Encouragement and Hope for the Real Woman, Mother, Military Wife, Sister, Daughter and Friend...
by Kimchi Lya Blow
"Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not be faint." Isaiah 40:31
Welcome to "Hope on the Horizon." This blog is created to be a resource that will help you become inspired, motivated, encouraged and transformed into the person God created you to be.
Sometimes in life when we look onto the horizon we may not have that clear, beautiful sunset staring back at us. Instead, we might have an image of hopelessness and despair. As a Military wife and mother of 4 children whose ages range from 2-17, I am familiar with the stresses life throws your way! My past horizons have not always been so bright. But they helped shape me into the woman I am today . Having survived being orphaned in the streets of Vietnam, domestic abuse, divorce , aftermath of abortion and even widowhood, I have learned to persevere and grab hold of my destiny, no matter what the cost! From these places of pain and trials, I have become a woman whose passion is to bring the gift of hope and encouragement to others through inspirational words, practical tips and advice.
No matter what your present horizon is, there is always hope for a better future. All things are possible when you allow yourself the opportunity to be all you were created to be. So, please come along for a journey where the destination is not always known but the trip itself is worth every bump in the road to get there. Hope is just on the Horizon!
Ok, so let’s review. Sin is anything that moves you away from God.
We must remember that God gave Moses the Ten Commandments. Those are God’s laws. Therefore, to break them, is sin. Kill somebody? Yep. That’s a sin. Steal a car? Yep. That one is too. Telling your best friend that something looks really good on her when you know in fact it does not flatter her? Yep….that is lying. You may be saying “But wait! That is just a little white lie! It isn’t like I killed anyone or stole a car!” Guess what? Sin is sin. In God’s eyes, there are no big sins or little sins. Sin is sin, and it moves us away from God.
How do we know that sin separates us from God? Romans 3:23 says that we all sin and fall short of God’s glory. Well, that kind of makes it seem like if everyone is sinning then it makes it ok. But later in chapter 6, verse 23, we read that the wages of sin is death. YIKES! Now that sounds scary! I am so glad that the same verse goes on to tell us that the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ. I am so grateful for that big ‘ole BUT in the middle of that verse aren’t you?
The 613 laws than man came up with in the Old Testament are petty and set everyone up to fail. Each of those sins required a blood sacrifice to be forgiven of that sin. When Jesus came and died on the cross for us, He became the FINAL blood sacrifice. Nothing else is required! He paid the price, His life and His death ransomed us forever! WOO HOO! Now there is something to give a big "Hooty hoo" about!
So then, if we are clear that sin is forgiven through the blood of Christ, it is out of our obedience and love for Him that we ought to try our best to avoid sin. Remembering of course that sin is human nature, and that we will all sin, we must also remember that God expects us to put on a new life in Him, turning from sin and trying our best to live a life pleasing to Him. We will always fall short, but His grace is sufficient for us all!
Now let’s rattle some cages…..
Next week, we will discuss things like drinking alcohol, smoking, playing the lottery, saying 4 letter words, and dare this old Southern Baptist girl even say it…..dancing????????
See you next week!
Michelle Peterson:
I am a happily married, stay at home mother of a 12 year old daughter. I was born and raised in Southeast Georgia before becoming a Navy wife for over 10 years. I strive to live purposefully, doing as God directs and leads me. I enjoy reading, writing, scrapbooking and cooking. It is my desire to live a life pleasing to God in all areas and grow in His teachings..
Visit her at- http://www.scrappygypsy.blogspot.com
Is it me, or is this year already flying by? Here it is, almost the middle of February and I can't believe spring will be here soon. Time is a funny thing, you either pay attention to it or you don't. What is the old saying, "Time flies by when you are having fun!" How true that is!
This past week, I felt like I was not as productive as I normally try to be. For instance, I have been trying to keep myself faithful to my writing projects this year so that I can accomplish some things for the Lord. Of course, I am a mother of four children, three of which are still at home. So, there is not a lot of time for writing in my day, or at least as much as I wish. I have to discipline myself to write when I can because if you are a writer, you know that writing doesn't just happen, you must make it happen!... No excuses-LOL!
I had been doing this by keeping an accountability sheet so that I could be responsible to the craft whenever time presented itself. I had a goal of at least 30 minutes a day. In order for me to do this, I have to cut out what I call "Time Gremlins" out of my day. For instance, tv, naps, computers, phone, etc. Believe me, cutting naps out of my day is a sacrifice because next to chocolate, naps is at the top of my list of things I enjoy and even look forward to.
Anyways, up until this week, I had been doing fairly well with keeping up with my goals, etc. When I looked back on my week, I saw how I slacked back a bit. Now don't get me wrong here, I know I am not perfect and there will be days when no matter what I do , I won''t be able to always accomplish my goals. The point is having a goal to begin with. However, we should always be willing to work towards those goals with perseverance ,purpose and focus. To be honest with you, I am confessing that this past week, I slacked big time! I started falling back to some old habits, one of them is not putting God first this week. I am blogging this right now as just a simple accountability reminder to myself and hopefully for you , it will be an encouragement as you start out your week too.
Announcement.... we are all a work in progress. From glory to glory is what God is working in each of us. We can't do this thing called life on our own. I have noticed that when I don't give God the time in the beginning of my day to prepare me for my day, I don't have what it takes to be successful. Of course, I have been foolish enough in the past to take on the day , with all the challenges by myself. However, I would quickly find myself stressed out and beat up by the end of the day. Left wondering what truck just hit me! When that happened, I was no good for anyone including my readers who happen to read what I might have written in the little time I pushed myself to write. I can tell the difference when I allow God to write through me verses "me" writing.
My point is this, when we understand we are a work in progress then we realize GOD is the one doing the work in us and through us. We must be willing to be processed, giving Him the room to work in our lives daily. I love this concept because it frees me to think I have to be perfect. God is always there willing to lend a helping hand. This past week, I was not not so gracious in handing those reigns over. The day would begin like a horse bolting out at the starting line. The gun goes off and off I galloped. Sure, the goals were there, but the goal of Christ was lost at the start. We must discipline ourselves with God as the first fruit we give in the day! I am thankful for the gentle reminders that God allows us to see our strengths and weaknesses. Again, I am a work being perfected in His time and His way! I love that He is SO patient with me.
Before this week, I had been faithful to give God my day and the glory in the end. I find peace in knowing that I don't have to be perfect , instead, just be perfected by the ONE who is perfect and who is in the business of perfecting! We must run the race set before us with a goal in mind but run our race with steadiness and focus. Keeping our eyes on the true prize, Christ!
As you go through this week , keep your eyes fixed on your earthly goals, but make sure the ultimate goal is Christ. Without Him first, there will be no victory. I hope to see you all at the finish line, I will be the one at the refreshment stand !
As I sat listening to the doctor telling us that my husband Bill has to go on medication for diabetes, I felt sick, heart sick that is. I thought to myself, “It’s not fair, it’s just not fair!” We’ve tried so hard to eat right in the last few years. To eat fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, more chicken and fish and less red meats, to detoxify our bodies.
Since we’ve been called to a higher walk with the Lord in the last two years, our lives have been one big roller coaster ride. It took us years to get to a point financially that we felt comfortable. What I mean by that is, we could go grocery shopping and just buy what we wanted. We could go to the “up market” stores and buy organic produce and such. Then it seemed like our world started tumbling around our feet.
First of all, our business that we worked so hard to build started getting quite lean. Then my husband got Endocarditis and almost died in February 2006. After getting him back to the land of the living and feeling good, the business really started going “belly up”, as I call it. Bill “wrestled” with the Lord about that until around March 2007 when he finally told the Lord “Not my will, but Your will be done!” He still didn’t want to give up but kept trying to put forth the effort to keep the business alive and going.
In August of 2007 he was on his way home from a mens prayer group when he was startled by a voice in the truck with him that said, “NOW WILL YOU TAKE MY YOKE UPON YOU AND LEARN OF ME?” His immediate response was, “YES, LORD!” From that moment on our lives would never be the same.
In September, just one month later, we finally laid the business to rest and stopped fighting to do it “our way” and took hold of the Lord’s yoke.
Needless to say without the income coming in that we were used to, all the bills were past due. Bill would go out looking for work and putting in applications and resumes online. But to no avail. He got maybe two interviews but nothing else. We decided to apply for food stamps so we could at least eat. We lost our house in foreclosure and had to move in with our son for over a year, all the while continuing to look for work. Our son even tried starting the business back up under a different name and a few orders trickled in enough to take care of some things. Then in December 2008, Michael had to close that business down due to the expenses being greater than the income. Bill didn’t want to but he opted to take early retirement since he was turning 62 in March of 2009, and started getting a small retirement check in May. At that time we still received over $300.00 a month in food stamps so eating properly was still not much of a problem. Then later that summer, we had to be reevaluated and our food stamps were all but taken away. They dropped down to $68.00 a month.
All the while this is going on, the Lord was training us and teaching us through our Bible reading and certain other books He would lead us to, not for doctrine, but for instructional purposes. Unfortunately, our bodies became full of toxins again through the foods we had to eat. We began to be sluggish and less energetic, bloated, put on weight and all the things we don’t want to do.
Here’s where the whole thought of this is going. We also become toxic in spirit and soul by consuming all the wrong things. When this happens there is no spiritual maturity. Think of it this way….a baby growing in the womb can be fully formed as in having all the necessary parts, but then needs to mature in order to survive outside the womb. If born too soon, the child would most likely die. It’s the same with Christians, my friend. Paul puts it this way in Ephesians 4:13 “until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,”
Oh, we think we’re okay by going to church, or only listening to what’s called “Christian music” and nothing secular. We read our Bibles so that’s getting the “pure word”….right? Not necessarily! Just reading the word doesn’t mean you understand the fullness of it. We also allow toxins entrance into our spirits by the programs we watch on television or movies and even the books we read. Talking with others and listening to gossip is another way. There is so much “garbage” out there in the form of evil that we as believers should stay away from.
We think we are walking in the fullness of God because we’ve been baptized in water or the Holy Spirit. Why do we think that? Well, the word says so…..where? Where does God say that we are in the fullness of Christ by being dunked in water or having some man or woman laying their hands on us speaking some kind of “mumbo jumbo” unintelligible words? Yes, I’m talking about speaking in tongues.
Beloved, the only way to be IN the fullness of God is to be IN Christ. Once you are IN Christ (through His death burial and resurrection by faith) you have to be “detoxed” or cleansed spiritually, mentally and physically. The way this is done is by forsaking the world and all the evil in the world, or worldly ways. Our thoughts as well as our actions can be evil. I know we’ve been told that the thought is not the sin, but when we act upon that thought it then becomes sin. That’s correct, but……if the thought is not there or allowed to take hold, then the chance to sin isn’t there. That’s why Paul tells us to “cast down every imagination and take into captivity every evil thought to the obedience of Christ” Paul also tells us that we are to have the mind of Christ.
It’s like drinking a glass of water. When you hold that glass of water up you believe it to be pure and clean, since you can’t see anything floating or swimming in it, it must be pure. So you drink it with confidence that it’s healthy for you. Now, if you took that same water and examined it under a microscope what do you think you’d find? I shudder to think what is in it! Okay, my point is……we are washed, sanctified made clean by the washing of the water by the word but, and I make that a big BUT……..is it pure? Or has it been defiled in some way, or diluted? Have YOU examined it under the microscope to see if it’s pure? The microscope in this case would be the Spirit of God. If the word you’re getting is defiled or diluted in any way you will not be able to grow spiritually as God intended you to do. Nor will you be able to “RIGHTLY DIVIDE THE WORD OF TRUTH” What do I mean by rightly divide? Take a look at 2 Timothy 2:15 where Paul tells Timothy to STUDY TO SHOW HIMSELF …what?....APPROVED OF GOD!! He told him this so that Timothy wouldn’t wind up with a reprobate mind, worthless, and not understanding the truth thereby walking out in the world doing the things of the world. Becoming mixed and mingled just as Israel was.
I wrote an article titled, “Do You Have a Reprobate Mind?” which explains not having a pure mind towards the Lord. When someone has a reprobate (worthless, not understanding) mind, they haven’t approved (or see fit to retain) the things of God and His will, His way or His word. Therefore, God disapproves them, and allows them to be full of and function according to the toxins of the evil world. Read Romans chapter 1.
Reprobate
REPROBATE, a. [L. reprobatus, reprobo, to disallow; re and probo, to prove.]
1. Not enduring proof or trial; not of standard purity or fineness; disallowed; rejected.
Reprobate silver shall men call them, because the Lord hath rejected them. Jer 6.
2. Abandoned in sin; lost to virtue or grace.
They profess that they know God, but in works deny him, being abominable and disobedient, and to every good work reprobate. Titus 1.
3. Abandoned to error, or in apostasy. 2 Tim 3:8
REP'ROBATE, n. A person abandoned to sin; one lost to virtue and religion.
I acknowledge myself a reprobate, a villain, a traitor to the king.
REP'ROBATE, v.t.
1. To disapprove with detestation or marks of extreme dislike; to disallow; to reject. It expresses more than disapprove or disallow. We disapprove of slight faults and improprieties; we reprobate what is mean or criminal.
2. In a milder sense, to disallow.
Such an answer as this, is reprobated and disallowed of in law.
3. To abandon to wickedness and eternal destruction.
4. To abandon to his sentence, without hope of pardon. Drive him out to reprobated exile.
About Glenda Maynard:
Affectionately known as "William's wife" ,mother to three, and a Grandmother; Glenda is a Bible teacher, who passionately encourages people with the Good News of Jesus Christ. She lives in Tennessee with her family and enjoys writing articles that she hopes will bring forth life, truth and hope to others.
Do you remember the children’s song, “The wheels on the bus go round and round, round and round, round and round, the wheels on the bus go round and round, all through the town?” That precious childhood tune brings back so many memories of being joyful and carefree, until my son, one day, showed me another meaning to this once captivating melody.
Justin, my middle child, holds more energy in him than he knows what to do with. He is all boy! Most days, I can only hope to prepare myself for whatever antics he might display.
One such incident caught me completely off guard, and I will not soon forget it. My handsome, brown-eyed son came bounding through the front door after a full day of first grade schooling. He found me lounging on the couch in my customary 3 p.m. position—feet up, TV on, watching Giada De Laurentiis from the Food Network Channel finish up this luscious Pasta Alfredo dish. It contained three delectable cheeses and my mouth was watering just thinking about it. Needless to say, my stomach was sold and my soul longed to be there with her, among her friends, tasting this masterpiece of perfection! But, as life would have it, the sound of my whimpering son quickly brought me back to reality. A dilemma at hand needed my full attention. So off went the TV and on went my “mommy radar.”
“Mom, mommy, my school bus driver wants to see you—NOW!” he cried. I sat there bewildered, wondering what just happened to my peaceful little world of Giada, pasta, and cheese. As I came to, I quickly looked at Justin and said, “What happened buddy?” He replied, “My school bus driver wants to see you now. She is parked outside the house!” “Outside the house?” I thought. At once, I asked, “why?” as I jumped off my couch.
Apprehension and confusion came over me, and I knew that I needed to brace myself. As I walked to the front door, I probed Justin for more information, but all he would say was, “I don’t know.” Of course, that was a sure sign this situation was bad! As we approached the scene of the crime, he looked deathly pale. There was an odd silence from my front door to the mailbox, all of which is only 25 feet, but the walk seemed extremely long that day. Sure enough, the big yellow school bus marked 639 was awaiting us. I was praying that no neighbors were outside or peering through their windows to see the drama unfold. Hey, I had a reputation to protect, but little did I know, Justin was about to challenge it.
Many years passed since I last jumped on a school bus, but as I felt the heat from the engine and heard the steady idle of the motor, I immediately felt 7 years old again. The doors squealed open and I saw those infamous black, rubber stairs. My heart pounded as I ascended up them. On the 3rd stair, there she sat—a blue eyed, 5’2, gray-haired lady. Her hands were at her face and she was sobbing. I swallowed hard and braced myself for what was next.
Getting the courage, I fearfully said, “Hi Miss Donna, Justin said you wanted to see me?” Looking up from her former state, I could see her eyes filled with tears and panic as they met mine. The poor lady was visibly shaken and my heart went out to her, but at the same time, my heart was protective of my son too. I swallowed hard as I heard the verdict of “guilty” being spoken over Justin.
In that moment, I wanted to shield him and embrace him, but I knew there was nothing I could do because he made a choice to disobey one of the most important safety rules.
Miss Donna went on to explain how Justin entertained the other passengers by standing up in his seat and throwing his body half way outside the school bus window while screaming at the top of his lungs. Mind you, the bus was going 55miles per hour down the local highway! She exclaimed how she heard chanting and clapping as Justin performed his death defying acts of folly. Leave it to my son to lead an uprising to overcome boredom on a school bus! Looking into her mirror, Miss Donna witnessed Justin’s body balancing on the window frame. Frightened and alarmed, she knew that if she hit her brakes or jerked the bus in either direction, Justin would surely fall out and either get crushed by the wheels of her bus, or get hit by another car.
Somehow, she gained control of her emotions, slowed down the bus, and took control of the situation. In all her 30 years of service as a school bus driver, she never experienced such a terrifying situation. Again, leave it to my son to challenge her world!
I stood bewildered and speechless without a single thought. Obviously, I wished I could quickly read a trustworthy parenting book directing me on the chapter titled, “How to deal with out of control boys who love the center of attention on the school bus!” But there was not one!
Justin started crying behind me, and I felt trapped in the middle of having compassion for both him and Miss Donna. What was I going to do? Of course, my natural instinct was to take my son and spank him until the cows came home, but I knew that I would have done it out of anger rather than love if I laid a hand on him at that moment.
Finally, I took a deep breath and hugged the bus driver, trying to comfort her. I explained to both of them that God watched over them that afternoon. I apologized for my son’s behavior and required Justin to do the same. Miss Donna told me she must report the incident to the principle, so I told her I understood her position.
Justin and I walked back into our house. My son went to his room until I could clear my mind of emotions. Somehow, I quickly became calm. Usually, I would rave and scream at the top of my lungs and add to the drama, but I felt God’s presence. I just listened to His still quiet voice inside me.
“His kingdom, His kingdom,” is all I could hear him say. It was about His kingdom business. He replayed the action of me hugging the driver in my mind; at first, she was hesitant, like nobody ever comforted her before. When I pointed out to her that God watched over them, I remembered that she surprisingly agreed His angels were there. I saw a peace fill her and I remembered feeling a tranquility come over me right then, because I knew God was using all of us together to reveal something important to us individually.
God showed me how I could trust His protection over my children. Justin learned humility, obedience, and authority, while Miss Donna discovered love, compassion, and shelter.
I spent the rest of the afternoon reflecting back on all the details. I prayed and asked God to show my husband, Craig, and me the best course of action to take with Justin. My heart went out to him, although I knew he was completely responsible. I still felt as if he was learning a valuable lesson, one he would not soon forget. I needed to step back and allow God to teach it to him and not shield him from it.
When my husband got home that afternoon, I briefed him on the events that unfolded. We both agreed that we would use a punishment that fit the crime. We did not spank him this time; instead, Justin had to write an apology letter to Miss Donna, asking for her forgiveness. He also spent the evening writing all 10 of his bus rules 5 times each. Now, for a first grader, this was a lot of writing. I could hear him at the kitchen table reasoning underneath his breath how he wished there were only 5 rules instead of 10.
I chuckled because although he committed a serious act, he still remains just a kid—a kid looking for fun and adventure, living life with zeal and no boundaries. But through this punishment, he further learned another important lesson. A person gifted with leadership must take his influence and use it appropriately to glorify God under the boundaries He sets for us. I praised God for the much needed lesson—one we all need reminding of from time to time.
The next day at school, the principle summoned Justin to her office for the meeting with the bus driver. They graciously allowed him to continue riding the bus, but the principle restricted him to sit in the front seat directly behind the bus driver all by himself, with the seat belt strapped on. Justin was upset at first, but he eventually understood that consequences always follow his actions—whether good or bad. Miss Donna and Justin eventually became good friends. She favors Justin now and since then, she told me how he makes her smile and laugh with his strong and charismatic personality.
Children tend to teach us much, if we allow them. After having 3 children, I learned a great deal of those lessons and know many more will come. Submitting and trusting the Lord throughout the process is always difficult. But, God has a funny way of taking the simple things in life—like school buses and children—and using them to reveal keys to His kingdom—like wisdom; we gain wisdom much quicker when we walk in these situations first-hand. Who knew that as “the wheels on the bus went round and round” that day, God was the driver? God’s scripture tells us that He has been faithful to a thousand generations. In my book, that equates to thousands of school bus miles!
As the lights blinked on the machine over my infants head and the alarms sounded, I silently watched him gaze at the enormous x-ray machine that was scanning his brain. I took a deep breathe as my heart was torn between trusting God or giving into the fear of what those x-rays might display. I picked up Nathaniel when they were finished and held him tight in that cold, sterile room. I kissed his little cheeks and told him how much of a blessing he was to me. In My heart, I knew God was already using him in his young life. He just looked up at me with his beautiful blue eyes ,cooing with a smile. A tear rolled down my cheek because in that moment, I knew he was God's. I was only a temporary caregiver for him in this life. What an honor I thought as I cherished the moment.
God allowed me to give birth to Nathaniel Jacob, on December 23rd, 2006 at 9:45 p.m. at Winn Army Hospital in Savannah, GA. Like my other children's birthdays, I relished all the newness that came with a newborn. Hope was on the horizon of life then and anything was possible. Holding Nathaniel was like holding a dream in the palm of my hands. I had to only imagine that God feels the same when He made each of us. Nathaniel was perfect in every way. His hair was barely visible with a tint of dark brown, his eyes were as blue as the ocean, and his skin was as smooth as silk. His smell was like the scent of angels in the presence of God, just heavenly and captivating.
But there we were 3 months later in the Radiology department of the Army hospital. I remembered thinking, “How did we get here?” Nathaniel was so small and vulnerable then. Honestly, thinking back, I was scared! With my other two children, I never had to deal with anything other then the occasional skin knee or bump on the head;but not this, tests and more tests, specialists and more specialists. My heart raced each time I had to make a new appointment for him. But yet, I knew God was with Nathaniel and I. I remembered hearing God’s still quiet voice telling me to trust Him and to allow myself to submit to the process, for this was not necessarily about Nathaniel, my baby, or even me. In fact, I knew innately, it was about something bigger, God’s Kingdom! I was in the process of learning to trust God and abandoning myself .
God quickly reminded then, how I would pray,” Lord, use me for your glory!" I laughed, but then I thought, " Yeh, but not like this Lord!" Be careful what we pray, right? We should be thinking, " Your will be done Lord, not mine!"
It is always about His Kingdom and never about us. It is about God, every single minute of the day. But yet we miss it so easily because we get caught up in ourselves, our circumstances, emotions and fears. Psalm 46:10 says, “To Be still and Know I am God." How do we still our hearts before the Lord, when everything inside us wants to run and hide? How do we trust a God in heaven we don't see, but we have to obey? How do we get out from beneath our own reigning crowns and serve Him? These are not easy questions to answer, but it begins with abandoning ourselves. Dying to self!
Abandonment is defined as to withdraw one’s support or help from, in spite of duty. In that particular season, I learned to abandon myself in a way I had never known before. I had to submit my precious son to this process of abandoning Him as a mother and submitting Him to the Lord. Perfect example is Abraham and Isaac. I saw that story more clearly as I had to place Nathaniel up on the altar of grace. Everything in me wanted to take him down and run, but I knew that God’s thoughts and ways were always higher then my own. God uses our circumstances as a testing of our faith, to stretch us into places where we would dare not travel on our own. If left to us, we would have flabby faith muscles, but when leaving it to God; we can move mountains in front of us. This is what I knew He did for me then. It hurt, but in the end, I am stronger because of it.
Well, Nathaniel just celebrated his 3rd birthday! He is a happy, vivacious, strong willed little boy! He is a complete joy as he challenges me daily with his persistence to live life his way! God was faithful to us during that time. I learned a lot as a mother back then, but more so as a daughter, who learned to trust and abandon her heart to her Heavenly Father’s love and care. It was worth it! God always is...
Last week, I shared a little bit about my background with you, which has largely impacted the way I have looked at right and wrong my entire life. To me, sin was a large blanket term for just about anything that was fun or enjoyable. It was vague enough that it caused a great amount of confusion, which led to tons of feeling like a failure and loads of guilt and pain. To me, sin was something I couldn’t fully understand, and therefore it was something that I couldn’t do my best to avoid.
This changed for me very recently. I would like to share with you what my pastor shared with us a few weeks ago, which has been a truly life changing for me. It has cleared up my definition and understanding of what sin is, and showed me a truly simple way of knowing what sin is and what it is not.
You ready for this?
Brace yourself,
This is too simple.
Sin is anything that draws you away from God.
That’s it.
Told you it was simple.
Now I am not talking about things that we all know are wrong, such as murder, adultery, stealing and so forth. Those things are not only against God’s law but also our moral codes and “legal” laws.
It takes some self evaluation and examination to discover what is and is not sin, but when you use that guideline, it makes it crystal clear. Suddenly, it isn’t a vague concept of right and wrong or a huge list of rules to follow. It is what God shows you about yourself and what you need to change in your life.
Sin is anything that distracts you from God, or in other words something that you place as an idol instead of giving God His rightful place. It could be the love of money, or a possession. It could be a hobby or a habit. In some cases, it is another person or a job.
I know this is going to create controversy and generate some raised eyebrows, but I am asking you to examine yourself and see what sin you commit on a regular basis. Not many of us are serial killers, but we all have something that God is trying to change in our lives. Maybe it is something we say, or something we do. Ask God to show you what He wants you to see.
Next week I want to give some specific examples of what I am referring to and I hope you will share your thoughts on this.
Michelle Peterson:
I am a happily married, stay at home mother of a 12 year old daughter. I was born and raised in Southeast Georgia before becoming a Navy wife for over 10 years. I strive to live purposefully, doing as God directs and leads me. I enjoy reading, writing, scrapbooking and cooking. It is my desire to live a life pleasing to God in all areas and grow in His teachings..
Visit her at- http://www.scrappygypsy.blogspot.com
As humans we live on coffee and schedules. At least this chicky does!! It makes me wonder what life was like before both were ever created. This past week, I have taken a close look at my schedule. Honestly, I was surprised at where I spent my time and more so, where I didn’t! It was sort of like keeping a food journal. I wrote down where I spent my time, what I spent it on and how much time it took. Before I knew it, I realized I had over indulged in some areas that were not, let’s say, "Praise Worthy!" But it wasn’t in areas that I normally thought would be a temptation to me like, television, phone, computer, etc., but I found that my time was being spent just being “busy.”
“Busy little bee!” is what my mother would say to me. How right she was. Ugh- don't tell her I said that!-LOL! My time this week was being spent just keeping busy with laundry, dishes, playing with kids, organizing, reading, or catching up on something. It was like my mind never had time to rest because I had bought into the lie that productivity was important. After all, I couldn’t be non- productive because that would mean I was lazy, right? Why do we buy into this lie? The world tells us that we have to be productive in order to be successful. Sometimes for me it is simply a pride thing, just saying! However, God tells us in His Word, “To Be Still (stop striving) and Know He is God.”(46:10)
I will be honest with you; I am not one to just” be still”. It is not in my nature. I remember my mom having to sit beside me, constantly telling me as a kid, “just be still, already!” Again, I am use to being in motion, doing something or thinking about what needs to be done. My mind at times has a hard time coming to a place of rest. However, we must train our minds to rest. When we do this, God can truly come in and speak to us in that small quiet voice that can't be heard over the busyness of life! We can suppress truth by not having the time to tap into it to begin with-Hello!! Can I get an Amen?
I know the times that I have been disciplined(yes, disciplined!) enough to rest, I have been truly blessed by what the Lord spoke to me or how I have felt afterwards by the peace that came with His Spirit.You can't get that driving down the road to pick up the kids from soccer practice or watching the news on TV.
Jesus so often went to a quiet place ,usually in the mornings to go be with his father. He found it necessary to seek God from the busyness of His ministry and be refilled by His Heavenly Father. If Jesus, God’s son, who supernaturally was graced to do divine works here on this earth needed to rest, how much more do we? Makes one really think, huh? Jesus understood how much the daily grind stole from Him in energy and peace. He tapped into a greater resource for that rejuvenation He needed DAILY, not Starbucks ,a great television show or a self help book! Believe me, Starbucks was not around then (but it was already being thought of-thank you Jesus!-lol!) However, I would like to imagine that Jesus and I could throw down on a great conversation over some Lattes if He was still here in the flesh! I can hear Him now, “Don’t worry about paying, this one is on the House!-lol)
As you continue through this week, take a good look at where you spend your most time. You will be surprised how much time gets robbed from God.(Ouch- yes, robbed!) Begin to reschedule simplicity back into your life! It starts with GOD! Take the time to meet with God in the morning and get filled up with His presence, His Direction and wisdom. It is better then a great exercise routine or hot cup of coffee any day of the week! Why do you have to have that gourmet meal that takes hours to prepare or why do you have to have the whole house cleaned before Friday? Whatever it is that is keeping you from the simple life- Reschedule it! Instead, take the time to BE STILL! Stop striving to be and just BE!
