Does God Turn Blind Eyes to the Wicked?

When we look around at those who live in the wealthy part of town, we are often envious of the prosperity that these individuals enjoy (Psalm 73:3). Many of them live a depraved life; yet it seems that God does not hold them accountable for their sinful lifestyle (Matthew 5:45).

Some of these carnal people slide through life without paying any consequence for their decisions, and reaping the rewards of their depraved endeavors. Yet, many who live righteously are weary, deprived of this world's goods, and shop at thrift stores instead of the mall.

However, we do not need to envy the wicked, because they eventually fade like grass and the flowers of spring. As we continually trust only in the Lord, and take delight in Him, He gives us His desires in our heart (Psalm 73).

God makes our innocence to shine like the dawn, and our righteousness to radiate like the sun at noon. We are always in God's presence, and we wait patiently for Him to act on our behalf. He is our Jehovah Jireh - our Provider.

Some of the wicked even plot against, curse and defy the righteous; but the Lord just laughs at their attempts to defeat us. Even though the wicked wait in ambush for the godly, looking for an excuse to harm us; ultimately, the Lord will not let the wicked succeed.

A wonderful future awaits those who love and live for God, but the rebellious will be destroyed; they have no future. At times, we see wicked and ruthless people flourishing like a tree in its native soil. But when we look again, they will be vanquished.

Prayer:

Father God, sometimes we feel concern about what seems to be Your indifference over the horrible wickedness rampant in the world, and which will cause even those who serve You to suffer. Many things seem unjust and unfair to us now, with our limited vision and understanding. Help us to realize that the judgment of the wicked will come eventually, so this fact can diffuse our disappointment and strengthen our soul.

Jesus promises us that we will have tribulation in this world (John 16:33). He suffered all of his life too (Hebrews 5:8). In Your timing, show us what will become clear if we will be patient. Teach us to suspend judgment for a while, and to have faith in You. Help us to realize that when our vision is blurred, patience and time are essential elements in restoring our proper perceptions (Malachi 3:13-18).

Thought for the Day:

Joseph testified to his brothers that the evil they had done to him had been turned into good by the hand of our Father in Heaven; the humble person is consoled in heaven, but the proud one, who rejects the Lord, suffers eternal pain in hell.

-Genesis 45:7

Who is Your Daddy?

Prior to salvation, we served our father Satan (1 John 3:10). We lived in bondage to his yoke, his destruction, and his plans for our demise (Ephesians 2:2). Through the cross of Christ, we received redemption from the lies, wiles and devastation of the devil (Colossians 2:15).

We no longer submit to his determination to destroy us through debauchery, worldly philosophies, empty promises and vain ambitions. We are also free from the driven nature of our fleshly desires and the allurement of the world's trappings (Romans 6:16).

At salvation, we gain a heavenly mindset as we allow God's Word to renew our mind, and His Spirit to exchange our carnal nature with Jesus' divine nature in us (Romans 12:2; 2 Peter 1:4). Christ is our life now, and we view everything from His perspective (Colossians 3:3-4; Philippians 1:21).

We are crucified with Christ (Galatians 2:20) and freed from chasing phantom dreams, worldly fads, satanic visions and earthly pursuits. Instead, we embrace the freedom of the crucified life in Christ.

This inborn meekness gives us the benefit of inheriting the new heaven and earth as co-heirs with Jesus (Matthew 5:5; Revelation 21:1-3; Romans 8:17). Our life is now hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 2:3).

God protects us, and grasps us in the palm of His hand (John 10:27-28). He abundantly provides for us and supplies every need we will ever experience on this earth (Psalm 23; Luke 6:38). This realization affords us with abounding grace, love, peace and joy.

Prayer:

Father God, this world does not understand our faith in You, our lack of materialism, our disciplined life, our heavenly mindedness, etc.; and they often ridicule and reject us because we are so different in every way from their choices and experiences (1 Peter 4:4). Remind us that this puts us in good company, however, because Jesus was treated with this same contempt and rejection.

Thank You for exalting Jesus to Your right hand, and revealing Him to us as our savior, redeemer, friend, brother, and co-heir of Your Kingdom (Romans 8:19). You give us a glorious future through Christ in us (Colossians 3:4). Remind us that our true citizenship is in heaven, and that we will abide with Him in His glory forevermore (Philippians 3:20-21).

Thought for the Day:

In the new heaven and new earth, the children of God will enjoy a glorified body, like Jesus had after His resurrection, and in which He appeared to many people during the 40 days he remained on the earth prior to His ascension into Heaven.

- 1 Corinthians 15:42-44; 1 John 3:2-3

Communicating with God

Did you ever make a “telephone” with paper cups connected by a string? As long as my playmate and I kept the string taut, the voices carried clearly from the speaker to the listener.

If we got too eager and moved closer to one another, the dialogue ended, because the line was no longer taut. The further my playmate leaned toward me to hear, the longer our communication was interrupted, because the line grew looser still. Even if I yelled louder, she still heard nothing.

This happens sometimes when we try to communicate with our Heavenly Father. We tell Him our issues and hear no response. Then we try talking louder, even yelling and questioning if He is even listening to us. Until we rest and quit straining forward, we hear nothing!

Communication is not re-established until we relax and sit back. Sometimes, static - caused by the cares of the world, sin in our life, and idols that we pursue - slurs our conversation and interrupts our communication with the Lover of our soul.

The Lord is there all the time, trying to speak to us, but we do not hear Him, due to our stressing, straining and striving to communicate with Him; or due to the sludge of life, which stops up the flow of our interaction with our Daddy God.

When we lay down our attachment to the world, the Holy Spirit washes away the residue from the sludge that we allowed to build up between us. Our communication is restored without any exertion at all when we rest in His love and grace.

Prayer:

Father God, thank You for always listening to us. Even when our stress level interrupts our communication, You never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). You are always there inside of us…loving us, coaching us, cleansing us and leading us through life.

In times of silence between us, You are still there, and we can enjoy Your presence even when we say nothing. Help us to reject the lies from Satan who feeds on the fears and insecurities of our soul. We love You with our whole heart and we have faith in Your faithfulness.

Thought for the Day:

When we quit trying so hard, our anxiety and stress diminish; and when we cease our self-efforts and trust the Lord to speak in His timing, the communication line between us tightens once again and we can hear clearly now.

Led by the Spirit

Loving others does not mean that we give people what they want when they want it; it is following the Spirit’s leading in everything we do and say (1 Corinthians 10:31-33). Reaching a balance in the area of ministry is both basic and simple, when we submit to God's Spirit.

If God does not give us His perfect peace to comply with someone’s request or a need that we see in their life, then we do not get involved, except to pray for them. God teaches us to develop healthy boundaries based on the Holy Spirit’s direction.

This is crucial for creating a safe place - a home base - for the authentic person whom God created us to be, as we follow His will through each moment of our day. We are the result of all of the nature and nurture that God provided for us in our lifetime.

He intended that we have our exact environment, trauma, blessings, family, and genes in order for us to become the person He needs us to be. This way He can use us to help others with our unique skills and talents.

Many of the ministry needs that we try to respond to may appear Biblical on the surface. The issue is legitimate and the person is in real need. However, this does not mean that we indiscriminately help everyone who has a need. God will direct us by His Spirit.

If the Holy Spirit does not direct us to get involved, and we do so anyway, this can have an oppressive effect on us and those we help, because it becomes a “works” brand of Christianity. Then, God orchestrates new circumstances to accomplish His purpose.

Eventually, ministry can feel like slavery and bondage, and may even cause us to grow more and more resentful and angry in our soul. We can learn balance from Jesus. He walked among the multitude of sick people beside the pool of Bethesda. They all needed His help, but God's Spirit directed Him to heal only one of them (John 5:1-19).

Prayer:

Father God, teach us that if we do not follow the leading of Your Holy Spirit, we run the risk of getting worn out and of distancing our self from You, which will cause us to lose our spiritual anchor. Obeying Your Spirit keeps out unwanted intruders of doubt, insecurity, fear and obligation, and provides a safe place where we can grow and develop as Your saint and servant.

Your plan for our development involves a building up of our self in a grace-filled, restorative experience of Christ in us, which is our hope of glory (Colossians 1:27). We need to allow others to learn to trust You too. Show us how we can live less like Martha - who frantically rushed around serving others, and more like Mary who allowed herself to sit at Jesus' feet (Luke 10:38-42).

Thought for the Day:

Allowing God to build up our feelings of self-worth and to help us to develop secure boundaries is a spiritual priority as He teaches us to say "No," which is more important to our spiritual growth than saying "Yes" to yet another "spiritual" activity; we do not always need to have a clearly articulated or spiritual-sounding reason for saying, "No." If God is not leading you to say, “Yes,” then by all means, please say, “No.”

Carried by the Angels

We all have a boundary around our lives (Psalm 139:16). God formed us in our mother's womb, sustained us through every event in our life, and walks with us through the valley of the shadow of death (Psalm 23).

On this day, we will pass through the veil of death into the presence of God. When we take our last breath of this earthly air, we take our next breath in the celestial atmosphere of heaven.

Losing a loved one is the most debilitating and devastating experience anyone can ever go through. This grief extends beyond words and engulfs our body, soul and spirit. Often we find no solace in our grief.

No word of comfort, no gesture of concern and no card or flower can lighten our burden of anguish. Grief is a natural process, which has no exact time frame and is experienced in unique ways by different individuals.

Feeling the pain of grieving is difficult, but it is an important step toward healing. When viewed as loss, there is no solace in death. However, when viewed as our Homecoming, we find comfort and even joy.

Death is actually the doorway to our ultimate healing with no more sorrow or sickness. Rather than focusing on our loss, we can focus on the time we had together, and the person their love helped us to become.

We find comfort in God's love and in His strength to continue on in our journey. He has a special plan for our life that does not include our loved one. He will reveal it to us one step at a time. He nurtures and comforts our heart and soul as we look to Him one moment at a time.

Prayer:

Father God, thank You for the time we shared with our loved one. Remind us that we never need to stop loving the one that is no longer with us. The death of a child through a miscarriage or illness is the hardest trial for us to bear, but Your love comforts us in any loss. You will teach us to cherish our memories of our loved one for the rest of our life, and they will enhance our future relationships because of the love we shared.

When some of our memories cause a stab of emotional or physical pain now and then, remind us that these fleeting moments are a normal part of the grieving and healing process, even when they happen on and off for years or never go away. Help us to realize that it is important to allow our self to have these feelings rather than to deny them, cover them up with busyness, or bury them deep in our soul. Teach us to feel the sadness fully and then to let it go.

Thought for the Day:

Loving again can feel like disloyalty at first, especially when we think about enjoying a life that does not include our loved one; however, this is far from true, because our loved one would want us to live a full and happy life even though they cannot be here to share it with us.

Ideas to make the transition of loss less painful:

1.  Make a keepsake box full of treasured photos or mementos of our relationship with our deceased loved one.

2.  Visit a special place we enjoyed together, and allow the joy of those good memories to wash over our soul.

3.  Set a special plate for them on holidays and birthdays and chat with family and friends about good memories.

4.  Write our loved one a letter, or visit their grave and tell them how we are feeling.

5.  Allow our self to cry, because tears wash away the grief. It is important to realize that we can cherish a memory without getting trapped there.

6.  Cherish the memories without allowing our loss to control us; and find joy in our new experiences, as we take comfort in the knowledge that we will keep our cherished memories with us wherever we go, and whatever we do, and with whomever we do them.

7.  Gain comfort and courage from God's Word with verses such as:

·       Psalm 116:15 Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints. NKJV

·       Psalm 48:14 For this is God, Our God forever and ever; He will be our guide even to death. NKJV

·       Proverbs 14:32 Even in death the righteous have a refuge. NIV

·       Ecclesiastes 7:1 A good name is better than fine perfume, and the day of death better than the day of birth. TLB

·       Psalm 16:9-11 Heart, body, and soul are filled with joy. For you will not leave me among the dead; you will not allow your beloved one to rot in the grave. You will let me experience the joys of life and the exquisite pleasures of your own eternal presence. TLB

·       2 Corinthians 5:8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. KJV

·       Luke 20:36 And they never die again; in these respects they are like angels, and are sons of God, for they are raised up in new life from the dead. TLB

·       Luke 16:22 So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom. KJV

Traveling Mercies and God Hugs

As is His usual custom, our Daddy God abundantly provided for us throughout our trip. Let me count the ways:

·       He started by sending us to a smart repairman to fix an oil leak in our van before we even left home - turns out it was simply an old oil filter.

·       He gave us the opportunity to rent a two bedroom cabin - with living room, dining room, and full kitchen - directly on a beautiful lake in the piney woods of Mississippi for only $75 a night - unheard of, right?

·       He made sure that, although we drove in several cells of high winds and blinding rain, we passed through them quickly, we had breaks in the major storms in order to get into and out of hotels and restaurants, and we traveled most of our four days on the road with only a light drizzle.

·       During one of those tumultuous cells, we had to refuel and use the restroom. Daddy God directed us off the highway at the ”fortunate" time to take advantage of an unusually large and heavy-duty awning in front of the gas station/curb store. Even with a thunderstorm all around us, we never got even a drop of rain on us.

·       Although the Illinois trees are almost devoid of leaves at this time of year - we already had our first snow fall, He delighted us with beautiful fall colors throughout our journey south. To my delight, we even drove through several mountainous areas along the way.

·       A mom and pop café, filled with a pleasant staff and wall plaques painted with scripture verses, served a special of rib-sticking stew and cornbread muffins for lunch - one of my hubby's favorite meals.

·       On our first day south, we "surprisingly" encountered our preferred hotel to spend the night - La Quinta, which is always pet friendly, clean and attractively decorated. This hotel was not advertised on google with the rest of the area hotels.

·       We experienced no dangers and few distracted drivers on our travels. Our daughter and her family with two of our eight grands, traveled 13 hours in one night from the Florida Everglades, and arrived safely to rent the cabin right next to ours.

·       Our seven year old granddaughter gave me one of her necklaces and said, "I want you to have this, Grammy, because it's pretty, just like You." That gesture and her honest words will warm my heart for the rest of my life on this earth.

·       Father God provided a perfect, sunny, warm day at the farm for the Thanksgiving Day reunion full of catching up with family members and meeting new ones. On Friday, we also had an unexpected treat of a visit with a niece, great niece and brother who had to work on Thanksgiving Day.

·       We appreciated good health throughout the week for both of us. Even though I packed the whole medicine cabinet, my herbal antibiotics and essential oils, we did not need any of them.

·       An online hook-up by phone allowed hubby to watch a Thanksgiving evening football game via computer, while I watched the premiere of a Hallmark movie on the TV. On Saturday evening, He provided a newly hired, younger hotel desk clerk who knew how to reconfigure a malfunctioning TV in our room on this big football day.

Prayers for traveling mercies are special requests to God for the safety and blessing for those traversing the globe. On our recent trip to see family for their Mississippi reunion, we had members of the family of God in our home church, as well as friends scattered over the USA and abroad, praying for us through social media.

We thank our Jehovah Jireh, our Great Provider, who kept us safe and healthy for a whole week, and home and kitties survived our separation as well.

A Good Marriage - Unity

God created a perfect earth on which He intended for mankind to co-exist with Him. He came to earth to visit with Adam and Eve in the cool of the garden. However, Satan also came to them, and the first couple listened to His lies and lost their immortality (Genesis 2:1-24).

Creation has suffered ever since (Romans 8:22). Mankind has a free will, and our choices perpetuate this destruction. Each time I see a dead animal along the side of the road, or a dead tree raising its skeletal remains in praise to God, I realize that my sin and yours caused that to happen.

Our marriages also suffer destruction due to our individual, self-centered decisions. There are God-honoring principles for a successful marriage. The essence of God's Trinity is a unity of three distinct personalities and functions.

The three divine ego states cooperate in unity to bless all of creation, including our life. God designed marriage to mirror this divine union as an inseparable blending until death parts us (Matthew 19:3-6). A dissolution of our marital relationship grieves the Trinity (Mark 10:9-11).

Realizing that we are partners, rather than competitors in life, enables our intimacy to grow. We schedule time together in our daily "to-do" list, and guard that time, regardless of how long or short that time is. We take the time to love each other in our individual love languages ( http://www.lovelanguagequiz.com/ ).

We cherish, protect and nurture our marriage as our priority, second only to our union with God. Everything else - vocation, hobbies, friends, responsibilities, etc. all take a back seat to our vitally important union with God and our spouse.

Prayer:

Father God, help us to understand that we have an inseparable union with our spouse that You call us to develop, cultivate, and grow in intimacy through disagreements, sickness, financial upsets, and loss in our individual life. Remind us to pull together and to support each other rather than taking an adversarial attitude against each other.

Teach us what it means to make a covenant with You and with our spouse. Help us to honor that covenant in our thoughts, words and actions toward each other. Remind us that our exclusive and everlasting bond with each other has more to do with our choices than with our feelings.

Thought for the Day:

As we schedule time together, even if it is only an hour out of the 24 hours that God gives us each day, this allows us to dwell together in unity with understanding and acceptance of each other's foibles and idiosyncrasies, and we develop compassion for, and companionship with our spouse that will help us to increase in our intimacy with one another; this enables us to nurture one another's strengths and to have patience for our individual weaknesses.