tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51947761134693223882024-03-12T17:10:15.414-07:00The Story So Far...Nenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05865041135444447326noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5194776113469322388.post-39346794814508767152012-04-05T00:55:00.002-07:002012-04-05T00:55:50.292-07:00Another chanceSo I can't believe my ex is back in my life. It's been about a week now and we've been talking again. It's nothing too serious yet but we're actually being civil to each other and for once we're not fighting, screaming, or cursing at each other. I'm happy. After we broke up 2 years ago I never thought we'd get back together and now that he's back I feel like we have a new chance and I don't want to take this for granted. I know we've had our share of bad times, but I've always felt like he was the one. Maybe we just weren't ready to be together, maybe it just wasn't the right time. Maybe now that we've grown and matured, maybe now we're finally ready for a real relationship - to finally be together. I don't know if it's God's will for us to be together, but I do know that God must have brought him back in my life for a reason... He was my one true love and I still love him... all I can do is pray and take things one day at a time... IMYILY <3Nenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05865041135444447326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5194776113469322388.post-2341910262079438572012-02-24T00:24:00.000-08:002012-02-24T00:24:38.989-08:00ExhaustedI'm exhausted. I've been dealing with one illness after another and as if that wasn't enough I am living with an alcoholic crackhead psychopath. I am physically and emotionally drained. I want to crawl under my blankets and hide - for a month! Unfortunately time stops for no one and I don't have the luxury of just shutting down and giving up. I am at my wits end. I don't think it's fair that I have to deal with the fact that I have a ticking time bomb inside of me. I don't like the fact that there is <strike>are</strike> tumor<strike>s</strike> growing inside me. It terrifies me to know that one day this particular tumor could just all of a sudden burst and I could bleed to death. It is equally terrifying to know that at any moment this benign tumor could turn malignant and I could end up with cancer and it pisses me off to know that even when this tumor is removed that the chances of developing cancer are just as great. It makes me even angrier to think back on how many of my family members, how many of the people I loved the most have died at the hands of this insidious disease. I don't understand how or why they were taken when they had such a passion for life. They were good people, raised and supported their families, and loved God. I know I shouldn't question these things, but I just can't wrap my head around it, especially when I think about my uncle who just passed not too long ago. I'm still angry. I'm still heartbroken. I'm being tortured and tormented by my psychotic brother who hates himself and his life and has a major death wish and yet God won't take him, but God keeps taking away everyone I love. Why couldn't he have taken him instead? Is it wrong of me to wish him dead? To wish it had been him instead of everyone else? I have always tried to be a good person, a good Christian. I have always tried to forgive and make amends but this time I can't. I can't forgive him. I can't forgive him for what he put me or my parents through. I don't know if I will ever be able to forgive him. I hate him and everyday my hatred continues to grow. Why can't God just let me be happy just once? Why did he have to let him come back? Why couldn't he have taken him? He takes everything for granted and doesn't deserve anything he has. Just go away already and let me live my life.Nenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05865041135444447326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5194776113469322388.post-68809269956422960532012-01-26T18:15:00.000-08:002012-01-26T18:15:20.934-08:00Amy SargentPissed off and need to vent!<br />
<br />
Amy Sargent, you are an evil, hateful, and spiteful bitch. You have been the bane of my existence since the day I met you and I hope you rot in hell. I know it is wrong to hate and the bible clearly says that I should love my enemies but I hate you. I hate you with every fiber of my being. I don't know what it is about me that you don't like or what you have against me but you have disliked me since the day I first entered your classroom. You have graded me harder than was necessary and have taken points off all of my papers even though I have followed your guidelines and rules to the tee. With one single stroke of your pen you have single-handedly threatened to ruin my entire academic career. I still don't understand how you could have given me an F on my final project when I know for a fact that I didn't deserve anything less than a B, but then how could you even understand what it is like to go to graduate school full-time and still have to take care of your elderly father who is suffering from Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, all the while dealing with an alcoholic brother, depression and a whole host of other illnesses and the very real possibility of having liver cancer? I guess you wouldn't know what it's like now would you, you ignorant bitch? <br />
<br />
This isn't just sour grapes or me having a temper tantrum. I am sick and tired of people thinking they can just walk all over me and thinking they are going to get away with it. I am literally sick and tired and don't have the time or the patience to deal with this nonsense. Nenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05865041135444447326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5194776113469322388.post-65150602851700825452011-12-23T19:55:00.000-08:002011-12-23T19:55:59.687-08:00DrowningIt's been a week since my uncle passed. I find myself spiraling deeper and deeper into an abyss of which I am unable to escape. My depression has spiraled out of control. I've resorted to taking every pill imaginable to try and ease some of this pain. Most days I am okay with just my antidepressants but other days like today are just too much to deal with and the antidepressants just don't seem to work. <br />
<br />
The day of the funeral was horrendous. I had to get a ride with some cousins to Modesto and had to get a hotel room. From the moment I got to the church, all the way through the funeral and burial, and even at the house I cried. I couldn't stop. It felt like a big piece of my heart had been taken from me. I loved my uncle dearly and had a lot of respect for him. He wasn't perfect but when things got bad and my dad got sick and couldn't even take care of himself, my uncle was there. He nursed him back to health without even asking. For that I will be eternally grateful. There are no words that can even begin to express just how thankful I am.<br />
<br />
Since that day I have barely been holding on and it feels like I just keep sliding backwards... I'm drowning in my pain and suffering and crying out for help but nobody sees me. Nobody even notices that I have fallen. It's like they're all too caught up in themselves and their own problems to see mine... I just feel like I'm dying. I feel like Job. Everything is being taken from me little by little and every day something else goes wrong. When will things change? When is God going to give me a break? My entire life has been nothing but pain and suffering, now when I finally start to get some happiness in my life I get physically sick and my loved ones are taken from me. Why?Nenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05865041135444447326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5194776113469322388.post-7260859072627574492011-12-04T23:34:00.000-08:002011-12-04T23:34:08.310-08:00Update Part ISo much has been going on lately. I've been sick - high blood pressure, severe migraines (every day), a hiatal hernia, what appears to be a non-cancerous tumor on my liver, arthritis and fibromyalgia acting up, what I hope isn't a kidney infection, ulcers, and gastritis.<br />
<br />
I had an endoscopy done last month. It was horrible. They took me into a room, put me on a gurney, stuck an IV into my hand and left me for about a half hour. I was bordering on having a severe anxiety attack at this point and had severe nausea so they gave me something to calm me down (didn't work). I did manage to fall asleep only to be awakened by someone entering the room and moving me to the operating room. They fixed my IV, put a tube in my nose to help me breathe, put the blood pressure cuff on my arm, and set up the EKG. Next they gave me a mouthguard and wrapped it around my head to keep my mouth open and had me turn all the way on to my left side. Then they sedated me. I was half asleep and half awake. I could feel them pushing the tube all the way down my throat into my stomach. I was gagging and they were telling me it was okay and to try and calm down. The next thing I remember I was in the recovery room waiting for my ride. They told me I had multiple ulcers and gastritis and they also took numerous biopsies. The first couple nights I had trouble falling asleep cause I could still feel the tube - I know it's weird. I also had a lot of stomach pain for a few days. Everything is okay now but I have to watch what I eat and drink (no more alcohol or Motrin - EVER). <br />
<br />
I've had two CT scans and another one for my heart next month. So far everything seems okay. I've been in and out of the emergency rooms the past couple of months...<br />
<br />
My migraines are getting worse. I've been getting them everyday. The medication I'm taking now just doesn't work but unfortunately I HAVE to take it for my blood pressure. I went into the ER and they gave me enough Reglan for the week. Now I'm out and the migraines have started again. The bad thing about Reglan is that it can only be taken for 2 months because of some SEVERE side effects. I've been taking Codeine for the pain. <br />
Meanwhile my anxiety and depression has been severe. I just found out last week that my Uncle is dying of cancer. He just found out two weeks ago. It really hit me hard - I didn't think it would effect me this way. It was so sudden I had no way to prepare myself. With almost all of my other aunts and uncles the cancer was gradual (yes that evil insidious disease runs in my family). With them I had time. I had time to come to terms with what would eventually happen, but this??? How in God's name do you deal with finding out that your loved one/family member only has weeks to live?? He has stage 4 stomach cancer that has spread throughout his body. I know this is selfish of me but I just don't know how to cope. I don't know how to deal with this. I've been taking pills after pills after pills just hoping something will calm me down. Now I'm sitting here looking at this bottle of vodka ready to drink it. God help me.<br />
<br />
The morning I was supposed to go visit him I ended up having a severe anxiety attack and couldn't calm myself down. I ended up taking 4 codeine pills, 2 antidepressants, and 2 anti anxiety/sedatives. It finally calmed me down enough so that I could go and visit him. He was happy to see me. He looked thin but otherwise healthy. Now his condition and body has deteriorated so much. <br />
<br />
He's not the only one dying. I'm falling apart and just don't know what to do. I just wish I had someone to hold me and tell me everything was okay. I wish this pain would go away. I wish I could just stop these fucking tears. Shit!!! What scares me more than anything is the fact that if I don't get a hold on this depression and anxiety I could end up either voluntary or involuntarily being hospitalized - that adds to more stress because I have to take care of my dad (who has Alzheimer's and Parkinson's). What the fuck do I do???<br />
<br />
There is still much more to say but not now... I'm gonna drink some kava and hopefully it will relax me enough to sleep - it's either that drown my sorrows in vodka and pills...Nenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05865041135444447326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5194776113469322388.post-46350229059691192642011-10-09T13:31:00.000-07:002011-10-09T13:31:35.297-07:00Shocked!I couldn't believe the news... someone in the prime of their life, a young adult, only 25 was struck down for no apparent reason. We didn't really get along but I know she was loved by her friends and family alike. It's so sad to see someone so young die. I pray for her friends and family. I hope she is in a better place now. Just the other day I was complaining about something stupid never realizing that it could have been my last moment... that it was someone's last moment. This really helps to put things into perspective. We need to stop taking everything for granted and live each day as if it were our last, because it very well could be.<br />
<br />
On September 30, 2011 our twenty five year old sister Melissa Hafoka passed on to her next life due to unknown causes. An autopsy report will be performed to give our family and doctors the answers to why Melissa's heart stopped. Melissa was just like most young adults in her mid twenties, she maintained an apartment that she shared with her boyfriend Chris Fredrickson. Melissa also didn't have medical insurance, an established savings account, life or accidental death insurance like most lower income famlies. Our family just wants to give our sister a funeral and lay her to rest. Nobody expects a young lady in her twenties to pass away suddenly and no parent plans to bury their own child before themselves, for that reason our family wasn't prepared. We are asking to help us put our sister to rest.<br />
Anything will help and everything adds up. All donations are greatly appreciated<br />
We've created an account at Wells Fargo.<br />
<br />
<strong>Melissa Hafoka Charity Fund<br />
Account number<br />
9791267066<br />
<br />
<span><strong><span><strong>Thank you so much from the bottom of our hearts</strong></span></strong></span><br />
<br />
<span><strong><span><strong><span><strong><span><strong> </strong></span></strong></span></strong></span></strong></span>Sio Saia Hafoka, Tally Hafoka Buligon, John Hafoka, Christopher Fredrickson, Josiah Hafoka & Monique Perales Hafoka. Hafoka, Otteson, Phipps and Peck Family</strong>Nenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05865041135444447326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5194776113469322388.post-23514276865308750322011-10-05T13:56:00.000-07:002011-10-05T13:56:14.076-07:00Random poetryJust some random poetry, had to get these feelings down on paper... let me know if it's any good.<br />
<br />
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Can’t get you off my mind</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Just can’t stop thinking</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I wish I could tell you how I feel</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I wish I could let you know somehow</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Without giving myself away</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I’m so in love with you</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Fell in love the first time I saw you</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I’ve tried to walk away</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Tried to forget</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It never works</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Every time I see you I fall in love all over again</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Just wish it would go away sometimes</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I don’t know what to do</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Loving you in secret</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Keeping my feelings inside</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Tormented</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Haunted</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Night and day</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Wish I could just tell you already</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Wish I could let the whole world know</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Every time I see you</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Your beautiful eyes and smile</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The random stolen moments we share</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">If only you knew</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">If only…</span></div>Nenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05865041135444447326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5194776113469322388.post-21382745310637179362011-08-14T10:21:00.000-07:002011-08-14T10:21:47.135-07:00Feeling betterThis past week or so I've been in a deep depression. I felt stuck in this house and couldn't really walk. My toe is slowly starting to heal - I'm still in a lot of pain but it's not as bad as before. I'm walking a lot better and actually going out and doing things. I just can't spend too much time on my feet or else the pain hits me like a tidal wave. My appointment with the specialist is tomorrow. Hopefully he/she will tell me my toe is healing perfectly and it won't be too much longer until I can get back on the treadmill and start working out again. The main problem now is getting myself off of these pain killers. I started taking them when I had my root canal then again when I broke my toe. Nenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05865041135444447326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5194776113469322388.post-31745576604723983292011-08-09T13:44:00.000-07:002011-08-09T13:44:03.196-07:00Finally!!<i> </i>I guess whoever I talked to had some pull, because not even five minutes after I got off the phone someone called me back and scheduled an appointment the same day as my ortho appt. Praise God, now I can relax.Nenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05865041135444447326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5194776113469322388.post-83734646184018263052011-08-09T13:30:00.000-07:002011-08-09T13:30:39.284-07:00Aggravation!!!Having a broken toe has done ABSOLUTELY NOTHING for my patience (or lack thereof). I've become more of a bitch and meaner than usual. EVERYTHING and EVERYONE pisses me off or aggravates me. I have no patience and don't feel like dealing with or hearing from anyone. The slightest noise raises my blood pressure and I want to tell everyone to sit down and be quiet. <br />
<br />
I have finished my last reflective journal for my curriculum design class (which ends next week). I get a week off until I go back to school full-time. <br />
<br />
I missed church last week since I can barely walk and can't get in or out of the van that comes to pick me up. This Sunday is White Sunday and I probably won't be going either. I can only imagine how stunning I will look in my white dress and ugly blue hard-soled shoe! This is the one thing I have truly missed - going to church. I've done some bible study at home but it's not really helping with my anger issues LOL.<br />
<br />
I'm dying to get out of the house and do something - anything. I'm hoping to go to the movies to see The Help, sometime this week. It opens tomorrow, so hopefully we'll go in the evening. I also have a dentist appointment tomorrow afternoon but not sure what to do since I'll have to climb a flight of stairs (the office is upstairs). I have two fillings to get done and need to get the measurements for my crown. I also have a ton of grocery shopping to do. Oh well. At least it will get me out of the house.<br />
<br />
I am currently dealing with the idiots over at Valley Medical trying to schedule my appointment with the financial counselor so I don't have to pay an arm and a leg for my appointment with orthopedics (for my toe). I'm told that my wait time will be less than five minutes, then placed on hold for almost an hour. When I finally get through to someone I'm told that there is no one available to help me and my call is promptly disconnected, WTF??? If I don't meet with the financial counselor I'm going to have to pay $250 upfront. After calling four different numbers and speaking with the rudest operators, I finally got through to someone in customer service and now they're putting me through to a supervisor - but wait - that would be too easy. I find out she's in a meeting and now I have to wait for her to call me back. Hopefully this will get taken care of.Nenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05865041135444447326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5194776113469322388.post-19812924307593236612011-08-07T21:15:00.000-07:002011-08-07T21:15:30.598-07:00Going crazy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OqkNt5jDgak/Tj9iyMVCbFI/AAAAAAAAAEI/NK117_Tux98/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OqkNt5jDgak/Tj9iyMVCbFI/AAAAAAAAAEI/NK117_Tux98/s320/2.jpg" width="236" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MtIlWUMoWNw/Tj9izQ00L6I/AAAAAAAAAEM/F-gekBRN9BQ/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MtIlWUMoWNw/Tj9izQ00L6I/AAAAAAAAAEM/F-gekBRN9BQ/s320/1.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>Stuck here at home with a broken toe. I can't walk, can't put any pressure on my foot whatsoever and have to wear one of those funky hard-soled shoes AT ALL TIMES. I'm sick of it. I'm stuck in my room mostly because I cannot walk. I almost fell twice yesterday. The fakkas at the ER didn't give me my crutches so I have resorted to using my father's walker (he has two of them LOL). So now when I want to get up I have to hobble over to the door (where I have the walker parked LMAO) and then I can get to wherever I need to go without feeling like I'm going to die every time I try and take a step. It hurts worst in the mornings and at night. I have to take 2 vicodin and a prescription motrin when I get up before I can do anything, then in the evening I take another motrin, and at night before bed I take one more vicodin. I'm exhausted of sitting here doing nothing. I want to get out of the house and go somewhere but I can't because I can't walk and don't feel like going to pick up crutches or having to lug around that damn walker. The vicodin makes me sleepy and cranky and the motrin gives me heartburn. I haven't even been able to go to church. This morning I actually had nightmares that I was no longer allowed back in church LMAO. For the past two weeks I've been fighting a bacteria from hell due to eating an infected turkey burger (I lost 15 pounds in 2 days, couldn't eat or drink anything, couldn't keep anything down, couldn't even get out of bed, and almost had to be hospitalized). I was finally ready to start working out again and I had to go and break my damn toe.<br />
<br />
Taking a shower is another traumatic event. Since my toes are taped together I tried removing the tape before showering but that just wasn't happening, so I had to wait until after the shower to remove the tape and re-tape them. Did I mention that I can't stand or walk without that damn shoe??? I had to lean all the way against the wall of the shower and hold on to the sides balancing on one leg. I had to wash my hair and do everything with ONE hand to keep from falling flat on my face. When I finally finished I had to reevaluate how I was going to get OUT of the shower without giving myself a heart attack in the process. I finally managed to somehow get out of the shower without screaming/falling and had to DIVE onto the bed without landing on my bad foot. <br />
<br />
Taping my toes together is another pain in the ass. I feel like a damn contortionist trying to get in the proper position to get the tape just right. I have to separate my toes and move the broken toe (IT HURTS LIKE HELL) then tape them together.<br />
<br />
If you're wondering how this happened, I was at Safeway with my five-year-old niece. The ki'o was walking in front of me with the shopping cart when she stopped suddenly (for no apparent reason) and slammed the cart into my toe (yes I had on slippers). The ensuing collision caused my poor toe to twist all the way out to the side LMAO and also caused me to scream out in pain. I grabbed my groceries and limped over to the next store and asked to use the phone to call someone to pick me up since there was no way I was going to be able to walk over to my auntie's house (she lives down the street from the store). My mom picked us up and dropped me off at the clinic and I left the ki'o with her. They went home, I called my cousin to pick me up and take me to get x-rays then to the ER. I spent all day there, didn't get home until 10pm. Meanwhile my poor niece was worried sick and telling everyone it wasn't her fault and asking was her auntie in the hospital LMAO. When I got home she promptly came to tell me she was sorry and I told her it was an accident not to worry about it that it wasn't her fault.Nenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05865041135444447326noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5194776113469322388.post-5281764710209663342011-06-26T18:10:00.000-07:002011-06-26T18:10:53.878-07:00More dramaLast night made me realize why I am no longer with my ex and made me THANK GOD that I didn't marry him. We got into a huge fight last night. He called me and cursed me out, telling me to <strike>shut the fuck up and calling me a fucking bitch</strike>. There was so much hatred in his voice, it was unnerving. He told me how much he hated me then threatened to kill me. He did it about 4 times and even told me that he would be coming here in two weeks to kill me. I couldn't believe it, still can't. I always knew there was something wrong with him but I never thought he could be so evil. The words he said and the way he said them as if he was telling me hello terrified me. I cried myself to sleep - <strike>actually only slept about 2 hours because I had to get up early the next morning for church</strike>. I woke up this morning and cried some more. I got to church before Bible study was going to start and started crying again. The women there saw me and talked to me, comforted me, and gave me some good advice, also laid their hands on me and prayed over me. I cried throughout most of the Bible study and service. I am feeling better now but still scared. I think I'm going to be making a phone call to the MPs over at Fort Shafter and get this taken care of. I just hope he will not come over here starting something. Nenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05865041135444447326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5194776113469322388.post-48604133106330491432011-06-26T02:11:00.000-07:002011-06-26T02:11:58.200-07:00Never ending drama!A few days ago my ex's sister Taga decided to ask me for money. It threw me for a loop because she NEVER asks me for anything. I thought maybe it was something for her son, but something didn't seem right. I asked her why she needed it and told her to be honest. She told me that she needed the money for drugs - that she wasn't using <strike>anymore</strike> but needed to pay off her dealer. At first I thought she was kidding - I mean she is the last person I could imagine using drugs, but she was dead serious. I told her no that I wouldn't send her money for drugs. She began to beg and plead could I please send the money and if I loved her that I would do it. I stood firm and told her no, that she needed to talk to her family about this. She begged me not to tell her family especially her brother (my ex) because they would be mad and would hurt her. I tried explaining to her that yes they would get mad and yes she would be disciplined but that in time they would get over it and forgive her. When she realized she wasn't getting the money she resorted to having a temper tantrum and questioning my love, friendship, etc. I told my ex what had happened and I guess he called and told her off because the next thing I know she is cursing me out telling me to <strike>fuck off</strike>, calling me a <strike>fucking bitch, a fucking hoe</strike>, and every other name and curse word imaginable. She told me our friendship was over to never call her or talk to her again. I told her that I did what was right and I did it out of love. I told her she needed tough love not an enabler. The past few days I have been bombarded with hate mail, she keeps bringing up my relationship w/my ex and how he NEVER loved me that he just felt sorry for me and all this other nonsense. I told her that was none of her concern and she was in no position to be commenting on relationships (<strike>seeing as her husband only married her because she was pregnant and left the second the baby was born - not to mention the fact that he cheated on her the entire three years they were together and still wants nothing to do with her or baby - and yet she always goes running back to him</strike>) - yes I'm putting all her business out there - deal with it! Now she has gone and told her family that I am the one lying and making everything up and that I am spreading lies about her, <strike>so not only do I have to put up with her shyte but also her cousin's fiapoko ass!</strike> I swear this girl thinks she knows everything putting her two cents in talking about this is unacceptable in her family and that I needed to stop spreading rumors and lies. I told her to mind her business and to keep her mouth shut because she didn't know what was going on. I also sent her copies of all of the emails and messages Taga left me basically admitting that she was using drugs. Hopefully that will shut her up. You'd think that would be the end of it, but no.... that would be too easy. Now I'm getting death threats from this <strike>psycho bitch</strike>. I can't believe it. & where is my ex in all of this, you ask??? He has conveniently gone MIA and is nowhere to be found, but of course he will NEVER stand up to his hypocrite devil sisters. Every single time these girls <strike>(and I use the term loosely)</strike> have lied, started drama, and gotten in our business, he has always taken their side - even when they were WRONG! I told him he needed to check his sister and handle this. I am so fed up with all of this nonsense. I have reached my breaking point. I can finally say with 100% certainty that I wish I had never met him or his psycho family. I wasted so much of my life trying to make him happy and trying to pick up the pieces of my life <strike>(heart)</strike> every time he turned my world upside down. I finally told him just to go <strike>fuck off</strike> and leave me alone and to basically NEVER contact me again, that I no longer wanted anything more to do with him. This time I mean it. I am done and I am NEVER going to look back. I am going to use this as a learning experience and I promise you I will NOT make the same mistake again.<br />
<br />
On a brighter note, I went to my church's fundraiser <strike>(had some good Samoan food) and saw my handsome (that's what his name means LOL).</strike> He smiled at me and greeted me right away and gave me my hug <strike>(I started smiling the second I saw him)</strike>. He walked me inside and I got my plate of food and sat down and ate. He came and sat down next to me and talked to me while I ate. I got so nervous I actually had to put my food away LMAO. The people next to us kept giving us funny looks - maybe it's because I act so different when I am around him, and I noticed that he gets a little nervous around me too. <br />
<br />
I don't know what it is but every time I am around him I feel like a nervous little school girl. I get so shy and don't quite know what to do with myself. I've always been a little awkward but I've never really had a problem talking to guys - usually it's just when I'm around a lot of people I don't know. What trips me out is that he really isn't my type but there is something about him that just draws me to him. It's good though because we're starting to talk more and I'm starting to get to know him better. <br />
<br />
Something else that has been on my mind lately is that I have been prophesied over and each time, I keep getting the message that my previous relationship with the ex didn't work because God had someone else waiting for me and that I would find him soon. Maybe he is the one... I'm starting to feel that all of my hopes and dreams <strike>(especially getting married and having a family)</strike> will come to pass, that it's just a matter of time. <strike>Every time I pray I keep hearing "just be patient, all in God's good time."</strike> I guess all I can do is be patient.Nenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05865041135444447326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5194776113469322388.post-33545874506758194142011-06-25T00:51:00.000-07:002011-06-25T00:51:56.343-07:00Falling in love - advice needed!Well it has been almost two months now since I was saved. There is someone from church who I am slowly but surely starting to fall in love with. I don't quite know what it is about him, God knows he's not really my type, plus he's about ten years older. From the moment I saw him I felt something, idk what but it was something and now every time I see him this feeling just grows. He usually makes his way to me to say hi and give me a hug. I've been getting some mixed signals, sometimes it seems like he is interested and other times it's like he doesn't even notice me. I really don't know what to do. I want so badly to just get to know him, to start something with him, even if it is just a friendship but idk how to approach him. I am so bloody shy and get all tongue-tied when I am around him. It sucks because I have no idea how he feels or if he even feels anything at all, and I have to keep this quiet because I don't want everyone at church knowing my business, especially since he is the older brother of one of my friends - how do I tell her I'm falling for her brother??? I really don't know what to do, can anyone out there give me some advice??Nenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05865041135444447326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5194776113469322388.post-63105777260054178772011-06-09T22:48:00.001-07:002011-06-09T22:48:34.331-07:00Your Calling<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/> <w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/> <w:OverrideTableStyleHps/> </w:Compatibility> <w:DoNotOptimizeForBrowser/> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div class="MsoPlainText">Your Calling</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">June 9, 2011</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">By Patrick J. Donadio</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">Roger Fields writes the following:</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">³My calling is sure. My challenge is big. My vision is clear. My desire is strong. My influence is eternal. My impact is critical. My values are solid.</div><div class="MsoPlainText">My faith is tough. My mission is urgent. My purpose is unmistakable. My direction is forward. My heart is genuine. My strength is supernatural. My reward is promised. And my God is real.</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">³In a world of cynicism, I offer hope. In a world of confusion, I offer truth. In a world of immorality, I offer values. In a world of neglect, I offer attention. In a world of abuse, I offer safety. In a world of ridicule, I offer affirmation. In a world of division, I offer reconciliation. In a world of bitterness, I offer forgiveness. In a world of sin, I offer salvation. In a world of hate, I offer God¹s love.</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">³I refuse to be dismayed, disengaged, disgruntled, discouraged or distracted. Neither will I look back, stand back, fall back, go back or sit back. I do not need applause, flattery, adulation, prestige, stature or veneration. I do not have time for business as usual, mediocre standards, small thinking, outdated methods, normal expectations, average results, ordinary ideas, petty disputes or low vision. I will not give up, give in, bail out, lie down, turn over, quit or surrender.</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">³I will pray when things look bad. I will pray when things look good. I will move forward when others stand still. I will trust God when obstacles arise.</div><div class="MsoPlainText">I will work when the task is overwhelming. I will get up when I fall down.²</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">If you could follow these positive words of encouragement you would succeed in any endeavor. Whatever your profession is, you can be the one who holds high the blood-stained banner of Christ. We should never give in to defeat or pull back. Our load may be heavy, but Christ has promised us strength to endure. Remember, He has never promised us sunshine without rain. Determine to accomplish what God has called you to do and never give up.</div>Nenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05865041135444447326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5194776113469322388.post-85936821189055792882011-05-30T21:49:00.002-07:002011-05-30T21:49:44.958-07:00Pure, Honest Prayer<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/> <w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/> <w:OverrideTableStyleHps/> </w:Compatibility> <w:DoNotOptimizeForBrowser/> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div class="MsoPlainText">Pure, Honest Prayer</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">May 23, 2011</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">By Greg Ebie</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">King Hezekiah and the people of Judah had a problem and everyone knew it.</div><div class="MsoPlainText">Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, camped with hundreds of thousand of soldiers just outside the walls of Jerusalem. Sennacherib and the Assyrians were an unstoppable force; they had destroyed many other nations. Now they were poised to do the same to the nation of Judah.</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">In the hearing of all the people at the wall, Sennacherib¹s representatives boasted of the king¹s victories and stated his intention to overthrow Hezekiah; they bragged that none of the other gods of any of the nations that had opposed the kings of Assyria were able to stop them from being victorious. What then could the God of Israel do to help Hezekiah and his people? Sennacherib sent a letter to Hezekiah with the same boastful threat.</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">Sennacherib was confident of his military strength to bring the people of Jerusalem to their knees, leaving their city as well as their God nothing more than a pile of rubble. Fear gripped the hearts of all those living in Jerusalem. Would their God do anything to help them in the face of certain defeat?</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">³Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the temple of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord. And Hezekiah prayed to the Lord² (Isaiah 37:14,15, NIV).</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">Hezekiah did not prepare for battle. He did not plan his escape from the city; nor did Hezekiah sit and worry or become paralyzed by fear. Hezekiah prayed. But more than just a prayer, Hezekiah laid it all out before the Lord.</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">Sometimes I think our prayers make a quick request for help, but we never even let God have a chance to answer our prayers because we immediately try to solve our problems by ourselves. Maybe I¹m the only one with that problem? With an arrogant pride we never stop and just get real with God.</div><div class="MsoPlainText">When was the last time any of us prayed something like this? ³Lord here is my problem and it is bigger than I am; I don¹t know which way to turn. God without Your help I¹m as good as beaten before the fight even starts.²</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">I notice something else about Hezekiah¹s prayer. It¹s not just a helpless cry for help. Hezekiah¹s request is not just for God to come to his rescue, but that God will prove himself as the Living God, the Almighty. Hezekiah¹s request wasn¹t so much about his need as about God being glorified. God would get all the credit for the victory, not Hezekiah.</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">I believe those are the kind of prayers God likes to answer, honest prayers with pure motives. I believe it is time to get real with God and stop pretending that I can make it on my own; it is time to lay it all on the line and let God be the One who not only handles it but gets the credit too.</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">How about you?</div>Nenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05865041135444447326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5194776113469322388.post-42220343247485605402011-05-30T21:49:00.000-07:002011-05-30T21:49:27.522-07:00Supernatural Rest<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/> <w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/> <w:OverrideTableStyleHps/> </w:Compatibility> <w:DoNotOptimizeForBrowser/> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div class="MsoPlainText">Supernatural Rest</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">May 25, 2011</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">By Doug Clay</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">I love technology ... at least when it¹s working right! (OK, OK, I mean ³when I am working it right!²) Technology is supposed to help us accomplish things more easily and make us more productive, but sometimes my greatest spiritual warfare is with my PC! (Did I hear a few amens?) And the scary thing about technology is, it is always changing! In 20 years, laptops will probably seem as old and archaic as the eight-track player.</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">Research reveals that the average person is working much longer hours today because we literally can work from anywhere. In fact, I am writing this article from my cell phone, which is connected to my office Outlook, and I will forward it to my assistant who will format it to be sent out.</div><div class="MsoPlainText">Technology allows us to stay in constant contact with others, which means we are always on call. Unless we intentionally set boundaries, we will never rest from our work.</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">God got angry with the people of Israel because they did not know His ways.</div><div class="MsoPlainText">They failed to recognize the boundaries He had set for them that would ensure a spiritual and physically successful life. They chose to disregard His ways. This disobedience led to their inability to enter God¹s rest.</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">³ŒTheir hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways.¹ So I declared on oath in my anger, ŒThey shall never enter my rest¹² (Hebrews 3:10,11, NIV).</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">One author says, ³God¹s rest means that we can actually do our work and still be refreshed through His Spirit in our inner man. It is the opposite of sweat and toil. It means that the fruit of our work comes as a result of abiding in the vine of His grace and power. Jesus said you can do nothing</div><div class="MsoPlainText">(worthwhile) unless you are connected to the vine.²</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">I think it is important for us to not only understand His ways, but we must do His ways. When we follow these two things, we will begin to experience His supernatural rest in all of our endeavors.</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">‹ Doug Clay is general treasurer of the Assemblies of God.</div>Nenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05865041135444447326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5194776113469322388.post-88738244880615186462011-05-30T21:43:00.000-07:002011-05-30T21:43:40.592-07:00Resilient Faith<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/> <w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/> <w:OverrideTableStyleHps/> </w:Compatibility> <w:DoNotOptimizeForBrowser/> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div class="MsoPlainText">Resilient Faith</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">May 26, 2011</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">By Hal Donaldson </div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">Driving home from work a few years ago, I felt compelled to turn around and pay a visit to my grandmother. We talked and prayed for an hour, and I kissed her cheek farewell.</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">That was the last time I would see her. Reahn (Copeland) Hubin died the following morning at the age of 90.</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">Speaking at her funeral, I highlighted her resilient faith. She had learned to trust God despite heartache and disappointment.</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">During our last conversation, I confided about a particular challenge I was facing. She replied as she had many times before: ³Trust God ‹ everything is going to be OK.²</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">Until her final breath, she held onto the truth of Romans 8:28: ³And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose² (NIV).</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">I never heard my grandmother blame God or anyone else when trials came her way. She belonged to the Creator of the universe, so there was no need to cower, complain or blame. Instead, her words were filled with optimism and encouragement.</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">A few weeks before her passing, I read to her Psalm 20:7: ³Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.²</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">She responded, ³Remember, Grandson, no matter what happens, God is for us.²</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">Today, if you are facing hardship, disappointment or betrayal, let me encourage you to take my grandmother¹s words to heart: ³Trust God ‹ everything is going to be OK.²</div>Nenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05865041135444447326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5194776113469322388.post-80901930557296929772011-05-30T21:39:00.000-07:002011-05-30T21:39:56.003-07:00The Power of Words<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/> <w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/> <w:OverrideTableStyleHps/> </w:Compatibility> <w:DoNotOptimizeForBrowser/> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div class="MsoPlainText">The Power of Words</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">May 27, 2011</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">By Ken Horn</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">There is power in the spoken word Š power to build up, or tear down.</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">Too many people know the reality of destructive words ‹ either through speaking them or hearing them. Some people carry lifelong scars from being subjected to hurtful words.</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">A friend of mine, as a teen, had longed to please his father. When finally his dad attended one of his sporting events, he hoped to hear much desired words of praise from him.</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">Instead, on the way home, his father criticized the way he had played. My friend was crushed, and he carried that scar with him well into his adult life.</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">The Bible has the answer. ³A word aptly spoken,² says Proverbs 25:11 (NIV), ³is like apples of gold in settings of silver.²</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">The same book says, ³How good is a timely word² (Proverbs 15:23).</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">As a pastor, I have counseled many people who never or seldom heard the words ³I love you² from the people they cared about the most. What power there is in those words! They ought to be given often and sincerely.</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">Words of reconciliation, from ³I¹m sorry² to ³I forgive you,² can transform lives.</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">And how many people long to hear from those they love, ³I believe in you²?</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">Kind, caring, affirming words spoken to someone make something come alive in them.</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">We all hold this power.</div>Nenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05865041135444447326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5194776113469322388.post-43481008240387625172011-05-23T23:13:00.000-07:002011-05-23T23:13:58.220-07:00Surrendering<h2 align="center">Surrendering</h2>Do you realize that in just about all other religions you are generally given man made creeds, beliefs, formulas, systems, routines, even dress codes, and then you are expected to adhere to and follow them your entire life. You have to grit your teeth and work as hard as you can and faithfully follow the dictates of that religion. The Buddhist eight-fold path, the Hindu doctrine of karma, the Jewish covenant, and the Muslim code of law, all offer a way to earn approval of your god so that the believer <u>may join their god after death</u>. In fact in all other religions <u>except Christianity</u>, the things that you do here on earth will determine whether you go to heaven or not. In other words, <b>it is up to you</b> to work yourself into heaven. So in all other religions you do all these things in the hopes that when you die you would have done enough <b><u>to earn the right</u></b> to meet and to be with your god.<br />
But the big problem with all those other religions is that you never really know for sure whether you have done enough. Whether what you have done, was done right. That there wasn't some horrible miscalculation on your part. This is very important in those religions because your very entrance into heaven depends on those good works, and doing those good works right.<br />
And the gods of those other religions do not forgive and forget sin, they weigh sin. Because in those other religions you go to heaven only if your good works are greater than you bad works. If you have done more good things than bad things. So at the end of the day the believers in those religions look back upon the day and try and figure out if they did more good works than bad.<br />
It is completely different with Christianity. In Christianity, doing good works will not determine whether you gain entrance into heaven. Something else called Faith is going to determine that because in Christianity a Holy God is going to come down and come into your life right now, while you are still bad, still sinful, still living a decadent and ungodly life. With Christianity you don't have to wait till you die to meet your God. You meet him now, while your still alive and at a time when you usually need him the most. In fact the God of Christianity requires you to meet and know him before you die. The God of Christianity requires that you accept him and actually allow him to dwell within you while you are still alive. For the Christian, it is mandatory that a powerful bond be formed between him and his God while the person is still alive.<br />
This leads to another very important question. If I have accepted Jesus Christ as my God and Savior, then why am I still bad and sinful so much of the time? Now that God is in my life why doesn't he give me more strength to overcome my hang ups, more power to resist all those sinful things that come into my daily life? Why doesn't God fill me with more spiritual toughness to fight off all those advances of a sinful world?<br />
And I will answer that with a question. Why should he? Why should he give you more power and more strength? Who would it be for? For the God living within you? The God living within you doesn't need it because he is strength and power.<br />
The only reason that you would ask God for those things is for yourself, and if you asked God for more strength and more power, then you are telling God to give you those things so you can become a strong Godly person on your own. But the problem is, if God gave you those things then you would eventually tell God that you didn't need him anymore once you were strong enough, that he could go away, that you will be able to do it all on your own. And then suddenly you can once again be independent of God, just like you were before you were saved, because now you will be able to do it all on your own!<br />
<b>Being able to do it on your own</b>?<br />
<b>Not needing God</b>?<br />
Thinking that you don't need God is pride and that's exactly what God doesn't want! Pride is when you elevate your ability, and place it above God's ability. Pride is telling God that you not only don't want his help, but that you don't need it. Pride is telling God that you can get by without any of his help. That you can function independently from God.<br />
Pride is what created the devil, and pride is what ruined the human race. The reason most of us spend so very little time in prayer is the same reason why most of us rarely ever praise or thank God. It is because of pride - we simply don't see a need for it. We are independent of God. We don't need him.<br />
That is why God is not interested in independently empowering you and making you stronger. He doesn't want you to think that you can lead a Godly life on your own and fight sin off all by yourself. Just the opposite. He wants you humble and always looking to him for everything. He wants to dwell and live within you, wants to guide and direct every step of your life, wants you to be totally and completely dependent on him. He wants you to realize that you cannot make it without him, and that you need him much more today than you did yesterday, and that you are going to need him even more tomorrow.<br />
In fact, if you could tell God that there is absolutely no way in the world that you can lead a Godly life, do you know what he would say?<br />
He would say, <b>I know. You have absolutely no chance at all of leading a life that is even the slightest bit Godly. You can't, but the one living within you can</b>.<br />
Unfortunately a great many ministers and churches mislead their followers, usually unintentionally. They lead their followers to believe that now that they are saved they should suddenly become pure white saints, saints that no longer sin, that no longer stumble and fall, that no longer fail. They don't talk very much about the fact that being saved is only <b>the very first step</b> in a life long experience of study and learning, and that much prayer and meditation is going to be required in order to keep constantly growing spiritually.<br />
They don't talk very much about the great many pressures to sin that will constantly be pressing in on them, and that many times they will yield to those sins. They don't tell the faithful that is why they need to completely surrender to Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, and that they must do this every second of every day.<br />
Not one of us can live a Christian life by ourselves. It is completely impossible. Not with these fleshy bodies. Not with these five senses. Not in this world that is saturated with sin. Not with all those non-stop temptations that are constantly bombarding every one of us 24 hours a day. The only way to lead a Godly Christian life is by walking hand in hand with Jesus Christ, <b>24 hours each and every day</b>.<br />
It is only by our moment-to-moment choices throughout the day, that we can choose to say "no" to our flesh, which is at war with God, and invite Christ through the Holy Spirit to be in control of our lives in all the little things as well as in the big things that happen to us in the course of a day. This is what Paul was explaining in the following verses.<br />
<b>Romans 8:7-8</b> "For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God's law; indeed it cannot, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God."<br />
Every Christian faces two very deadly enemies each and every day. The first enemy is our carnal nature and the second enemy is the devil. Every day our carnal nature is a self resurrecting monster which begs for attention. And the devil knows this. Our carnal nature demands to be first and the devil preys on this. And this happens each and every day of our lives. That is why Paul said he had to put his carnal nature to death every single day.<b>1 Corinthians 15:31</b>, "I die every day."<br />
And the only way to put a carnal or fleshy nature to death is by completely surrendering to Jesus Christ on a second by second, minute by minute, hour by hour, daily basis. Surrendering to God means that you can never be too busy to pray and read the Word of God. Never to busy to talk to God. Never to busy to ask for his advice and guidance. Never to busy to ask for his help. Never too busy to live your life exactly the way Jesus said to live it.<br />
Christianity is a relationship between you and Jesus Christ. But in this relationship it is you that surrenders completely to Jesus. Jesus doesn't want you strong and independent. He wants you always on your knees, every day of your life, constantly asking for his guidance and his direction and his help. Daily you must surrender your life, your desires, and your will to God. Our Lord tells us this even in the prayer he taught us to pray to God the Father, "Give us this day our <u>daily</u> bread."(Matthew 6:11)<br />
This Christian relationship that you have with Jesus is one where you and the Lord are walking together arm in arm down the pathway of your life, but in this relationship it is Jesus Christ who is leading the way. He is the one deciding which path to take, and it is he that lights up that path that helps prevent you from stumbling and falling. This is described so clearly in the following two verses.<br />
<b>1 John 1:5</b>. "God is light, <u>and there is no darkness at all</u> when in union with him."<br />
<b>Psalms 85:13</b> "Righteousness will go before the Lord, <u>and he will make a path for my steps</u>."<br />
Jesus Christ is the only true light and only he can light up your path. And as you realize, it does not take very much light to drive away a great deal of darkness. So without Jesus Christ in your life, there is nothing but darkness. This is symbolic to what happened during the 6th and 9th hours as Jesus Christ was hanging and dying on the cross. While Jesus was dying, darkness was descending down upon the earth. It appeared that the light of the world had gone out, and three of the Gospel writers were so moved that they wrote about this darkness.<br />
<b>Matthew 27:45</b> "Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour <b><u>there was darkness over all the land</u></b>."<br />
So it is Jesus Christ who leads you around all those obstacles that lie in your path. In fact it is The Lord who is making all the decisions in your life. Do you remember when Paul explained in <b>Galatians 2:20</b> how this relationship worked when he said, "It is no longer I that live, but it is Christ that is living in union with me". This is simply another way of saying both you and Christ are living your life together, but that he is doing the leading.<br />
Knowing what is right and what is wrong is not good enough. A great many verses warn us of this danger.<br />
<b>Ezekiel 33:32</b> "For they hear your words, <u>but they do not do them</u>."<br />
<b>1 John 3:18-19</b> "My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth."<br />
The important thing <u>is doing</u> what is right, and <u>not doing</u> what is wrong.<br />
<b>James 1:22-24</b> "Be <b>doers</b> of the word, <b><u>and not hearers only</u></b>, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone <b>is not a doer</b>, he is like a man observing his face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he is."<br />
And the only way to do what is good and not do what is wrong, is by turning your entire life over to Jesus Christ. For it is only when you fully surrender your life, that Christ can take over and lead and guide. Because then it is not the world leading you, it is now the Son of God who is leading.<br />
A commitment to obedience is almost automatic for the one who has surrendered his life to God, for surrendering means that you will look to the Scriptures for guidance, and that you will strive to obey every command you find there. It means that you will pray because you are commanded to pray. You will respect and submit to governing authorities because you are commanded to do so. You will take seriously your responsibilities as a Christian citizen and stand up for truth and righteousness. You will submit to what the Bible says about marriage and divorce. You will respect plant and animal life, doing your best to carry out your responsibility to rule over and protect the earth as God's representatives. By surrendering, you become a willing tool, allowing God to use you for service unto himself, so that he may be glorified in your life.<br />
People who love and obey the Lord will be led to the joyous certainty that, "If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him."<br />
For those that fully surrender, verses like <b>Psalms 143:10</b> become very important. "Teach me to do Your will, For You are my God.<br />
So surrendering to God means living a life that is in alignment with God's word. A life that is in complete agreement with the Word of God. We strive to walk like his word tells us to walk. We endeavor to talk like his word tells us to talk. We attempt to live like his word tells us to live. We live our life so that what God says is right, you say is right. What God says is wrong, you say is wrong. All of the above can be summed up in one short sentence. <u>Believe the truth of the Word of God</u>, <u>put your faith in Jesus Christ</u>, and <u>live in a moment by moment dependence on him</u>.<br />
It is only when you enter this stage that you can begin to grow and mature spiritually. And that is because spiritual maturity occurs only when a person places more importance on Jesus Christ, and what Jesus wants, than what the individual wants or desires. In fact if you really think about it, there are only two types of life that a person can live. Either a person can live a self centered life, or he can live a Christ filled life. There are no other choices.<br />
God knows only too well that all believers are going to sin on occasion, some many more than others. He knows that all believers will stumble from time to time. That we will make the wrong choices, take the wrong path, come to the wrong decisions. He knows that all believers are human with their five senses intact, and in a great many cases, unprepared for the onslaught that the world and satan has waiting for them. So we are all going to sin, but even though it is very possible for any believer to commit a sin, it is impossible for the genuine believer who has surrendered to Jesus, <b><u>to live a life of sin</u></b>.<br />
And this is because as you begin to surrender to Jesus, you will find the world begins to lose its appeal, because it is now Jesus, <b>and what he wants</b>, that becomes important in your life. And the more surrendering that a believer does, the greater will be the believers ability to discern God's will in everything that he does. For it is a <b>constant</b> surrendering to Jesus that allows the believer to reach the <u>ultimate goal of surrender</u>. And that goal is having absolutely no separation between your <b>spiritual life</b> and your <b>common everyday life</b>. <u>The two lives become one</u>.<br />
Unfortunately, most believers take their spiritual life and simply tack it onto their secular lives. This allows them to live two different and separate lives with the result being that many times their spiritual life has little if any impact on their secular life. They just don't realize the importance of so many verses like, <b>Philippians 2:5</b> "Let the <u>same mind</u> be in you, that is in Christ Jesus."<br />
Like any loving and caring father, our loving heavenly Father is very interested in every single thing that takes place each and every day of your life, even all those many insignificant things that don't seem to make a difference to anybody, including yourself. And this is because he is involved in every single decision that you make regardless of how small it may be. And that is why God wants you to completely surrender to him and allow him to have complete control over every aspect of your life, and he wants this control every second of every day. This is the only way your going to grow and mature in Christ. <b>The more control a person allows God to have in their life, the greater that person's spiritual growth is going to be and the closer that person will be to God</b>.<br />
So every morning surrender your life to him. As Paul said in <b>Romans 12:1</b> "So brothers and sisters, I beg you to <b>offer your lives as a living sacrifice to him</b>." And the Word of God tells us over and over that we are to do this each and every day of our lives.<br />
<b>Luke 9:23</b> "Then He said to them all, "If anyone wants to come with Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross <b><u>daily</u></b>, and follow Me."<br />
In fact surrender is one of the most important words in all of Christianity. Do you want to know just how important the act of you surrendering is?<br />
Surrendering to Jesus Christ is another name for "being born again."<br />
Surrendering is allowing Jesus Christ to live inside you.<br />
Surrendering means living a life (a Godly life) that is pleasing and acceptable to Jesus Christ.<br />
Surrendering is you confessing your sins when you sin and really repenting and turning away from them.<br />
Surrendering is the thing that allows you to accept the free gift of grace that God wants to give you.<br />
Surrendering is the one thing that will allow you to have eternal life.<br />
So surrendering means giving up pride, giving up control, giving up independence, giving up all those things in our life that we have deemed important and precious and have placed ahead of Jesus Christ. Surrendering to Him means allowing Him to guide your life, it means bearing our crosses for His sake, it means acknowledging Him in all things, it means realizing that everything we have in this life comes from Him. And most of all it means that we finally understand that we cannot make it without his <b>constant</b> guidance and protection.<br />
Before the birth of Christ, people in the old Biblical days constantly made sacrifices to God. They would take their best animals, or the best portions of their crops, or fresh baked loaves of bread, or containers of oil, or just about anything of value, and they would surrender it totally and completely up to God. Surrendering the best they had, showed that they themselves were surrendering to God. After the Messiah Jesus Christ came into this world, we no longer had to sacrifice animals and other things up to God. Now our sacrifices to God consists of the surrendering of our minds, our bodies, and our souls up to the Son of God. After Jesus was born our sacrifices were to become faith, trust, and obedience.<br />
We become children of God not by knowledge; not by simply understanding what God is trying to tell us. We only become children of God when we begin to surrender. It is when we surrender that we can place our complete trust and confidence in Almighty God. We are then able to allow God to see us through all our trials and tribulations. For it is when we begin to surrender that we realize the vitally important truth listed in verses like the following.<br />
<b>Deuteronomy 33:27</b> "The eternal God is your refuge, <u>And underneath you are his everlasting arms</u>."<br />
<b>Isaiah 41:10</b> “<b>Do not fear, for I am with you</b>; Do not anxiously look about, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, surely I will help <b>you</b>, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”<br />
<b>Joshua 1:9</b> "I hereby command you: Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, <u>for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go</u>."<br />
<b>Isaiah 41:13</b> "For I, the Lord your God, am grasping your right hand. I am the one saying to you, Do not be afraid for I myself will help you."<br />
<b>Jeremiah 29:11</b> For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.<br />
<b>2 Corinthians 1:3-4</b> "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, <b>the Father of mercies and God of all comfort</b>, who comforts us in all our tribulation."<br />
<b>Isaiah 43:2-3</b> "When you pass through the waters, <b>I will be with you</b>; And through the rivers, they will not flood over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, Nor will the flame burn you. For I am the LORD your God, your Savior."<br />
These verses, along with a great many others all through the Bible, tells each of us that God is willingly responsible for the life that is totally surrendered over to him.<br />
<b>Without total surrender</b> we attempt to <b>work for God</b> instead of <u>letting God work through us</u>. We must put aside our self-interest and simply let God's will unfold around us. Everything he does for us is for our own good. Worship him without having to know and see everything. Live your entire daily life in his presence. Allow him to guide and direct your daily walk through this life. He will give you all that you need. In his own incredible way he will cause your path to cross the paths of others. Remember to that God's glory and God's purpose are the end of all things, and you will certainly find happiness and salvation there.<br />
<b>Without total surrender</b>, you will find that your own self-interest and your own pride will cause you to reject the gifts of God because they do not come in a way that suits you. Without total surrender to Jesus your fleshy body will always demand more, demand different, demand greater. This is why God asks for nothing but death to your old self. Selfishly loving yourself and putting yourself first, smothers your spirit and shuts down your chance for spiritual growth. In fact if you really think about it, any form or degree of rebellion against God will begin to short circuit your faith, and begin to have damaging affects on your relationship with God. When this happens, sin is not very far away. And this is because the very core of <b>any sin</b> is when we make ourselves the center of life, rather than making Jesus Christ the center. Lack of trust in Jesus Christ, our own self-love, and pride are the main ways in which Christians express the real meaning of sin.<br />
If you don't completely surrender to God then how else are you going to be able to put complete faith and trust in him? How else are you going to learn to love him and obey him? How else are you going to be able to turn to God rather than the world in order to weather the storms and the trials that seep into your life. Without being able to turn to Jesus how else are you going to be able to put up with the disappointments, the discouragements, and the disillusionments that seem to constantly enter into one's life. When difficult times arise in our lives, running to God - not from him - results in victory.<br />
<b>And after surrendering, and after walking arm in arm with Jesus Christ on a daily basis, you will soon find that it is he that is providing you with all the strength and power and toughness that you will ever need</b>.<br />
The believer doesn't have to cry out to God for more strength. He doesn't have to beg and plead with the Holy Spirit to fill him up even more, so he can overcome the many sins that enter into one's daily life. Neither does the believer have to keep asking Jesus to please make him into a better and stronger Christian. The believer doesn't even have to spend time in prayer asking God for more help in leading a Godly life. None of that has to be done. The only thing the believer needs to do is surrender. That's all. Simply surrender. <b>You are not waiting on God, God is waiting on you</b>.<br />
It's sad but most Christians seem very willing to surrender their sins and their problems to God. However they generally rebel when it comes to surrendering their whole life to Him. But surrendering completely to Jesus Christ is what it takes if you want to grow spiritually, walk in God given strength, and have a Godly relationship with him.<br />
<b>The believer who doesn't surrender to God is the one who wants to change and tries like crazy to change but is unable to. Wants desperately to lead a Godly life but unfortunately fails over and over. It is the Christian who refuses to surrender completely that finds the obstacles coming into his life much to difficult to overcome, the mountains much to tall to climb, the pitfalls far too deep to cross, the storms much too severe, and the pressures and temptations of this world far too strong</b>.<br />
Ask yourself this question. If you get angry a lot and you find yourself frequently on your knees begging God to make you stronger, then why doesn't God help you? Or if you are short on patience and you find that you seem to be asking God all too often to please give you more patience, then why doesn't he? Or if the lure of that alcohol is so very strong, and even though you have prayed over and over to God to make you stronger, then why doesn't he?<br />
And the answer is a simple, <u>because you have not surrendered or you <b>have not stayed surrendered</b> to Jesus Christ</u>. There are a great many extremely interesting verses all through the Bible that talk about this, and a very good one is <b>John 5:30</b>, where it says, "<b>I can do nothing on my own</b>".<br />
What John is saying in this verse is that without continuous and total surrender, you will never be truly successful. In fact you can pray on your knees until the cows come home, but until you surrender, you will never ever be victorious in your effort to lead a Godly life. Many believers surrender at various times of their life, usually due to traumatic experiences. But the <b>very instant</b>; <b>that exact moment</b> when a believer decides to take back from God just a little bit of that surrender, then satan and the world will be waiting, and they are going to pounce on that believer.<br />
But then we come to a very interesting verse where Paul says in <b>Philippians 4:13</b> "I can do <b>all things</b> through Him who strengthens me." And he says this while chained and in prison. So this verse certainly sounds contradictory when compared to <b>John 5:30</b> above which says, "I can do nothing on my own." But look at what Paul is <b>not</b> saying. He does not say that he has the ability to do absolutely anything he wants to do. Nor is he saying that God has given him full authority to decide what should and should not be done. And he is not saying that he can do all things when the circumstances are right. What Paul is telling us is that, I can do, and God will enable me to do. I can work and God will enable me to work. I can speak and God will enable me to speak. Whatever God led him to do, Paul knew that God would also empower him to do it. I can do every single thing I need to do today, as long as it's in the will of God, and I can do it through the strength of Jesus Christ who is the one residing within me.<br />
So Paul does not say that he can handle whatever comes up. Instead, he says, "I can do all things through him who strengthens me." And God intends for every one of his children to approach life with this same confidence.<br />
<b><u>God wants you out of options</u></b>. He wants you to finally realize that your efforts are hopeless, that your skills and status are immaterial. That all your money is useless, and that your many friends are of absolutely no help. For when you do, then this will be the point in time when the last of your pride fades away and this will be the moment when you begin to realize that God just may be the only answer. This will also be the time when you begin to realize that there is hope and peace and a great deal of tranquility in those outstretched arms of Jesus Christ. For it is now that you begin to surrender, and when you surrender you allow the Son of God into your life.<br />
You just cannot live a Godly life on your own. Only when a believer surrenders their life to Jesus Christ and has him living and reigning within them, can they be successful in accomplishing the hopes of God that are expressed in <b>2 Corinthians 7:1</b>, where it tells us, "Beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and of the spirit."<br />
So for the person surrendering, a commitment to obedience is almost automatic. Because surrendering means that you will look to the Scriptures for guidance, and that you will strive to obey every command you find there. It means that you will pray because the very Word of God tells you to pray. You will respect and submit to governing authorities because God tells you to. You will take seriously your responsibilities as a Christian citizen and stand up for truth and righteousness. You will submit to what the Bible says about marriage and divorce. You will respect plant and animal life, doing your best to carry out your responsibility to rule over and protect the earth as God's representatives. And thus, upon surrendering, you become a willing tool, allowing God to use you for service unto himself, so that he may be glorified in your life. And it is at this point where the lifestyle of Jesus Christ becomes your lifestyle.<br />
That is why the believer who has not surrendered to Jesus Christ and who is not constantly walking hand in hand with him, will not be able to see the curves, the potholes, and the ditches that line this walk of ours through this life. The one who hasn't surrendered will inevitably stumble and fall because much of his life is still in darkness. Without surrendering your life to Jesus then you are keeping his light from fully lighting up the path you are walking on.<br />
And all this happens because <b><u>until you surrender</u></b> completely to God you will walk independently of God, and the world and satan will be waiting for you on that independent walk of yours. For without God the world will take over, and the world will shape and mold you, and it will be a very sinful world that leads and guides you. And with the sinful world leading you through life you will soon find that you begin to rationalize sin, then you defend sin, and then as your heart becomes harder, you actually begin to seek sin out. For a Christian to walk through this life without Jesus Christ and who expects to remain Godly, would be equivalent to a bride in a white wedding gown who goes down into a coal mine and who expects to come back up wearing a clean white dress. It just cannot be done. It is impossible.<br />
It is not until you surrender your life fully and completely to Christ that God can bless you as much as he really wants to. It is not until you allow yourself to become completely dependent upon Jesus <b><u>that you can recognize and appreciate the blessings that God The Father sends into your life</u></b>. Only then will you truly become a child of God's, one of the King's kids. Only when you give yourself fully to Christ, only when Our Lord is allowed into every area of your life, will you be able to accomplish the amazing things that God The Father has planned for you. <b>The gifts of God all pass through Jesus before they get to us; and all our prayers, petitions, and thanksgivings all pass through Jesus Christ before they get to the Heavenly Father</b>.<br />
It is not until your completely surrender to Jesus Christ that you can speak with truth, verses like <b>Psalms 73:23-24</b>. "You have taken hold of my right hand and you guide me with your counsel, and afterwards you will receive me to glory". For it is only when you fully surrender to Jesus Christ that a believer can truly say that they know the Lord, love the Lord, and are closer to the Lord today, than they were yesterday.<br />
Spiritual growth stops when a person begins to prevent God from exercising control in their lives, when a person takes his eyes off of God, when a person moves ahead of God and decides to do the leading. That's when the barriers <u>against sin</u> begin to break down and man's worldly flesh begins to take over and allows sin to enter. You just cannot lead a Godly life without God, and being independent of God is a spiritual death sentence.<br />
In his letter to the church in Corinth, Paul wrote, "I delight in weakness, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong". (2 Corinthians 12:10)<br />
Paul had discovered that strength was found in weaknesses. Instead of trying to lug his cross up a hill, Paul decided it was best to turn it over to the Lord. So when Paul's strength was insufficient, he turned to God. As a result, Paul humbly walked through life's ups and downs with a perspective that kept his eyes always focused on Jesus. <b>He had surrendered to The Lord</b>.<br />
Power and strength, truth and wisdom, the ability to do what is right and what is wrong, not only originate with Jesus Christ, but these abilities and many more reside within the very presence of Jesus Christ. So once we bring Jesus into our lives, once Jesus becomes the center of our lives, once our lives revolve around him, then all those things that are residing within him, <b>will reside within us</b>. It is only when you reach this point that you give God the authority to do incredible things in your life, and in the lives of others. What God was able to do through Paul is one very good example.<br />
<b>Acts 19:11</b> "Now God worked unusual miracles through the hands of Paul".<br />
Let me ask you this question. What is the very first thing that most people say when faced with a difficult trial or tribulation? They will usually say, "My Lord, what am <b><u>I</u></b> going to do now?" But that is the wrong question to ask. What surrendering to Jesus Christ teaches a believer to do is to ask, "Lord, what are <b><u>you</u></b> going to do? One who has surrendered to Jesus doesn't have to begin calculating what they are going to have to do. They don't have to rely on their own abilities and their own resources. The ones who have surrendered have placed complete faith and trust in Christ and know that somehow, somewhere, sometime, he is going to show them the solution to that difficult time. And why not? With Christ dwelling within you, you not only have his presence, but you have his power and his provision as well. <br />
Keep in mind that surrendering is a life long process, but by surrendering we slowly but surely learn to overcome all the many sinful pulls of the flesh, the world, and satan himself. Through surrendering, we soon learn that we are submitting to God <b><u>and his ways</u></b>, and we begin to discover that we are building the very character of God within us. It is when we surrender that we are finally able to realize that we are doing things the way Jesus would do them, that we are saying things the way he would say them, that we are looking upon things the exact same way that the Son of God would look at them, and that we are dealing with people in the exact same way that Jesus would deal with them. That will be the time that verses like the following will become very, very important in our lives.<br />
<b>Galatians 2:20</b> "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, <b><u>but Christ lives in me</u></b>; and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."<br />
So, when all of the above is taking place; when you have surrendered to Jesus Christ, when the Son of God is living within you, when all your actions are his actions, then don't you think that satan and his evil human followers will be unable to sway you away from your Godly walk through this life, that the world will be unable to make any inroads into your life, that you will be able to have incredible God given power over your own fleshy desires? Paul gave us all wonderful advice and said it so perfectly in the following verse.<br />
<b>1 Corinthians 11:1</b> "Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ."<br />
<b>Without daily surrender</b> to God, we tend to drift away from him. Slowly, gradually, and unconsciously. The tide of our culture carries us away from Godly influences. We lose our desire to sit at Jesus' feet. Our delight in him fades. We find ourselves lapsing into old idolatries.<br />
<b>With daily surrender</b> to God, we have God dwelling within us and we are given the strength to survive. We are given the power to endure. We are given the ability to overcome anything that comes our way. God doesn't have to send something special down from heaven to enable you to face your trials. His greatest gift, his Son, is already in your possession.<br />
Jesus tells us over and over that, "<b><u>I</u></b> <b><u>AM</u></b> <b><u>THE</u></b> <b><u>WAY</u></b>" So his ways must be our ways, his words must be our words, his thoughts are our thoughts, his beliefs are our beliefs. He lives his life in and through us, so our hands are his hands. Our eyes and ears are his eyes and ears. Our thoughts and actions are his thoughts and actions. And it will be an absolutely incredible day when you can finally say that your character is his character. That your goals and accomplishments are his goals and accomplishments. That your works are his works.<br />
Then the question comes up, how do I learn about "<b>HIS WAY</b>"? And "<b>HIS WAY</b>" can only be discovered from the pages of the Holy Bible. That is the one and only place where you can find out what God expects from you, and what you can expect from God. And each and every verse was put there to guide and direct you, and to help you obtain eternal life.<br />
Many people also think that when they come to Jesus and become born again Christians and pledge their lives to the Lord, that Jesus will begin a process of healing what is damaged in them. That he will fix what is broken. That he will put the pieces back together. That he will put some Godly patches on them. That isn't true at all. Jesus isn't interested in fixing you or healing you. He doesn't want to mend you or patch you up. He doesn't want to glue all your broken pieces back together. <b>He doesn't want to repair you. He wants to replace you</b>! He wants to make you a brand new creation. He wants to dispose of the old <b>you</b> and make <b>you</b> a brand new <b>you</b>.<br />
That is why when you come to Christ and accept him fully and completely as your Lord and Savior he doesn't just put a new look on your old person. He doesn't just preform a spiritual make over on you. He's not interested in giving you a quick spiritual massage and then send you on your way. What he wants is to make you into a brand new person. When you accept Jesus he creates someone who has never existed before. A brand new person <b><u>who is now capable of communion with God</u></b>. You begin a fresh, new life, completely forgiven of your sins and guided by the Holy Spirit. The Bible is full of verses like the following.<br />
<b>2 Corinthians 5:17</b>. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, <b>he is a new creation</b>; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new".<br />
<b>Ephesians 2:10</b> "For we are God's masterpiece. He has <b>created us anew in Christ Jesus</b>, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago."<br />
<b>Ephesians 4:23-24</b> "Put on the <b>new man</b> which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness."<br />
When you were saved and were born again you became a brand new person. And this brand new person began acting on new principles, living by new rules, with new ends and new goals, and in new company. You the believer were created anew. Your heart was not merely set right, but instead a new heart was given to you, and where the heart is changed, the life and the actions will be changed. When you became saved your thought patterns were different, the focus of your attention was different, your conversation was different, your attitude and your outlook were different, where you went and what you looked at became different, even your friends became different. You began to acquire new hopes and new dreams. The center of your life was no longer what pleases you, <u>it is now what pleases him</u>.<br />
You were changed. <u>The greatest desire of your life was now to do his will</u>. When you were saved you became the workmanship of God, created in and through Christ Jesus. It was at this moment when you, as a saved believer in Jesus Christ, began the journey <u>on your life long path</u> to feed your soul with "spiritual nourishment" so that you could grow in spiritual maturity and in the correct knowledge of God. Then, as you grew, <u>you reflected his very nature</u> in everything that you thought, said, and did. It was at this point when the following verse became a crystal clear, rock solid reality.<br />
<b>Philippians 3:21</b> "Our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, will transform our lowly body so that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself."<br />
And unlike the hardened sinner who continues to stand by and justify his sinful actions, <b><u>when you were saved your soul was greatly affected by sin and indeed now hates sin</u></b>. You now reject the things that are bad, wrong, and sinful. You, who once looked upon certain sins with amusement, now look upon those same sins with dread; with a sickening feeling. Suddenly you found yourself not wanting to be around all those Christ haters and Christ rejecters. The things you use to laugh at now causes your heart great despair. No longer are you able to detach yourself and look the other way because now those sins, and those injustices, literally scream out at you. And you, who formerly saw no beauty in God, had no respect or love for him, and who rarely even thought of him, now love him above all things.<br />
And do you want to know exactly what God himself said would happen to you the very second that you surrendered and accepted Jesus Christ and were born again. He told you something very interesting at <b>Ezekiel 36:26-27</b>.<br />
"Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new Spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. <b><u>And I will put My Spirit within you</u></b>".<br />
That is why within the hearts of those who are fully surrendered to him, there is no desire for darkness. There is only a glorious yearning for the light of his pure love.Nenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05865041135444447326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5194776113469322388.post-18205372499250701952011-05-23T22:34:00.000-07:002011-05-23T22:34:59.311-07:00RENEWING YOUR MIND<strong>RENEWING YOUR MIND by Robert Wells</strong><br />
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Unfortunately, once you are born again absolutely nothing will change in your life unless you begin the process of <strong>renewing your mind</strong>, or <strong>changing the way your mind operates</strong>.<br />
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This is because your fleshy body is still being controlled by your mind. Your body does what your mind tells it to do. Renewing your mind is the same thing as changing your mindset, and it is this renewing of the mind that lets a born again believer have brand new <strong><span>Godly</span></strong> attitudes, goals, ideals, opinions, desires, and ideas. <br />
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But unfortunately for most believers, their spiritual growth stops when they became born again because they don't do anything about changing the way they think. Most go no further than being born again because most people think that once they are born again, then that is all there is to it because now they are saved saints of Jesus Christ that no longer sin. They feel that now that they are born again, the Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ are going to keep them out of sin.<br />
But the truth is, the Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ are both there to help you but they will only help and assist you if they see effort and labor on your part. No effort, then no help. That is why so many believers continue to commit the same old sins and have the same old shortcomings that they had before they were born again.<br />
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Once you are born again, God isn't suddenly going to show up and magically change you into a non-sinning happy and contented believer. Once you are born again you are still going to have a temper problem so that you still get angry if another person "gets in your face" or cuts you off in traffic. Your still going to succumb to the lure of alcohol. You can be born again 1,000 times and your still going to watch those filthy programs on television.<br />
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The sad truth is that many people who are born again still live in misery. Still are depressed. Still have thoughts of suicide. Still curse people out. Still beat up the kids. Still drink too much. So many born again Christians have to put on that phony face so that it appears to the world that they are happy sinless Christian followers of Jesus Christ.<br />
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So being born again doesn't mean that you are going to stop a single sin that you have been committing. Nor does being born again prevent you from having all those bad and depressing feelings. They are all still going to be there.<br />
It must be a terrible shock to a great many born again believers when they realize that nothing has changed, that their life style is still evil, that they are still committing the same old sins, in fact, they are still sinning just as much now as they were before they were ever born again. They must wonder why in the world did they ever get born again in the first place.<br />
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But what they don't realize is that all being born again does, is tell Almighty God that you really and truly want to change your life around and that you are going to do everything in your power to change. Being born again simply tells God that you no longer want to follow the world but that from now on you want to follow Jesus Christ. It is here that God gives you a new heart, but that new heart is not enough. It is still vitally important for you to change <strong><span>the way you think</span></strong> about most of the things in your life.<br />
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<strong>Romans 12:1-2</strong> tells us what we must do after we become born again believers. "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and <span>acceptable to God</span>. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed <strong><span>by the renewing of your mind</span></strong>, that you may prove to be what is <strong>good</strong> and <strong>acceptable</strong> and <strong>perfect</strong> in the will of God."<br />
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As I mentioned earlier, when you were born again God gave you a brand new Godly heart, as it tells us in the following verse.<br />
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<strong>Ezekiel 36:26-27</strong>. "Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new Spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. <strong>And I will put My Spirit within you</strong>".<br />
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<strong>However, it is when you combine that new heart with a brand new mindset that you will have awesome and incredible Godly changes taking place in your life. For this is when you will suddenly find yourself well on your way to surrendering your entire life over to Jesus Christ</strong>. But renewing your mind involves two things that most people hate to do. Renewing you mind involves a great deal of <strong>work</strong> and <strong>effort</strong>. Renewing your mind takes a great deal of hard work on your part.<br />
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If you think about it, you cannot even start on your road to spiritual growth and spiritual maturity until you have a whole new mindset. You must renew your mind. Remember that your mind is the thing that has control over every single one of your actions. You mind controls your thoughts. Your mind tells your body exactly what to do. It tells your mouth what words to speak. It tells your eyes what to look at. It tells your ears what things to pay attention to and what things to tune out. It tells your brain what to think about. It tells your entire being how to respond in every single situation.<br />
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<strong><span>So until you renew and change your mind, the world and your flesh are still going to control you because your mind is being so greatly influenced by the flesh and by the world</span></strong>. Until you are willing to put your born again experience into daily, minute by minute practice by changing the way your mind looks at everything, you will see little if any improvement in your physical or spiritual lives.<br />
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When you were born again you made the conscious effort to surrender your entire life over to Jesus Christ. That means giving to Jesus complete control over your body, heart, soul, and mind. And in order to do that you must stay in contact with Jesus Christ 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Everything you do has to go through and be approved by Jesus Christ. In other words, if you have a desire to have a few drinks, then first talk to Jesus about it. If you want to watch some filthy programs on TV, first ask Jesus his opinion. If you want to hang around with some godless friends, first ask Jesus what he thinks about it. He will definitely talk to you. He will talk to your heart and mind. He will talk to your moral fiber. He will talk to your character. He will talk to that part of you that wants to lead a Godly life. He will talk very loud and very clearly to everything that goes into making you a child of God.<br />
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And you have to keep on doing this until your mind no longer wants your body to commit that sin. And you do the same thing not only with each sin, but you must do it with each bad memory, each depressing feeling, each and every thing that takes your focus off of God and places it on you and your problems. See what I mean about the hard work and all the effort that it takes to renew your mind? It is certainly not easy to renew one's mind.<br />
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However, when you were born again Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit came to live within you, and they are incredibly powerful forces and their greatest desire is to help you. <strong><span>But</span></strong>, they want to see effort on your part. They need for you to keep the lines of communication open and to make sure that they stay open, and you do this through prayerful conversation with them all day long. Constantly listen for Jesus and the Holy Spirit to speak to your heart, your mind, your conscience, your sense of moral righteousness and fairness, to your sense of what is right and Godly.<br />
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And those times when you do sin, talk to Jesus about it immediately. Ask him to help you analyze why you committed that sin, what are the circumstances that bring that sin on, what is the situation that is present at the beginning of that sin, what are the factors that allow that sin to walk through the doors of your life, and what steps can you take to prevent any future occurrence of that sin. And you have to do this each and every time you sin with each and every sin. And you have to do it over and over and over.<br />
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If a believer does this, then soon the believer will begin to understand the meaning behind a great many verses in the Bible. Verses like 1 Peter 1:14.<br />
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<strong>1 Peter 1:14</strong> "Now that you are obedient children of God <strong><span>do not live as you did in the past</span></strong>. You did not understand then, so you did the evil things you wanted."<br />
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As you can easily see, renewing your mind is not a one time event but rather it is a life long process. It's a lifestyle. That is why the renewing of a person's mind, is only possible for a believer who sincerely wants to live a Godly life. Renewing of the mind is only for the believer who truly wants to surrender their life completely and fully over to Jesus Christ. Renewing of the mind is only for that believer who truly loves change, but only if it is in harmony with the Word of God.<br />
Renewing of the mind is not for the part time Christian or for the Christian who obeys God only when it suits him. Renewing of the mind is a waste of time for those people because there is no hunger or thirst for Jesus Christ in their hearts. Jesus Christ is not at the center of their lives.<br />
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So the important thing when it comes to renewing your mind is to stay in a constant state of prayerful communication with Jesus Christ. You cannot take your eyes off of him for a second. Not in this world. Not when sin is pressing in on you from every conceivable angle. <strong><span>But, if you constantly and continuously keep your focus on Jesus Christ, then sin for the most part will be eradicated from your life</span></strong>.Nenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05865041135444447326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5194776113469322388.post-21061552462341101142011-05-22T19:03:00.000-07:002011-05-22T19:03:37.423-07:00People of Vision<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/> <w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/> <w:OverrideTableStyleHps/> </w:Compatibility> <w:DoNotOptimizeForBrowser/> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div class="MsoPlainText">People of Vision</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">May 18, 2011</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">By Jerry D. Scott</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">Look at the ground; you see rocks. Lift your eyes; you see mountains!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Are you a person of vision? How you live, who you become, and what you leave as a legacy are determined not by chance but by your vision. Let me illustrate this in the ordinary stuff of life.</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">In the here and now, a married man sees a very attractive young woman. But he lifts his eyes and sees his children¹s future, his lifelong integrity with his wife and his eternal relationship with God. He lets that vision lead him past the immediate temptation and keep him from pursuing an inappropriate relationship.</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">An employee struggling to pay her bills knows she could use dishonest accounting procedures to steal company funds. She lifts her eyes beyond the immediate temptation and sees future opportunities for promotion, the ability to sleep peacefully at night with a clear conscience, and chooses to trust God¹s promise for provision.</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">A student sees that a website offers to do the work of preparing that end-of-term project he has not yet completed. He lifts his eyes and sees the character that comes from diligence. He knows if he pushes through long hours of tedium to accomplish his goal and do his own work, he will feel good about the choice and will appreciate his grade as honestly earned.</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">What kind of person do you want to be? The Holy Spirit works deeply in each one of us, inspiring us with greater vision so that the petty temptations and problems of our lives do not consume us.</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">Paul wrote to the Colossian believers: ³We have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves² (Colossians 1:9-13, NIV).</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">The way that passage unfolds excites me. A life worthy of the Lord, full of spiritual fruit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control) flows from knowing what God wants. That¹s vision! Further, we are promised His strength so we can stand against the winds of trial. That¹s provision!</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">Don¹t let your heritage in Christ become about just getting through the day.</div><div class="MsoPlainText">Pray for the ability to see all the way to heaven!</div>Nenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05865041135444447326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5194776113469322388.post-33435709204195807712011-05-22T19:00:00.000-07:002011-05-22T19:00:10.320-07:00Keeping the Squirrels Away<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/> <w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/> <w:OverrideTableStyleHps/> </w:Compatibility> <w:DoNotOptimizeForBrowser/> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div class="MsoPlainText">Keeping the Squirrels Away</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">May 19, 2011</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">By Randy Mantik</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">Debbie enjoys watching the birds that come to a feeder she has hanging outside our back door. According to the package, it is a ³squirrel resistant² bird feeder. (Can I just say right here that the package writer</div><div class="MsoPlainText">lied.)</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">Obviously, the purpose of the feeder is to feed birds. However, when the squirrels found out that an ample supply of sunflower seed was available just a short leap and a jump away, they became instant loyal customers.</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">First we thought we had the problem fixed by taking the screen off the door where they had been climbing to the feeder. That worked for a while until they figured out how to jump from a tree, onto the roof and climb down onto the feeder. To that clever little maneuver, they added learning how to climb up the plastic frame of the door, which by all logic they shouldn¹t be able to climb, and then jumping sideways over to the feeder. While feeding, they hang off of at all angles, like hairy little leeches.</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">As I said, the feeder is for the birds. However, not ones to miss a prime opportunity, the squirrels find a way to snatch the seed. I see in those squirrels a parallel with the way sin and prideful selfishness work in our lives. They sneak in and steal the precious seed of God¹s good work. It takes constant vigilance to keep sin at bay, and Scripture is clear on how we can do it: ³Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you² (James 4:7, NIV).</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">Submitting to God involves more than just coming to an altar and saying, ³God, I make you Lord of my life.² That¹s a start, mind you, but it goes deeper than that. To truly make Him Lord, we must rediscover our purpose in</div><div class="MsoPlainText">life: to glorify God.</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">³The body is not meant for sexual immorality [or any other sin], but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body² (1 Corinthians 6:13).</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">Back to our feeder saga. As of late, the squirrels have begun to leave it alone. Why? Because every time they get up there, we yell at them. Caleb is particularly effective at ³Squirrel Patrol² ‹ a bang on the window, an authoritative yell out the door, and off they go.</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">Picture the same thing with any sin that is hindering your life: ³Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ² (2 Corinthians 10:5, KJV).</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">Get rid of sin. Don¹t tolerate it; chase it away! The battle is mainly fought in our minds. We must continually take an active role in keeping our minds pure. But always remember that we are not alone in the fight. Paul says, ³Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ²</div><div class="MsoPlainText">(2 Corinthians 2:14).</div>Nenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05865041135444447326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5194776113469322388.post-54187157088116418302011-05-22T18:54:00.000-07:002011-05-22T18:54:08.959-07:00Today!<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/> <w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/> <w:OverrideTableStyleHps/> </w:Compatibility> <w:DoNotOptimizeForBrowser/> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div class="MsoPlainText">Today!</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">May 20, 2011</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">By Gary Rogers</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">³Live for the moment² is not necessarily bad advice. As a little boy growing up in a west Tulsa suburb, my focus was on the day that I was living. What will the weather be like today? Will I be able to play outside today? Which of my friends will be able to play with me today? How many different games can we play in the limited time given, and which one should we start with so we make sure and get it in today?</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">Everything was about the moment for me and there was little consideration about tomorrow. Get dirty, make noise and have fun was the objective each day.</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">Naturally, as an adult my concerns changed. It is essential that we work and provide for our families. The physical needs of the household do rest on adult shoulders. Considering the potential needs of tomorrow is required in accepting adult responsibilities today. But concerns can turn into worry.</div><div class="MsoPlainText">Worry can become an obsession that turns to dread. Dread can take the joy and fun out of today. You can be so consumed with what could possibly happen tomorrow that you quit living today.</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">Jesus said, ³Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble² (Matthew 6:34, NKJV).</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">Jesus counsels us to live for the moment. Live today and let tomorrow take care of itself. ³Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.² You need not allow your heart and mind to be filled with a list of negative things that might happen tomorrow. Trust in the Lord. Commit your today and tomorrow to Him and relinquish the your worry and concern.</div>Nenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05865041135444447326noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5194776113469322388.post-76705022032208520232011-05-17T18:10:00.000-07:002011-05-17T18:12:18.410-07:00The Whole Duty of Man<div class="MsoPlainText">The Whole Duty of Man</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">May 13, 2011</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">By George Paul Wood</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">Ecclesiastes 12:9-14 is a summary of all that the Preacher has tried to teach us in the previous chapters. His lessons can be summed up simply</div><div class="MsoPlainText">enough: ³Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man² (v. 13, ESV).</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">By what authority does the Preacher sum up our whole duty in this way? It is not by means of prophetic authority, for the Preacher does not claim to be a prophet. It is not by means of priestly interpretation of the Law, for the Preacher is not a priest. Although the Preacher is a king (1:1), he does not use his royal power to promulgate his message.</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">No, the authority of the Preacher¹s message is the authority of common sense. He is ³wise,² ³weighing and studying and arranging many proverbs with great care² (12:9). His authority is the authority of reason. Many people mistakenly try to oppose faith to facts, revelation to reason. But the Bible teaches us that both can be avenues to truth, if our hearts are pure. Both reason and revelation are ³given by one Shepherd,² that is, God (v. 11).</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">Wisdom such as the Preacher displays is an inherently good thing. It is a ³goad,² encouraging us through ³words of delight² (v. 10) to live well and truly before God. It is like ³nails firmly fixed² (v. 11), providing an indispensable, unchanging support for the good life. Wisdom both initiates change, in other words, and conserves blessings.</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">Wisdom also is simple and eternal. The Preacher contrasts wisdom and ³making many books² (v. 12). Making many books refers to man¹s ongoing effort to understand himself and the world he lives in. Such learning is necessary.</div><div class="MsoPlainText">Often, as with the realm of the hard sciences, we make many new and exciting discoveries. But while knowledge of our DNA changes (thus requiring new books), knowledge of our moral nature does not. It would be foolish to go to a doctor who studied only 17th-century medical textbooks. It would be even greater folly to ignore a moral writer like the Preacher, though he has been dead for millennia. Scientific knowledge changes; moral wisdom does not.</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">So, ³Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.² The notion of fearing God frightens us. We like to think of God as the God of love, not fear, and in a certain sense, He is. But God is so great and majestic, so holy and awe-inspiring, that we small creatures would do well to remember our place in the universe and show due respect for Him and for His Word. Why? ³God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil² (v. 14). A wise person always keeps this truth in mind.</div><div class="MsoPlainText"><br />
</div><div class="MsoPlainText">The Book of Ecclesiastes begins with a statement about the world that is ³vanity of vanities² (1:2), and ends with a statement about the world to come, the ³judgment.² We live between these worlds and must make choices in the former to prepare us for the latter, so choose well. If you follow the Preacher¹s common-sense advice, you will.</div><div class="MsoPlainText"></div>Nenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05865041135444447326noreply@blogger.com0