Category: Character

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Don’t Be Intimidated

For the past number of years we have become keenly aware of bullying or intimidation. Many have been bullied as children and still others as adults. There is a spiritual intimidation that will sideline us if we aren’t aware of it and that is the feeling of unworthiness…

Down through the generations Satan has deceived us and stolen our rightful inheritance. We have been caught in a trap of feeling we have to earn God’s favor. We feel unworthy to receive what He has provided. There is nothing we can do to earn God’s favor and blessings; He gives them freely, that is why it’s called grace.

 If Jesus would have walked the earth feeling unworthy, He never would have had the courage to attempt any of the miracles He did. Jesus knew who He was and what was available to Him. He did what God, the Father, had sent Him to do.

As we begin to realize our position of joint heirs, we will see miracles now. Jesus is no longer walking the earth and if His power is to be seen, it must be seen through us. Jesus is waiting for us to draw upon that power and release it in the earth as He did.  We are to walk boldly and start using the unlimited power that rests upon us!

The only time Jesus could not do any mighty works was when he was with people who didn’t believe in His power as the Son of God.

      “Then Jesus said to them, “People everywhere give honor to a prophet, except in his own town, with his own people, or in his home.” 5 Jesus was not able to do any miracles there except the healing of some sick people by laying his hands on them. 6 He was surprised that the people there had no faith. Then he went to other villages in that area and taught.” Mark 6:4-6 ERV

The same applies today; if we aren’t willing to believe that we are joint heirs with Christ then the work of Jesus will not get done.

One other part of our inheritance mentioned in Romans 8 is that we share in Jesus’ sufferings…

What kind of suffering does this include? In the early years of Christianity, it meant slander, beatings, imprisonment, and death.

      “People will insult you and hurt you. They will lie and say all kinds of evil things about you because you follow me. But when they do that, know that great blessings belong to you. 12 Be happy about it. Be very glad because you have a great reward waiting for you in heaven. People did these same bad things to the prophets who lived before you.” Matthew 5:11-12 ERV

The suffering that Jesus experienced was not sickness, lack or failure. He had to endure the critical and harsh words of those He came to save. The ridicule and verbal taunting were part of his daily experience. The greatest suffering of all was the knowledge that He would be separated from His heavenly Father when he took the punishment for our sin on the cross. Jesus died to purchase our freedom from the devices that Satan would like to use to destroy us.

In the early days of the church, believers were called “Christians”. This was meant to be a defamatory word, it meant they were acting like little Christ ones. Their lives reflected all the qualities seen in Jesus; they were just like Him! Today we too need to be Christians both in word and in action – little Christ ones. Is there enough evidence in our lives to bring that charge?

Satan had no power over Jesus and he no longer has any power over us when we realize what we have inherited.

When we learn who we are and what we have inherited we can walk free from intimidation. We will keep our heads held high and display the brilliance of character and power that we have received from our Father!

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Like A Diamond

This morning I will be starting a new teaching, one that will take several weeks. Over the New Year weekend I was praying about what I should be sharing and I felt strongly impressed to share excerpts from my book “Like A Diamond”.

These are teachings that gave me knowledge and strength for daily life many years ago. They are the foundations that are keep my feet firmly planted on the Solid Rock during life’s most tumultous and trying times.

“My people are being destroyed because they don’t know me. Since you priests refuse to know me, I refuse to recognize you as my priests.” Hosea 4:6a NLT

The Jewish people had forgotten God’s word; they no longer remembered God’s promises and were following false teaching. Their enemies had captured them and there was chaos and devastation in their land. God said it was because the priests had not been teaching them His word and they had no knowledge of His promises.

“I was saved when I was a small child and for many years my Christian experience was limited. I grew up with the concept that we just struggle by the best we can while we are on earth. Then one day we will go to heaven when we die and it will be worth all the pain and heartache we went through here.

However, all that started to change in the late 70’s and early 80’s. I began to hear teaching on victorious Christian living. This was all new to me and to be honest, my first thought was this seems too good to be true.

Yet, it was true! The word Gospel means exactly that – good news. Reading my Bible became a delight. Each page was filled with promises and stories of God meeting the people He created and filling their lives with blessings.

The Holy Spirit began to open my understanding to the miraculous transformation that the Lord would like to make in each of our lives. It is a refining process, a development – it takes a Master touch to reveal our true potential.

Our lives, when we come to Christ, can be compared to a diamond in the rough. When the diamond hunter first finds “diamond rough” it is unattractive. It is often encased by common mineral deposits.  

It is the work of a Master Diamond Cutter that gives the stone its brilliance. They assess the stone to determine the size and weight of the finished product. Will they choose to cut one large diamond or perhaps two smaller ones will be more valuable? Will it be a round or a square brilliant cut?

Once the sawing or cutting of the diamond rough is complete the bruting process begins. Bruting is the art of cutting a diamond round. From here the diamond is polished, enhancing its many facets, weight, and clarity. A final inspection involves a thorough cleaning.

Our lives as Christians have greater value than that of the world’s largest diamond. God, the Father, is our Master Diamond Cutter. He sees us when we are encased in dirt. He chooses us to be His own. Through His Word what is detrimental to our beauty is cut away.  We are then polished and refined so that our true beauty shines brilliantly.  

Our Christian lives, like a diamond, are multi-faceted. In each chapter of this book we will look at some facets of our new life in Christ. For some this will be new information like it was for me all those years ago. For others it will be a refresher, an opportunity for another polishing. God’s word always brings a change, a glorious change.

As the facets of our life in Christ begin to be revealed we will shine “Like A Diamond”.”

“And they shall be Mine, says the Lord of hosts, in that day when I publicly recognize and openly declare them to be My jewels (My special possession, My peculiar treasure). And I will spare them, as a man spares his own son who serves him.” Malachi 3:17 AMPC

I hope you will join me over the next weeks as we mine the truths of God’s Word and It reveals the value that God places on us, His children.

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A Good Reminder

Some lessons in life aren’t learned the first time or even the second. I needed this reminder this morning.

I shared this a few years back but God is still working in me so that I can be successful every day…What a great way to start the New Year!

You know if God brings something to me, I’m going to share it with you too. So here goes – the other day I found myself complaining about some people and how they were doing something. It wasn’t the first time I had “complained” about this situation so when I finally finished my vent, I heard this in my heart. “Those are my kids and I want you to quit complaining about this. I’m working on them and as their parent, that’s My place – not yours!”

Oooo, I knew I had been rebuked but it didn’t end there. The Lord went on to say “I put you in their life to help them, not criticize and I put them in your life to help you get past being critical of people.”

Ouch!!

So this morning, if this applies to you – if you struggle with being critical of certain people and certain situations accept the correction that the Lord gave me.

“The LORD hates these seven things: 17 eyes that show pride, tongues that tell lies, hands that kill innocent people, 18 hearts that plan evil things to do, feet that run to do evil, 19 witnesses in court who tell lies, and anyone who causes family members to fight.” Proverbs 6:16-19 ERV

You see, I was being prideful and feeling superior, glad I wasn’t like “them” (double ouch) and God hates that. Pride is in some pretty bad company in these verses. It’s linked right in there with murder, perjury, those who plan evil and family discord. God sees them all the same and He hates all those actions.

It’s my job to be loving and helpful not critical and prideful. Yes Lord, I’ll be obedient.

“Do everything without complaining or arguing 15 so that you will be blameless and pure, children of God without any fault. But you are living with evil people all around you, who have lost their sense of what is right. Among those people you shine like lights in a dark world,” Philippians 2:14-15

We’re suppose to be different – we’re suppose to be a light!

So this is my prayer. “LORD, help me control what I say. Don’t let me say anything bad.” Psalm 141:3

Forgive me if I stepped on your toes. God is wanting us to be a light to those who have lost the sense of right and wrong. To do that we need to be different, we need to be godly.

We are to speak out against the evil and ungodliness in our world but we aren’t to speak evil of the people doing it!

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Let It Shine

Last night we had friends drop in. They’re our neighbors.

We sat talking about how we are going to be spending Thanksgiving. Dave and I are headed to the Phoenix area today and will have dinner tomorrow with the girls and their families plus Dave’s brother and wife. Our son and his girlfriend will be in California. Keep them both in your prayers – he’s a fire captain and she’s a nurse, both are on the frontlines. Our older grandchildren will be staying in their respective homes in Washington state and California. They aren’t able to travel this year and we will miss them dearly.

Our neighbors will head up the road to Tucson. A short drive and they will be spending time with their family also. It will be a short stay, just for the day but they are thankful to get to see the married grandchildren who live further away.

We were talking about this past year – it seems to be a real topic of conversation! Each one of us bemoaned some of the changed plans and extra precautions we have had to take in 2020 but we each also expressed that there are so many things we have to be thankful for. For the four of us it was good health, healthy family and our good neighbors. I was once again reminded of how blessed we were and I am grateful.

I always want to be grateful and kind. I am thankful for those who have been to me. I remember a kindness, a word of encouragement, someone who stopped to pray when I was in need. Their actions were like a “light” that shone brightly and gave me a reason to be thankful that I wasn’t in this life alone.

Jesus said: “Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-16 MSG

I love the wording in those verses. “Bring out the God-colors in the world”. Have you noticed the colors in the flame of a candle? They are reds, golds, blues – warm colors. Colors of comfort. When we shine, we light the world with the warmth of God’s love and Jesus said that will cause people to open up to God. How great is that!

There may or may not be candles on our Thanksgiving table but we can be the light.

Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.

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A Different Thanksgiving

Are your plans for Thanksgiving dinner a little different this year? My oldest daughter and I have been talking about this for a couple of weeks.

We’ll be eating outside, using paper plates and a large portion of the baking/serving dishes will be disposable. Hand sanitizer will be readily available and we will limit those in the kitchen helping with meal prep. We are so thankful that we live in a climate that will accomodate an outdoor celebration without being bundled in down coats and wool scarves.

Who knew that there was Thanksgiving scented hand sanitizer?

I will not let the obvious alterations to our Thanksgiving gathering cause me to lose sight of the reason for the day. Having come through devastatingly harsh winter conditions, forging relationships with a people foreign to them, reminded of the loss of life to young and old, the Pilgrims stopped to give thanks.

They recognized that without God’s grace and mercy they all could have met their end in that small colony. They braved the elements of this new and strange land. Against overwhelming odds they had survived. Their lives – their hardships and struggles – became the foundation of endurance for our nation.

They were thankful! When comparing our hardships to theirs, we, too, should be thankful!

We, who have relationship with Christ, have a strong foundation. Ours is a foundation of faith that will support us and give us strength in the most trying of times.

“As you have put your trust in Christ Jesus the Lord to save you from the punishment of sin, now let Him lead you in every step. 7 Have your roots planted deep in Christ. Grow in Him. Get your strength from Him. Let Him make you strong in the faith as you have been taught. Your life should be full of thanks to Him.

8 Be careful that no one changes your mind and faith by much learning and big sounding ideas. Those things are what men dream up. They are always trying to make new religions. These leave out Christ. 9 For Christ is not only God-like, He is God in human flesh. 10 When you have Christ, you are complete. He is the head over all leaders and powers.” Colossians 2:6-10 NLV

As followers of Christ we have a hope and a strength that comes from our trust in God. As the verse above says “let Him lead you in every step”. We face the same circumstances that the rest of the world does but with a different resolve. Our dependence is in God. Our hope is anchored in Him and His word.

There is much to be thankful for this year!

As we pass around the hand sanitizer before we pass the rolls, let’s give thanks that through Christ our lives have been cleansed from sin and our hearts are kept free from fear because we have our foundation in Him.

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Mirror Mirror

Every morning I stand in front of the mirror to brush my hair and put on my make-up. If I’ll be going out to the store or an appointment I check my outfit to make sure everything looks ok. Then I walk away and go about my day. Later I may double check my appearance and quite often I’m surprised to see how messy my hair has gotten or that there is a spot on my shirt.

What mirrors do for us physically the Bible does for us spiritually. Both reveal areas that need correction and areas of beauty.

“Do what God’s teaching says; don’t just listen and do nothing. When you only sit and listen, you are fooling yourselves. 23 Hearing God’s teaching and doing nothing is like looking at your face in the mirror 24 and doing nothing about what you saw. You go away and immediately forget how bad you looked. 25 But when you look into God’s perfect law that sets people free, pay attention to it. If you do what it says, you will have God’s blessing. Never just listen to his teaching and forget what you heard.” James 1:22-25 ERV

The Bible doesn’t distort like those goofy fun house mirrors. It will accurately portray our appearance and show us the areas where we need to improve. Each time we read or hear God’s word preached we should be looking for a nugget that we can apply personally.

This morning I started reading through the book of James again. I can’t tell you how many times I have read this book over my lifetime. Each time I find something new or am reminded of something I have let slip.

Those who compiled the Contemporary English Version of the Bible write an introduction to each book. I’d like to share with you, in part, what they wrote about the book of James.

“For James faith means action! In fact, the entire book is a series of examples that show faith in action in wise and practical ways. His advice was clear and to the point: If you are poor, don’t despair! Don’t give up when your faith is being tested. Don’t get angry quickly. Don’t favor the rich over the poor. Do good things for others. Control your tongue and desires. Surrender to God and rely on his wisdom. Resist the devil. Don’t brag about what you are going to do. If you are rich, use your money to help the poor. Be patient and kind, and pray for those who need God’s help.”

James is a book for every day Christian living. I always find something that I need to work on while reading it.

I am so thankful for God’s word. I can reflect on who God is and what’s important to Him.

“I will study your commandments and reflect on your ways. 16 I will delight in your decrees
    and not forget your word.” Psalm 119:15-16 NLT

Mirror, Mirror on the wall – Let me see all that God wants me to be!

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Satisfaction Guaranteed

I’m probably like many of you. In the last few months the majority of my shopping has been done on-line. For the most part it has been ok but there are those exceptions and two of them came in the last week.

We received the notifications that these items were going to be delivered mid-week. Sure enough, right on schedule they arrived but they were the wrong item or subquality. How disappointing!

And then there was the follow-up. Email brought the quickest contact. Take the pictures, include the receipt, send the explanation as to what was wrong but really no satisfaction. Oh, we did receive a refund but now I had to start over looking for something similar because this had seemed like the perfect gift.

I almost burst into song. “I can’t get no satisfaction”!

But there is one place that guarantees satisfaction and I know I will never be disappointed there.

“Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: 3 Who forgives all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases, 4 Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, 5 Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” Psalm 103:2-5 NKJV

The place of absolute satisfaction is with the Lord. What more could we hope for than forgiveness, health, safety, strength, love and mercy?

Satisfaction guaranteed.

Even in the face of adversity we can and should be satisfied because we have His companionship to give us strength. The Apostle Paul was beaten and shipwrecked several times during his years of ministry. Look what he said:

“I am not complaining about having too little. I have learned to be satisfied with whatever I have. 12 I know what it is to be poor or to have plenty, and I have lived under all kinds of conditions. I know what it means to be full or to be hungry, to have too much or too little. 13 Christ gives me the strength to face anything.” Philippians 4:11-13 CEV

I have learned to be satisfied…yes, it’s something we must learn.

Advertising tells us to look for bigger and better. I remember our first television set had a seven inch screen, was in black and white, had three stations and we thought it was a marvel. Now, we are conditioned to believe that a 55″, 4K, smart tv just isn’t enough. Seriously?

There are things I would like to have and there are places I would like to go but I don’t have to have them to be satisfied. I am content. I am satisfied with the blessings the Lord has added to my life. I’m thankful for what I have.

“Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. 7 After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it.” I Timothy 6:6-7 NLT

With Him, we have a promise of Satisfaction Guaranteed.

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God Bless America

This morning I would like to share the words of one of my favorite patriotic songs. It’s not Scripture but it does give thanks to our heavenly Father for shedding His grace on our founders and this nation.

America the Beautiful

O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!

America! America!
God shed His grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!

O beautiful for pilgrim feet,
Whose stern, impassioned stress
A thoroughfare for freedom beat
Across the wilderness!

America! America!
God mend thine every flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control,
Thy liberty in law!

O beautiful for heroes proved
In liberating strife,
Who more than self their country loved,
And mercy more than life!

America! America!
May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness,
And every gain divine!

O beautiful for patriot dream
That sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam
Undimmed by human tears!

America! America!
God shed His grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!

Today we honor our Veterans, those who have served in the military. These men and women left their families at home and put their lives on the line. They fought to protect and preserve our freedom.

When we see someone wearing a military cap or driving a vehicle with specialized plates signifying their service we should thank them. We need to express our gratitude.

“Show respect to those you should respect. And show honor to those you should honor. 8 You should owe nothing to anyone, except that you will always owe love to each other.” Romans 13:7b-8 ERV

Show respect – show honor, it’s a way of showing love.

May God continue to bless America.

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Good & Healthy

How many of you are already planning your holiday baking and the menus for Thanksgiving and Christmas meals? Does the word “healthy” fit with those culinary delights? Or is your attitude more along the lines of indulgence and it’s only once a year?

I was going to use the “just this once” phrase but realized that has kind of been a pattern of late. Camping and cookies – just this once. Grandchildrens birthday cupcakes – just this once (three months in a row). Yes, I’ve let those just-this-once treats and snacks add some extra pounds that need to be removed.

So, this morning I’m going to talk about exercise for a bit. Not for you but for me. I need to put this out there and be accountable.

When we first realize that we “need” to exercise it’s never pleasant. Accepting that we are out of shape and not as healthy as we should be is the first step. So we decide to exercise.

The first few days we have a real commitment or at least that’s what we tell ourself. But then comes day seven or eight; and it becomes harder to stay committed to the goal. Our muscles hurt, we’re not seeing any results yet, we start making excuses and when we do that we are on your way to failure.

I know, I’ve failed many times.

Now think back to our childhood days – exercise wasn’t a bad word. In fact, it was called play. To be outside with our buddies playing ball, running through the yard playing tag or football. Going hiking to your favorite fishing spot or walking the mile to the swimming pool in the afternoon heat (my personal favorite). It was fun and we were in shape.

Of course you know this is going to have a spiritual correlation.

When we face trials and temptations it is an opportunity to exercise our faith. James tells us to count it joy because we will be developed and end up lacking nothing. Exercising our faith builds spiritual muscle.

“My friends, be glad, even if you have a lot of trouble. 3 You know that you learn to endure by having your faith tested. 4 But you must learn to endure everything, so that you will be completely mature and not lacking in anything.” James 1:2-4 CEV

Facing trials is like building muscle. At first we see little victories but then to continue to develop a muscle we must increase the weight, the repetition or both.

In walking with the Lord, we’re never left to do this on our own. We have a great coach who is with us every step. Under His direction and inspiration we come out the winner.

“You are tempted in the same way that everyone else is tempted. But God can be trusted not to let you be tempted too much, and he will show you how to escape from your temptations.” I Corinthians 10:13 CEV

Jesus knows what this is all about because He went through every temptation we experience while he was here on earth. Who better to coach us than someone whose been there, done that and emerged as the Champion of Champions!

“We have a great high priest who has gone to live with God in heaven. He is Jesus the Son of God. So let us continue to express our faith in him. 15 Jesus, our high priest, is able to understand our weaknesses. When Jesus lived on earth, he was tempted in every way. He was tempted in the same ways we are tempted, but he never sinned. 16 With Jesus as our high priest, we can feel free to come before God’s throne where there is grace. There we receive mercy and kindness to help us when we need it.” Hebrews 4:14-16 ERV

Thank you Lord for coaching me through life and providing all the help I need to develop and finish as a winner! And thank you for giving me the power to resist that pecan pie and stay on track with my daily exercise!

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Mistaken Identity

Yesterday Dave and I went for drive to some small ranching towns near where we are camped. I was talking about a friend who lives there and how it’s been over thirty years since we’ve seen her. I wished we had thought to contact her and tried to arrange a meet up.

We stopped at a bar-b-que place for lunch and were seated near the window. Dave looked out and said “I think that’s her”. I did a double take and sure enough, it looked like her. I headed out of the restaurant and down the street. I called her name but no response. When I got closer I realized it was a case of mistaken identity and I apologized to the woman.

It was a disappointment to say the least.

Has anyone ever mistaken you for someone else? I know I’ve had it happen to me a few times. It’s pretty easy to do. It’s also something that happens every day when it comes to character.

A person who is clean and sober runs into someone they knew when they were an addict and they get treated as if they hadn’t changed. A person who was selfish and self-indulgent turns over a new leaf but they’re held at arms length by those they have slighted.

David, the shepherd boy, had a case of mistaken identity. Golaith, the seasoned warrior, mistook David for an unskilled, scrawny youth. What Golaith didn’t see was the bold, God-fearing, young man who had killed a lion and a bear. Goliath’s case of mistaken identity brought him to his death.

“Every child of God can defeat the world, and our faith is what gives us this victory.” I John 5:4 CEV

We are as guilty as Golaith in some of our misjudgements.

We look in the mirror and see ourselves as weak or inadequate. Moses told God that he couldn’t deliver the Israelites because he stuttered. But God saw the man Moses was on the inside and used him anyway. I’ve heard it said that God doesn’t choose the qualified, instead He equips the willing.

“This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” II Corinthians 5:17 NLT

What are some of the things you, or others, have been saying you can’t do? You’re not qualfied, you’re not equipped to handle. We have a new identity – we are empowered by God for the task at hand.

“I can do all things because Christ gives me the strength.” Philippians 4:13 NLV

Don’t look back at who you once were. Look forward at who God has called you to be!

I am so thankful for my new identity in Christ!

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