tempted by Satan, He used the scriptures to do battle. He was able to quote the Word in the three instances that are mentioned. If we do not know any scripture, we will not be able to use it against the enemy to help defeat him in the battles in which we find ourselves involved. Part of the armour is the sword, and in order to use this item we need to do our part by becoming very familiar with Scripture. The Believer's Bible Commentary (pg. 1953) says that: "The word of God here does not mean the whole Bible, but the particular portion of the Bible which best suits the occasion."
We need to become familiar with the Bible; that is a fact.If we don't have a verse memorized that could fit to a particular temptation, sometimes just knowing where to look helps. If we recall a certain story that dealt with that particular temptation, we can at least turn to it and read it for comfort and reassurance. However, I strongly recommend memorization of "key" verses to be able to use them such as the way that Jesus used them.
Matthew Henry's online commentary states: "The sword is a very necessary and useful part of a soldier's furniture. The word of God is very necessary, and of great use to the Christian, in order to his maintaining the spiritual warfare and succeeding in it. It is called the sword of the Spirit, because it is of the Spirit's inditing and he renders it efficacious and powerful, and sharper than a two-edged sword...with this we assault the assailants. Scripture arguments are the most powerful arguments to repel temptation with. This, being hid in the heart, will preserve from sin, and will mortify and kill those lusts and corruptions that are latent there."
My brothers and sisters in Christ, I encourage you to become familiar with the scriptures and to be secure in your salvation in Jesus Christ. We are fighting an ongoing spiritual battle, and although Satan has indeed been defeated already with Christ's death on the cross, we still need to be prepared at all times for the onslaught of temptations and battles Satan has in store for us as God's children. However, keep in mind, that Satan too knows scripture, for he quoted it to Jesus when he was tempting Him. This knowing of scripture I am speaking of is more than just being able to spout off verses. It is knowing what verses to use and when to use them.
So now go with God, rest in His love and know that He will be with you in the battle, equipping you and giving you the strength you need. God bless one and all.
Before we can get any piece of the armor, we need to be secure in our Salvation. We need to know and accept Jesus Christ as our personal Saviour, for without Him we will not get the armor, nor will we be able to stand up to Satan. If you have not accepted Jesus Christ as your Saviour, I highly encourage you to talk with someone, be it to a pastor, a Christian friend, or parent (or you can leave me a comment). Jesus Christ is our only hope for salvation and eternal life!
Here is what the Believer's Bible Commentary by William MacDonald (pg. 1952) has to say about the helmet of salvation: "No matter how hot the battle, the Christian is not daunted, since he knows that ultimate victory is sure. Assurance of eventual deliverance preserves him from retreat or surrender. If God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31)."
Matthew Henry's online commentary states: "Salvation must be our helmet; that is, hope, which has salvation for its object. The helmet secures the head. A good hope of salvation, well founded and well built, will both purify the soul and keep it from being defiled by Satan, and it will comfort the soul and keep it from being defiled by Satan, and it will comfort the soul and keep it from being troubled and tormented by Satan. He would tempt us to despair; but good hope keeps us trusting in God, and rejoicing in him."
The sword of the spirit refers to the Word, that is the Holy Bible. I encourage everyone to read their bibles on a daily basis, and become familiar with the passages. Scripture memorization is also a great way to use the sword against Satan and his minions. When Jesus was in the wilderness for 40 days and nights being tempted by Satan, He used the scriptures to do battle. He was able to quote the Word in the three instances that are mentioned. If we do not know any scripture, we will not be able to use it against the enemy to help defeat him in the battles in which we find ourselves involved. Part of the armour is the sword, and in order to use this item we need to do our part by becoming very familiar with Scripture. The Believer's Bible Commentary (pg. 1953) says that: "The word of God here does not mean the whole Bible, but the particular portion of the Bible which best suits the occasion."
We need to become familiar with the Bible; that is a fact.If we don't have a verse memorized that could fit to a particular temptation, sometimes just knowing where to look helps. If we recall a certain story that dealt with that particular temptation, we can at least turn to it and read it for comfort and reassurance. However, I strongly recommend memorization of "key" verses to be able to use them such as the way that Jesus used them.
Matthew Henry's online commentary states: "The sword is a very necessary and useful part of a soldier's furniture. The word of God is very necessary, and of great use to the Christian, in order to his maintaining the spiritual warfare and succeeding in it. It is called the sword of the Spirit, because it is of the Spirit's inditing and he renders it efficacious and powerful, and sharper than a two-edged sword...with this we assault the assailants. Scripture arguments are the most powerful arguments to repel temptation with. This, being hid in the heart, will preserve from sin, and will mortify and kill those lusts and corruptions that are latent there."
My brothers and sisters in Christ, I encourage you to become familiar with the scriptures and to be secure in your salvation in Jesus Christ. We are fighting an ongoing spiritual battle, and although Satan has indeed been defeated already with Christ's death on the cross, we still need to be prepared at all times for the onslaught of temptations and battles Satan has in store for us as God's children. However, keep in mind, that Satan too knows scripture, for he quoted it to Jesus when he was tempting Him. This knowing of scripture I am speaking of is more than just being able to spout off verses. It is knowing what verses to use and when to use them.
So now go with God, rest in His love and know that He will be with you in the battle, equipping you and giving you the strength you need. God bless one and all.
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
The Armor of God (Part 7)
Ephesians 6:16 "In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one."
In this verse, we are to take up the shield of faith. Faith is a major part of Christianity. Hebrews 1:11 tells us "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." Here is what Matthew Henry's online commentary says about this: "Faith and hope go together; and the same things that are the object of our hope are the object of our faith...Christ dwells in the soul by faith, and the soul is filled with the fullness of God...Faith demonstrates to the eye of the mind the reality of those things that cannot be discerned by the eye of the body."
It is our shield of faith which will extinguish, that is to put out, the firey, stinging arrows or darts that Satan sends our way. He does this to try to get our minds off God, to stop us from praying, from spending any time with God and doing His work, etc. When Satan sends his darts our way, if we have our shield of faith in place, they will be put out and will not be able to do any damage to us. The Believer's Bible Commentary by William MacDonald (page 1952) says this about the verse: "Faith here is firm confidence in the Lord and in His word. When temptations burn, when circumstances are adverse, when doubts assail, when shipwreck threatens, faith looks up and says, I believe God."
Matthew Henry's online commentary for Ephesians 6:16 has this to say: "This is more necessary than any of them. Faith is all in all to us in an hour of temptation. We are to be fully persuaded of the truth of all God's promises...such a faith being of great use against temptations. Faith, as receiving Christ and the benefits of redemption, so deriving grace from him, is like a shield, a sort of universal defence. Our enemy the devil is here called 'the wicked one'. His temptations are called darts, because of their swift and undiscerned flight, and the deep wounds that they give to the soul. Violent temptations, by which the soul is set on fire [by the fire] of hell, are the darts which Satan shoots at us. Faith is the shield with which we must quench these firey darts, wherein we should receive them, and so render them ineffectual, that they may not hit us, or at least that they may not hurt us. Observe, faith, acted upon the word of God and applying that, acted upon the grace of Christ and improving that, quenches the darts of temptation."
So, without faith we cannot stop Satan's attacks on us. Mind you, he will continue to attack us at any and every possible moment. We need to be prepared! If your faith is wavering, or depleted, his attacks will hit hard and strong. I encourage you to get on your kneees and turn to God. Ask Him to help you increase your faith. Our God is so amazing and powerful! He is here to help and protect us, to guide and use us for His kingdom's work. He has provided us with an armor of protection that we need to have on every single day...in fact, we should not remove even one piece of the armor, lest Satan sends an attack and it hits its target rendering us wounded.
I also encourage those with a strong faith to move in closer to weaker brothers and sisters to encourage them and guide them in their walk. We are all in this together, and the battle calls for unity and dependance upon God. Without Him, we are useless and will not be able to stand against this spiritual battle which we all face daily.
May the Lord our God, the Father of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, guide you and protect you as you prepare for these spiritual battles that we face. May you turn to Jesus for strength, guidance, and protection. May you be blessed with the richness from knowing Jesus Christ, and may you be blessed as you help our brothers and sisters to stand strong in the battle against Satan. God loves each and every one of His children, and is here for us in these times of warfare, just as He is at all other times. He will strengthen us, guide us, and protect us, and He will not leave us! He will also equip us for our daily battles. I encourage you now to put on your shield of faith (along with the rest of the armor), for Satan is waiting just around the corner - don't let him have a foothold in the fight!
In this verse, we are to take up the shield of faith. Faith is a major part of Christianity. Hebrews 1:11 tells us "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." Here is what Matthew Henry's online commentary says about this: "Faith and hope go together; and the same things that are the object of our hope are the object of our faith...Christ dwells in the soul by faith, and the soul is filled with the fullness of God...Faith demonstrates to the eye of the mind the reality of those things that cannot be discerned by the eye of the body."
It is our shield of faith which will extinguish, that is to put out, the firey, stinging arrows or darts that Satan sends our way. He does this to try to get our minds off God, to stop us from praying, from spending any time with God and doing His work, etc. When Satan sends his darts our way, if we have our shield of faith in place, they will be put out and will not be able to do any damage to us. The Believer's Bible Commentary by William MacDonald (page 1952) says this about the verse: "Faith here is firm confidence in the Lord and in His word. When temptations burn, when circumstances are adverse, when doubts assail, when shipwreck threatens, faith looks up and says, I believe God."
Matthew Henry's online commentary for Ephesians 6:16 has this to say: "This is more necessary than any of them. Faith is all in all to us in an hour of temptation. We are to be fully persuaded of the truth of all God's promises...such a faith being of great use against temptations. Faith, as receiving Christ and the benefits of redemption, so deriving grace from him, is like a shield, a sort of universal defence. Our enemy the devil is here called 'the wicked one'. His temptations are called darts, because of their swift and undiscerned flight, and the deep wounds that they give to the soul. Violent temptations, by which the soul is set on fire [by the fire] of hell, are the darts which Satan shoots at us. Faith is the shield with which we must quench these firey darts, wherein we should receive them, and so render them ineffectual, that they may not hit us, or at least that they may not hurt us. Observe, faith, acted upon the word of God and applying that, acted upon the grace of Christ and improving that, quenches the darts of temptation."
So, without faith we cannot stop Satan's attacks on us. Mind you, he will continue to attack us at any and every possible moment. We need to be prepared! If your faith is wavering, or depleted, his attacks will hit hard and strong. I encourage you to get on your kneees and turn to God. Ask Him to help you increase your faith. Our God is so amazing and powerful! He is here to help and protect us, to guide and use us for His kingdom's work. He has provided us with an armor of protection that we need to have on every single day...in fact, we should not remove even one piece of the armor, lest Satan sends an attack and it hits its target rendering us wounded.
I also encourage those with a strong faith to move in closer to weaker brothers and sisters to encourage them and guide them in their walk. We are all in this together, and the battle calls for unity and dependance upon God. Without Him, we are useless and will not be able to stand against this spiritual battle which we all face daily.
May the Lord our God, the Father of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, guide you and protect you as you prepare for these spiritual battles that we face. May you turn to Jesus for strength, guidance, and protection. May you be blessed with the richness from knowing Jesus Christ, and may you be blessed as you help our brothers and sisters to stand strong in the battle against Satan. God loves each and every one of His children, and is here for us in these times of warfare, just as He is at all other times. He will strengthen us, guide us, and protect us, and He will not leave us! He will also equip us for our daily battles. I encourage you now to put on your shield of faith (along with the rest of the armor), for Satan is waiting just around the corner - don't let him have a foothold in the fight!
Thursday, March 16, 2006
The Armor of God (Part 6)
Ephesians 6:16 "and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace."
The next piece of armor tells us that we need to be ready (for our battles), and this readiness is what we receive when we delve into the Word - the Gospel. This is why it is important for us to memorize scripture. These passages can be called to mind when we are facing a battle. It is what Jesus did in the wilderness when tempted by Satan - He would give an answer to Satan by quoting Scripture.
Here is what Matthew Henry's online commentary says about this verse: "Shoes, or greaves of brass, or the like, were formerly part of hte military armor. The use of them was to defend the feet against the gall-traps, and sharp sticks, which were won't to be laid privily in the way, to obstruct the marching of the enemy, those who fell upon them being unfit to march. The preparation of the gospel of peace signifies a prepared and resolved frame of heart, to adhere to the gospel and abide by it, which will enable us to walk with a steady pace in the way of religion, notwithstanding the difficulties and dangers that may be in it. It is styled the gospel of peace because it brings all sorts of peace, peace with God, with ourselves, and with one another. It may also be meant of that which prepares for the entertainment of the gospel, namely, repentance. With this our feet must be shod: for by living a life of repentance we are armed against temptations to sin, and the designs of our great enemy."
From the Believer's Bible Commentary by William MacDonald (pg. 1952), we read: "This suggests a readiness to go out with the good news or peace, and therefore an invasion into enemy territory. When we relsax in our tents, we are in deadly peril. Our safety is to be found in following the beautiful feet of the Saviour on the mountains, bearing glad tidings and publishing peace (Isa. 52:7; Rom. 10:15)."
So, as in all of our battles, being ready and being prepared to fight is a must. I encourage each and every person to get into the Word, to study it, meditate on it and memorize it. The Word is Truth, the Word is from God, The Word is Jesus, and He is a mighty strong weapon when used in battle against the enemy.
May the grace of God rest upon you. May His peace fill your life, and may He bless you abundantly as you pursue Him through His Word.
The next piece of armor tells us that we need to be ready (for our battles), and this readiness is what we receive when we delve into the Word - the Gospel. This is why it is important for us to memorize scripture. These passages can be called to mind when we are facing a battle. It is what Jesus did in the wilderness when tempted by Satan - He would give an answer to Satan by quoting Scripture.
Here is what Matthew Henry's online commentary says about this verse: "Shoes, or greaves of brass, or the like, were formerly part of hte military armor. The use of them was to defend the feet against the gall-traps, and sharp sticks, which were won't to be laid privily in the way, to obstruct the marching of the enemy, those who fell upon them being unfit to march. The preparation of the gospel of peace signifies a prepared and resolved frame of heart, to adhere to the gospel and abide by it, which will enable us to walk with a steady pace in the way of religion, notwithstanding the difficulties and dangers that may be in it. It is styled the gospel of peace because it brings all sorts of peace, peace with God, with ourselves, and with one another. It may also be meant of that which prepares for the entertainment of the gospel, namely, repentance. With this our feet must be shod: for by living a life of repentance we are armed against temptations to sin, and the designs of our great enemy."
From the Believer's Bible Commentary by William MacDonald (pg. 1952), we read: "This suggests a readiness to go out with the good news or peace, and therefore an invasion into enemy territory. When we relsax in our tents, we are in deadly peril. Our safety is to be found in following the beautiful feet of the Saviour on the mountains, bearing glad tidings and publishing peace (Isa. 52:7; Rom. 10:15)."
So, as in all of our battles, being ready and being prepared to fight is a must. I encourage each and every person to get into the Word, to study it, meditate on it and memorize it. The Word is Truth, the Word is from God, The Word is Jesus, and He is a mighty strong weapon when used in battle against the enemy.
May the grace of God rest upon you. May His peace fill your life, and may He bless you abundantly as you pursue Him through His Word.
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
The Armor of God (Part 5)
Ephesians 6:14 "Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place."
This installment of the Armor of God series begins the discussion of the actual parts of the armor. Keep in mind that when Paul wrote this that he was in jail and was around the Roman soldiers who were dresssed in their armor, and in turn he used this as an object lesson to his readers.
Truth is important; it is the foundation of the entirety of the armor. What is our truth? Jesus Christ of course. He is the Way, the TRUTH, and the life. In John 8:31-32 Jesus says this: "...if you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." We read throughout the gospels where Jesus often says "I tell you the turth". With this foundational piece put on, we have the base of the armor set in place. Without this, the rest of the armor is no good. We NEED to know and believe the truth. We NEED Jesus Christ.
The following is what Matthew Henry's online commentary says about this verse: "Truth or sincerity is our [belt]. It was prophesied of Christ (Isa. 11:5) that righteousness should be the girdle of his loins and faithfulness the girdle of his reins. That which Christ was girded with all Christians must be girded with. God desires truth, that is, sincerity, in the inward parts. This is the strength of our loins; and it [holds] on all other pieces of our armour, and therefore is first mentioned. Some understand it of the doctrine of the truths of the gospel."
The Believer's Bible Commentary by William MacDonald (page 1952) says: "Certainly we must be faithful in holding the truth of God's word, but it is also necessary for the truth to hold us. We must apply it to our daily lives. As we test everything by the truth, we find strength and protection in the combat."
The next piece of the armour we encounter is the breatplate of righteousness. A soldier wore a breastplate to protect his vital organs, including his heart. Here is Matthew Henry's take on this piece of the armor: "Righteousness must be our breastplate. The breastplate secures the vitals, shelters the heart. The righteousness of Christ imputed to us in our breastplate against the arrows of divine wrath. The righteousness of Christ implanted in us is our breastplate to fortify the heart against the attacks which Satan makes against us. The apostle explains this in 1 Thessalonians 5:8. Putting on the breastplate of faith and love - Faith and love include all Christian graces; for by faith we are united to Christ and by love to our brethern."
The Believer's Bible Commentary states (pg. 1952), "Every believer is clothed with the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21), but he must also manifest integrity and uprightness in his personal life...If our conscience is void of offense toward God and man, the devil has nothing to shoot at. DAvid put on the breastplate of righteousness in Psalm 7:3-5. The Lord Jesus wore it at all times (Isa. 59:17)."
Do you know and have the truth?
This installment of the Armor of God series begins the discussion of the actual parts of the armor. Keep in mind that when Paul wrote this that he was in jail and was around the Roman soldiers who were dresssed in their armor, and in turn he used this as an object lesson to his readers.
Truth is important; it is the foundation of the entirety of the armor. What is our truth? Jesus Christ of course. He is the Way, the TRUTH, and the life. In John 8:31-32 Jesus says this: "...if you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." We read throughout the gospels where Jesus often says "I tell you the turth". With this foundational piece put on, we have the base of the armor set in place. Without this, the rest of the armor is no good. We NEED to know and believe the truth. We NEED Jesus Christ.
The following is what Matthew Henry's online commentary says about this verse: "Truth or sincerity is our [belt]. It was prophesied of Christ (Isa. 11:5) that righteousness should be the girdle of his loins and faithfulness the girdle of his reins. That which Christ was girded with all Christians must be girded with. God desires truth, that is, sincerity, in the inward parts. This is the strength of our loins; and it [holds] on all other pieces of our armour, and therefore is first mentioned. Some understand it of the doctrine of the truths of the gospel."
The Believer's Bible Commentary by William MacDonald (page 1952) says: "Certainly we must be faithful in holding the truth of God's word, but it is also necessary for the truth to hold us. We must apply it to our daily lives. As we test everything by the truth, we find strength and protection in the combat."
The next piece of the armour we encounter is the breatplate of righteousness. A soldier wore a breastplate to protect his vital organs, including his heart. Here is Matthew Henry's take on this piece of the armor: "Righteousness must be our breastplate. The breastplate secures the vitals, shelters the heart. The righteousness of Christ imputed to us in our breastplate against the arrows of divine wrath. The righteousness of Christ implanted in us is our breastplate to fortify the heart against the attacks which Satan makes against us. The apostle explains this in 1 Thessalonians 5:8. Putting on the breastplate of faith and love - Faith and love include all Christian graces; for by faith we are united to Christ and by love to our brethern."
The Believer's Bible Commentary states (pg. 1952), "Every believer is clothed with the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21), but he must also manifest integrity and uprightness in his personal life...If our conscience is void of offense toward God and man, the devil has nothing to shoot at. DAvid put on the breastplate of righteousness in Psalm 7:3-5. The Lord Jesus wore it at all times (Isa. 59:17)."
Do you know and have the truth?
Saturday, March 11, 2006
The Armor of God (Part 4)
Ephesians 6:13 "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 after you have done everthing, to stand."
Again, we are told to put on the full armor of God. To me it is seeming to tell us just how important we need the full armor, and not just a few pieces. The only way to stand against Satan, his minions and all of their attacks is by using the full armour. As a reminder, the Lord provides His children with this armor...all of it.
Here is what the Believer's Bible Commentary by William MacDonald has to say about verse 13: "As Paul wrote, he was probably guarded by a Roman soldier in full armor. Always quick to see spiritual lessons in the natural realm, he makes the application: we are flanked by formidable foes; we must take up the whole armor of God, that we may be able to withstand when the conflict reaches its fiercest intensity, and still be found standing when the smoke of the battle has been cleared away. The evil day probably refers to any time when the enemy comes against us like a flood. Satanic opposition seems to occur in waves, advancing and receding. Even after our Lord's temptation in the wilderness, the devil left Him for a season (Luke 4:13)."
Be on your guard my brothers and sisters, put on your full armor, keep watch and don't give up or give in any of these attacks you may be faced with. Turn to God, for His is on our side and will help us get through these times, and He will offer protection through out it all. The Lord is faithful, and will reward those who are faithful.
The following two paragraphs is what Matthew Henry says in his online commentary: "Satan is the wicked one, and his kingdom is the kingdom of sin: to stand against Satan is to strive against sin. That you may be able to withstand in the evil day, in the day of temptation, or of any sore affliction.
"We must stand our ground. We must resolve, by God's grace, not to yield to Satan. Resist him and he will flee. If we distrust our cause, or our leader, or our armour, we give him advantage. Our present business is to withstand the assaults of the devil, and to stand it out; and then, having done all that is incumbent on the good soldiers of Jesus Christ, our warfare will be accomplished, and we shall be finally victorious."
Again, we are told to put on the full armor of God. To me it is seeming to tell us just how important we need the full armor, and not just a few pieces. The only way to stand against Satan, his minions and all of their attacks is by using the full armour. As a reminder, the Lord provides His children with this armor...all of it.
Here is what the Believer's Bible Commentary by William MacDonald has to say about verse 13: "As Paul wrote, he was probably guarded by a Roman soldier in full armor. Always quick to see spiritual lessons in the natural realm, he makes the application: we are flanked by formidable foes; we must take up the whole armor of God, that we may be able to withstand when the conflict reaches its fiercest intensity, and still be found standing when the smoke of the battle has been cleared away. The evil day probably refers to any time when the enemy comes against us like a flood. Satanic opposition seems to occur in waves, advancing and receding. Even after our Lord's temptation in the wilderness, the devil left Him for a season (Luke 4:13)."
Be on your guard my brothers and sisters, put on your full armor, keep watch and don't give up or give in any of these attacks you may be faced with. Turn to God, for His is on our side and will help us get through these times, and He will offer protection through out it all. The Lord is faithful, and will reward those who are faithful.
The following two paragraphs is what Matthew Henry says in his online commentary: "Satan is the wicked one, and his kingdom is the kingdom of sin: to stand against Satan is to strive against sin. That you may be able to withstand in the evil day, in the day of temptation, or of any sore affliction.
"We must stand our ground. We must resolve, by God's grace, not to yield to Satan. Resist him and he will flee. If we distrust our cause, or our leader, or our armour, we give him advantage. Our present business is to withstand the assaults of the devil, and to stand it out; and then, having done all that is incumbent on the good soldiers of Jesus Christ, our warfare will be accomplished, and we shall be finally victorious."
Monday, March 06, 2006
The Armor of God (Part 3)
Ephesians 6:12 "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."
While we may have struggles against flesh and blood in personal relationships or in our business dealings, or courntries war against each other, this is not where our battles lie as Christians. These types of battles are human or fleshly battles and not spiritual ones.
As a Christian, our battle is with Satan and his minions. The 'dark world' refers here to those not of Christ's light, but Satan and his demons - those who follow him. Matthew Henry's online commentary says this: "The combat for which we are to be prepared is not against ordinary human enemies, not barely against men compounded of flesh and blood, nor against our own corrupt natures singly considered, but against the several ranks of devils, who have a government which they exercies in this world." Satan and his devils are roaming the earth in search of not only finding people to join their forces (in other words those who deny Christ), but also to make war against those doing the work of the Lord - God's children.
We need to be on guard for Satan's attacks. He is cunning and sneaky. He knows our weaknesses and where to hit during an attack and is not afraid to use whatever means possible to strike. He is subtle and will tempt us, try to twist God's word around to cause doubt in us, cause oppression in the church, and manyother things. Mr. Henry's commentary goes on to say: "The devils are wicked spirits, and they chiefly annoy the saints with, and provoke them to, spiritual wickednesses, pride, envy, malice, etc. Our enemies strive to prevent our ascent to heaven, to deprive us of heavenly blessings and to obstruct our communion with heaven."
The Believer's Bible Commentary by William MacDonald states: "While it is true that the [demons and evil spirits] cannot indwell a true believer, they can oppress and harass him. The Christian should not be morbidly occupied with the subject of deomonism; neither should he live in fear of demons. In the armor of God, he has all he needs to hold his ground agains their onslaughts."
So, we need not fear Satan and his minions. We have God on our side and we have the protection of the full Armour of God, as well as God Himself. However, we do need to be aware and prepared for the attacks Satan will throw at us.
Satan will attack those who are doing God's work - we are a threat to him! If we aren't doing God's work we aren't a threat to Satan, and he won't bother us. However, doing the Lord's work will bring attacks that will be used to try to keep us from doing it. Satan wants us to be separated from God, to not be focused on Him and to not do His work. Don't let Satan have that chance with you.
My friends, as we are told, put on the full armor. Stand firm. God is with us, He is for us and not against us. God will equip us to fight the good fight!
While we may have struggles against flesh and blood in personal relationships or in our business dealings, or courntries war against each other, this is not where our battles lie as Christians. These types of battles are human or fleshly battles and not spiritual ones.
As a Christian, our battle is with Satan and his minions. The 'dark world' refers here to those not of Christ's light, but Satan and his demons - those who follow him. Matthew Henry's online commentary says this: "The combat for which we are to be prepared is not against ordinary human enemies, not barely against men compounded of flesh and blood, nor against our own corrupt natures singly considered, but against the several ranks of devils, who have a government which they exercies in this world." Satan and his devils are roaming the earth in search of not only finding people to join their forces (in other words those who deny Christ), but also to make war against those doing the work of the Lord - God's children.
We need to be on guard for Satan's attacks. He is cunning and sneaky. He knows our weaknesses and where to hit during an attack and is not afraid to use whatever means possible to strike. He is subtle and will tempt us, try to twist God's word around to cause doubt in us, cause oppression in the church, and manyother things. Mr. Henry's commentary goes on to say: "The devils are wicked spirits, and they chiefly annoy the saints with, and provoke them to, spiritual wickednesses, pride, envy, malice, etc. Our enemies strive to prevent our ascent to heaven, to deprive us of heavenly blessings and to obstruct our communion with heaven."
The Believer's Bible Commentary by William MacDonald states: "While it is true that the [demons and evil spirits] cannot indwell a true believer, they can oppress and harass him. The Christian should not be morbidly occupied with the subject of deomonism; neither should he live in fear of demons. In the armor of God, he has all he needs to hold his ground agains their onslaughts."
So, we need not fear Satan and his minions. We have God on our side and we have the protection of the full Armour of God, as well as God Himself. However, we do need to be aware and prepared for the attacks Satan will throw at us.
Satan will attack those who are doing God's work - we are a threat to him! If we aren't doing God's work we aren't a threat to Satan, and he won't bother us. However, doing the Lord's work will bring attacks that will be used to try to keep us from doing it. Satan wants us to be separated from God, to not be focused on Him and to not do His work. Don't let Satan have that chance with you.
My friends, as we are told, put on the full armor. Stand firm. God is with us, He is for us and not against us. God will equip us to fight the good fight!
Saturday, March 04, 2006
The Armor of God (Part 2)
Ephesians 6:11 "Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's scheme".
Here we are instructed to "put on the full armor". We are told this for a reason. If we only include one or two items, or none at all, then we are setting ourselves up for defeat. God supplies this divine armor and by using it we will succeed in our battle and be invulnerable to Satan's attacks.
Matthew Henry's commentary online says: "It is called the armor of God because he both prepares and bestows it. We have no armor of our own that will be armor of proof in a trying time. Nothing will stand for us in stead but the armor of God." In other words, anything we use of our own power to shield and protect us from Satan's attacks will not work. We must have the armor of God on at all times!
The word 'devil' comes from the Greek word diabolos. Thayer's Greek Definitions defines the 'devil' as being a deceiver, lyer, slanderer and false accuser. These are the very ways that he will use to attack us. He will try to cause rifts between us and God, or between us and our fellow Christians. The Bible tells us in Luke 11:17 "...any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall". We need to be prepared for this - to know when he is using these things against us. He will be sneaky, he will cause doubt...the devil (satan) will use any ploy he can think of to attempt to destroy and divide us; to try to cause us to fall!
Be on your guard my brothers and sisters, but rest assured that this battle has already been won and satan has been defeated on the Cross. The victory belongs to Christ! However, this battle is still ours to fight on the spiritual realm. But with God on our side, and being completely dressed in the full armor of God, we will succeed!
Here we are instructed to "put on the full armor". We are told this for a reason. If we only include one or two items, or none at all, then we are setting ourselves up for defeat. God supplies this divine armor and by using it we will succeed in our battle and be invulnerable to Satan's attacks.
Matthew Henry's commentary online says: "It is called the armor of God because he both prepares and bestows it. We have no armor of our own that will be armor of proof in a trying time. Nothing will stand for us in stead but the armor of God." In other words, anything we use of our own power to shield and protect us from Satan's attacks will not work. We must have the armor of God on at all times!
The word 'devil' comes from the Greek word diabolos. Thayer's Greek Definitions defines the 'devil' as being a deceiver, lyer, slanderer and false accuser. These are the very ways that he will use to attack us. He will try to cause rifts between us and God, or between us and our fellow Christians. The Bible tells us in Luke 11:17 "...any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall". We need to be prepared for this - to know when he is using these things against us. He will be sneaky, he will cause doubt...the devil (satan) will use any ploy he can think of to attempt to destroy and divide us; to try to cause us to fall!
Be on your guard my brothers and sisters, but rest assured that this battle has already been won and satan has been defeated on the Cross. The victory belongs to Christ! However, this battle is still ours to fight on the spiritual realm. But with God on our side, and being completely dressed in the full armor of God, we will succeed!
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
The Armor of God (Part 1)
As mentioned in a previous post, I am posting a 9 part series on the Armor of God. I wrote this 2 1/2 years ago and had originally posted it on a Christian message forum. Hope you enjoy.
Ephesians 6:10 "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power."
How can we be strong in the Lord? We need to be sure of our faith, of our beliefs. We need to be sure that we have accepted Jesus Christ into our heart and that we have eternal salvation. Without this surety, we can not be bold for the Lord and we can not be strong. If we aren't sure, we can not be effective for His kingdom. Make sure above all that you are absolutely sure of your faith.
We need to fully rely on God. Only He can provide us the means to fight the battles, of the spirit realm, which are ours. To fully rely on Him means to turn our will and life over to God, and let Him take the reigns and control things. Without this, or by trying to control things ourselves, we will fail miserably. We need to allow God to work through us and to use us, but He can only do this if we surrender all aspects of our lives to Him.
God's power is mighty and strong. He can and will help us in these battles. The Bible is full of stories of how God has used His power and might, and how He has equipped His children for the battles they faced. Read it and see - His word was true back then, and it is still true to this day. We can most certainly learn from those men and women of the past, our brothers and sisters in the Lord.
2 Corinthians 10:3-4 tells us "For though we live in the world we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds."
We need to be in constant prayer and petition, reading and meditating on God's word, and even fasting. These things will help us grow closer to God and to become equipped to fight this war we face.
My friends, become confident in our Lord that He will equip each and every one of us, His children, to do great and mighty works for His kingdom. And be confident that He will equip us with the necessary means to fight the good fight, and to triumph over the satanic attacks we will face.
May God bless you and make His face to shine upon you.
The Armour of God
Ephesians 6:10 "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power."
How can we be strong in the Lord? We need to be sure of our faith, of our beliefs. We need to be sure that we have accepted Jesus Christ into our heart and that we have eternal salvation. Without this surety, we can not be bold for the Lord and we can not be strong. If we aren't sure, we can not be effective for His kingdom. Make sure above all that you are absolutely sure of your faith.
We need to fully rely on God. Only He can provide us the means to fight the battles, of the spirit realm, which are ours. To fully rely on Him means to turn our will and life over to God, and let Him take the reigns and control things. Without this, or by trying to control things ourselves, we will fail miserably. We need to allow God to work through us and to use us, but He can only do this if we surrender all aspects of our lives to Him.
God's power is mighty and strong. He can and will help us in these battles. The Bible is full of stories of how God has used His power and might, and how He has equipped His children for the battles they faced. Read it and see - His word was true back then, and it is still true to this day. We can most certainly learn from those men and women of the past, our brothers and sisters in the Lord.
2 Corinthians 10:3-4 tells us "For though we live in the world we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds."
We need to be in constant prayer and petition, reading and meditating on God's word, and even fasting. These things will help us grow closer to God and to become equipped to fight this war we face.
My friends, become confident in our Lord that He will equip each and every one of us, His children, to do great and mighty works for His kingdom. And be confident that He will equip us with the necessary means to fight the good fight, and to triumph over the satanic attacks we will face.
May God bless you and make His face to shine upon you.
Thursday, February 23, 2006
Please Visit The Link and Pray
Another little girl needs our prayers. Please visit her page and pray for her. Also, click on 'home' to read what she is going through. Let's pray for her like we did with Rebekah!
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
I'm Doin' Fine
Just wanted to let everyone know I'm doing fine, in case you are wondering. Have had a few days of feeling restless I guess. I think I am going through a little "rediscovery" of who I am and such which has been uncomfortable.
I'm in the midst of my mid terms this week. Thankfully I only have 2! I had 2 Samuel this morning, and I think I did ok on it. I have Communication Disorders tomorrow and I am really not looking forward to that one. I'm somewhat "overwhelmed" with it all. I only got C+ on my first test (it was only 1 mark away from being a B- though), and there is just so much that I'm not used to studying (It's a communications/psychology course) so many definitions and treatments and procedures and such...so, can always use your prayers.
I'm hoping to have a better post to put up in a couple of days. Just wanted to let everyone know that I'm still around. If I'm not here, you might find me on my knitting blog as well (listed under my profile or you can go right to http://kittenyarnsandcrafts.blogspot.com and see if I've posted there.
Off to get back to studying for my Communication Disorders mid term again!
Have a Christ filled day!
I'm in the midst of my mid terms this week. Thankfully I only have 2! I had 2 Samuel this morning, and I think I did ok on it. I have Communication Disorders tomorrow and I am really not looking forward to that one. I'm somewhat "overwhelmed" with it all. I only got C+ on my first test (it was only 1 mark away from being a B- though), and there is just so much that I'm not used to studying (It's a communications/psychology course) so many definitions and treatments and procedures and such...so, can always use your prayers.
I'm hoping to have a better post to put up in a couple of days. Just wanted to let everyone know that I'm still around. If I'm not here, you might find me on my knitting blog as well (listed under my profile or you can go right to http://kittenyarnsandcrafts.blogspot.com and see if I've posted there.
Off to get back to studying for my Communication Disorders mid term again!
Have a Christ filled day!
Thursday, February 16, 2006
Spiritual Attacks
I just came from Hey Jules' blog, Faith or Fiction, where she speaks of a recent experience involving a spiritual attack and the realization that came to her. If you haven't read it, go and read...it gave me goose bumps.
As I have posted, in my previous post, that I have taken my application in to apply for the education program at school. Four or five years ago, I felt the Lord calling me to become a teacher and set out on the path in order to do this. It involved four years of working at my Bachelor of Arts, which I need before I can graduate with my Bachelor of Education. It has been a long and bumpy journey. I am now just mere months away from getting my BA, and as I said, have taken in my application for the BEd program.
Part of the application process is to write a three page letter that explains our call/passion to become a teacher. I prayed that the Lord would give me the words to say because I didn't know what I should say. I am leaving it in His hands that the words I wrote are the right ones.
Where am I going with this? What does it have to do with Jules' post on her blog? Well, let me explain. For two days leading up to my dropping off my application I felt under some sort of spiritual attack. At least that is what I feel it is. When the doubts would hit, when the "I'm not good enough" thoughts entered my mind, when I wondered if I really should be doing this...when all of these thoughts came to my mind, I would pray and tell God how I was feeling. I know He knew, but I told Him anyway. I asked His protection around me, I asked for Him to be with me during this. I confessed and asked forgiveness for doubting or not completely trusting Him...and then I would feel peace - until the next round.
Even as I walked into the school, into the office to hand in my application, even as I saw a prof dropping off a reference sheet and another girl submitting her application and thoughts of "look at this, more people applying - they'll probably get accepted and you wont" flooded my mind, I told God that this is all in His hands now. There is nothing more I can do, except pray. It has been two days now, since I dropped it off, and every once in awhile I get those thoughts. I am still praying, trying to leave it in God's hands.
The following paragraph is my comments (or maybe just part of it) from Jules' blog:
"I have been told before that if we are feeling great all the time about our walk with the Lord, that nothing is going wrong, then that is the worst thing that could happen to us. It means that we are stagnant in our walk, or we aren't doing anything for the Lord, we aren't being effective or affective, etc. for His kingdom. Satan and his minions will only bother us if we are a threat to him/them. Doing the Lord's work is a threat. Sitting on our butts contemplating life or doing nothing isn't a threat. The more we do for the Lord, the more we will be attacked. The more of a threat to satan and his minions that we become, the more angry and annoyed they will be and strike out at us. The armour is our protection, given to us by the Lord."
I try to remember to put on my full armour everyday. Sometimes it isn't until the day has progressed several hours, other times it is as soon as I wake up. The point it, we need to put on the FULL armour...ALL of it, and not just one or two pieces!
I did a nine piece "study" of sorts on the Armour of God (Ephesians 6:10-18) on a Christian message board a couple of years ago and I will try to look for it later and put the posts up here. I think spiritual warfare is real and it is something that needs to be addressed and it is something we need to be prepared for. Please pray that I can find these articles and use them on my blog to help minister to others.
Have a Christ filled day!
As I have posted, in my previous post, that I have taken my application in to apply for the education program at school. Four or five years ago, I felt the Lord calling me to become a teacher and set out on the path in order to do this. It involved four years of working at my Bachelor of Arts, which I need before I can graduate with my Bachelor of Education. It has been a long and bumpy journey. I am now just mere months away from getting my BA, and as I said, have taken in my application for the BEd program.
Part of the application process is to write a three page letter that explains our call/passion to become a teacher. I prayed that the Lord would give me the words to say because I didn't know what I should say. I am leaving it in His hands that the words I wrote are the right ones.
Where am I going with this? What does it have to do with Jules' post on her blog? Well, let me explain. For two days leading up to my dropping off my application I felt under some sort of spiritual attack. At least that is what I feel it is. When the doubts would hit, when the "I'm not good enough" thoughts entered my mind, when I wondered if I really should be doing this...when all of these thoughts came to my mind, I would pray and tell God how I was feeling. I know He knew, but I told Him anyway. I asked His protection around me, I asked for Him to be with me during this. I confessed and asked forgiveness for doubting or not completely trusting Him...and then I would feel peace - until the next round.
Even as I walked into the school, into the office to hand in my application, even as I saw a prof dropping off a reference sheet and another girl submitting her application and thoughts of "look at this, more people applying - they'll probably get accepted and you wont" flooded my mind, I told God that this is all in His hands now. There is nothing more I can do, except pray. It has been two days now, since I dropped it off, and every once in awhile I get those thoughts. I am still praying, trying to leave it in God's hands.
The following paragraph is my comments (or maybe just part of it) from Jules' blog:
"I have been told before that if we are feeling great all the time about our walk with the Lord, that nothing is going wrong, then that is the worst thing that could happen to us. It means that we are stagnant in our walk, or we aren't doing anything for the Lord, we aren't being effective or affective, etc. for His kingdom. Satan and his minions will only bother us if we are a threat to him/them. Doing the Lord's work is a threat. Sitting on our butts contemplating life or doing nothing isn't a threat. The more we do for the Lord, the more we will be attacked. The more of a threat to satan and his minions that we become, the more angry and annoyed they will be and strike out at us. The armour is our protection, given to us by the Lord."
I try to remember to put on my full armour everyday. Sometimes it isn't until the day has progressed several hours, other times it is as soon as I wake up. The point it, we need to put on the FULL armour...ALL of it, and not just one or two pieces!
I did a nine piece "study" of sorts on the Armour of God (Ephesians 6:10-18) on a Christian message board a couple of years ago and I will try to look for it later and put the posts up here. I think spiritual warfare is real and it is something that needs to be addressed and it is something we need to be prepared for. Please pray that I can find these articles and use them on my blog to help minister to others.
Have a Christ filled day!
Monday, February 13, 2006
Prayer Request
I have a prayer request that I would love for you to pray. Tomorrow I am taking in my application and letter to the school to apply for the Education Program. Please pray that all goes well and for my acceptance into the program.
In other news, the headaches that I had on Saturday were gone by very late in the evening and I was fine on Sunday, though the sinus one did come back briefly in late afternoon. I was able to take something as soon as I felt it coming on, so I didn't have to suffer through it for long until the sinus pill kicked in.
We did get that blizzard yesterday. A lot of snow fell, but I'm not sure on the final tally. They were calling for something like 15-20 cm (6-8 inches) though. There was also heavy winds and blowing and drifting snow. My classes did not get cancelled, though. The school was closed though until 11 this morning and had my class(es) been prior to 11, I wouldn't have had any. However, my first class was at 11:50 and my second one wasn't until 6:45 tonight.
Sorry it's a short post tonight. Have to update my knitting blog (www.kittenyarnsandcrafts.blogspot.com) as well and then do some knitting before bed. Just wanted to mainly come on and thank you for the prayers regarding my headaches, and to request the prayer about applying to the education program.
Have a Christ filled day!
In other news, the headaches that I had on Saturday were gone by very late in the evening and I was fine on Sunday, though the sinus one did come back briefly in late afternoon. I was able to take something as soon as I felt it coming on, so I didn't have to suffer through it for long until the sinus pill kicked in.
We did get that blizzard yesterday. A lot of snow fell, but I'm not sure on the final tally. They were calling for something like 15-20 cm (6-8 inches) though. There was also heavy winds and blowing and drifting snow. My classes did not get cancelled, though. The school was closed though until 11 this morning and had my class(es) been prior to 11, I wouldn't have had any. However, my first class was at 11:50 and my second one wasn't until 6:45 tonight.
Sorry it's a short post tonight. Have to update my knitting blog (www.kittenyarnsandcrafts.blogspot.com) as well and then do some knitting before bed. Just wanted to mainly come on and thank you for the prayers regarding my headaches, and to request the prayer about applying to the education program.
Have a Christ filled day!
Saturday, February 11, 2006
Days Like Those
I've been feeling out of sorts today, and I don't know why. I don't think there is any real cause to why I was feeling like I did though. It was a sort of restless feeling where I just didn't feel like doing anything, I mean I wanted to knit and do some studying and go over my Psalms for Bible study (I got 3 done), but every time I tried to do something those weird feelings came over me and I couldn't do anything...I was restless doing things, and restless not doing things. I also felt sleepy for the majority of the afternoon even though I had had enough sleep (slept til I woke up without an alarm or anything waking me).
I also had a sinus headache today and it turned into a migraine for awhile, and finally to a "normal" type of headache. It is gone now, but I feel it coming back. They (whoever they are) say that when storms approach that can affect migraines. We are expecting a blizzard tomorrow afternoon/evening and I wonder if that might have something to do with it.
I'm feeling a little better now, but still not 100%. I hate this feeling - especially since I can't pin point why I was feeling this way today (aside from the headache which made me also feel not "all there" in the head...if that makes sense). I did my bible reading this morning, started the book of Mark and did my devotion and the whole time it felt like I was forcing myself to do it because I honestly just wanted to throw it across the room. That was what the feeling was like inside my head/chest...to just throw it down or away. It was like that with everything today, not just my readings. Maybe I'm just having an off day.
Tomorrow will be better. I'm thinking positive.
I also had a sinus headache today and it turned into a migraine for awhile, and finally to a "normal" type of headache. It is gone now, but I feel it coming back. They (whoever they are) say that when storms approach that can affect migraines. We are expecting a blizzard tomorrow afternoon/evening and I wonder if that might have something to do with it.
I'm feeling a little better now, but still not 100%. I hate this feeling - especially since I can't pin point why I was feeling this way today (aside from the headache which made me also feel not "all there" in the head...if that makes sense). I did my bible reading this morning, started the book of Mark and did my devotion and the whole time it felt like I was forcing myself to do it because I honestly just wanted to throw it across the room. That was what the feeling was like inside my head/chest...to just throw it down or away. It was like that with everything today, not just my readings. Maybe I'm just having an off day.
Tomorrow will be better. I'm thinking positive.
Monday, February 06, 2006
Rocking Chair Thoughts 2
Thank you all for your comments and prayers with regard to my previous post. It makes a lot of sense that a passion isn't something that happens immediately, but is the result of something that builds up over time.
I have still been praying that the Lord would give me a passion for something; not simply an interest but a passion. It doesn't have to be for some famous organization or popular cause, in fact, I think I would rather it not be popular because so many people are involved in those already.
Anyway, I have also been reading through my copy of "My Utmost For His Highest" devotional (by Oswald Chambers) and the readings for the last two days have basically been about being willing to be a sacrifice for His kingdom. The key word here is willing. I think that just might be my problem...
While it is easy to say "I am willing to do such and such for the Lord", it is not always easy to do. I think that maybe what it comes down to is "I am willing to do such and such for the Lord IF it doesn't take me out of my comfort zone" or IF it won't cause pain, etc. To me, this willing (or lack thereof) stems from fear and maybe even pride and lack of humility/humbleness. Wow...that's a shock (and I'm not being sarcastic about this either). This last part just hit me know as I was mulling it over in my mind, and thinking of what to write next.
What does this have to do with having or finding a passion? Well, I want a passion for something that shows Jesus, something that will help to further the kingdom of God, something where His light shines through to others...that sort of passion. How can I do that if I am not willing to sacrifice for Him? Am I willing to give up my spare time, am I willing to talk to others I might not normally talk to, am I willing to step out of my comfort zone - step out of the boat so that I can walk on the water?
Fear. That will stop anyone from doing anything. Fear does not come from the Lord, but from our enemy satan. He does not want us doing anything for the Lord - not leading others to Christ, not showing His love, etc. So, he presses our buttons and whispers in our ear that we will fail at whatever task we set out to do, that others will laugh at us or our beliefs, or even whatever it is we are wanting to do or attempting to do won't be beneficial to the Lord. He'll tell us anything to stop us.
Pride. I'm not talking about the "good" or "positive" pride such as being proud of a job well done. I am talking about the pride that the Bible speaks about, that we should not have. Pride also stops us from doing things for the Lord. Pride stops us from opening up to others, to our fellow brothers and sisters of the Lord, to let them know we are hurting or need help. So often we want to do "it" on our own, we don't want help from someone; so often we don't open up because so and so might gossip to others about our situation.
Humility/humbleness. Is a lack of humility or humbleness the same as having pride? I don't know, but to me it seems to go hand in hand. If we aren't humble about something chances are it is because our pride is getting in the way. That is just my thought on the matter, and I'm still trying to figure out exactly how that fits in with passions...I'm sure it does, but I haven't formed an adequate explanation to put it into words just yet.
I need to be willing to let the Lord use me. I need to be willing to step out of my comfort zone I think. I'm totally fine with doing for the Lord providing I can stay in my comfort zone but really, what does that do? Sure, I can keep to myself and pray for others, I can knit for the mitten tree, I can talk on the internet to others about Jesus...I'm not placing myself in situation where I might have to be put in the fire to be tested. That is scary.
So, anyway, I think I might have also found my next topic for my next post in my thoughts tonight...we'll see. Anyway, I think that maybe if I become more willing to step out of my comfort zone, maybe the Lord will place me in a situation where I will develop a passion for something...who know's. I'm just thinking aloud, or rather thinking in type I guess you could say. But I do strongly feel that after praying last night my answer to "why don't I have a passion for something" is that I need to become willing...
Hope this all makes sense. Have a Christ filled day!
I have still been praying that the Lord would give me a passion for something; not simply an interest but a passion. It doesn't have to be for some famous organization or popular cause, in fact, I think I would rather it not be popular because so many people are involved in those already.
Anyway, I have also been reading through my copy of "My Utmost For His Highest" devotional (by Oswald Chambers) and the readings for the last two days have basically been about being willing to be a sacrifice for His kingdom. The key word here is willing. I think that just might be my problem...
While it is easy to say "I am willing to do such and such for the Lord", it is not always easy to do. I think that maybe what it comes down to is "I am willing to do such and such for the Lord IF it doesn't take me out of my comfort zone" or IF it won't cause pain, etc. To me, this willing (or lack thereof) stems from fear and maybe even pride and lack of humility/humbleness. Wow...that's a shock (and I'm not being sarcastic about this either). This last part just hit me know as I was mulling it over in my mind, and thinking of what to write next.
What does this have to do with having or finding a passion? Well, I want a passion for something that shows Jesus, something that will help to further the kingdom of God, something where His light shines through to others...that sort of passion. How can I do that if I am not willing to sacrifice for Him? Am I willing to give up my spare time, am I willing to talk to others I might not normally talk to, am I willing to step out of my comfort zone - step out of the boat so that I can walk on the water?
Fear. That will stop anyone from doing anything. Fear does not come from the Lord, but from our enemy satan. He does not want us doing anything for the Lord - not leading others to Christ, not showing His love, etc. So, he presses our buttons and whispers in our ear that we will fail at whatever task we set out to do, that others will laugh at us or our beliefs, or even whatever it is we are wanting to do or attempting to do won't be beneficial to the Lord. He'll tell us anything to stop us.
Pride. I'm not talking about the "good" or "positive" pride such as being proud of a job well done. I am talking about the pride that the Bible speaks about, that we should not have. Pride also stops us from doing things for the Lord. Pride stops us from opening up to others, to our fellow brothers and sisters of the Lord, to let them know we are hurting or need help. So often we want to do "it" on our own, we don't want help from someone; so often we don't open up because so and so might gossip to others about our situation.
Humility/humbleness. Is a lack of humility or humbleness the same as having pride? I don't know, but to me it seems to go hand in hand. If we aren't humble about something chances are it is because our pride is getting in the way. That is just my thought on the matter, and I'm still trying to figure out exactly how that fits in with passions...I'm sure it does, but I haven't formed an adequate explanation to put it into words just yet.
I need to be willing to let the Lord use me. I need to be willing to step out of my comfort zone I think. I'm totally fine with doing for the Lord providing I can stay in my comfort zone but really, what does that do? Sure, I can keep to myself and pray for others, I can knit for the mitten tree, I can talk on the internet to others about Jesus...I'm not placing myself in situation where I might have to be put in the fire to be tested. That is scary.
So, anyway, I think I might have also found my next topic for my next post in my thoughts tonight...we'll see. Anyway, I think that maybe if I become more willing to step out of my comfort zone, maybe the Lord will place me in a situation where I will develop a passion for something...who know's. I'm just thinking aloud, or rather thinking in type I guess you could say. But I do strongly feel that after praying last night my answer to "why don't I have a passion for something" is that I need to become willing...
Hope this all makes sense. Have a Christ filled day!
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
I'm On A Mission...
...to find out who I really am. I want to know who I am.
My best friend K and I were talking briefly yesterday about knowing who we really are. She mentioned some things that the Lord had revealed to her and it was similar to what I have been thinking about lately as well. While these things might not be exactly what the Lord spoke to her about, I feel that maybe the Lord was using her and her revelations to nudge me as well.
So, I need to find out who I really am. Yes, I am a daughter of the King, a follower of Jesus the Christ, but this is more than that. I mean, I hear of people being passionate about someone or something or a particular cause - I don't know what, if anything, I am passionate about. I have things I like or really like, but is it strong enough to say that I am passionate about it? I don't know. I don't feel that I am passionate about anything, so I am praying for the Lord to give me a passion about something. Now, before I go on, you may be thinking "We just need to be passionate about the Lord." Well, I am - maybe not as much as I should be, and maybe this is where I need to concentrate and put all my energies.
I am not really talking about this passion. It is more about other passions. For example, I know of a woman at my church (she is also a prof at school, though I don't have her for any classes) and she is passionate about poverty and women's rights/issues, that sort of thing. She is VERY passionate about these things and she is active in these issues. I am not comparing myself to this woman (or anyone else), but I wonder who do I get passionate about something, or what do I get passionate about?
There are so many causes and such 'out there' that people are passionate about, that they are striving to end or make others aware of something. There are so many people fighting for, say breast cancer. That is great and I applaud them. It's not something that I would like to see any woman get or have to deal with, and I support it wholeheartedly (the research, the finding a cure, etc.)...but I'm not passionate about it. The same goes for so many things. I might believe in the cause and support it, but I'm not passionate about it.
What does this have to do with finding out who I am? Well, by finding out who I am I might be able to discover something that I am passionate about, something that I am not willing to give up on or let someone try to deter me from doing something about...does that make sense?
I am not even sure where or how to begin at finding out who I am. How can I serve Him and know Him if I don't even know me. It is something I have begun to pray about, asking the Lord to give me a passion, to help me find out who I am (and that might include finding out negative things like selfishness or something which I need to change so that I am not like that)...I fear this is one of those "it's going to take a long time to discover" things, or "what if I find out that I don't like who I am, or that I am not the woman I thought I was?" things. I guess only time and the Lord will tell. I've just started this process, so I don't have any answers yet but if I continue and honestly seek to find out who I am, I am sure He will reveal things to me.
My questions to you are:
1. Do you know who you are?
2. How did you find this out?
3. Do you have something you are passionate about, if so how did you develop it?
4. What does one do to search at finding out who he/she is?
My best friend K and I were talking briefly yesterday about knowing who we really are. She mentioned some things that the Lord had revealed to her and it was similar to what I have been thinking about lately as well. While these things might not be exactly what the Lord spoke to her about, I feel that maybe the Lord was using her and her revelations to nudge me as well.
So, I need to find out who I really am. Yes, I am a daughter of the King, a follower of Jesus the Christ, but this is more than that. I mean, I hear of people being passionate about someone or something or a particular cause - I don't know what, if anything, I am passionate about. I have things I like or really like, but is it strong enough to say that I am passionate about it? I don't know. I don't feel that I am passionate about anything, so I am praying for the Lord to give me a passion about something. Now, before I go on, you may be thinking "We just need to be passionate about the Lord." Well, I am - maybe not as much as I should be, and maybe this is where I need to concentrate and put all my energies.
I am not really talking about this passion. It is more about other passions. For example, I know of a woman at my church (she is also a prof at school, though I don't have her for any classes) and she is passionate about poverty and women's rights/issues, that sort of thing. She is VERY passionate about these things and she is active in these issues. I am not comparing myself to this woman (or anyone else), but I wonder who do I get passionate about something, or what do I get passionate about?
There are so many causes and such 'out there' that people are passionate about, that they are striving to end or make others aware of something. There are so many people fighting for, say breast cancer. That is great and I applaud them. It's not something that I would like to see any woman get or have to deal with, and I support it wholeheartedly (the research, the finding a cure, etc.)...but I'm not passionate about it. The same goes for so many things. I might believe in the cause and support it, but I'm not passionate about it.
What does this have to do with finding out who I am? Well, by finding out who I am I might be able to discover something that I am passionate about, something that I am not willing to give up on or let someone try to deter me from doing something about...does that make sense?
I am not even sure where or how to begin at finding out who I am. How can I serve Him and know Him if I don't even know me. It is something I have begun to pray about, asking the Lord to give me a passion, to help me find out who I am (and that might include finding out negative things like selfishness or something which I need to change so that I am not like that)...I fear this is one of those "it's going to take a long time to discover" things, or "what if I find out that I don't like who I am, or that I am not the woman I thought I was?" things. I guess only time and the Lord will tell. I've just started this process, so I don't have any answers yet but if I continue and honestly seek to find out who I am, I am sure He will reveal things to me.
My questions to you are:
1. Do you know who you are?
2. How did you find this out?
3. Do you have something you are passionate about, if so how did you develop it?
4. What does one do to search at finding out who he/she is?
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