Have You Grown Cold?

My heart is breaking because of things I see going on around me.  The world is infiltrating our churches, the hearts of christians are turning cold, just as the Bible said it would.  It's one thing to read about it, it's another to see it happening right before your eyes and to people you care about.  To all of you, not just blood family, not just family at all, not just friends but everyone, I love you too much not to pass this on and if any of it applies then just know I am writing what God has laid on my heart.

You may or may not realize but if you are a christian and have read the Bible, (and even those who do not claim to be christian have read the Bible and believe, the Bible says even the demons believe and tremble), you are starting to see a lot of prophecy come true.  Much more than our parents, grandparents etc.
NOW IS NOT THE TIME TO TURN AWAY FROM GOD, or to let your guard down.  Nothing in and of this world is worth going to hell for.  There is so much that God has laid on my heart I am having trouble even writing it all down.  The first verse HE gave me was this one:
Matthew 15:8, NASB
8‘THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME.
      9‘BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME, TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN.’”
Many claim to love the Lord, many spread the verses they read around to others in a semblance of spreading the gospel, while their lives and their actions are far from it.  If the world sees you acting like them WHY would they want to change anything, all they have to say is "I believe" and continue living in sin.  NOW if YOU are the one they are watching and you are the one they are patterning their christian life after, YOU are responsible for them, their blood WILL be on your hands come judgement day.  One of the saddest things I witnessed one time was a young man in his 30's give his life to Christ, and then leave the church mentored by one "friend" who continued to tell him dirty jokes, cuss like a sailor and try to entice him to go to the bars and into other things.  This friend was "supposed" to be a christian.  This friend had worked on him for months and months to come to church, to give his life to God, to become a "new" man.  Then this same friend led him out the door and right back down the same path.  He ended up as lost when he walked out as when he walked in.  No one else could get through to this young man because he had so much respect for the friend that "led him to Christ".  He had never been to church, knew nothing about how your life is supposed to change, yet he felt something wasn't right, he felt that continuing to do the things of the world after confessing his sins was wrong, but he wasn't seeing a change in anyone else so he thought he had this christianity thing all wrong and he wondered what took him so long to confess because he wasn't having to give anything up.  Surely this friend of his, who had been a christian for so long would know how a christian is supposed to act?  He tried talking to his friend but the friend told him, he was okay that God didn't expect him to be so "clean cut and straight laced".  That was old fashioned. He wanted to talk to the pastor but didn't want to make his friend feel like he didn't trust him.  He ended up feeling like he was just being to hard and judgmental and eventually he ended up back on the streets and ultimately in prison.  I realize the friend wasn't the only one in the wrong here.  Someone else should have tried to step up, some did, and yes I was one of those.  We tried to talk to him, to show him Christ's love, tried to teach him but with his friends on the other side saying those older people don't know, that is the old way etc. etc. it only left him more confused.
I have said all that to say this.  I see many many people who have been in church most if not all of their lives, who have claimed to be Christians, taught church classes, sang in the choir, appeared to be following God and know the truths of God.  I've heard them quote scripture, say "I would never do this, or never do that" and I see them now only honoring God with their lips.  Their hearts are turning cold, just as the Bible foretold.
The witness they are presenting is far removed from the witness they were.  There are things of this world that have NO place in the life of a Child of God.  There was a time when these same people would have been appalled if you tried to tell them that they would do the things they are doing now.  God will not be mocked.  What HE says HE means.  His promises AND HIS warnings.  He says stay away from ALL appearance of evil.  1 Thessalonians 5:22.   That means stay away from witchcraft or ALL appearance of witchcraft.  Stay away from discerning the stars (horoscopes), stay away from filthy lewd talk and actions, stay away from bars, strip clubs, other peoples husbands and wives!  I'm not going to tell you that you cannot drink a glass of wine etc that is between you and God, however, when you promote liquor and drinking you are destroying your witness.  Facebook is a good venue to witness, but what kind of witness are we being.  People know we are Christians and yet they see horoscopes, Jack Daniels advertisements, jokes about getting drunk or getting "laid", cussing, sexual innuendos, half dressed men and women, lustful comments.  ALL APPEARANCE OF EVIL.  God says what HE means and means what HE says.  Don't let the devil destroy you.  You've run a good race so far, don't quit, the finish line is too close.
Galatians 5:1
1It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.
Galatians 5:7-8
7 You were running well; who hindered you from obeying the truth? 
8 This  persuasion did not come from Him who calls you.
TO ALL OF YOU:  God knows when I say I love you and I pray for you that I truly mean it, whether you are family, friend or acquaintance.  If I did not tell you the truth of God's word then I would only be honoring that love with my lips and not with my actions and it would be meaningless.
1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
1 Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you. 2 For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. 3 While they are saying, "Peace and safety!"then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape. 4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief; 5 for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; 6so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober. 7For thosewho sleep do their sleeping at night, and those who get drunk get drunk at night. 8 But since we are of [the] day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation. 9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him. 11 Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing.
You know yourself how your witness has changed, how you have changed.  I beseech you, get back on course, don't just talk the talk, get back on the path and walk the walk.  HE wanted you to read this, HE wanted you to know that HE'S noticed and that HE'S waiting.  The Bible says he would leave the 99 to find the one lost lamb, are you the lamb HE is talking to?  I pray you aren't but if you are, please turn back, right now, don't come this far to lose it all over "worldly" fun.  Being a child of the most High God is the greatest honor and privilege there is.  There is nothing that feels better or more worth doing than serving God and making it into eternity.  You might not have another chance.  HE loves you, I love you.  Come home.
Originally written January 16, 2014 at 10:54pm

Praying the Lord's Prayer

I have always been a prayer, one of my requests to God has always been "make me a prayer warrior". I love praying but don't always feel I "say" or "pray" with the best choice of words. Now having said that, I also know, God doesn't care the way you say things, He just wants you to come. This was just a desire I have. I picked up a book Lord Teach Me To Pray in 28 Days by Kay Arthur. Now when I got this book I kept telling myself, (and so did others), I was crazy that a book, (other than the Bible),can't teach you to pray and that is true, however, I will say it's a good study book and it did teach me some things I hadn't thought of. Did it teach me to pray? No, it did however help me to enhance my prayers, it broadened my horizons so to speak. Now having said all that, I would like to share my condensed version of some of what I learned while studying and I hope this helps you as much as it did me.
The main thing I learned is our prayers are more effective when we pray God's will. The only way to truly pray God's way is by studying His word. When you know God and know His word, you know what things you should pray for. Jesus says in John 15:7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
We know from studying God's word that sickness does not come from God, therefore, if we pray for healing, we are praying God's word.
Jesus gave us an outline for prayer in Matthew 6:6-13. We are not to pray this prayer repititously, it is an outline. He said, "pray in this manner". Now, let's break it down:
Our Father which art in Heaven - Acknowledge He is God, the Father, the One and Only true God.
Hallowed be Thy name - All praise, honor and glory go to God. Hallowing His name and giving Him reverence at the beginning of our prayer brings us immediately into His presence.
Thy Kingdom Come - this is not only His literal/physical kingdom, but we are also inviting Him to establish His Kingdom in our heart. This is where the very beginning of God's Kingdom is. We are also to pray that His literal Kingdom come.
Thy will be done - (this is sometimes the hard part). NOT our will but God's will. If we pray His will be done over our own, we can be assured that what He has for us is so much more and so much better than we could hope for-even if His will doesn't line up with something we are wanting. Remember He knows what you need even before you do. (Matthew 6:8)
in earth as it is in Heaven - whatever the Lord God establishes on earth is also established in Heaven with Him
give us this day our daily bread - many think this is asking for food and it is - spiritual food. John 6:33-34 For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. 34Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. Again God knows what we have need of, He has already promised us in His word that He would provide our needs, we need not worry about physical bread we do need spiritual feeding every day.
and forgive us our debts - Literally asking god to forgive our sins daily. We were born in sin, therefore, we must ask forgiveness daily for those things we know we did as well as anything we might have done that isn't known to us immediately.
as we forgive our debtors - It is every bit as important for us to forgive those who have wronged us as it is for God to forgive us. Holding back forgiveness puts us in a position of trying to play God! Holding back forgiveness allows bitterness to settle in our hearts. It hurts us. Remember what Jesus said in Luke 6:37-38 Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. 37Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: and Matthew 6:14-15 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: 15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. This must be very important for Jesus to mention it so often and what does He finally say about forgiving others, remember what He told Peter in Matthew 6:21-22 Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? 22Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven. Wow, I would say it is important.
Lead us not into temptation - This one is a bit tricky, God hates sin, He will NOT lead you into temptation but let's think of it this way: If the Lord abides in us, where we go, He goes. He goes before us in ALL things. He is not leading us there, and will not lead us there, but we may attempt to take Him with us! He gives us free will and God gives us clear instruction in His word. James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
but deliver us from evil - God gives us a way out and protection before the problem ever arises. Praying in this manner helps us to make the right choice, God will deliver us, IF we ask. . God's word makes provision for this also. He gives us the whole armor listed in Ephesians 6:11-17 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 13Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 15And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 17And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
Prayer my friends, that is our armor and faith in an unchanging God.
for thine art the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever - Ending our prayers the same way we began - praising and worshipping God. Acknowledging again that it is through His Kingdom, His power and His glory that we are His children. Through Him ALL things are possible.
Amen - true
Because Jesus said to pray in this manner, does that mean that is all we can pray? Of course not, the gospels, actually the entire Bible is full of prayers and Jesus words on what to pray for and how to pray.
Our prayers are our communication with God, they are a reflection of our personal relationship with Him, remember what He said in John 15:7 and again in 1 John 5:13-14 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. 14And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:
A word of caution - something my mom always taught me - be careful what you ask for, you just might get it. Pray for God's perfect will, not His permissible will. The difference is "God". In His perfect will, all the pieces fit together, in His permissible will it will be struggle, hardship, possibly heartbreak because He has lifted His hand and let you have what you want, even if it's not the best for you. Therefore you will suffer any consequences that occur. Ask Him His will on everything FIRST. Seek your answers in His word, ask Him to show you. Does it line up with His will? He will never let you down. His word says to cast ALL your cares upon Him. Nothing is to big or small for God, He wants you to come to Him.

Did I Say That?

Did you ever try to talk to someone and give them encouragement only to end up saying some things that you really did not intend to say? Unfortunately I have. I end up letting "my thoughts" come out instead of what the Lord has directed me to say. James 3:10, out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren these things ought not to be so.

I will admit, (not proud of it), that I talk to much sometimes. When I get to talking I don't stop to "hear" what I'm saying, then later when I reflect back on the conversation I have to ask myself, "did I say that?" The words we speak can never be taken back, they vanish like vapour from the air but the scars they leave remains forever.

The Bible tells us that we speak life and death with our tongues Proverbs 18:21, Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.

We are human and our lives do get busy but we constantly have to be on guard. Satan uses the tongue to divide people and pit them against each other. Idle words are damaging because they spread destruction quickly, and no one can stop the results once they are spoken. I can't be careless with my words, thinking I can apologize later because the damage is already done and the scars remain forever. Before you speak, remember that words are like fire - you cannot control nor reverse the damage they do.

The tongue gives us a picture of our basic human nature, of our hearts. What we see, what we listen to, what we participate in goes into our hearts and comes out our mouths. James 3:8, but the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. (God can tame it). James 4:7, Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

We also need to remember that it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles us, it is what comes out of our mouths that defiles us. (Matthew 15:10). It is for this reason that we should all kneel and pray at the beginning of every day for God to help us guard our tongues and help us to speak life instead of cursing, it will make us more accountable for ourselves during the day. Proverbs 16:23, The heart of the wise teacheth his mouth and addeth learning to his lips. When we pray, we also need to pray for wisdom and knowledge. We cannot do anything of and by ourselves but God can accomplish all things that includes bridling our tongues.

Lord, help me today to keep watch diligently over my mouth. Create in me a pure heart so that I think before I speak and even when I don't nothing will come out that does not praise and edify. Help my words to be soothing and comforting to those who need it, not a sharp knife that cuts to the bone (soul) and leaves scars. Create in me a pure spirit to walk in your way, saying only what You would have me say. Help me not to participate in idle conversations, gossip and backbiting. Remind me that I am no better than anyone else and in talking about them, condemning them, judging them, I am bringing that judgement down on myself. Help me to lovingly steer the conversation away from gossip and backbiting and on to something good, wholesome and edifying. Live through me Lord, speak through me. Help me to remember your instructions and my parents teaching that "if I can't say anything good, not to say anything at all". Your word says "out of the same mouth proceeds blessings and cursings, let everything I say be blessings and praises to you for without you - I am nothing. Thank you Lord for your Grace and Mercy. In Jesus name, Amen.

I hope that what I've written has been encouraging and want to leave you with this:

Phillipians 4:7-9, And the peace of God which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 8) Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. 9) Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.

God bless

pray for the peace of Israel

in love, tawanab

The Power of Prayer

This is a personal post but I want it to be a living testimony for God and hopefully inspire anyone who might face a serious situation. I believe in the power of prayer, I believe that "where two or three are gathered", I believe in lifting up by name to the Lord.
I want to share just one of the miracles God has performed in our lives. I've done a couple of posts and put a picture of my 8 month old grandson in the picture. Last Monday he underwent surgery for a cranial vault reconstruction. It's a very serious surgery where they have to cut open the top of the head, insert some plastic and reconstruct the bone, (he has a zigzag scar that goes from the top of one ear, across his head to the top of the other ear). This happened because his soft spot closed to soon and the bones across the back of his head overlapped each other. Normally in babies those do not close up until they are much older, I'm not sure exactly when but they are not supposed to grow together for awhile to allow the brain to develop normally, same reason for the soft spot. In Logan's case this caused his head to grown more in a football shape and it looked like he had a baseball under his hair in the back. This is not just a cosmetic surgery, if his head wasn't fixed, eventually his brain would not be able to grow and he would have ended up mentally handicapped. He is a very smart little guy and they had to do the surgery before there was any damage done. The doctors had told my daughter the surgery would be around 6 hours and recovery would probably be around 4 hours. They also told her he could stay in ICU for a couple of days, there would be significant blood loss during surgery that they would have to replace and that he would have severe swelling resulting in his eyes being swelled shut, they said once all the swelling was gone he would most likely be released.

Now that I've given you some background, I want to get back to my original purpose, the power of prayer. We prayed God's will over his life, we prayed for the surgeons, the anesthetists, the nurses, anyone who would come in contact with him. My daughter made sure that his surgeon was a christian also because that is important to us. Churches were praying for him and many of our friends online and offline were offering up his name in prayer.
This was God's answer:
His surgery lasted 2 hours, the least amount of time one has ever taken. He did not need blood during surgery, he did not remain in recovery all those hours, he was moved to ICU and spent one day there before being transferred to a regular room. He had minimal swelling which was actually one side of his face because he kept turning it and sleeping on that side. By the 2nd day he could be held and sit up, he ate like he couldn't get enough. By the 3rd day, when you would hold him he kept trying to stand and bounce which is something he loves to do, he was also sitting up in what they call a Bumbo Seat, which is designed for babies to be able to sit up and play without fear of falling over.

The doctors gave us the worst case scenario, God gave us His best.

We know without a shadow of a doubt that God worked in that baby's life just like we know that God has plans for his life. His middle name is Isaac and just like Abraham in the story of his son Isaac, my daughter gave him back to God and God in turn gave him back to her. He didn't get to come home until Saturday because he spiked a temperature but we consider the extra few days a blessing because he got a couple of more days of rest and recuperation and nursing care. He is home now and its hard for his mom to keep him down because he wants to bounce and play like he did and he's very active.
God is great, when believers send their prayers up to Him, He is faithful.
Never underestimate the power of God. Never underestimate the power of prayer.
Thank you all who knew for your prayers. We lift up your name to the Lord for blessings for you and yours, the power of prayer is a Christians most valuable asset.
God bless.

What CAN you say when thank you is not enough

What can you say when thank you is not enough? What can you do or say when someone does something for you that is totally unexpected, so monumental to you and such a blessing that it almost blind sides you. How do you express to that person or persons that what they have done and they think is such a small thing or "not much" turns out to be, for you, such a big blessing that you cannot even express yourself you are so overcome by their thoughtfulness and their act of kindness.

I pray. I pray that God will rain showers of blessings on each one of them, that God will bless them over and above the blessings He has given us through them.

Although it may seem at times that no one in the world cares and everyone is out for themselves, there are still good people in this world. People who will go the extra mile to help someone. I'm sure I'm not the only one that has ever thought there just weren't any good people left. Usually those times are when I'm really down and something in my own life has gone wrong or I've come across a particularly ornery person that particular day. Then I realize it's just "my" thinking and "my" problem. Not everyone is that way. Everyone has problems, everyone has a bad day once in a while, sometimes more than others but its nice to know that people do still care, that all is not lost.

What can you say when thank you is not enough? I guess really nothing, but I do wish sometimes that people could see inside my heart so they could know just how much I care about them and just how much I appreciate them and how inadequate I feel because I can't express more than just thank you.

Maybe in time I can repay their kindness or if they don't need anything, maybe I will have the opportunity to pay it forward in memory of what they have done for me. I pray for that also.

For now, I'm stuck with just thank you but I look forward to the day when I can do more. Now I'm going to turn this blog really personal because by first name only I want to publicly thank each of them for what they have done for my husband and I and I'm asking that if you read this and you are a praying person, pray for these people that God will bless them because they truly deserve it. No one asks for their help, they just give it and I know they don't expect anything in return that's what makes what they have done even more special. I want to thank them for letting God use them also, whether they thought that was what they were doing or not, each one of them fulfilled a prayer they had no way of knowing.

And to each of them, should you happen to read this, you know what you have done and I do thank you from the bottom of my heart. Each one of you said, "it's not much but I hope it helps", I want you to know it meant everything to us! It WAS much.

Sharyl, Jessica, Shelley, Sue and Jesse, Quita and Dave, thank you, we love you guys always. I want you to know how much we appreciate you. You didn't (and don't) have to do what you did (and do) for us to love you we already did (do) :) but I still want to say thank you until the time comes when I can do more. I'm not going to list what you did, because that is between you and us but you know and we know and God knows and we will NEVER forget :).

And certainly most of all I thank God, for blessing us with each of you in our lives and for answering our prayers through you. For Jehovah Jireh (God will provide) has never been brought home to me more than it has this week.

Early Morning Talk With God

Early in the morning before the sun comes up
I sit out on my front porch, hot coffee in my cup,
I visit with the Lord and ask Him to make me strong,
I ask Him to help me so that I will do no wrong.

I ask for His forgiveness, for things I might have done,
I thank Him for His love for me and the giving of His Son,
I thank Him for forgiveness and for His love once again,
For giving me a second chance and wiping out my sin.

I thank Him for my family and blessings on each one,
to protect them and to draw them so they too can be won,
and share a home in Heaven as family up there,
to let them know each day all their burdens He will bare.

I thank Him for the many friends He's brought into my life,
and ask Him to give them each a day with no worry and no strife.
And then before our talk is done there's one more thing I ask,
That He will grant me one more day in His light and love to bask.
One more day that He can let His light shine through me,
So when I leave this world below I join Him in Eternity.