This Is Too Funny

A Thought For Today

Timothy 4:3, “For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.” (NIV)

Just because someone is preaching on television or the radio or the Internet does not necessarily mean they are preaching sound, biblical doctrine. Before you are convinced by what someone preaches, look it up in the Bible and see for yourself. If what they say doesn't match up with scripture, it's a good idea to turn a deaf ear toward them from that point forward. It may make you feel good or be what your itching ears want to hear, but if it isn't biblical, it isn't truth. Sometimes the truth hurts.

Anticipation

I got this from my Proverbs 31 Ministries daily devotional. But I had to share it with everyone. I have never thought about my prayer life in this way.

Anticipation
Micca Monda Campbell

“My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him.”

Psalm 62:6 (KJV)


Devotion:

Children anticipate everything from birthdays to family vacations. Yes, they await good things with expectancy. There’s no doubt that we once did too. As we grew older, however, we lost some of our anticipation. Maybe it’s because we’ve been disappointed one too many times. Perhaps we don’t expect anything because we don’t feel worthy of receiving anything good. Or maybe, we just don’t believe it’s meant for good things to come our way.

Take prayer for example. How many times do you and I petition the Lord and then fail to expect an answer? John tells us, “Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask; because we obey his commands and do what pleases him” (1 John 3:21-22). You and I can have this confidence. In fact, as obedient children of God, we should be so confident in Him that we expect good things like answered prayer, a healed relationship, the home coming of a wayward child, forgiveness of sins—whatever we ask.

When my children ask something of me, they expect an answer. Then they anticipate the fulfilling of that answer. As children of God we should do no less. We should anticipate great things from our great God. We should expect Him to hear our cries and respond, so much so that we are looking with anticipation all around us for His answer and provision.

Bible teacher, Henry Blackaby says, “After we pray, whatever happens next is God’s answer.” Wow. I sometimes miss God’s loving response to my prayer because I don’t anticipate a reply.

The Bible teaches us that believing is seeing. “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1). We must believe in order to see God’s provisions. Let me ask you what I often ask myself: “Do you simply hope God will answer your needs, or do you see God’s generous hand at work in your life? Do you wait with expectancy or do you doubt His provision?” He may seem slow at responding, but He’s always right on time. While it would be nice if God owned the same watch as we do, you and I can always count on His perfect timing.

We will see God when we anticipate His involvement in our lives. We will see Him when we can say, “His answer and provision may come slow, but they are sure to come, and I will wait with expectation.”



Dear Lord, today I chose to anticipate Your work in my life. Show me great and mighty things that only you can do. And I will praise Your Holy Name. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

His Help Meet

I was reading a book called "Created To Be His Help Meet" by Debi Pearl a while back. I haven't finished it yet. I put it down for a while to study my Bible more closely, but plan to pick it back up soon. Today I found the notebook I was taking notes in and thought I'd share some of the greater points of the book (from the first 13 chapters mind you). By the way, it's a great book and I highly recommend it to ALL women who are married or plan to get married.

Some great points from the book:

* A woman trying to function like a man is as ridiculous as a man trying to be like a woman. p.21

* It is far better that the job be done poorly by your husband than to be done well by you. p.23 (that's a tough one to accept, but it's true)

* No man has ever crawled out from under his wife's criticism to be a better man -- no matter how justified her condemnation. p.30

* Joy begins with thankfulness. Thankfulness is how you think; joy is the abundance it produces. p.37

* Christ is willing to love you and make you His bride, just as you are. And he asks you to be a bride to your husband; just as he is. p.44

* To allow someone else to control your life is much harder than taking control of it yourself. p.50

* You can decide to be in a constant state of anger and bitterness, or you can ask God for the wisdom to live each day in a state of honoring your man for God's sake. p.55

* A woman who really knows God will know thata true spirituality is obeying God's recorded Word, not cultivating her "spiritual" sensibilities. p.59

* Divorce is never planned, but is almost always preceded by certain avoidable reactive behavior and events. Don't let it happen to you. p.72...is there any satisfaction in your punishing responses?

* Wisdom is knowing what you "bought" when you married that man, and learning to adapt to him as he is, not as you want him to be. p.76

* God designed the woman to be sensitive and vulnerable for the sake of the little ones whom she must nurture. p. 108

* And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.
1 Tim 2:14 (A reason women should not teach men) p. 110

* We need to be aware of the power we have to seduce our husbands into following us into disregarding the clear, objective words of God. p.111

* Today, if a woman is willing to play her husbands role in directing the family, her husband will lose his natural drive to bear responsibility. p.112

* God created the woman to be the helper of the man - a sinless man. Now that she has led him into sin, she is still his helper, her desires are still focused on him and his goals, and he will still rule over her as before -- but now he is sinful, selfish, and carnal. p.118

* All marriages are made up of two sinners with lots of faults. p.129

* Any woman who lives on the edge, expecting to be offended and believing ill will on every hand, that woman is living in vain imaginations and is a godless woman. p.129-130

Yes, this book can be harsh, but it's all biblically based and when you really think about it, the harsh words are true.

What would you do?

Jeremiah Chapter 2

Wow, this chapter really spoke to me. I'm feeling more and more reassured that God directed us to study this book of the Bible because I am learning so much from it that I can apply to things that are going on in my life right now.

Chapter 2 is when God presents his case against Israel. And it was a little scary because all the charges against them are things we in America are doing right now. I can't imagine that God is very happy with our nation right now. In the beginning of the chapter, God reminds them of how they were when they followed Him. He said during the "kindness of their youth" they were "holiness to the LORD." Then, Israel forgot the God who led them out of Egypt into their beautiful land. They were worshipping false idols and the leaders (those who should have really been focused on God) were doing things their own way.

This takes me back to when I was saved, during the "kindness of my youth." It's like when you first recieve that joy of salvation, you are so on fire for the Lord and doing everything you can to live for him. During this time, angels are rejoicing in heaven and the Lord is so happy to have a child come home to Him. Things are wonderful. Then, we start settling back into some of our old ways. We forget about our first love. Now, keep in mind you don't have to bow down to a wooden statue to worship a false idol. That idol can be money or possessions or anything that takes priority over the Lord. In many ways we can become idol worshippers like Israel had.

The part of this chapter that really struck me was v. 27-28.

"For they have turned their back to Me, and not their face. But in the time of their trouble They will say, 'Arise and save us.' But where are your gods that you have made for yourselves? Let them arise, If they can save you in the time of your trouble."

Isn't it frustrating as a Christian when you see someone who has nothing to do with the Lord, does not pray, does not read their Bible, does not have a personal relationship with the Lord, and as soon as they come to a time of trouble in their life where they have no control over the situation, they run to God? Then, when the trouble is gone, they forget all about Him again. That frustrates me. But, don't we Christians do the same things at times? There are times when I will just stop reading my Bible for months. I won't have a daily quiet time, and I won't pray very often. But when things get tough and I need the Lord, I go running to Him and start praying every day and studying the word. Now, I may not forget to do those things as easily as someone who doesn't have their salvation, but isn't it almost the same?

Friends, don't get too caught up in this world. How will your money help you when your child is so sick he/she is in the hospital for days? How will your nice car help when your husband is laid off from his job and can't find another one for months? The only one who can truly help us through our struggles is our Lord Jesus. But He doesn't want to just hear from us when we need His help. He wants to know us personally and intimately on a daily basis. Just like a marriage, we are the bride of Christ. We need to stand by him in sickness and in health, through the good and the bad, no matter what happens.

This chapter really made me re-evaluate how I think about my relationship with the Lord. I can't expect him to come running to bail me out of troubled times if he hasn't heard from me in so long that he doesn't recognize my voice on the other end of the line.

Jeremiah Chapter 1

My mentor and I have decided to read the book of Jeremiah together. So, I thought this would be a good time to make a blog entry on the things I learned from Jeremiah today. While I've heard several scriptures from Jeremiah, I have never read the entire book before, so I'm really excited about this.

Today I read Chapter One. The first thing that really caught my attention and got me thinking was v. 1:5 "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations." God knew Jeremiah would be a prophet to the nations before he was even in his mother's womb. After three long years of trying, John and I are finally pregnant. I can just imagine 2 years ago, God looking down upon me as I prayed for a baby and thinking, "it's not time yet, but one day I will bless you with a child. I already know that child and the plans I have for him/her". I wonder what God has already ordained this child to be. Sometimes I wonder what he ordained ME to be long ago before I was in my mother's womb. Just when I think I might have that figured out, He throws me another curve ball.

Then, in v. 1:6, just as Moses tried to get out of what God ordained him to do, Jeremiah argued with God, "Ah, Lord God! Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth." Have you ever felt like that? For me, the hardest people to share my faith with are family members and close friends. I have close family members who have not given their lives to Jesus and I pray for them often. But when I'm talking to them, God will open a door for me to share my faith and I will reach right out and close it just as quickly as it opened. Later, I'm kicking myself for not jumping at the opportunity, but it's like I'm saying, "Lord God, I cannot speak, for I am a youth!" I used to use the excuse that I was too young in my faith and didn't know enough scripture to back what I was saying. But how long can I use that one? I'm equipped enough to knock on the doors of strangers with my FAITH team from church and tell them how they can have a personal relationship with Jesus. In fact, a couple of weeks ago, a woman prayed to receive Christ as a result of one of those visits. I can share that with a stranger, but not a close friend or relative?

This is where I need to focus on v. 1:7-8 But the LORD said to me: "Do not say, "I am a youth," For you shall go to all to whom I send you, And whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of their faces, For I am with you to deliver you," says the LORD.
I need to trust in the Lord to fill me with the Holy Spirit and give me the words to say. And I need to overcome the fear of rejection, for God will deliver me.

My biggest fear has always been rejection. Not so much from strangers, which is why it doesn't bother me to be turned away by a stranger at their door who doesn't want to hear what I have to say. But when a friend or family member rejects me for something I say or do, no matter how right I am, it bothers me a great deal. This is something I'm going to have to overcome. I have trouble saying "no" even when I want to, I have trouble sharing my faith even when a door opens for me to, and I have trouble telling people their actions or words are inappropriate even though I know they need to hear it. And it all boils down to a fear of rejection.

So, today the lesson I learned is that it doesn't matter if I am rejected by man. Verse 1:19 says, "They will fight against you, But they shall not prevail against you, For I am with you, says the LORD, to deliver you." As long as I am living for the Lord and speaking the words He gives me, there will be those who will fight against me and even reject me. But what eternal value does their opinion have? The Lord will deliver me for remaining faithful as Jeremiah did.