NOT QUALIFIED BUT CALLED

As I read back over the blogs that I have written, I realize more and more that I am not qualified.  This can be overwhelming to me at times.  There have been many times that I felt I should throw in the towel and quit, due to my inability.

I am reminded of David and other men in the scripture that God called but they didn't have what it took to do the job.  What if they had quit?

He called David to be king.  He didn't call him to be the king because of his greatness.  He called him to be king because of his heart.

The people, who are qualified, may try to tell God how it needs to be done. It's hard for them to listen to his voice and let the Lord guide them.

The Lord didn't call Moses to lead the people of Israel into a large boat and cross the Red Sea.  He asked Moses to walk them through the waters.  If God called another person to do the job, they may have spent most of their time arguing with the Lord. 

The Lord knows our heart and knows who is willing to do what he says, no matter what.  The Lord wants us to pick up the pencil and let him fill in the blanks. 

There may be people that the Lord is wanting you to walk through the waters.  They may be surrounded by things that are going to destroy them.  By you simply picking up the pencil or whatever object the Lord ask you to pick up, you may lead them through the turbulent waters.

If one life is changed due to me listening to the voice of the Lord, me picking up my pencil and writing what is on my heart, then the Lord has accomplished a mighty thing. 

What is the Lord asking you to pick up?  Are you going to make excuses or are you going to allow him to use you as an instrument for his glory?

Judges 6:14-17 shows the Lord called Gideon to lead an army.  The Lord assured Gideon that he would be with him.  Half the army left but the Lord didn't.  That battle belonged to the Lord and he showed Gideon his great power when the enemy fled.

And the LORD looked upon him, and said,

Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save

 Israel from the hand of the Midianites:

have not I sent thee?
And he said unto him, Oh my Lord,

wherewith shall I save Israel? behold,

my family is poor in Manasseh,

and I am the least in my father’s house.
And the LORD said unto him,

Surely I will be with thee,

 

 

 

THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER

A trip to Carlsbad Caverns, yesterday with my Aunt Faye and Uncle Glenn from Alabama, reminded me of God's awesome handwork.  How could one possibly enter the caverns and not wonder how all those stalactites and stalagmites have gotten there?

There is no doubt, that very question enters each person's mind as they start the walk down into the caverns.  However there are different answers to the question.  As the archaeologist study these formations they can only speculate what took place.  If you read what the archaeologist say, you will read that the caverns were created twenty to forty billion years ago. 

The archaeologist also say, slowly, ever so slowly, all this formation has taken place.  Eventually the channels supplying water from the ocean closed and dried up  Water evaporated faster than it was replaced.   Many things took place and over a period of billions of years we now have the present state of the caverns.

Archaeologist also state that there is no way you can tell the age of the caverns. They continue to speculate and tell people what they think happened, instead of telling them what the bible said happened. 

This raises the question, why are we afraid of the truth?  Is it because if we admit the truth about creation than we must admit the truth about the rest of the scripture? 

If it is true that God created the heavens and the earth, than it's also true that mankind sinned.  We must also believe that Jesus Christ lived and walked upon this earth and that mankind is lost without him.

Satan has tried from the beginning of time to discredit God and to give himself praise.  I chose to believe there is a God and that he was the one that created all this vast beauty.  I chose to believe the account in Genesis about he flood.  For more information on the facts, read the biblical account or go to answersingenesis.com.

Genesis 6

And the waters prevailed upon the earth an hundred and fifty days.
And God remembered Noah, and every living thing,

and all the cattle that was with him in the ark:

and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters asswaged;
The fountains also of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped,

 and the rain from heaven was restrained;
And the waters returned from off the earth continually:

and after the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters were abated.
And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day
of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat.

And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month:

in the tenth month, on the first day of the month,

were the tops of the mountains seen.
And it came to pass at the end of forty days,

that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made:
And he sent forth a raven, which went forth to and fro,

 until the waters were dried up from off the earth.
Also he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters

were abated from off the face of the ground;
But the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot,

and she returned unto him into the ark, for the waters

were on the face of the whole earth: then he put forth his hand,

and took her, and pulled her in unto him into the ark.
And he stayed yet other seven days;

and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark;
And the dove came in to him in the evening;

and, lo, in her mouth was an olive leaf plucked off:

so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth.
And he stayed yet other seven days;

and sent forth the dove; which returned not again unto him any more.
And it came to pass in the six hundredth and first year,

in the first month, the first day of the month,

the waters were dried up from off the earth: and Noah

removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and, behold,

the face of the ground was dry.
And in the second month, on the seven and

twentieth day of the month, was the earth dried.



DO YOU RECOGNIZE THE REAL THING?

Coca Cola advertises that they are "The Real Thing."  When you research their product, you find that it aids in the following:

Tooth decay
Dehydration of the body
Causes Osteoarthritis - Joint Pain
Increases the risk of kidney problems
Increases heart rate - giving a false since of energy

THINGS COCA COLA CAN BE USED FOR

 

Tenderize steaks
Clean toilets
Remove rust from bolts
Remove corrosion from battery cables

THINGS WATER DOES TO THE BODY:

 

Hydrates the body
Relieves joint pain
Quenches thirst
Removes Dangerous toxins
Necessary for your cells, tissues and organs
Cleans the kidneys and gets rid of waste
Cushions the spinal cord
Helps you blood to flow
And much more

Looking at the list, which would you say is The Real Thing? Satan puts all the wonderful things out in front of our eyes. He tells us that it's the Real Thing. When in reality, it is the things that will destroy us.

HERE ARE THE THINGS SATAN DOES

 

Causes pain
Destroys the body
Destroys the heart
Destroys the family
Destroys the nation
Increases the risk of eternal damnation

THINGS THAT JESUS CHRIST DOES FOR YOUR BODY

 

Restores the body, soul and spirit
Heals the sick, families and nations
Gives rest to the weary
Giver of life, joy, peace and love
Restores the heart and mind
Giver of eternal life

Do you recognize the real thing? If so, let’s leave the things that claim to be real, but are not, alone. Our hearts need to be craving after THE REAL THING, Jesus Christ.

John 4:13

 

Jesus answered and said unto her,

Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:

John 4:14

 

But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him

shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give

him shall be in him a well of water

springing up into everlasting life.

HOW'S YOUR WIRING?

Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD.

Praise ye the LORD.

 

PSALM 150:6

There are times in our lives that we need to stop and ask ourselves this question, "how is my wiring?"  The Lord created us in his image, he created us to love, praise and serve him.  He created us for his glory. 

One the sixth day the Lord created mankind.  He breathed into him the breath of life.  When he gazed upon his creation he said, "this is very good."  When God was finished, he looked at the completed project and realized that all the wires had been connected correctly and everything was set to run smoothly. 

It didn't take Adam and Eve very long to make a mess out of things.  It would be nice if it was only Adam and Eve that decided to rewire things.   Are we not the same as Adam and Eve?  We are always wanting our own way.  We have desires that feed our own flesh instead of praising the one who created us.  Where did we go wrong?  Where did we get our wires crossed? 

This process begins slowly and before we know it we have strayed so far from the Lord.  If you were a engineer and produced a radio, would you want to find out later on that the wires got switched down the assembly line?  The radio ended up making noises like a blow dryer instead of playing music due to the change.  What about you as a parent, would you be shocked to hear that your infant barked instead of cried?  We would be taking the child to the doctors office immediately to find out what is wrong with it.  Should we not be as concerned about ourselves?  God created us to praise him and give him glory, yet we spend more time praising ourselves and making ourselves look good.  We can't seem to find time to do the very thing we were created to do. 

If you find this to be true in your own life, it's time to go back to the manufacture, the Word of God, and see if he can't help you with your wiring.  God's word says that we are fearfully and wonderfully made.  Let's not get our wires crossed. 

I will praise thee;

for I am fearfully and

wonderfully made:

marvellous are thy works;

and that my soul

knoweth right well.

PSALM 139:14I

 

FOURTY DAYS OF PRAYER FOR AMERICA

II CHRONICLES 7:14

If my people, which are called by my name,

shall humble themselves, and pray,

 and seek my face,

and turn from their wicked ways;

then will I hear from heaven,

and will forgive their sin,

and will heal their land.

STONES USED TO LIFT UP THE HANDS THAT FALL DOWN

What part of the ministry do you play in the body of Christ?  What if the spiritual battle we are fighting for our country, our churches and our families relied on your response?  What would your response be? You might say, “it really doesn’t matter what my response would be because I am just one person in this huge universe.

What if Aaron would have said that in the book of Exodus? What if his friend Hur would have said it and walked away? Do you think it would have made a difference? You might only be one person in this huge universe but you may be the one person that God has called to lift up the hands that fall down.

 Instead of being like the other Israelites who grumbled and complained about everything, be like Aaron and Hur. You may say, “my one complaint isn’t going to effect anything.  Not true, as a minister’s wife for 32 years I have had several come to me and say, “ I’m burnt out”.  They have taken all they can take.  Every time a project is done, there is always a group that runs others down.  Are you one of those in that group? For every project that is done in the church there is usually one or two that give compliments, and a group of complainers

It’s no wonder Moses cried out to the Lord, saying, “What shall I do unto this people”? He is thinking, “this project you have given me is too great. It’s not the enemy that is going to stone me, It’s my own people." How many times have you seen this happen? When we should be the ones lifting up the hands that fall down, instead we are the ones lifting up the stones to destroy the one that God has placed in our lives.  The Lord placed them there to lead us, to put their lives on the front row of the battle, to sacrifice their time, energy and family so that the nation, church or family can keep being strong.

Is it easier for you to lift up the hands that fall down or would it be easier to join the group of complainers? There are certain people that whenever you do a project you can nearly write on a piece of paper what they will say. Shock someone some time and instead of picking up the stone to destroy the person, pick up the stone and place it under their arms.  Stand beside them and say, “brother or sister, I’m here for you."  "I want to be one of the ones that stands beside you lifting your arms so that we can prevail instead among those wanting to stone you."  The next time you pick up a stone, make sure it’s used to support the person instead of destroy them.

And the people thirsted there
for water; and the people

murmured against Moses, and said,

Wherefore is this that thou hast
brought us up out of Egypt,

to kill us and our children
and our cattle with thirst?

And Moses cried unto the LORD, saying,

What shall I do unto this people?

they be almost ready to stone me.

EXODUS 17:3-4

And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand,

that Israel prevailed: and when he let

down his hand Amalek prevailed.

But Moses’ hands were heavy;
and they took a stone,

and put it under him, and he sat thereon;

and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands,

the one on the one side,
and the other on the other side;

and his hands were steady until
the going down of the sun.

And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his
people with the edge of the sword.

And the LORD said unto Moses,

Write this for a memorial in a book,

and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua:

for I will utterly put out the remembrance

of Amalek from under heaven.

EXODUS 17:11-14

STEERING WHEELS AND U-TURNS

 

What do you keep before your eyes? Where do you let your hands take you? The thing that is set before you is what will likely guide your life.

It’s been said many times, “let me see your checkbook and I will tell you the things you love." The steering wheel of your hands, follow your heart. The scripture says, ”Out of the abundance of man’s heart the mouth speaks.” Whatever we feed ourselves with will be what comes forth from our mouth.

This has been something I have pondered for several weeks now. It is something that is very strong on my heart because what I see we are putting before our eyes are not Godly things.

There is a house that sat straight across from the hospital. Before the previous owners moved out, it had a huge sign with the Ten Commandments on it. This is actually what the bible says we are to do in Proverbs. It says we are to keep the Word of God before our eyes. We are to put it on the doorpost of our houses; we are to bind them on our fingers and to write them on the tablets of our heart.

We have many Christian plaques on the walls inside of our home but that’s not enough. We are to keep them between our eyes; we are to bind them on our fingertips. We are to learn them and have them written on our hearts. They are to be visible everywhere we look.

We are a generation that has failed to do this and the proof is being manifest daily. I have walked into the bedrooms of many teenagers over the last ten to fifteen years and what I am seeing posted on their walls is not the Word of God. I have worked with many men out in the oilfield who profess Jesus Christ and what they have posted on the panel of their trucks is not the Word of God. If we were to check the computers of every Godly home in America, what would we find? Would there be times our fingers did the walking on the keyboards and because of it our computers show pictures of nudity. Why are we allowing our steering wheels to be turned toward ungodly things? Our steering wheels have not only turned to the strange women but now we are the ones giving them free advertisement on our computers and television sets.

We have men that profess to be Christians telling their boys , “This is a good thing and something real men do." When you teach this to your children it is like pulling trash out of the dumpster and telling them to eat it. You are not teaching them wisdom but teaching them destruction.

The world has lied to us and we have believed that lie. Marriages are being torn apart daily because of what men are posting in front of their eyes. It’s time we grab the steering wheel and do a u-turn with our lives and with the lives of our family.

The scripture tells in proverbs which path to follow. If this is so, why are we teaching our children real men go this other way? It would be better to take them out to the dumpster and feed them trash from it then it would to feed them the trash of the world. Let’s teach them when it's time to do a u-turn and to put the right things before their eyes.

My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee. Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of thine eye. Bind them upon thy fingers, write them upon the table of thine heart. Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister; and call understanding thy kinswoman: That they may keep thee from the strange woman, from the stranger which flattereth with her words. (Proverbs 7: 1-5)

Hearken unto me now therefore, O ye children, and attend to the words of my mouth. Let not thine heart decline to her ways, go not astray in her paths. For she hath cast down many wounded: yea, many strong men have been slain by her. Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death. Doth not wisdom cry? and understanding put forth her voice? (Proverbs 7: 24 - 8:1)