The Seed of Abraham

Photo by Starr Environmental 

The story of Abraham and Sarah (or Abram and Sarai, before God changed their names), is rich with history and with present-day meaning for Christians. There is so much in the story of the "Father of Faith" that it would probably take a life time to study it and ferret out all of the symbolism and meaning. But there are a few things about this story that the Holy Spirit wanted to make sure I didn't miss today. 

This might not be anything new and earth shattering to you, after all, there isn't anything new in scripture. It was all written thousands of years ago. But every now and then, I hear or read something that I never heard or read before -- at least not the same way.

We know that the Kingdom of God works on the principle of seed, time and harvest; sowing and reaping.

 "So is the kingdom of God, as if a man 
should cast seed into the ground..."

~Mark 4:26 

The 4th chapter of Mark and the 8th chapter of Luke explains how this works -- and correlates the seed with the Word of God. Not only is Jesus the Word of God (John 1:14 "The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us...") but he was also the seed of Abraham (Galatians 3:16 "And to thy seed, which is Christ.").

No Options!

the liberator by dbking

Few weeks ago pastor Susan Allen taught a lesson on "Beating the Odds". My apologies in advance for my almost plaigiaristic post.

In the information age it is so easy to stumble over statistics, facts and figures. The odds are that a certain percentage of people will develop cancer, get the flu this season, die in a car accident, get divorced, etc. We live with an almost constant stream of negative programming from the entertainment industry, from.the medical community, law enforcement officials, the news media, even well-meaning friends and family are eager to tell us what the odds are that we cannot succeed, and they usually let us know that the odds are stacked against us. 

How do we tip the scales in our favor? 

Why?

Tears are tasteless by magyarsh

In the blink of an eye, everything can change. Often, we look at the things that happen in our lives and the lives of others, and inevitably someone asks the question...

"Why?"

When You Pray

"But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly."

~Matthew 6:6

I've been struggling with the events of a week ago. Especially, I've been struggling with opinions, beliefs, cause and effect, the cultural changes that have taken place in America...

One Nation Under God

American Flag at Half Mast by brianDhawkins

As the news broke on Friday about the school shooting in Connecticut,my first instinct was to pray. I worked for the rest of the day with live news coverage playing in the background on my computer.

Let me apologize at the beginning for what will likely be a rambling, disjointed, opinionated and passionate post.

We have had school shootings in the United States before, but not like this. Not in an elementary school with such young, innocent children.

All Your Need

Carl Walks Closer to the "Falling Down" House by Old Shoe Woman

It seems as though the last several years have been challenging ones for me. But, through every challenge, I have never had to go without.'

Waiting for Isaac

Katrina, Courtesy of NASA

Have you ever seen those Christians who, like Nancy Kerrigan, ask "Why me?" When disaster strikes? Something inside me wants to ask, "Who would you rather this had happened to?"

I understand the questioning. There have been times in my life that it seemed I was hit simultaneously on all fronts with problems, disasters and heartache. And I will also be honest and admit that there have been times when I have wondered why. Not that I believed God brought these problems into my life, I know He's a good God and that anything evil doesn't come from Him. But I would wonder why He allowed them. I would give Him my best Nancy Kerrigan prayer through my tears and ask "Why me?" as if I thought someone else was more deserving of sorrow and pain and struggle than I was. 

Take No Thought

"Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air; for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking though can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow, they toil not, neither do they spin; And yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to  morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knowest that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof."~Matthew 6: 25-34

Take no thought... It's important to realize what Jesus is saying here. He isn't telling us not to think ahead, he isn't telling us not to plan for the future. The word "thought" in this passage is the Greek word merimnaō which means to be anxious about, or worry. What Jesus is telling us is that God has my back, he's watching over me, he will provide for me, he is my Jehovah Jireh.

I See Rain, Lots and Lots of Rain

(Laughing in the Rain (c) Greything via Creative Commons @ Flickr.com)

Walking by faith. It's sometimes easier said than done. I love my church. Have I said that lately? I don't go to one of those "feel good" kind of churches that perks you up so that you can have a good attitude for a week and then come back for a refill when the feeling wears off.

We have some light messages, but the vast majority of them are designed to convict you and point you in the direction of living more Christ-like and less narcissistic and selfish. The lessons are also heavily centered on responsibility -- personal responsibility for your circumstances, and responsibility as a steward for everything you have dominion over, which would be... well, everything if I read the creation story right.

Roaring Like a Lion

(Roar (c) iam_photography flickr.com Creative Commons License)

My God's not dead, He's surely alive

He's living on the inside, roaring like a lion.

Catchy tune, but some questionable lyrics. 

I has been my pleasure since Friday night to attend the Supernatural Lifestyle Conference with Kevin Dedmon. There is one more session in a couple of hours at the Fellowship of Christians here in Russellville, Arkansas.

I had never heard of Kevin Dedmon before, and I don't attend FOC regularly. But, they frequently host some extraordinary events, and this is another one of them. I haven't noticed a single thing Kevin Dedmon has said that doesn't line up with God's Word. If I had, I wouldn't have attended every session. 

This definitely is not one of those conferences where you sit back in comfortable anonymity, take notes, and get educated. This is experiential, hands on, in your face training in spiritual warfare.

God of Abundance

"Overflowing Hospitality" PhotosByDavid under Creative Commons License

I am a God of abundance. I will never run out of resources; My capacity to bless you is unlimited. You have access to as much of Me as you have faith to receive. Rejoice in My abundance--living by faith, not by sight.

~Sarah Young, Jesus Calling

It is so easy to lose our perspective when we take our eyes off of God and look at our circumstances instead. We get caught up in what we see and, while those are facts, those things exist, they are not Truth. 

And, the real problem is that what we concentrate on, what we look at, what we think about, tends to grow. So, if you are worried about a lack of finances and concentrating on that, you are, in effect, watering that plant of lack so that it will grow.

Who do you think you are?

"Tornado" (c) Jmos via Creative Commons License; Flickr.com

I'm a big believer in faith. The Bible says that without faith, it's impossible to please God. I study faith, I listen to faith ministers, and I attend a full-gospel faith church.

But, I have to tell you, there is something odd about some of the people in the "faith movement". You know the ones I'm talking about. I'm sure you've met some of them.

They are the ones who shake their heads and tsk, tsk, when a fellow church member faces a challenge in his or her life. They huddle together in a corner wondering what sin Suzie committed to bring such a disaster into her life. Or they wonder how Bob and Sharon failed in raising their children, because they just didn't turn out right and always seem to be getting into trouble. Or they think it's a crying shame that Dave's faith wasn't strong enough to prevent his illness.

I'm certainly not going to tell you that I have it all figured out, because I don't. But, I can tell you that there are some things I do know.

I know that when bad things happen to us, they don't come from God.

"The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." 

~ John 10:10

There really shouldn't be any question in the mind of a Christian as to who steals, kills and destroys. You can only give what you have, and I'm pretty sure God doesn't have a storehouse of evil to torture us with for any purpose. God doesn't send us bad things to teach us, or train us, or strengthen us, or test us. What He has to give is life more abundantly.

I also know that trouble comes to everyone.

Don't think for one minute that you can ever develop your faith to the point that you won't have any problems in this life. Do you really think that's possible? What about the apostles? Do you think their faith was undeveloped? Look at the life of Paul and his "light afflictions" that are far worse than most of us will ever experience. Would you say that he was not a man of faith?

And, if the example of Paul isn't enough, consider Jesus, the Christ, the only begotten son of God. Do you think he lacked faith? Look at what he suffered. Surely if faith alone could prevent bad things from happening, the Bible would tell a completely different story.

In fact, this is what Jesus told us:

"These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."

~John 16:33  

I want to really dissect this verse. He begins by saying "These things I have spoken unto you."  What are the things he had just said? He had just told them that He was going away so that the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, could come. He said that we should ask and we would receive so that our joy would be full, and that whatever we ask the Father in His name and will be given to us. He said that in him, we would have peace, or tranquility.

And, just as life wasn't a rose garden for Paul, or Stephen, or Peter, or Jesus, he tells us "In the world ye shall have tribulation". Just in case you have any doubt in your mind about what tribulation means, this is the Greek word thlipsis, and it's bad. It means: affliction,anguish, burdened, persecuted, tribulation, trouble. As a noun, it means: to crush, press, compress, squeeze, break; pressure, compression; distress, calamity, persecution; heavy, burdensome weight, agitation, disturbance.

This is Jesus speaking. These words are written in red in my Bible, and probably in yours as well.

But, don't despair. Look what they are followed by: a three-letter word "but". "But" is a conjunction, and it means simply that Jesus wasn't finished talking. "But be of good cheer." This is the Greek word tharseo, which means to have courage, or to take comfort. (Interesting, in that He has just promised to send "the Comforter".)

Why are we to have courage, take comfort and be of good cheer? Because, Jesus said, "I have overcome the world." Overcome is from the Greek word nikao, to subdue, conquer, overcome, prevail, get the victory.

He has stripped evil of its power and ability to harm us. Oh, it can still come upon us, but it can't destroy us.

Remember the story of the two houses: one built on the sand, and the other built on a strong foundation. The storms pounded both of the houses. The house built on sand was destroyed. But the house built on the firm foundation, the house that was fortified by faith, the house that was filled with the Comforter, stood strong.

I wish I could tell you that when you surrender your life to God and make Jesus your Lord and Savior, that your life will be filled with nothing but good. But, I can't.

What I can tell you is that God is faithful.

"For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee."

~Isaiah 41:13

I can also tell you that no matter what happens, it will be alright. I've read the end of the story, and it's a happy one.

"I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."

~Philippians 4:13  

Putting it in Print

My book "Standing in Faith: How to Keep the Faith When Things Look Bad" is now available at amazon for Kindle http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007U9T1WC

If you are a member of Amazon Prime, you can borrow my book from the lending library for free. If you don't have a prime account, the cost of the book is $4.97.  If you do read my book, I'd appreciate a review (good, bad or indifferent!); it will help me know what people are looking for before I publish volume 2.

Lessons from the Past

2012: A Year of Thanksgiving and Praise

Day 16: Today, I'm Thankful for Lessons of the Past

Today is Martin Luther King, Jr. day. The banks and post offices were closed. Some offices were closed. But many of us went to work just like any other day.

I was a young girl when Martin Luther King, Jr. was killed. It was a brutal, deadly time in American History. It seemed we went from one tragedy to another.

President John F. Kennedy was assassinated on November 2, 1963.
Lee Harvey Oswald was killed on national television 22 days later, November 24, 1963.
Bobby Kennedy was killed on June 5, 1968.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated only 5 days later, June 10, 1968.

It was a lot for a small child to take in.

Health

2012: A Year of Thanksgiving and Praise

Day 5: I'm thankful for health.

There is nothing like not having something to really appreciate it when you do have it. For the majority of my life I have been "as healthy as a horse", as the old saying goes. I was raised in one of those families that just didn't get sick. We didn't miss work or school due to illness, because we just weren't ever ill.

Sure, we would get an occasional case of the sniffles, but nothing ever kept us down.

Light

Day 2: Today I am thankful for Light.  

Of course, this can have a whole variety of meanings... Thankful for the light of day. As I often do, especially on mornings when I don't have to get up at a particular time to go somewhere (work, church, etc.), I hit the snooze button when the alarm goes off at 5:00 am, and allow the light to wake me up (usually around 7:00 am). It's a wonderful, peaceful way to start the day. At some point, I would love to have my life and work reach the point where this can just be my normal routine.

2012: a Year of Thanksgiving and Praise

The first day of the new year. I must say I'm glad to have 2011 behind me, and looking forward to 2012.


One of my Facebook friends posted their declaration for the new year and thought I would make my own. I have decided to declare 2012 a Year of Thanksgiving and Praise. 


So, on Day One of the new year, I'm thankful for new beginnings. I'm thankful that I have a New Year in which I can imagine and create what I want for my life. I'm thankful that I have the promises of God's Word to back up my desires, and there is no better guarantee than that possible anywhere, anytime.

What Are You Afraid Of?

Have you ever noticed that the things you believe in you usually also feel strongly about? They are tied to an emotion, either good or bad. 

You know the old saying, never discuss religion or politics. Why not? Because generally speaking, people have strong feelings about those subjects and discussions frequently turn into arguments that have bee known to tear apart family and friends.


So, what does this have to do with faith? 


I think that often our emotions give us a big clue as to whether or not we really believe, or have faith in, what we profess (or confess). 

Guarding Your Heart

It's hard to believe it's been two months since I've posted. Life intervened... I had a health issue that had literally grown out of all proportion and needed to be addressed, as well as a variety of messes in my personal life that I  couldn't put off any longer. But, I'm back! Today, with a lesson on why bad things sometimes happen to us.


If you are anything like me, you probably wonder why, when you go to church, study God's Word, try to live a good life, practice kindness, mercy, love and grace, tithe, eat right, exercise -- why do bad things happen to me?  And why does it sometimes seem to follow the old adage "when it rains it pours?"


It's easy to blame the enemy, and see everything that goes wrong in our life as a direct attack. But, I think we give the devil too much credit when we do this.

Receiving the Promises Through Faith

"Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is everyone that hangeth on a tree: That the blessings of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith."
~ Galations 3:13-14


Redeemed is from the Greek word "exagorazo"; to ransom, rescue, purchase out, buy up from the possession or power of someone, to set free from service or bondage. 


What a powerful word that is!  We are no longer bound by the curse of the law but set free by grace. How many of us grew up thinking that we could somehow earn our salvation or earn the promise of the blessings that God's Word holds for us? I know I did -- or at least, I thought I was supposed to be able to. Of course, I always fell short so I always thought that I didn't deserve and couldn't receive the promises because I wasn't "good enough".


The problem is, we can never be "good enough". The good news is, we don't have to be.