Tricky

I can't wait until tomorrow comes. I am eager to flip my calendar from October to November and the main reason for this eagerness is because of today: October 31st.

As this day was approaching, I began to think and ask God, "should Christians partake in Halloween festivities?" Well, I got my answer.

Now, let's take just a minute here for a disclaimer. Each Christian has their own walk with the Lord and if He hasn't given you a conviction about Halloween, then that's fine. However, I am going to share a few of things He has shown me and reminded me this week and I personally believe that these are the bare basics for all Christians but that is my own opinion and since this is my blog, here we go...

God is a God of separation.

"Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing: and I will receive you and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty." 2 Corinthians 6:17-18

When you become a Christian you leave some things behind. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 5:17 that you are a "new creature". That means that there are some things you don't do anymore and the verse above calls us Christians to separate ourselves from the world. We are to leave the old, and cleave to Him.

As I've walked through the stores or driven down the streets or even seen on commercials, there is NOTHING holy about this holiday. It's all darkness and focused on evil. These are the exact opposite of Jesus Christ who is called "the Light of the world". Christian, don't you think it is foolish to be meddling in the celebration of darkness when just yesterday (hopefully) you were in church and singing about Christ?

"Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers; for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?" 2 Corinthians 6:14

Except for using it as an opportunity to witness, we ought to have nothing to do with Halloween, Christians. It is not our scene.

"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from the appearance of all evil." 1 Thessalonians 5:21-22

I'm looking forward to tomorrow....one day closer to a true holiday (my favorite holiday) Thanksgiving!

Unloading

Do you ever have one of those days where you just feel a little off? You're not sure what exactly it is but you just don't quite have the same hitch in your giddy-up?

Sunday was one of those days for me. I didn't really feel that great on Sunday and I was tired but it wasn't a bad day, it was really good however there was just something else that was throwing me off.

But then I went to church and we started off the song service with It Is Well With My Soul. (sigh) That hymn can minister and at times be more piercing to the heart than some sermons. We started singing and I was overwhelmed when we reached this line:

My sin, not in part but the whole, is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more

WOOOOOOO HOOOOOOO!!!

I don't have to bear ANY burdens anymore!!

Sometimes, don't you just want to shout with joy for what God has done?! Oh man, sometimes I don't know if I can contain myself. Once we accept Christ as our Savior, we lay ALL of our burdens and sins down and we never have to pick them up and bear them anymore. Who else can offer that?

I haven't gotten over that line all week!

I see people all around me having anxiety or insomnia due to stress. Stress over all kinds of things, stress over everything but we as Christians don't have to bear that burden of stress. We can lay our stresses, our worries, our burdens at the foot of the cross and He will handle them.

"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28

He call us to Him. He wants us to bring our burden and worries to Him. I was thinking about this the other day and I thought of it as though God was saying to me "Don't worry about it, Amy. Let me worry about. Let me handle it. I'll make sure it all works out. You just focus on doing the things I have already given you to do and leave the worrying to me."

I'll tell you what, that was a comfort! I hate making decisions and I hate having to make decisions on my own sometimes. But He just gave me this reminder that I never really do have to make decisions on my own, I can take them to Him, we can discuss it together and if I am patient enough, He'll tell me the right thing to do.

"Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for him" Psalm 37:7

So thankful this week that I can simply rest in Him because He has taken care of all my sins and He will take care of all my worries and burdens.

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

It is well, with my soul,

What are you sharing

Thanks Twitter.

Thanks Facebook.

Before you two came along, I was blissfully ignorant of all the mundane happenings in the lives of my friends and acquaintances. But now, thanks to you, I am continually updated on what they are having for dinner, what movies they are seeing, concerts they are attending and the fact that they often sleep in on Saturdays. Fascinating stuff.

Because of Twitter and Facebook, we have become a culture that I believe shares too much. I don't want to know about arguments between a husband and a wife (and neither does anybody on your friends list by the way). Some information is best to not publicize and yes, posting something on Facebook is publicizing it.

I am not guiltless in this topic as I am aware that there are plenty of things I am sure I have posted that did not need to be posted in the first place. But I got to thinking about how much we share and what exactly it is that we are sharing.

And then it happened. I logged onto Facebook the other night and saw the latest status updates. But something struck me that night, one status update was this:

"Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men." Psalm 107:8

Then not even 5 minutes later, a different friend, who lives across the country updated their status to this:

"Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men." Psalm 107:15

Notice these are actually 2 different verses found in the same great chapter.

It caused me to think though. With all this "sharing" that our culture and society is doing these days, we Christians ought to be sharing this - sharing His Word and sharing our praises to Him.

The verses above are from Psalm 107, which actually has many great verses, including this one:

"Let the redeemed of the Lord say so. whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy." Psalm 107:2

We are to share, but Christian, we need to make sure we are sharing the right information. Now I know we all have our "not-so-good" days but before you update your status with a complaint about how little sleep you got or how lonely you are, take a moment and reflect on not just what He has given you, but focus and ponder who He is.

He is a friend.
He is a comforter.
He is a Father.
He sticks closer than a brother.
He will never leave you.
He always has time for you.

If you have been redeemed by Him and you know Him as your Savior, your Friend, then Christian, come on! Come join me and let us praise Him! Let us use every opportunity we have to praise Him! Praise Him for his wonderful works, for His goodness and most of all just for who He is!

"Heal me, O Lord and I shall be healed, save me and I shall be saved: for thou art my praise." Jeremiah 17:14

Is He your praise?

The greatest...

Do you ever have a desire to do something great?

I sit in a cubicle everyday and talk to people from all across the country about their medical bills and their insurance. Nothing too great about that. But then I read about something great that I can do...

"Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shall love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment."
Matthew 22:36-38

I love how God can keep things so simple for me and my simplistic understanding. I heard this verse on the radio today and it was like a light switch was turned on in my mind.

If I want to do something great, not for myself but for His glory and honor, well, then all I have to do is love Him with all my heart, soul and mind...everything else (including "great" things) will fall into place as He sees fit.

You can dance if you want to...

"And David danced before the LORD with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod." 2 Samuel 6:14

Do you ever have one of those days where you just want to dance? When your happiness in Him is overflowing and it's almost as though you can't contain it?

Now I know I am not the only one. The Bible says in Ecclesiates 3:4 "A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance." So I know that there is a time to dance. I can't think of a better time than when you are happy in the Lord.

That's what David did. You read through the Psalms and when David was happy or celebrating or even worshiping, dance was involved. Now, please understand I am not suggesting dancing during the next song service at church, I am simply stating that I have noticed in my reading lately the use of dance.

David danced before the Lord in song and celebration and praise to Him and it pleased the Lord. Maybe we can learn something from that. Maybe we can apply a bit of that to our own lives and break the mold a little and be a little bold the next time the Holy Spirit moves us.

Even if you are not the type to have any desire to dance (even if it is before the Lord and no one else), we can still be encouraged to be sure we are praising Him and not just for the great things He has done for us, but simply just for who He is!

So whether it be dance, or song and simple humility, let us take some time this week to praise God and do our best to please Him.

Challenges

Whew!

Boy oh boy! It has been a jam packed 2 weeks. Missions conferences, family pictures and my sister and brother in law visiting fresh off their survey trip to Mongolia! What a few weeks it's been!

I love church meetings, especially Missions Conferences and this year we were blessed to have Brother Mike Fluech and his family here. They are missionaries to Malawi and South Africa. There is just something about getting away from life and the world and work and getting together night after night with your church family, singing sweet soul-stirring songs and hearing some good preaching from the Word of God. Special things happen during special meetings. Lives are changed and decisions are made during these meetings.

God challenged me during this conference. Each night the sermon was different yet there was one idea that kept pricking at me each night. They preached about not sitting on the bench, just go out and try doing something for God, don't put boundaries around God, He can do anything and He just might want to do something special through you.

Then yesterday we had Brother Adrian Dominguez here. He didn't know what Brother Fluech preached on but he preached about Christians not giving excuses and to use the talents that God has given you, don't focus on what talents others may have but focus and use those talents He has given you.

Well, after sitting under that preaching (consistent preaching) and God continually tugging on my heart, I have no other choice but to lay this talent on His alter. I have to give it to Him.

I know my limitations, my short-comings, my capabilities but God knows all those too and yet, He is stilling tugging away at my heart and always bringing up this challenge...telling me to do it...just try it.

I don't want to give God boundaries. I want to do something great for Him. Heck, I just want to do something for Him, anything for Him...and pray that it may bring Him glory.

So, Christian or reader of this here blog, I ask that you please pray for me as I lay this challenge down and give it to God and see what He would like me to do with it. I also ask that you pray for yourself, take at look at the talent or talents that He has given you. Don't waste them, Christian. Use them for His glory! Don't put God in a box! Don't limit God! He's surprise you! Let Him do great things for you, all you have to do is be willing.

"I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." Philippians 2:13

Silent Christians

Another month rolls around and I find myself feeling obligated to apologize for the lack of posts on this site. I wouldn't be surprised if no one reads these anymore as it seems like forever since my last post. I could blame it on the busyness of my recent schedule, or the writer's block that grips my fingers when I log in and have a staring contest with the blank white screen. But let's be honest here, any excuse is just that: an excuse.

But tonight, I have something to write about. I can't seem to shake this thought that God gave me tonight.

Tonight was the opening service of my church's annual Missions Conference. For those of you who may be unfamiliar with this kind of event, we set aside a few days out of the week (Wed - Sunday) and have church services every night. Yes, you read that correctly, EVERY night. The guest speakers are missionaries. Men, women and families who at one point in time, sat in a pew each week too but then God decided to use them, take them to a foreign country to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ to people who may have never before heard of his name.

This year we are blessed to have the Fleuchs with us. They serve God in Malawi and South Africa. Brother Fleuch was preaching about how missions is basically soul-winning and then he continued to talk about great soul winners throughout history. He then began to narrow it down to the greatest soul winner of all time : Satan.

He talked about "wide is the gate that leadeth to destruction, and many there be that go therein" and how Satan has blinded the lost, how he has blinded people from seeing their need for Jesus Christ. Then he talked about how we (Christians) help the Devil with this. We help by not saying anything. We help by not giving out a gospel tract to the barista who fill our coffee mug every morning, or the attendant at the gas station we fill up at once a week or even our own uncle, or dad or brother.

That's when I got this haunting thought:

The road to Hell is lined with silent Christians.

I wonder, Christian, if we will be silent. If we will be silent on that day of judgment, as we stand and watch our loved ones, our co-workers, our best friends stand before God only to realize that they - just like everyone else (myself included) have come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Will we be silent as they are carried away, away from His presence, led to the edge and then tossed into the lake of fire and ever- lasting torment. Will we be silent, Christian, as they scream while falling deeper and deeper into the flames and torturing heat?

If we wouldn't be silent then, why should we be silent now? Now is when there is time to change their destination! Now is the appointed time! Now is not too late!

"Awake to righteousness and sin not: for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame." 1 Corinthians 15:34

Get up, Christian! Speak out! Seize the day for the Lord! Carpe Diem Domino!

If you are reading this and are unsure of where you would spend eternity if you died TODAY, then please think about it. Send me an email or call me and I would be more than happy to show you out of the Word of God about how you can know for sure (yes, that is a 100% guarantee!) that you will go to Heaven when you die or click on the FREE GIFT page of this site. If you have any questions though, please contact me. It's your soul. It's eternity. it's important.

Christian, don't be a silent Christian, standing on the sideline, allowing lost souls to enter into Hell while you have duct tape over mouth. Get out there, tell the world about Jesus and what He has done for you! Is He not worthy?