Category: Faith

Otis (The Runaway Dog)

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Our dogs were use to being able to run free in Mississippi.  We lived in the middle of a National Forest consisting of thousands of acres.  But now their environment is somewhat different.  Annie is confined to a small backyard and leashed walks around the neighborhood.  Otis (Abigail’s Maltese) has free range of the house as well as the backyard.  However, in the one month we’ve lived here Otis has escaped several times.  The little fugitive will slip out the front door when no one is looking.  We’ll send out a search party and find him wandering all over the neighborhood.  The scenario has quickly become old.

A few days ago Otis attempted to runaway again.  I caught him this time at the next door neighbor’s house.  When I called for him, he looked at me in disdain.  He had no intentions of returning home until he had made his rounds.  Determined to not be outwitted by a dog I said the magic word – TREAT.  “Otis, Do you want a treat?”  Would you believe that he was in the kitchen before I could turn around?  He sat with his tail wagging and eyes fixed upon the cabinet where treats are found.

As I was sharing this story with my husband this morning, he made a profound statement.  He said, “How many times are we just like Otis?  When our Master calls we ignore Him and do what we want to do, that is, until there is hope for a blessing.”  I know this has been true in my life.  Often my obedience is based on the amount of blessings I expect to receive.  While we are promised blessings through obedience, (A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you this day, Deu 11:27) should that be our only motive?  Psalms 32 paints a striking picture of the relationship between us and our Master.  “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye. Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee, Psalm 32:8-9.  What exactly is the Lord saying here?  Simply put I believe He is saying that we should not act like a dumb animal that must be bribed or enticed to come near.  Our eyes should be fixed upon Him and not upon what He can give us.  Scripture tells us to seek Lord’s face (I Chronicles 16:11, 2 Chronicles 7:14, Psalms 24:6, Psalms 27:8, Psalms 105:4, Proverbs 7:15, Hosea 5:15) not His hands.  Yet, many times I come to Him seeking only what He can give.

 I am thankful that my Master is much more understanding than Otis’ master.  This dog is in the doghouse!  He is not in good graces with me.  But I can learn something from him.  His actions can serve as a great reminder.  Lord, help me to seek Your face.  Help me to draw near.  Help mine eyes to stay fixed upon You.  And let my obedience come from a heart’s desire to please You in all things.

 “Unto thee lift I up mine eyes, O thou that dwellest in the heavens. Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the LORD our God, until that he have mercy upon us, Psalm 123:1-2.

I’m All In (CD Give-A-Way)

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 Those of you who have followed my writings know how I feel about music.  God designed it to stir your soul.  Music will either stir your soul toward God or away from Him.  This week as my family and I have listened to Robert Pierre’s newest album, I’m All In, our hearts have been stirred toward God!

 Robert is a very talented young man. In addition to writing, recording, and playing on a summer tour, he also leads regular Sunday morning worship at his church.  And he’s done it all as a high school senior.  I’m All In is his third studio album and is set to release tomorrow (July 26th).

 I’m All In is a collection of enthusiastic songs filled with the deep truths of God.  For example, my favorite on the album is Who R U.  There is a theological term found in the Scriptures known as antithetical parallelism.  God’s Word is full of antithesis.  “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life” Romans 6:23.  “Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins” Proverbs 10:12.  “Depart from evil, and do good” Psalm 37:27.  All through Scripture opposites are clearly revealed:  life and death, love and hate, good and evil, saved and unsaved, narrow way and broad way, blessed and cursed, wise and foolish, fruitful and withered, etc.  Robert expounds of this concept throughout his song.  He sings,

 You’re either hot or your cold – either yes or your no – will you stay or will you run – who will you become – you’re either in or you’re out – either soft or your loud – when He calls for His own – I want to be known                                                                                               

My husband says this is great “driving music”.  His favorite song is “Stranger In This Land.”

This world will try to shut me down – Push and shove me to the ground – but I’ve been covered by the blood of Christ – I am His and He is mine – I may be hated but this ain’t my town – persecuted constantly beat down – but there’s a joy in the suffering – cause He is my identity – I’m not of this world – I’m a stranger in this land

 I am giving away a copy of Robert Pierre’s I’m All In to one of my readers.  Just leave a comment and one week from the release date (Tuesday, August 2nd) I will draw a winner and have a copy sent to you.  Tell your friends and increase your chance to win.  Leave separate comments for each posting on social media (face book, twitter, blogs, etc) for additional entries.

 Disclaimer:   I received “I’m All In” to review in exchange for an honest product review.   I do not receive any other form of compensation for the reviews posted on this blog.

Book Reviews

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I recently finished my third book, From the Mouth of Babes. The review are trickling in and it has been a humbling experience.   I wanted to share a few of them with my faithful readers.

Full Circle Homeschooling

The Bishop’s Wife 

The McClanahan 7

We Love to Homeschool 

Through the Calm and Through the Storm

Over the past year I have had many opportunities to review various books, curriculum, music, and such. It is an honor when a person asks you to take a peek into their work and offer your honest opinion. But like anything else, until you have walked on the other side, you cannot comprehend all it holds. Unless you have done it, it is hard to understand what it is like to pour yourself into a work and have others critique it.  I greatly appreciate the time and engery from these reviewers.

Packing Tape, U Hauls, and Friends

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Moving is bitter/sweet.  Something about packing up, saying good-bye, and building a new life is always difficult. Hence, the bitter part. However, we have complete peace (that passes all understanding) about this transition in our lives.  It is exciting to know that you are in the will of God, that He has great things in store, and that the future is secure.  That is the sweet part!

I must say that God is good…all the time!  He has provided for us above and beyond all our needs and even our wants.  He has upheld his servants and protected our family.  He has answered specific prayers precisely.  He has brought into our lives the most precious friends who are there for us exactly when we need them the most.  Many of these friends will be here this week with us.  We will be working hard, packing, telling stories, laughing, and crying.  We might even find the time to take a break over a cup of coffee or two.  And at the end of the week, we will say good-bye.

I know in my heart that it is very likely that some of our friends we will not see again this side of heaven.  But we will see them again.  I’m reminded of the 4th verse in the song Blest Be the Tie.  It goes like this: “When we asunder part, It gives us inward pain; But we shall still be joined in heart, and hope to meet again.”

Pray for our family this week.  I believe in the power of prayer!  And to all my family and friends reading this, here is my prayer for you…

“For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.”  (Eph 3:14-21)

Lessons from Jesus

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 “Jesus, didn’t you know your words would offend them?”  Obviously, the disciples reasoned, if the Lord knew that the truth he spoke would offend then he would not have spoken it, right?  No, our meek and lowly Jesus still spoke the truth even when he knew it would offend the hearers.

 The story I am referring to is one that was covered Sunday in our women’s class taken from Matthew 15.  The scribes and Pharisees came to Jesus accusing the disciples of breaking the tradition of the elders by not washing their hands before eating.  Jesus answered the accusation by asking the religious why they would break the commands of God by their traditions.  There are many lessons in this text.

The first lesson is that we better be careful when we accuse other Christians.  Simply put, Revelations 12:10 tell us that Satan is “the accuser of the brethren”.  Unless we want to line ourselves up with him we should consider every accusation carefully.

 Another lesson learned is this.  The truth will offend those who oppose it.  Those that are blind and walk in darkness hate the light.  Those that love wickedness and evil hate all that is good and wholesome.  Those that love lies hate the truth.  And those with sinful, hypocritical hearts hate it when their hypocrisy is revealed.  But, the Bible in Psalms 119:165 says that, “Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.” If you love the Words of God you will not be offended when truth is spoken.  I think that is the reasons so many are offended today, even professing Christians.  They simply do not love the Words of God.  Oh, they will say they believe the Bible and that they love God’s Words but when it comes down to it their actions declare loudly that they do not.  Great peace waits for those who love God’s law.  There sure are a lot of Christians walking around today without God’s perfect peace that passes all understanding.

 There are many other lessons from this story.  And if you haven’t read it lately why don’t you make a point to read Matthew 15 today.  But the final lesson I want to share is found in verse 12-14.

 “Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying? But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up. Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.”

 Jesus declares what will happen to those who refuse to hear His Words. They will be rooted up…  “Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.” (Mat 7:19-21)

 He also said to “let them alone…”  There is a principle of not casting pearls before swine (Matthew 7:6) and shaking the dust off your feet (Luke 9:5).  Sometimes people will just not hear.  Their ears are stopped.  Jesus had a perfect ministry.  He was the perfect preacher.  Every word he spoke was perfect and many still did not hear Him.  Many refused to listen.  Why do we think that as (imperfect) Christians that everyone will listen to us?  Why do we think that just because we have the truth that people will understand?  Only those with open eyes and ears to hear will listen to the truth.  Only those who love the law of God will not be offended by His Word.  Proverbs 23:9 says, “Speak not in the ears of a fool: for he will despise the wisdom of thy words.”

 He explained that they are blind leading the blind…  “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” (2Co 4:3-4)

 If the stories we read from Scripture do not have practical application to our lives today, they are just stories.  But God’s Word is much more than just stories.  It is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword (Hebrews 4:12).  And it is given by inspiration of God for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16).

 Those that love the law and have ears to hear, let the precious Word of God mold and shape you and give you perfect peace.  And may the lessons from our Lord encourage us to keep standing on His truth.

Women of Worth

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It’s Monday but not your typical one.  It is the Monday after spending four days on the beach in Gulf Shores with a group of amazing women I just met.  I had a great time at our Women of Worth Retreat! 

Physically, my sunburn has now turned into a nice golden tan.  But my body is tired.  Surprisingly, sitting at the pool and on the beach is draining.  I didn’t realize that resting could be so pleasantly exhausting.  Of course my fatigue might be due to the eight hours I spoke this weekend.  But I really had a lot of time for relaxing.  In fact, in between our sessions I was able to start and finish a book I had brought to read.  That is my idea of a peaceful weekend.  

Emotionally, I am glad to be home.  I missed my family.  Four days without my husband and children was a first for me.  And four days without me was a first for them.  We all made it and although I have always felt like my husband and children appreciate me, I really feel appreciated now!  Last night when my husband picked me up the children were helping out at a local VBS so Dana took me to Hattiesburg for a nice quiet dinner.  When we picked the children up they about knocked me over. 

Spiritually, my spirit is soaring. We had a very uplifting time in the Word of God.  As we studied several examples of Women of Worth we all grew closer to the Lord.  I spoke on women who seek wisdom, women who diligently work, women who are not weary in well-doing, women who faithfully witness, and women who reverently worship.  It was a time of honesty and an opportunity to be real without judgment.  It was a time of prayer and worship.  It was a time of exhortation and encouragement.  

I thank my dear friend, Angela and her church for the invitation.  I thank my family for parting with me.  And I thank the Lord for the opportunity to be used and for His divine guidance and protection these last few days.  And I am thankful that in Christ I can be a Women of Worth! 

Thursday night after the second group of ladies arrived at the condo some of them were anxious to check out the water. 

One night (way into the night) our room played a game of Phase Ten.  The following night we played a dice game called Farkle until 1 a.m.  (Sorry, there will be no pictures of that game!)

A few women hanging out before one of our sessions… 

Heading to dinner one night.  I had some great seafood on this trip.

9 of the 16…..dinner and shopping.   

Some pictures need no explanation. 

Here are the ladies that were in my condo. 

“The Best Gift” skit and our last session…

Packing up… 

One last picture of Kim, Kim, Kim, and Kim. 

Hitchhikers

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I have never picked one up.  It’s not that I do not want to offer a ride to someone who needs one.  I just know better.  But I always wonder about a person on the side of the road who is hitchhiking.  Where are they going? Where have they been? How did they end up on the street? What would it feel like to be completely dependent upon others to get you from one place to the next?  Would it be hard to trust people?

I’ve been encountering a lot of hitchhikers lately.  These hitchhikers are of a different sort.  They are hitchhiking Christians.  These are the people who depend upon others for their spiritual growth.  They want a free ride.  They will cling to their family’s Christian heritage and not build one for themselves.  When it comes to learning the Scriptures, they will ride along on the spiritual knowledge of someone else.  They do not read the Bible for themselves.  They do not pray as they should.   They do not study to show themselves approved.  Instead they ride from Sunday to Sunday on the preachers words.  They ask others to pray and never spend time on their knees.  They take what others have studied for themselves, never checking to see if it is true.

When you faithfully attend church and hear weekly sermons it is very easy to hitchhike your way through life.  Yes, it is easy but very dangerous!  One reason it is dangerous is because when it comes to eternity we will not be able to hitchhike our way into heaven.  Each man and woman must stand in judgment before God alone.  Your church membership will not be able to stand with you.  Grandma’s sweet prayers will not be there either.  A Christian heritage will not make a difference.  Our only hope is the One who traveled the road before us and paved the way – Jesus Christ the Righteous.  It is in Him alone that we have access to the Father.

When it comes to spiritual growth, a hitchhiking Christian doesn’t get very far down the road either.  I know because I’ve been one.  My husband came into the faith at 19 years old.  He knew nothing about Scripture.  Early in our marriage he would ask questions like, “Why do you believe this…?”  My answer was simply because that was what I was taught.  In other words, my beliefs were not really mine.  I just took what someone else believed and rode alone with them.  Many of the things I believed were truth.  But it was not until my husband challenged me to know what I believe and why I believe it that the truth became mine.   Then there were those things that I thought I believed and when I began to search out the Scriptures I discovered that I really didn’t believe it.  When I finally began to search out the Scriptures for myself the Word of God became a powerful force in my life.  It became alive.  And I started growing in my faith.

Do you remember the story of the Berean church?  The Apostle Paul, with Silas, came to Berea to preach the gospel in Acts 17.  Paul was God’s man.  God had anointed him in a powerful way.  He wrought miracles everywhere he went.  He preached with authority.  And God would use him to write more books of the Bible than any other.  However, when he came to Berea the believers there “searched the scriptures daily” to see if the things he taught them were true.  They did not hitchhike along on Paul’s knowledge.  They studied for themselves.  And God called them “more noble” because they received the word with all readiness of mind.

We must be ever diligent in the Scriptures.  We must be careful to not rely upon others for our spiritual growth.  We need to put our thumbs down and quit hitchhiking.  Instead, we need to lace up our shoes and “walk worthy of the Lord… increasing in the knowledge of God,” (Colossians 1:10).

The Wrong Question

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 Many times we go through life asking the wrong questions. I see this often in our culture. The liberals will get people to question whether a woman should have a right to choose an abortion (Pro-choice). That’s the wrong question. The correct question is whether our society should allow women to murder innocent babies (Pro-Death). People will ask if Christians should be allowed to pray in government ran schools. Again, that is the wrong question. The question is should we allow an ungodly government to train and educate our Christian children. When we begin to ask the right questions, all of a sudden we begin to get the right answers.

Have you ever heard anyone say, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” That is the wrong question. In Luke 18 a rich young ruler came to Jesus saying, “Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” Do you remember Jesus’ response? “And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God,”(Luke 18:19). There is none good but God. So, when we ask, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” we are asking the wrong question. The correct question should be, “Why do good things happen at all?”

 Tuesday night our family attended a youth revival. The young man preaching is a friend of our family. He addressed the same thought of asking the wrong questions. The point he made was that many times Christians ask, “Is this a sin?” We will question…

Is it a sin to drink?

Is it a sin to watch this movie?

Is it a sin to say this?

Is it a sin to date this person?

Is it a sin to (fill in the blank)?

Again, this is the wrong question. Instead of asking if something is a sin what we should be asking is, “Is this holy?” You can ineffectively debate whether drinking is a sin but when you ask the correct question of “Is drinking holy?” you get a clearer answer. What about asking if this movie we are about to watch is holy? Is what I’m about to say holy? Is this relationship holy? Is what I am doing holy? And so on…

With the correct question, all of a sudden the perspective changes. It is easy to justify certain behavior when we approach it from a, “Is this really a sin?” attitude. However, if we approach our lifestyle, our conduct, our words, and our inner motives from the thought of, “Is this holy?” it becomes impossible to justify those questionable activities. Children of God are called to examine their life (2 Corinthians 13:5). We should ask the Lord to search our hearts (Psalm139:23). And we need to be seeking out wisdom by asking the right questions (James 1:5).

“Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy,” (1Peter 1:13-16).

A 360 Degree Turn

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 One of my favorite verses is found in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” It truly is an amazing concept. From the moment of salvation we become completely different creatures. Old things are passed away and all things become new. I believe the Bible. I know many of you reading this make the same claim. We believe that God has opened our eyes, turned us from darkness to light, and made us sons and daughters of the Most High. Being crucified with Christ, we no longer serve sin but righteousness (Romans 6:6-18). We are not the same as before.

So tell me, how is it possible for a person who claims salvation to sit in church their entire life and never change? How is it that year after year they never spiritually grow? How can a person who was saved 20, 30, or 40 years ago not know more Scripture, Bible doctrine, or Christian principles than when they were first saved? How is it, that in some cases, they are actually worse off spiritually than before?

Time and time again I have seen this. The sad thing is that in some places it has become so commonplace that no one even recognizes it anymore. We have accepted the fact that “some Christians” will never change. I believe that if we would take a deep look at the message that we have been giving people for the last 50 years we would see the problem. It all begins with “Easy Believe-ism”. People have reduced the gospel down to…

“The ABC’s of salvation”

“Raise your hand if you want to go to heaven.”

“Sign this card and join our church”

Or…

“Repeat this sinner’s prayer after me.”

Perhaps at the moment of salvation you did one of these things. And you are thinking, “I know I’m saved.” However, true salvation was not because of this but in spite of it. Easy Believe-ism says that God loves you and wants you to live in Heaven with Him, so if you will just believe in your heart than you will be saved. But it takes more than belief. The devils believe and they tremble. “Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble,” (James 2:19). I have seen people who claim salvation but have never shown any type of filial (reverential or holy) fear toward God.

You see, the problem with this belief is that it completely removes repentance from the equation. Without repentance there cannot be salvation. A friend shared with me about a little girl at her church that had recently been “saved.” Someone asked the little girl if she was happy that she would not have to spend eternity in hell. The little girl said, “I don’t know what you are talking about.” No one had told her about hell. They simply asked her if she wanted to go to Heaven and be with Jesus when she died. They told her to repeat a prayer and then declared her saved. When I heard this my heart broke; because the truth is that if this little girl did not know about hell, she knew nothing about judgment. And if she knew nothing about judgment, than she could not repent of her sins. And without repentance there is never salvation. Now this girl will go through life with a false sense of security. She is worse off than before. She will think she is saved but it will be impossible for her to grow spiritually. She is still in darkness.

Most people have very good intentions when they are trying to win someone to the Lord. But if we are not careful we will sell people a “bill of goods” and not present to them the whole gospel.   The whole gospel requires repentance.  The whole gospel creates completely new creatures.  The whole gospel presents Lordship.  In Luke 14 Jesus said a man should count the cost before becoming a disciple. Yes, salvation is offered free, but once a person is truly saved they will follow their Lord. And being a disciple of Christ will cost everything. “So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple,” (Luke 14:33).

Many times this Easy Believe-ism leads to someone thinking they are saved and getting “on fire for the Lord” only to turn away after some time. It looks as though they have made a 180 degree turn in their life. They are faithful, they read their Bible, they do good works, and they might even witness. But all of a sudden the cares of this world enter in and choke out the word. They drop out of church and go back to their old lifestyle. Their 180 degree turn changes into a 360 degree turn. And they are worse off than before. Consider what II Peter 2:20-21 says, “For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.”

I believe in the security of the believer. Once saved – always saved. It is just that there are many people who are deceived into believing they were once saved. They might sit in church their whole life and never change. Or, they might be faithful for a while. They make that 180 degree turn on their own only to keep on going until they are back around to 360 degrees. But it is important, for the sake of souls, that we understand that the latter end is worse than the beginning.

Dealing with Jesus

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  We have set aside next Sunday to celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord. Our family does not refer to the day as Easter. Nor do we associate with bunnies and Easter eggs. A study on the background of the word and history would explain the reasons why. However, we have chosen to refer to the day as Resurrection Sunday. In fact, every Sunday should be a reminder of our Lord’s resurrection. But this day is set aside as a special day to commemorate this event. I will spend this week preparing my heart by reading the accounts from the gospels of Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. Will your family be celebrating the Resurrection of Christ this next week? If so, how are you preparing your hearts?

My husband’s sermon on Sunday really touched me. It was titled Dealing With Jesus. Taken from Luke 22:47-23:25, the question posed was, “How will you deal with Jesus?” We must all answer this question.

Will we be like Judas who DECEIVES Jesus? (Luke 22:47-48)

Will we be like Peter who DENIES Jesus? (Luke 22:54-62)

Will we be like the Counsel who DOUBTS Jesus? (Luke 22:63-71)

Will we be like Pilate who DELAYS his decision about Jesus? (Luke 23:1-7)

Will we be like Herod who DESIRES a performance from Jesus? (Luke 23:8-11)

Will we be like Pilate who DELIVERS Jesus to be destroyed? (Luke 23:13-25)

My first reaction (and maybe you can relate) was I’m not like any of these people. But after a deep look into my heart I had to acknowledge that at some point in my life I have been like all of these.

While my deception was not as sinister as Judas’, I have tried to deceive my Lord. It usually comes in the form of a prayer. And while my heart cries one thing, the Lord knows me much better than I even know myself. Therefore, it is impossible to deceive Him.

While my denial was not as blatant as Peter’s, I have denied my Lord in times past. This denial usually comes in the form of omission. There are times I should speak out in behalf of my Lord but I refuse. In that refusal I deny Him.

While my doubt is not as ominous as the Counsels, I have doubted my Lord. I have doubted His Word. I have doubted His provisions. I have doubted His faithfulness. This shows up when I worry and fret. When my faith is strong I do not doubt. But when my faith is weak, doubts arise in my heart.

While my delaying is not as much as a hindrance as Pilate’s, I have many times delayed decisions. The Spirit has spoken to my heart to do something. I have read in God’s Word and been convicted toward action. I have prayed and known what God would want me to do. Yet, I have procrastinated. I have delayed my decision. Sadly, we all know that a delayed decision is actually a decision against God. Sometimes, I come back to the will of God. But many times my delay results in missed opportunities and missed blessings.

While my desire to see a performance from God is not quite Herod’s mockery, I have selfishly desired things from Him. Our Heavenly Father does desire us to come to Him with our petitions and request, but how many times have I only come when I wanted something from Him? How many times I have cried out….

“Lord, help me.”

“Lord, bless me.”

“Lord, heal me.”

“Lord, show me.”

“Lord, give me.”

In contrast, how many times I have gone to the Lord when I wanted nothing. How many times have I gone to Him just to praise His wonderful name? How many times have I come into His presence just to be near to Him? My God gives me so much. Blessings flow abundantly from Heaven. But, I had to ask myself, If God never did another thing for me, would I still praise His name? If He never blessed me again, would I still serve Him? If He never answered my prayers, would I still love Him with all my heart? Or, do I only desire a performance? These are hard questions.

 And, while I did not deliver Jesus to death like Pilate, there have been times that I have been guilty of killing the testimony of Christ. I claim to be a Christian. In that claim, I say to the world that I am Christ-like. Yet, when I do not live and act as Christ did I am killing the testimony of Christ.

Lord, you know my heart. My desire is to never deceive, deny, or doubt You. I do not want to delay in the things You would have me to do. And I pray that I lose all selfish desires and that my actions would never attempt to destroy Your name. Merciful Father, thank You for Your abundant grace. Your mercy endures forever!