When...

Usual disclaimer, my thoughts, not yours, you can disagree - on your own blog!

Is 43:1b-3a

b]...Fear not: for I have redeemed thee: I have called thee by thy name, thou art mine.

2 When thou passest through the [c]waters, I will be with thee, and through the floods, that they do not overflow thee. When thou walkest through the very fire, thou shalt not be burnt, neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.

3 For I am the Lord thy God, the holy one of Israel, thy Savior...

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Alright! Let's jump in to this one! There's going to be some TMI and personal stuff in this blog. Some may know, others, well, not so much.

So, funny little word we got ourselves,  "WHEN".... it's nearly as bad as "maybe" and "if". 

Definitions from Oxford Languages · 

adverb

at what time.

"when did you last see him?"

adverb

at or on which (referring to a time or circumstance).

"Saturday is the day when I get my hair done"

conjunction

1.

at or during the time that.

"I loved math when I was in school"

2.

after which; and just then (implying suddenness).

"he had just drifted off to sleep when the phone rang"

"When" is a time, future or sudden, a circumstance that will happen.

So let's talk about it. I know everyone on the planet has a delusion that the moment you are saved, you live a life of utter joy and peace. In fact angels come down from heaven and park your silly butt on a fluffy cloud and share bagels with Philadelphia Cream Cheese spread across them... oh what a joy!

News flash, let me throw this at ya:

James 1:2-42 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, WHENever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

It's just a matter of time before you walk into a trial designed to pull you away from your walk with God.

These circumstances are cleverly designed by our most faithful enemy to destroy not only our walk but our witness.

It could be anything! From a rumor that's spread about you by a family member or someone you thought you could trust, to a health scare to financial woes, you name, the devil knows how to hit you where it hurts and trust me, he will. He'll even use your kids or spouse! His goal, your destruction, by any means Necessary.

So along my journey, I personally have faced the death of siblings at an early age, the deaths of loved ones, like literally standing beside them as they passed into eternity. 

I left a "crappy" marriage and I tell you what, "crappy" is the most PG word I could think of, but it doesn't scratch the surface of what I really want to say, but I'm trying real hard to not use bad language! 

I made horrible decisions! Because I could! Some dumb, others are more of "what in the world was I thinking"... 

I've also faced several serious health conditions too. Not to mention getting old and cranky.

All these circumstances happened in my life for one reason, to make me turn my back on the Lord.

How many times has something awful happen and your first thought was "why me Lord?"

As if God is purposely trying to hurt you! Like going from bad luck to being a case study for Murphy's law! 

Or have you thought, God is punishing me!

I want to assure you dear reader, He isn't like that.  Yes, there are natural consequences for our actions, but it isn't God doing it to punish you. 

Example, unprotected sex usually leads to babies.

Grabbing a tiger by the tail will result in you getting hurt by said tiger.

Did God make you do it or did you, as an act of your own free will do something you ought not to have? Even if your consequences don't happen immediately, they may catch up with you eventually... "When", you know. Are you in right standing with the Lord today?

God never promised us a free ride after salvation, He told us that we belonged to Him now and that He is with us through the trials!

Dr. Helen Roseveare is someone I stumbled upon by accident, and her story is completely amazing to me. 

See, a couple years ago I was diagnosed with cancer in my bone marrow and blood, and then a couple years after that, doctors discovered I had a brain tumor! 

I tell you what, I wasn't expecting it, and I did my best to hold it together. As I walked through the empty parking lot to my car, I can recall looking at the beautiful blue sky, and I spoke to God, 

If you are with me, I will not be afraid, I will go through this with you! 

Those were the hardest words I have ever spoken and every time the enemy throws a negative thought about my health at me I answer back I AM NOT AFRAID, I HAVE JESUS. 

FYI, neither the cancer or tumor are active in my body! They are present but they have zero power to hurt me! 

Anyways, shortly after I came across Dr. HELEN ROSEVEARE video on a YouTube channel 100 Huntley Street...

Nutshell: she became a doctor and she went to the Congo - Africa to help the people, well at one point rebels attacked the village she was at, and of course she was personally attacked, beaten and bloodied! During her horrible ordeal She looked to God and asked God basically "WHERE ARE YOU". The Lord replied to her "Can you thank me for trusting you with this experience even though you don't understand why? 

Even though she knew what was going to happen, she put her trust in the Lord and Jesus was with her. 

(27 missionaries murdered

1/4 million Africans murdered)

We must submit ourselves, our bodies, our dire circumstances to Jesus. Even though we don't understand. We know we belonged to God, our names are written in the Lambs book of life and no force in the universe can tear us from His hand!

When we do enter these terrible circumstances, horrible things,  we must know in our hearts that according to the Word of God, that He is for us! Rom 8:31 God has plans for us, plans to prosper and not to harm and to give us a hope and a future! Jer 33:3

Will you thank God? Even if you never know the why?

When you face your next trial, will you :

1 THESSALONIANS 5:16-18

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

Knowing that God is not the author of The sickness, the financial woes, the hurt, the death etc.. 

JAMES 1:17

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

The devil is the one who comes to kill, steal and destroy, not God. 

We must be firmly rooted in His Holy Word:

Wherefore 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." Eph 6:13

Being prepared for the battle is up to us. We are in a war and we are fighting for our very lives. 

Have faith in God, He will see you through even if it's a mess you made all on your own!  He is faithful and just and will see us through to the end! 

Thank Him that He trusts you to be faithful to Him WHEN circumstances arise, to pull you away from your walk. Don't trip at the finish line, push on! He trust us, He picked us, He sent His own son to die for us! The very least we can do is find ways to praise Him in our darkest circumstances. It's not easy by any means, but it is doable!

So today, start pre-planning and preparing yourself for your next battle. You never know WHEN it will occur but you do know it will. Get in a routine with the Lord, pray and seek Him daily, as much as you can and remember all that He has promised! He is with you, even till the end of the age! Matthew 28:20

Video Dr. Helen Roseveare 

https://youtu.be/9VHjLgMJ_xU?si=d2nOOCAPvXxcZB0V

God is Good...but not safe

Happy New Year! 2025

New Year, same rules, my blog, my thoughts. You don't like it, move on. 

GOD IS GOOD BUT NOT SAFE

This has taken a long time to write! So let's have a  little bit of hell fire and brimstone to start off the Year! 

My go-to line for the past few years, God is calling His people to Holiness and separation from the world.

I recently heard a really good turn of phrase to go arm and arm with that go-to line, 

"Do you belong to God?" Are you known by His Son Jesus?

 It honestly doesn't mean much if you only just claim a knowledge of Jesus, even the demons believe Jesus they knew who He was, but that really doesn't matter to them right. They were there in the beginning, saw with their own eyes Jesus in all His Glory and still rebelled.

Just because you spoke a couple of biblical phrases once upon a time, it does not mean your safe from God's judgment. 

The truth is found at the end of the Sermon on the mount:

Matt 5:21-23

21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

That, to me, says a lot. It says to me that there are millions of people out there who think that they are "Christians" but they are far from! The fruit of their lives clearly show where their heart posture towards God is.

Let's continue where we left off in Matthew 24, 

24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

The key is putting the Words of Christ Jesus into tangible practice in your life, thought, words and deeds!

Now for the record, Jesus is the only perfect person to ever live, we faulty humans, with wickedness literally running through our veins are to *become* perfect like our Heavenly Father (Matthew 5:48

Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. More on this shortly.) 

That is no easy feat, and is not over night either! It is a daily change that one must make, Decision by Decision. 

As we struggle with our dead flesh vs our regenerated Spirit, we must, daily conqure little battles as we develop our heart posture before the Lord. Out of a true and sincere heart, our decisions to choose rightly will increase BUT it all starts with putting the Words of the Lord first and foremost. 

Again, just saying the "sinners prayer" is not a magic incantation to heaven, how do you practice what Jesus spoke? How do you make your heart centered on the things of God vs the world? How are you living? By His ways or yours?

I tell you the truth, the moment you decide to live 100% for God is the exact moment you put a bullseye on you for  attack. You are now a threat to the demonic forces of Hell and as Murphy says in his law, if it can go wrong, it will.

One of the scariest problems is being ostracized from your groupings. I guarantee you that you will be ridicule by family, friends and strangers. You may lose life long friendships,  you may end up losing your family,  but in the end,  you gain all through God!

Choosing to walk 100% for God means stepping out of your old life and into a new one without reserve. Remember that many of those who came before us, lead solitary lives and even suffer martyredom for the Cross of Christ!  All but one Apostle was murdered for their faith! You are in good company! Am I saying your life will end like theirs? Perhaps.

Temptations to run back to your old ways will be very hard to over come! Luckily for us,  when Jesus went to heaven,  He sent the Holy Spirit to be our Comforter! If we actually put our phones down and picked up our physical bibles, maybe He will direct our paths! God knows we need a leader and that leader resides in every born again believer, all we have to do is listen! Ask, seek, knock! 

Matthew 7:17

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

Ask for help, wisdom, direction. Ask how you go about practicing what Jesus spoke. Ask how you can walk this path in strength!

Seek wisdom, understanding and true Christian love. 

You will be surprised at the answers!

 

It's going to be unbelievable hard, but through it all, we will not be alone and we can preserve!

WHY GOD IS NOT SAFE?

While God is inherently good, there are things we HATE about Him!

1. God is too Holy

2. God omniscient- we can't hide in darkness

3. Omnipotent- we can't beat Him

4. His immutablity - We hope that He has a fatal blemish but He never does, He is eternally, forever, Holy

5. God is Just

What a combination! It's more than moral, it's a complete Justice, and justice like Gods, never turns a blind eye to what is true. It would be great if God was only "fair", then we could all get a gate pass, but fair, as my mom would say, is at Disneyland. God doesn't just want a simple fairness, He is Just Perfection. We all get our comeuppance and we all deserve 100% what we get.

Consider the following two scriptures:

I reiterate: Matthew 5:48

Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.  

and the most damning for us all...

Titus 1:16 GW

[16] They claim to know God, but they deny him by what they do. They are detestable, disobedient, and unfit to do anything good.

We are no more than wicked at heart. 

The following is from AiG and hit me hard, how does it resound with you?

"You may have heard that “God hates sin but loves the sinner.” People who use this phrase generally mean well, but it is an oversimplification of the truth and leads to misunderstanding. God does love sinners, as numerous passages clearly state (e.g., John 3:16; Romans 5:8; 1 John 4:10). Yet we also read verses like Psalm 5:5, which state that God hates not only wicked deeds, but also the people who do them. 

John 3:17 tells us that anyone who has not repented and received Christ stands condemned already under the holy anger of God against sin. 

Although He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked (Ezekiel 33:10), the Lord must and will judge sinners, which includes everyone since all have sinned (Romans 3:23)."

https://answersingenesis.org/answers/biblical-authority-devotional/does-god-hate-anyone/

I WAS THAT SINNER!!!  It was all about me, all I wanted, my desires, "I did it my way"! 🎵

Unfortunately for us, we are to walk a walk that sets us apart from the world. Understanding that it is a process and we don't always do that which is right instinctively, so we must train ourselves. 

Like an athlete who trains their body, we need to train our minds and ways of thinking and acting. 

THOUGHT WORD DEED

Can you imagine if everyone had a true fear of God! There would be no more murder, rape, injustice because we would use our freewill to fear God and worship Him. 

Are you in right standing with the Lord today? Have you confessed your sins and turned completely from them? Are you trying to be Holy? Walking the walk?

Get right with God Now, tomorrow is not promised and you need to start making things right.

Train yourself mind, body and soul!