I may have included this in a previous post but here it is again. During a storm I am often reminded of the song “Standing In The Storm” by The Sharps. The song reminds us to be not afraid because God will keep us safe and warm, He is our refuge in a storm.
In the book of Nahum 1:3 The Lord is slow to anger and great in power and will by no means clear the guilty. The Lord has His way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of His feet.
When we think about storms we usually think about the vast amount of wind, the endless hours of rain and the sometimes angry thunder and lightning. I say to you now there is a greater storm, this storm may not easily pass by. This storm is of good versus evil. As I was just typing our power went out.
As stated above God is slow to anger but there will come a time when he will say “enough is enough”. When it says “and by no means clear the guilty” it means those who deliberately violate God’s law and refuse to repent will be forever lost. On the other hand if you trust in Him in all things you will feel his presence in the storm. He will embrace you with the blanket of the Holy Spirit and you will be safe from harm.
Even as a child I never feared storms. I just saw them as God exercising His power. Storms are to be respected as something that must play out. My husband said as children his grandmother would tell them to just sit, be quiet and be respectful.
If you have been “asleep at the wheel” and have not acknowledged what is happening to this country and this world, maybe it is time you took a moment to slow down and take notice. Yes the sun still comes up and the birds still chirp in the morning and life does go on but what is your part in it?
This is supposed to be one of the greatest countries in the world and yet in reality daily it is sinking further into a cesspool of unimaginable sin. No I am not trying to just be negative, this was actually all predicted in the Bible.
We know that Babylon was destroyed because of its great sin. Some people believe the United States is the new Babylon and is also set for destruction as described in Revelation 18:1-24. Now whether you believe this or not is up to you but what is written in the text and what is actually happening in this world….the puzzle piece fits! For instance: Rev 18:2 And he shouted with a mighty voice, She is fallen! Mighty Babylon is fallen! She has become a resort and dwelling place for demons, a dungeon haunted by every loathsome spirit, an abode for every filthy and detestable bird.
It is obvious this world is fighting a great evil. It is a battle in every sense. This battle is good versus evil. While it may appear evil has the upper hand, even Revelation leads us to believe that if the faithful to God stand tall in this battle there is still an opportunity to create a new world. This is not a time to be weak nor a time to be fearful. This is a time to stand tall and be a soldier for God!
We have become a lawless nation and a lawless world but God’s law is the law that matters. In Psalm 119:18 “Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of Your law”. Even in the worst of times we have to put God and God’s law first! We know that based on the book of Revelations we could all be destroyed but…and there is a but..if you read the last two chapters it clearly defines a new heaven and a new earth. Is that just in the physical sense? We know the Bible is written in parables so it could just as easily be interpreted that the unjust [those who have not repented and have turned away from God] have been destroyed and the children of God who do believe and are faithful will be left to enjoy a new world.
The final alter call is here and now. The old Babylon is lost but the new Babylon still has an opportunity to be saved. The choice is yours, don’t make the wrong one.
I choose God and that is not a mistake! Have a blessed day.
On Saturday I had the privledge to attend my niece’s wedding. While it was beautiful in every aspect as was she, it was the vows they spoke that would forever linger long after their wedding day was over. They may not have been the traditional vows, there was no “obey” in them but there was a lot of love and thought put into them. The commitment they challenged them with was soft to the ears but touching to the heart. They set standards for themselves as a couple and attainable goals that will lead them well into their elder years. While marriage in recent years in itself has become the “exception to the rule” it is touching to see a young couple that much in love and still willing to make that long journey down the road of life together.
While the Bible does not speak a lot about marriage, what is does say is profound:
Let marriage be held in honor (esteemed worthy, precious, of great price, and especially dear) in all things. And thus let the marriage bed be undefiled (kept undishonored); for God will judge and punish the unchaste [all guilty of sexual vice] and adulterous.
Too many times as we age as a couple we forget the meaning of this verse. It is not just the physicality of marriage but it should also be about the spirituality of marriage. God honors marriage! He honors the commitment that a couple makes to make their lives one together. He will particularly honor it if they are also bound spiritually. “Let marriage be held in honor”, those few words set the tone for what a marriage should be. I believe that based on the vows my niece and her new husband chose that they truly “honor” each other and the union of marriage.
If you are considering marriage I hope you will consider God’s plan for marriage. While all marriages will have times of tribulation, if you stay the course it is worth the effort. God bless you all.
There seems to be a lot of discussion recently about aliens and I have seen a number of people who have stated that aliens were even noted in the Bible. Here are the Bible references as they currently exist as quoted from the Amplified Bible.
Exod 18:3 And her two sons, of whom the name of the one was Gershom [expulsion, or a stranger there], for Moses said, I have been an alien in a strange land;
Deuteronomy 14:21 You shall not eat of anything that dies of itself. You may give it to the stranger or the foreigner who is within your towns that he may eat it, or you may sell it to an alien. [They are not under God’s law in this matter} but you are a people holy to the Lord your God. You shall not [even] boil a kid in its mother’s milk.
Job 19:15 Those who live temporarily in my house and my maids count me as a stranger; I am an alien in their sight.
Psalm 69:8 I have become a stranger to my brethren, and an alien to my mother’s children. [John 7:3-5.]
Proverbs 2:16 [Discretion shall watch over you, understanding shall keep you] to deliver you from the alien woman, from the outsider with her flattering words, [Prov. 2:11]
Isaiah 61:5 Aliens shall stand [ready] and feed your flocks, and foreigners shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers.
Luke 17:18 Was there no one found to return and to reognize and give thanks and praise to God except this alien?
Ephesians 2:19 Therefore you are no longer outsiders, exiles, migrants, and aliens, excluded from the rights of citizens), but you now share citizenship with the saints (God’s own people, consecrated and set apart for Himself): and you belong to God’s [own} household.
Ephesians 4:18 Their moral understanding is darkened and their reasoning is beclouded. [They are] alienated (estranged, self-banished) from the life of God [with no share in it; this is] because of the ignorance (the want of knowledge and perception, the willful blindness) that is deep-seated in them, due to their hardness of heart [to the insensitiveness of their moral nature].
Hebrews 11:34 Extinguished the power of raging fire, esaped the devourings of the sword, out of frailty and weakness won strength and became stalwart, even mighty and resistless in battle, routing alien hosts. [Dan. 3.]
Hebrews 13:9 Do not be carried about by different and varied and alien teachings; for it is good for the heart to be established and ennobled and strengthened by means of grace (God’s favor and spiritual blessing) and not [to be devoted to] foods [rules of diet and ritualistic meals], which bring no [spiritual] benefit or profit to those who observe them.
1 Peter 2:11 Beloved, I implore you as aliens and stranger and exiles [in this world] to abstain from the sensual urges (the evil desires, the passions of the flesh, your lower nature) that wage war against the soul.
1 Peter 4:12 Beloved, do not be amzed and bewildered at the fiery ordeal which is taking place to test your quality, as though something strange (unusual and alien to you and your position) were befalling you.
In each instance if you read the passage and the surrounding passages you will come to realize the term “alien” does not relate to a creature but to something strange or unfamiliar or a foreign location. It is easy to get terminology confused in the Bible as a lot of it is written in parables but in this instance each use of the term is the same or similar.
While there are obviously books that have been left out of the Bible, based on how the term is used in these passages I don’t think the inclusion of any other books will change the meaning. Feel free to do your own research. The internet while a useful tool can also contain a lot of false or misleading information.
Yesterday I visited with a friend who has been told he is dying. I tried to express to his wife that just because a doctor makes that decision does not mean that is the way his life will play out. I believe with my whole heart that God still has a plan for him. While we live in a world where it is so easy to believe in the negative I search for the positivity in life. As the battle between good and evil is being fought before our very eyes……there is hope! The Bible speaks about hope:
Psalm 22:9 Yet You are He Who took me out of the womb; You made me hope and trust when I was on my mother’s breasts. (In this sense hope is a feeling of security.)
Psalm 27:14 Wait and hope for and expect the Lord; be brave and of good courage and let your heart be stout and enduring. Yes, wait for and hope for and expect the Lord. (Even though life may leave challenges at our feet, the Lord wants us to know that we can expect him and depend on him and look forward to his coming.)
Psalm 33:18 Behold, the Lord’s eye is upon those who fear Him [who revere and worship Him with awe], who wait for Him and hope in His mercy and loving-kindness. (God loves those who love and respect him ‘fear him’. On those who follow him he pours out his love in response to their obedience.)
Psalm 39:7 And now, Lord, what do I wait for and expect? My hope and expectation are in You. (Don’t be afraid to “wait” and “hope” for the outpouring of God’s love because it will come in His time not ours.)
As you go through your own daily battles, don’t forget to have hope. God loves you and only wants the best for you. That does not mean that we won’t be tested but that when we are we have a heavenly Father that loves us and stands by us in all things. Go to Him in prayer. Go to Him when you are in need. Don’t forget to go to Him just to show Him your love for Him!
Have a wonderful Sunday.
God is the Creator of all things. In Him all things are made new.
Have you ever woken up with a song in your head? Today I did. The song is Open The Eyes To My Heart.
If you open your heart to God, Amazing things happen. Through my lifetime I have seen many miracles. I have experienced extreme pain both physically and emotionally that only God could heal.
The Bible clearly tells us we have to humble ourselves before God. Like a little child learning to walk, our walk with God is ever growing. The depth of it is endless.
We are walking through days now that are very painful but God knows our every need and even though you may not see what he is doing, He is watching and waiting! The one thing that most people forget is “it has to be in God’s time”. It is so easy to ask “why”. Why did we have to go through the pandemic? Why is our world so broken? Why have so many people died? God did not cause these things…..MAN did! God did not cause you to lose your job. God did not cause the pandemic…man did. There are so many questions but the answer is the same…God did not do it…MAN did!
When you stop blaming God and start listening to him doors start opening. Can we undo the pandemic..NO but we can look at how it started and make changes. Is a vaccine the answer…NO because God in his infinite wisdom designed our bodies with an amazing immunity system. Can we right the wrongs of this country…it is possible but will take time. Again the answers will depend on where your heart is with God. God is the answer to all things not the cause.
OPEN THE EYES OF MY HEART LORD!
You will be amazed at what happens when you do! Have a blessed day.
Despite the political nonsense, the violence and the fake covid…God always gives us a new day.
Every day brings more tribulations but if we stay focused and stay connected with our faith, we will survive.
We need to stop fighting among ourselves and unite together! The elite that have control of the world will easily lose control if we do. Negativity may hold us captive…..but it doesn’t have to! Individually we can set our own course to lead. Together we can set a course that will make God proud and clean up this world to make a better place for future generations.
Put not your faith in any man but in the holy trinity.
While I have not had a lot of time for photography lately, I still try to get in a few pics. It is the simple things in life that lead you to reflection.
A single turtle resting on a limb.The catfish pond.South end of pond.A stray bird who has lost his way…Last but certainly not least, the bells now sit silent after Sunday service.
This rainy afternoon I decided to hide in my studio to do some painting. I am sure some people will say “what were you thinking”? So….I decided to also include what I was thinking at the time. These are not finished pieces.
My main focus today was on my faith so I started the face of Christ.
The Teacher
We are living in such a terrible time….I try to reflect on things more positive.
Waste Art – Baloons
I don’t put a lot of thought into my waste canvas art…I just do! With free flowing movement I ended up with balloons. My pallet is empty now…but these will give me something to finish in my next session.
Painting is a great way to relax, do something positive and make the long days go by faster.
Hope you have enjoyed this afternoon in my studio.
Keep your Bible open….the words within will enlighten you.
I have struggled for days to find the right words. One of my favorite songs is “Independence Day” as recorded by Martina McBride. In the song are the words “let freedom ring”. While the song is about domestic violence those words are about so much more!
As a child I didn’t realize how many freedoms we did have or at least were supposed to have. As I grew into an adult I watched as those freedoms and the strong values this country was founded on slowly fell by the wayside.
The last four years have been refreshing as I have seen a glimpse of those once cherished freedoms and values. Our economy was stronger and as an aging adult for the first time in many years this country had hope. On January 20 that hope was all but destroyed!
It is becoming abundantly clear that this country is in serious trouble.
Over the last year it was enough to deal with COVID. Now I question whether even that was real….or just another strain of the flu. I and a friend of mine both had it. On friday night in a discussion with her on the subject she casually mentioned that she had not heard of even one person that had the flu this year. I kind of scratched my head and then I realized she was right. What if COVID, like everything else, was fake. We lost our freedom of identity, our freedom to move about freely and most recently our freedom of speech.
There are a lot of theories about what is going on in this country and sooner or later the truth will come out. In the meantime we have an imposter spouting out orders that will paralyze what is left of this country. What are we supposed to do?
We are supposed to be strong in faith. We,the people, can still establish a more perfect union. Getting the country back on track will take time but it begins with each one of us. Your voice is the strongest instrument you have! If someone tries to silence you….shout it from the roof top.
NEVER use force or violence to make your point….that just sends the wrong message. Walk softly and peacefully but cary a big voice.
I challenge you to do your part to rebuild America. Voice your concerns to those who will listen. Make sure you are living a life with values and not just existing.
My ancestors fought in both the American Revolution and the Civil War. I speak for them!
Through My Eyes 