When God Exits, The Oppressor Enters, Colossians 1:13

If you’re a regular reader of my blog (thank you!), you know that Buddy was abused for three years before I adopted him. His foster mom at Silky Terrier Reacue still refers to his prior owner as “that bad breeder.”

He was adopted out of a dark situation and transferred into the light of a loving family.

Similarly, the Apostle Paul contrasts the two spiritual kingdoms: one of darkness and one of light in Colossians 1:13-14:

“He has delivered us out of the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

The one advantage of not being raised Christian is that I have a strong awareness of the contrast between living in the kingdom of darkness, spiritually dead, under the dominion of Satan versus the advantage of being spiritually alive, filled with the Spirit of Christ (1 Corinthians 3:16). I lived 28 years in the kingdom of darkness until I became born again through the ministry of Billy Graham. I much prefer living under Jesus as my Lord.

What many people don’t seem to realize—even saved Christians—is that there is no neutral territory. A person either lives under the dominion of Satan or under Jesus.

How many times recently have you heard people ask what is going on in the Western world? Why are false religious systems dominating and gaining ground?

The answer is simple: When Jesus exits, Satan enters.

Satan is going to snatch any territory made available to him.

I think too many Christians have focused their energies on praying for China (nothing wrong with praying for the salvation of souls in China), but forgot to continue praying for Western nations and souls. The Sixties Revolution ushered in a flood of occult belief systems and religious practices that defy the Living God.

When any nation or culture rejects the Living God, it’s inevitable that darkness descends and wickedness and oppression increases. Note how freedom of speech is severely threatened in the UK right now. People are being arrested for shouting out that they love bacon or are praying silently on the street, arrested for their thoughts. There are more people in prison in the UK right now for social media posts that the British government doesn’t like than in Russia.

The Psalmist explains in verses 106:36, 39-42, how the Lord gives over a nation to oppressive rule and subjection to an ungodly, enemy nation:

“They did not destroy the peoples as the Lord commanded them, but they mixed with the nations and learned to do as they did. They served their idols, which became a snare to them….Thus they became unclean by their acts and played the whore in their deeds.

“Then the anger of the Lord was kindled against His people, and He abhorred His heritage; He gave them into the hand of the nations, so that those who hated them ruled over them. Their enemies oppressed them, and they were brought into subjection under their power.”

When Jesus is kicked out, the citizenry are oppressed by their enemies and ungodly people who hate them.

I believe God allows this so that people wake up to the fact that we need Him and His rule. I’m encouraged by young evangelists who’ve left alternative religions and are now on fire for Jesus and are preaching the Gospel despite opposition and ridicule. Instead of taking God for granted, people in Europe are starting to realize that Jesus is necessary.

“God is love.”—1 John 4:7

“The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God for the tearing down of fortresses.”

Please note: through God.

“The horse is prepared for the day of battle, But the victory belongs to the LORD.”—Proverbs 21:31

What are our spiritual weapons? Prayer, faith, truth and love.

Please don’t cede territory to Satan by falsely believing there is neutral territory.

Because every single person either lives in the kingdom of darkness under the dominion of Satan, spiritually dead—

or lives in the kingdom of light, spiritually alive, under the loving protection of Jesus (Psalm 91:4, Matthew 23:37).

Hope you find this post helpful.

God bless you.

Much love from Dawn

***

There are billions of people. The world may not consider you important, but the King of the Universe Who created you does believe you are important. So much that His Son, Jesus, became God in the flesh (Matthew 1:23) to die for your sins and give you eternal life (John 3:16).

Jesus loves you and considers you important.

“I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”—Luke 15:10

The Great Shepherd wants you to live with Him forever as a member of His flock. Are you willing to accept Him as your Lord and follow Him?

If so, please pray the following prayer, out loud if possible:

Holy Father, I’m sorry for my sin and ask You to forgive me. I ask Jesus to be both my Lord God and Savior. I believe He died on the Cross for my sins and was resurrected bodily to give me eternal life. Please fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I give my life to You. Thank You for loving me and answering my prayer. In the mighty name of Your Son Jesus, amen.

If you prayed sincerely, congratulations, you’re born again. Please start reading the Bible daily. Just as your body needs daily nourishment to be healthy, so does your soul. The Bible is your soul food.

Also, please join a Bible believing church or Bible study. And get baptized. If that’s not possible right now, I recommend these two ministries, which also have apps if that’s your preference: http://www.LTW.org (Leading The Way) and http://www.AndrewFarley.org (The Grace Message).

His bless you as you begin your new walk with Christ.

May Buddy and I meet you in heaven one day.

Wishing You All A Pleasant Weekend

Hi. My mother was hospitalized six nights and is now in rehab for over a week. Been visiting my mom for hours most days and not feeling well myself, so no new post tonight.

Please take care of yourself.

God bless you and your family.

Love from Dawn and Buddy

Not Everyone’s Blog is Showing on my timeline

Hi. I’m following over 400 blogs but not everyone is coming up on my timeline. Only if I specifically select the blog from the dropdown menu. I think this sucks. How about you?

Dawn

Why Does God Delay Judgment? And Is He Going To Judge America? 1 John 2:2

Buddy’s morning cuddle left him looking rather scruffy today. He asks for petting and snuggling every morning, then doesn’t want to be petted the rest of the day. It’s as if he needs daily reassurance that I still love him. Then he’s good for the rest of the day.

Similarly, Christians, including myself, seem to need frequent reassurance that Jesus loves us. We’re surrounded by a culture increasingly plunging into darkness and, particularly, we need reassurance when we’re suffering as a result of nothing we’ve done. So we wonder where God is. Is He really paying attention to my suffering? Does He really want to see Western culture, particularly our American nation, continue its slide toward Hell?

Many Christians proclaim that “God is going to bring judgment. America deserves judgment for its sin.”

Is God about to bring judgment?

I’m swimming against the tide by replying: No.

Why?

Because Jesus has already taken the judgment America’s sins deserve.

He’s already taken the sins of the entire world upon Himself at the Cross:

“And He Himself (Jesus) is the sacrifice that atones for our sins —and not only our sins but the sins of the world.”—1 John 2:2 (New Living Translation as the word “propitiation” confuses most people.)

Jesus already took the wrath of God for everyone’s sins at the Cross. There is no longer any punishment for sin—at this time.

We punish ourselves by choosing to disobey God’s advice in the Bible on how to live.

But that doesn’t mean there is ultimately no punishment. At some point God is going to deal with people who refuse to accept the free gift of righteousness and eternal life that Jesus bought by suffering horrendously to pay for our sins.

That day will come after death at the Great White Throne Judgment or at the Return of Christ.

“Then I saw a great white throne and He who sat on it…the dead, small and great, standing before God…And anyone not found in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.”—Revelation 20:11-15 (KJV)

But God sent Jesus to take God’s wrath for our sins because He loves humanity so much, He doesn’t want to punish anyone for their sin. He wants everybody to repent and live eternally with Him.

The Apostle Peter addressed the delay in Christ’s return:

“The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not willing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance.”—2 Peter 3:9

God revealed His heart to save people in the Old Testament:

“‘Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked,’ declares the Lord God, ‘rather than he should turn from his wicked ways and live?’”—Ezekiel 18:23

God could’ve wiped out the human race instead of preserving both humankind and animals in the ark. He could’ve allowed us to destroy ourselves, instead of sending His Son Jesus—God in the flesh—to pay the price for our sins. And then sending the Holy Spirit to indwell believers to help us stop acting self destructively and be available to others to share the redemptive love of Jesus.

So, once again I repeat: Is God going to judge America?

Not right now.

“All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.”—Romans 3:23

America and its people have sinned.

And so have all other nations.

But let’s please change the focus of Christian ministry in America from “God wants to judge you” to: “Jesus suffered to take the wrath for your sin so that He doesn’t have to judge you.”

Because He loves every single person so much, He sent Jesus to “suffer once for ALL.”—1 Peter 3:18

God bless.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

***

If you’ve read this far, then you’ve sensed that you need God in your life. You’ve given it your best, yet life just doesn’t seem to work out. Or you’ve reached your life’s goals yet still feel unhappy.

It’s because we’re all made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). We are meant to be triune beings, like Him, but are born incomplete. We’re body, soul, and spirit, but our spirit is dead. Jesus claimed to be the only “way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6)” because He is the only one who can give someone spiritual life, to resurrect a person’s dead spirit.

Are you ready to receive Christ’s life? To invite God into your life to be both your Lord and Savior?

To receive eternal life and escape His judgment?

The gift of eternal life is free, because Jesus already paid the price. You only need to humble yourself and admit that you need Him to lead and guide your life.

If so, please repeat the following prayer, out loud, if possible:

Dear Heavenly Father, I’m sorry for my sin. Because Jesus paid the price for the judgment I deserve, I ask You to forgive my sins. I call on Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. Please give me Your Holy Spirit. I give my life to You. And please show me how much You love me. Thank You for answering my prayer. In the mighty name of Jesus, amen.

If you prayed sincerely, congratulations, you’re born again. Please start reading your Bible as it’s your soul food. Just as your body requires daily nourishment to be healthy, so does your soul. I recommend starting with the Book of Matthew, as it’s easy to understand, and reading forward.

And please join a Bible believing church or Bible study. And get baptized. If that’s not possible right now, I recommend these two ministries, which also have apps, if that’s your preference: http://www.LTW.org (Leading The Way) and http://www.AndrewFarley.org (The Grace Message).

God bless you as you walk the path of eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

May Buddy and I meet you in heaven one day.

What’s The Purpose Of Life? 2 Timothy 2:26

My pal is darned cute.

Buddy always tries to keep track of where I am. I feel guilty when I leave him behind as I walk out the front door as he looks so forlorn, as if I’ll never return.

I always do, but every day is not guaranteed. I can only hope that I’ll always be there for Bud.

So you’ve noticed the title of this post is: What’s the purpose of life?

A similar way to state the question is: What’s the meaning of life?

Many philosophers will give convoluted, intellectual answers. Or state that the answer is unknowable.

In all humility, I have the answer:

Deciding which God you’ll spend eternity with.

That’s it. That’s the whole purpose of life.

So:

Why am I so confident that this is the answer that many philosophers have missed over millennia?

Every day you wake up in the morning is a gift from God. Every beat of your heart occurs because He sustains your earthly existence.

Every single day is an opportunity to choose to follow Jesus and escape the domain of darkness, being help captive to the will of Satan (2 Timothy 2:26).

Because every person is born spiritually dead in bondage to sin and Satan. We have to make a conscious choice to escape his kingdom of darkness.

So each and every one of us gets to choose which god we spend eternity with.

Jesus accepts people into His eternal kingdom, even up to the last moments of their life.

“There were two others, criminals, led with Him (Jesus) to be put to death. And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they (the Romans) crucified Him and the criminals, one on the right hand and one on the left.”—Luke 23:32-33

“Likewise the chief priests, also mocking with the scribes and elders, said, ‘He saved others; He cannot save Himself. If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the Cross, and we will believe in Him. He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him; for He said, “I am the Son of God.”’

“Even the robbers who were crucified with Him reviled Him with the same thing.”—Matthew 27:41-44

I included the excerpt from Matthew’s account of Christ’s crucifixion because the apostle includes the fact that both criminals cursed and mocked Jesus as they hung on either side of Jesus on their own cross, suffering with Him.

However, one of the criminals had a change of heart and repented of his mockery. Likely it was because he realized how astonishingly kind Jesus was:

“Jesus said, ‘Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”—Luke 23:34

Jesus had been beaten severely, tortured, then crucified in a brutal method of execution, yet He asked the Father to forgive His tormentors.

This touched the heart of one of the criminals. He repented of his mockery then demonstrated amazing faith. Despite living a life that led to the death penalty, he understood that Jesus’s kingdom was not an earthly one, and that He had the power to forgive his sins.

Dying on a cross, the robber could perform no good deed to earn his salvation. All he could do was repent and trust Jesus to save his soul.

What amazing faith!

“Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, ‘If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.’

“But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, ‘Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation?’

“‘And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.’

“Then he said to Jesus, ‘Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom’

“And Jesus said to him, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.’”—Luke 23:39-43

One criminal continued in his unbelief and died and went to hell (Matthew 25:46).

The other repented of his sin, placed his faith in Christ’s ability to save his soul, and went to Heaven.

These two criminals represent the two potential endings to our earthly lives:

hell or heaven.

And that, my dear reader, is the purpose of life.

Choosing which path to walk into eternity.

So if you know Jesus, I hope you’ll view this as one means of witnessing to someone struggling with the purpose of life.

God bless you. And thanks for reading.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

***

If you’ve read this far, you know that I believe what the Bible teaches, that we all have two potential outcomes to our lives: eternal bliss in heaven or reject Christ’s offer of forgiveness and suffer eternal separation from the goodness and love of God.

If you’ve read this far, then you are hearing the call of God to receive His free gift of eternal life. Jesus died for your sins, so that you don’t have to. He’s eager for you to invite Him into your life as your Lord and Savior.

But because He’s kind and doesn’t want to force Himself into your life, He’s waiting on you to ask Him to accept that Jesus suffered for you.

Are you willing to do so now? Because tomorrow is not guaranteed to us. Now is the best time to start on a new path to eternal life.

You don’t need to “clean up your act first.” Please note that the thief on the cross had zero opportunity to clean up his act and lead a godly life. He only trusted Jesus would forgive him.

If you’re ready, please repeat the following prayer, out loud if possible:

Dear Heavenly Father, please forgive my sin. I believe that Jesus was God in the flesh Who died for my sins, so that I don’t have to pay the penalty myself, and rose bodily from the grave to give me eternal life. I ask Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. Please grant me Your Holy Spirit to transform my heart and life. I give my life to You. Teach me how much You love me. Thank You for hearing my prayer. In the mighty name of Jesus, amen.

If you prayed sincerely, congratulations, you’re born again. Please start reading the Bible daily as it’s your spiritual food and ask the Holy Spirit to guide you. Just as your body needs daily food to be healthy, so does your soul.

And please join a Bible-based church or Bible study. And get baptized. It’s difficult to stand alone in a culture oppose to God. And get baptized. If that’s not possible right now, I recommend these two ministries, which also have apps, if that’s your preference: http://www.LTW.org (Leading The Way) and http://www.AndrewFarley.org (The Grace Message).

God bless you abundantly as you begin your new walk with God through Jesus.

May Buddy and I meet you in heaven one day.

An Effective Trick of Satan, Matthew 4:3-6

If you’ve been following my blog, you know Buddy is a bit of a brat as he’s spoiled. He’s never had to prove his value to me. He’s already loved and doesn’t need to prove he’s worthy of being my fur pal.

Recently I was listening to the radio program of Pastor Doctor Andrew Farley of the Grace Message ministry. A female caller discussed her struggle with God’s leading. She thought He was telling her to dance in the public store and witness at gas stations when she didn’t want to, so it made her feel disobedient and fearful of God.

Dr Farley remarked that her struggle didn’t come from God and that Satan was trying to trick her into thinking that she had to prove that she was a true Christian through works. But that she didn’t need to prove who she already was: a child of God.

Dr Farley struggled as a young man to proclaim the gospel in ways which actually discredited the message by interrupting peoples’ events or activities where such behavior would be unwelcome.

What surprised me is that the following verses were not brought up, which validated that this deception comes from Satan.

The Apostle Matthew described the interaction between Satan and Jesus after our Lord had fasted for forty days and was in a physically weakened state, Matthew 4:3-6:

“The tempter came to Him and said, ‘IF You are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.’

“Jesus answered, ‘It is written: “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”’

“Then the devil took Him to the holy city and had Him stand on the highest point of the temple.

“‘IF YOU are the Son of God,’ he said, ‘throw yourself down. For it is written: “He will command His angels concerning You, and they will lift You up in their hands, so that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.”’”

Please note my emphasis on: IF You are…

One of Satan’s tricks is to convince the Christian to act strangely or to do spectacular works to prove to God that they are true and serious Christians.

But if you are born again, you are already “accepted in the Beloved (Ephesians 1:6).” You don’t have to prove anything to God. We are not acceptable nor found righteous in His eyes through good works, but through our faith, which is not of ourselves but is a gift from Him (Ephesians 2:8). We are already “holy and blameless in His sight (Ephesians 1:4).”

So, please consider: The next time you think God is leading you to prove your value by acting strangely or some unusual behavior, consider that it’s likely not from God.

Particularly if it makes you feel condemned or fearful of our loving Lord.

After many years of walking with the Lord, I believe He’s gifted you in ways to serve Him to effectively expand His kingdom and to strengthen the church through acts of love and service.

But He’s not asking you to prove anything to Him.

He wants you to enter His rest through our relationship with Jesus Christ (Hebrews 4:10).

Not to prove your value through works.

Hope you find this post helpful in delivering you from bondage or demonic deception, if applicable.

God bless you. Thanks for reading.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

***

If you’re feeling unloved and condemned, it’s likely because you have not come to the knowledge of how much Jesus loves you and asked Him to bring you into His kingdom of love and light.

There is no neutral territory spiritually, despite what others have told you. You’re either dwelling in the kingdom of darkness—which every single person is born into—or have accepted God’s invitation to enter His kingdom of light.

If you’re reading this right now, I believe it’s no coincidence. Jesus wants you to accept His invitation to grant you new life through the Holy Spirit.

You don’t need to clean up your act first as no one is good enough to earn God’s love. You just need to realize these basic facts:

1. Jesus is God in the flesh (Matthew 1:23, John 8:24), the Lord;
2. You are a sinner and Jesus died for your sins because you cannot (1 Peter 3:18);
3. You are saved by faith as a gift from Him: You cannot earn your salvation ( Ephesians (Ephesians 2:8);
4. And Jesus was resurrected bodily from the grave.

Don’t worry if you don’t quite understand everything yet. I’ve discovered that God asks you to trust Him and then later provides the proof.

If you’re ready, please repeat the following prayer, out loud if possible:

Dear Heavenly Father, I’m sorry for my sin and ask You to forgive me. Thank you that Jesus died for my sin on the Cross and rose bodily from the grave, proving that He is God. Please grant me Your Holy Spirit. I give my life to You. Thank you for hearing my prayer. In the mighty name of Jesus, amen.

If you prayed sincerely, congratulations, you’re born again. Please start reading the Bible as it’s your spiritual food. Just like your body needs daily food to be healthy, so does your soul. I suggest starting with the Book of Matthew and reading forward.

And please join a Bible believing church or Bible study. And get baptized. If that’s not possible right now, I suggest these two ministries, which also have apps, if that’s your preference: http://www.LTW.org (Leading The Way) and http://www.AndrewFarley.org (The Grace Message).

God bless you as you begin a new path in life with Jesus.

May Buddy and I meet you in heaven one day.

Buddy Turned 17 on the 21st

Happy 17!

August 21st is Buddy’s Adoption Day. I don’t know his actual birthday, as I didn’t receive his papers from the foster mom who rescued him.

I’ve prayed many times that Buddy would make it to 18 years old. Despite being dropped by the groomer a few months ago, creating a left hind leg to go lame (torn ACL), God is this far answering my prayers.

Hope you are all doing well tonight.

God bless.

Thanks for reading.

Love Dawn and Buddy

Just Ask, Buddy Brief, Hebrews 3:19

Buddy’s totally dependent upon me for his welfare. When I adopted Buddy, he’d done nothing to earn my love and care. I chose to find a Silky terrier that could be my companion and that I could show love to. When he finally accepted me as his owner and stopped running away, I was able to more readily bless him.

Similarly, last week I had an epiphany about the Sermon on the Mount. I catch words and ideas sometimes when I’m listening to my audio Bible that I seem to gloss over when reading.

Jesus spends most of the sermon from Matthew 5:1-7:6 burying His listeners under the Law. Not only does He speak about the requirements of the Mosaic Law, but even goes deeper, dwelling on the sinful attitudes which motivates behavior. He even talks about worry, how it demonstrates a law of trusting in God’s care and provision (vs 6:25-34). Worry mirrors the attitude of the Israelites in Psalm 78 who refused to trust God despite their deliverance from Egyptian bondage and His miraculous provision during their wilderness wandering. They didn’t believe His promise to lead them to a “land of milk and honey (Exodus 3:8).

What I hadn’t noticed before is the placement of Jesus’ invitation to bless His children just after demonstrating how difficult it is to please God by obeying rules, because it’s not only impossible to fully obey each law, but Jesus showed the true problem was the human heart: We sin when our heart is sinful. We all need a new born again heart to please God.

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find. Knock, and it will be opened to you.

“For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened…

“If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!”—Jesus, Matthew 7:7-8, 11

Jesus calls His listeners “evil” because it’s impossible to please God through obedience to the Law. So proving how good and kind God is, He makes this promise:

If you want to be blessed, just ask.

You’re not good enough to earn God’s blessing.

Just ask in faith.

Trust God to answer.

The Israelites could not enter the Promised Land after the Exodus because “of their unbelief (Hebrews 3:19).”

So, stop trying to earn God’s love.

If you’re born again, you already have it.

Just ask for blessing.

Hope this helps if you’re struggling to believe in God’s goodness.

God bless you.

Love from Dawn and Buddy

PS. Of course, deliberately quenching the work of the Holy Spirit through sinful behavior must be dealt with firstly (1 Thessalonians 5:19). Jesus doesn’t encourage rebellious attitudes and behavior. But He absolutely knows you cannot be perfect. You know if you’re knowingly disobeying God or not.

They Made The Best Choice They Could, 2 Chronicles 11:13-17

Buddy the patriot

As you may know by now, Buddy was rescued from an abusive situation. He kept running away from my home till he realized that he had moved from an ungodly situation to a home where he was loved and spoiled.

If you’re not familiar with the Old Testament, King David had a heart after God, even though he failed miserably at times. Unfortunately, his one big failure was to multiply wives, similar to the pagan kings, which God had forbidden His kings to do (Deuteronomy 17:17). His son and heir, Solomon, started out as a king devoted to serving the Lord, even building the first temple, but his multiple wives turned his heart away. As a result, the people followed his rebellious example and began serving the false gods of the Canaanite people they’d displaced.

After King Solomon passed, his son Rehoboam rejected the counsel of Solomon’s wise elders and followed the foolish advice of his younger contemporaries and promised to tax the people more harshly. The ten northern tribes rebelled and Israel split into two kingdoms: Israel under King Jeroboam, to the north, and Judah (with Benjamin) under King Rehoboam, to the South.

Jeroboam feared that “the heart of this people will turn back to their lord, Rehoboam of Judah,” if they continued to offer sacrifices to God in Jerusalem, (situated in the lower kingdom of Judah), and would kill him (1 Kings 12:27), so he established a false religion in the newly separated upper kingdom of Israel. He dedicated two shrines to the golden calves “which brought (them) out of Egypt (vs 28),” created a pagan priesthood in place of the Levites appointed by the Lord, and established a new pagan festival.

“Then he appointed for himself priests for the high places, for the demons, and the calf idols which he had made (2 Chronicles 11:15).”

In other words, Rehoboam led the people of Israel away from serving the true God in order to establish his own, selfish kingship and power base.

Now please be reminded that during the Old Kingdom Testament Days, the Israelites could not vote for who ruled over them. They could not choose whether a godly man or woman, or ungodly, ruled over them.

So what did the people who served the Lord do in the northern kingdom?

They made the only choice they could.

They moved.

Their religious leaders led the way.

“And from all their territories, the priests and Levites who were in all Israel…left their common-lands and their possessions and came to Judah and Jerusalem, for Jeroboam and his sons had rejected them from serving as priests to the Lord…

“And after the Levites left, those from all the tribes of Israel, such as set their heart to seek the Lord God of Israel, came to Jerusalem to sacrifice to the Lord God of their fathers.

“So they strengthened the kingdom of Judah, and made Rehoboam the son of Solomon strong for three years, because they walked in the way of David and Solomon for three years.”—2 Chronicles 11:13-14, 16-17.

To obey God and serve Him freely, you might have to leave.

Leave your church which starts to preach false doctrine or becomes legalistic and unkind.

Move away from family or friends who continually tempt you to disobey God.

Leave your job which advocates paying for abortions and forcing its employees to espouse ungodly ideas or participate in wrongdoing.

Leave your city which discriminates against Christians.

Leave your state which attempts to force you to deny Christ or condone or pay for wicked practices. Or attempts to silence the true Church.

You might even be forced to leave your country. And forfeit your possessions, just as the ancient Levites did.

It’s always best if we can stay and be a positive influence, in my opinion.

But if the leader chooses to serve demons and encourages others to engage or condone the practice, and also tries to force you to do so, then it’s time to leave.

If you’re contemplating whether or not you need to make a major change in your life, I hope this blog post is helpful.

And always ask God for discernment before you make that move, for He delights in assisting you in making wise decisions (James 1:5).

Good bless you. Thanks for reading.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

PS. This is merely my opinion. Ultimately, you’re responsible for the decisions you make.

***

Just as Jeroboam chose to reject serving God for power and his own selfish goals, you may have come to the realization that you’ve been misled by leaders who don’t have your best interests at heart. They led you away from learning about Jesus and how much He loves you. They discouraged you from making positive changes that you know deep down in your soul, God was leading you to make.

God loves you so much that it doesn’t matter how far away you’ve wandered away from Him or how rebellious you’ve been, He’s always ready to forgive you and shower you with His love if you’re willing to call out to Him and ask Him to be your Lord.

“Whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”—Romans 10:13

You don’t need to clean up your act first because “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).” Every single Christian became born again because they admitted they were a sinner and accepted that Jesus is “God in the flesh (Matthew 1:23)” and died for their sins. The person you think is a goodie two shoes to the most wretchedly sinful person are all accepted into God’s kingdom the same way. God doesn’t grade on a curve: There’s one and only one way to God, and that’s through Jesus through faith, not trying to be good enough to earn your way into heaven (John 14:6, Ephesians 2:8-9).

Are you ready to leave the kingdom of darkness and move into God’s kingdom of light (Colossians 1:13)?

If so, please pray the following, out loud if possible:

Dear Heavenly Father, I’m sorry for my sin and ask You to forgive me. Please shower me with Your love and fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I call on Jesus to be both my Lord and Savior. I give my life to You. I believe that Jesus died for my sins on the Cross and rose bodily from the grave to give me His eternal life. Thank you for hearing my prayer. In the mighty name of Jesus, amen.

If you prayed sincerely, congratulations, you’re born again. Please start reading the Bible daily as it’s your soul food. Just as your body needs daily nourishment, so does your soul. I suggest starting with the Book of Matthew and reading forward, as it’s easy to understand.

And join a Bible believing church or Bible study, because it’s difficult to stand alone in an ungodly culture. And get baptized. If that’s not possible right now,I suggest these two ministries, which also have apps, if that’s your preference: http://www.LTW.org (Leading The Way) or http://www.TheGraceMessage.org.

God bless you as you start a new path in life with Jesus.

May Buddy and I meet you in heaven one day.

A Warning From Apostle John, Buddy Brief, Ephesians 6:14

Buddy can be devious. He has pills he must take morning and evening. He gets a Pepcid each night as his elderly tummy is susceptible to puking without the medicine.

Recently, I thought he ate his Pepcid, but I found two tablets that he’d spit out into the corner between his food hutch and my bookcase in the dining room. The little sneak concealed his misbehavior.

The Apostle John issued a clear warning about two thousand years ago to the Christian church in 2 John 1:7:

“Many deceivers have gone out into the world…”

The apostle was referring specifically about people denying Jesus was God in the flesh, but many Christians are not putting on their spiritual armor, particularly their “belt of truth (Ephesians 6:14).” They lack discernment.

If you believe you cannot be deceived—you’re already deceived. There are a lot of people in the world who believe the lies of Satan and our ungodly culture, or deliberately lie to gain power or to attain other selfish goals. Not everyone is committed to the truth.

In fact, it seems most people are not committed to the truth at all times.

But, as Christians, we should always be committed to the truth. Even Jesus identified Himself as “the Truth (John 14:6).”

Satan is committed to lying, being “a liar and the father of lies (John 8:44).”

I’ve been deceived by so-called facts online so I’ve learned to be more careful to ask God to help me put on that belt of truth daily. This is the prayer I try to pray every morning before I get out of bed.

Dear Father, please sift everything coming through my eye, mind, ear, and heart gates. Help me discern truth from error and fact from fiction. I ask that the Holy Spirit help me know who is telling the truth or not and who is deceiving me intentionally or unintentionally. Help me know who I should trust or not. Please don’t let me spread lies or slander by believing something’s true, but isn’t. And if I’m believing anything that isn’t true, please reveal to me the truth and grant me the grace to recognize it’s true and change my mind. Thank you for hearing my prayer. In Jesus’ name, amen.

My dear fellow Christian, there are many people deceived or attempting to deceive you. Please commit to firmly strapping on your belt of truth every day. Truth is the only antidote to Satan’s, and an ungodly culture’s, lies.

God bless you.

Thank you for reading this post.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy.

As a Man Thinks In His Heart, So Is He, Buddy Brief, Proverbs 23:7

Since I had church duty this past weekend and had to pick my brother up at the airport, I left Buddy with my parents. After returning to my parents’ home, Buddy has not permitted me to be out of his sight. He fears I’ll abandon him again.

Of course he wasn’t abandoned. I had every intention of returning.

But he thinks I’d abandon him, so that impacts his behavior.

There’s no greater treasure trove of wisdom than the Holy Bible. And an oft quoted passage, even by nonbelievers, seems not to be fully understood by the Church.

“For as a man thinks within himself, so is he.”—Proverbs 23:7

How you think greatly impacts your behavior.

So who you believe yourself to be greatly impacts your behavior.

The Apostle Paul addressed the Church in his letters as “saints.”

“To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints:”—Romans 1:7

And refers to Christians as saints in 1 Corinthians 1:2, Philippians 1:1, and Colossians 1:2.

Clearly he calls Christians saints in 2 Corinthians 1:1:

“To the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints who are in Achaia.”

And in Ephesians 1:1:

“To the saints who are in Ephesus.”

Think you might know where I’m going with this.

For far too long the church and its leaders refer to Christians as sinners and not saints.

If you identify as a sinner, you’re going to be prone to sin. And to be focused on your performance, rather than on Jesus, your righteousness (Jeremiah 23:6, Luke 1:75, 1 Corinthians 1:30).

If you believe you’re a saint, you’re going to be more inclined toward good behavior.

You’re going to tend to behave as the person you think you are.

If you identify as a child of God rather than a sinner, you believe you are a prince or princess. And royalty tries to behave properly with decorum and self-discipline.

Before Christ, you were a sinner, living under the control of Satan, without hope, dwelling in darkness (Colossians 1:13, Ephesians 2:12, Romans 6:20).

But as a child of the Living God, you now dwell in the kingdom of light, a slave of righteousness, and are in-dwelt by the Truth, the Spirit of Christ (Colossians 1:12, Roman’s 6:18, Galatians 2:20).

Dear Saint, see yourself as Jesus sees you.

A saint!

Because you are a saint. Holy, righteous, and beloved in God’s eyes.

Because “if anyone is in Christ, this person is a new creation; the old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”—2 Corinthians 5:17

Hope this encourages and blesses you.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

Misinterpretation Of A Famous Parable, Matthew 13:19-23

My best fur pal.

Most of the time I understand what Buddy is trying to communicate to me. But there are those few times where I’m just clueless and guessing. I want to respond properly to whatever need he’s expressing needs fulfilling, but am not getting it. I feel badly, but it’s not computing.

Please indulge me as I to quote a larger portion of scripture to properly discuss tonight’s post, the parable about the sower Jesus explained in Matthew 13:19-23.

“When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the one sown with seed beside the road. The one sown with seed on the rocky places, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution occurs because of the word, immediately he falls away. And the one sown with seed among the thorns, this is the one who hears the word, and the anxiety of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. But the one sown with seed ON THE GOOD SOIL, this is the one who hears the word AND UNDERSTANDS it, who indeed bears fruit and produces, some a hundred, some sixty, and some thirty times as much.” (Emphasis on caps is mine.)

Some good people use this parable to prove that a Christian can lose their salvation. This is an error.

Please note the condition of the soil that receives the seed. The soil is the human heart and the seed is the Gospel about Jesus Christ: His incarnation in the flesh, His death on the Cross for all of humanity’s sin, and His bodily resurrection from the dead to give believers eternal life.

Only the good soil is capable of producing a healthy plant that produces fruit. In other words, the Gospel can only transform the heart of a person who has a heart receptive to the Gospel and understands the Gospel.

Luke 8:15 describes the human heart that bears the fruit of the Gospel as: “an honest and good heart.”

The seed never changed. The Good News proclaimed about Jesus doesn’t change.

But the ability of the human heart to receive and understand the Gospel is what’s critical.

Jesus described the transformative power of the Gospel to change the human spirit as becoming born again (John 3:3-6).

A person can only bear the fruit of the seed, of the Spirit, through the power of God.

As Jesus said in John 15:5:

“Apart from Me you can do nothing.”

This parable doesn’t prove that a Christian can lose their salvation. But, rather, that only a person who receives and understands the Gospel with a sincere and good heart becomes born again and bears the fruit of the Spirit: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).”

Hope you find this helpful the next time someone tries to confuse you by claiming you can lose your salvation.

Because Jesus promised, and as God, He cannot lie (Hebrews 6:28):

“He WHO began a good work in you WILL carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”—Apostle Paul, Philippians 1:6 (Emphasis mine.)

God bless you. Thanks for reading.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

***

It’s claimed that a person needs to hear the Gospel proclaimed an average of nine times to understand and respond to Jesus’ offer of eternal life and salvation. So if you’ve rejected the message before, please don’t engage in guilt or self-blame. It’s the usual process. You weren’t ready to receive the message yet.

Are you ready now? Jesus offers eternal life as a free gift. You don’t have to do anything to earn it. Just sincerely ask for it.

If you’re ready, please repeat the following prayer, out loud if possible:

Dear Heavenly Father, I’m ready for a changed life. I invite Jesus into my life and ask Him to be my Lord and Savior. Please forgive my sin and give me Your Holy Spirit. You promise to grant Him to those who ask. I give my life to You. Please teach me how much You love me. Thank You for hearing my prayer. In the mighty name of Jesus, amen.

If you prayed sincerely, congratulations. You’re born again. Please start reading the Bible as it’s your spiritual food. Just as your body needs daily nourishment to be healthy, so does your soul.

Please join a Bible believing church or Bible study. It’s difficult to stand strong in a culture that denies God. And get baptized. If that’s not possible right now, I recommend these two ministries, which also have apps, if that’s your preference: http://www.LTW.org and http://www.AndrewFarley.org.

May Buddy and I meet you in heaven one day.

God bless you as you start walking a new path.

Proper View of the Law, Psalm 119:105

Buddy happy to see me.

Buddy doesn’t have many rules to obey. He’s a member of the family and knows how to behave. If he acts badly, I forgive him and rectify the situation. He never has to worry about me hitting him. In fact, due to prior abuse, I rarely discipline the little monster. He’s naturally good-tempered and never growls, snaps, or gets grouchy with me.

Yes, there’s behaviors I wish he did engage in: cuddle onto my lap on the couch or snuggle next to me in bed, but he’s a “keep my paws on the floor” type of guy.

The Apostle Paul teaches in the Book of Romans that the Gentiles (nonJewish people) were never under the Law of Moses, for they “do not have the Law (Romans 2:14).” Therefore, in Galatians 3 the Apostle Paul explains that people had to become righteous before God by faith, just as Abraham did. In fact, the Jewish nation didn’t even receive the Law from Moses till 430 years later (Galatians 3:17) after God’s covenant with Abraham.

So what is the purpose of the Law to Gentiles?

Per Galatians 3:24, the Law exists to demonstrate to us how sinful we are, because it’s so pure and demanding that nobody can live up to it:

“The Law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.”

Jesus declared, “No one is good except God alone (Luke 18:19).”

The Law exists to show how sinful we are and cannot measure up to God’s standards of goodness.

So what is the place of the Law in the born again Christian’s life?

We certainly should be reading the Bible, as it’s the main avenue through which the Holy Spirit speaks to us.

And is the “sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:27),” our main weapon against Satan and his followers.

Please note:

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”—Psalm 119:105

The Law can only condemn us. We now have the Holy Spirit indwelling the believer to lead and guide us.

But the moral Law can show us the correct behavior and actions to assist us in living better lives.

The LAW absolutely CANNOT declare us good people. What makes a Christian self-righteous is the belief that if they obey God’s rules/laws better than someone else, God counts them as “gooder,” more righteous than other Christians.

But the Law only shows how bad we are. It NEVER declares us to be good. Only where we fail.

The Law doesn’t declare anybody righteous, to have right standing before God.

Only faith in Jesus Christ can declare us good—righteous—before God.

Because the only perfect God in flesh (John 1:14), Jesus Christ, perfectly lived up to the demands of the Law. Therefore, He could die for the sins of others on the Cross, having no sin of His own to be punished for.

How good your behavior is can never declare you right with God. The Law can never do that.

Only faith in Jesus declares you good in God’s eyes.

Thank our sweet and gentle God that He doesn’t grade on a sliding scale to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

You’re either in the kingdom righteous.

Or in Satan’s dominion of darkness, sinful.

Trying to honor the Law can make your life happier and more fulfilling: Do not lie, do not covet, do not commit adultery, etc (Exodus 20:3-17).

But will not make you “gooder” than someone else in God’s eyes.

Hope you find this helpful.

God bless.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

***

God knows you cannot be perfectly good. So you don’t have to clean up your act first to invite Him into your life. If you believe that your act needs cleaning up, then the Law has already done its work in your life. Now you’re ready to receive God’s gift of righteousness through faith in Jesus.

Why delay? Why not ask God into your life right now? You realize that you need Him. You’re not self-righteous, thinking you’re good enough.

Please repeat the following prayer, out loud if possible:

Dear Heavenly Father, I’m sorry for my sin and ask for Your forgiveness. Thank you for the life, death on the Cross, and resurrection of Jesus from the dead to both prove that He’s God and that I’m loved by You. I call on Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. Please fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I give my life to You. Thank you for hearing my prayer. In the mighty name of Jesus, amen.

If you prayed sincerely, congratulations, you’re born again. Please start reading the Bible as it’s your soul food. Just as your body needs daily nourishment to be healthy, so does your soul. I recommend starting with the Book of Matthew and reading forward.

And attend a Bible believing church or Bible study. And get baptized. If that’s not possible right now, I recommend these two ministries, which also have apps, if that’s your preference: http://www.LTW.org (Leading The Way) and http://www.AndrewFarley.org (The Grace Message).

God bless you as you start your new life with Jesus.

May Buddy and I meet you in heaven one day.

BE the Barking Dog, Buddy Brief, Jude 22-23

Last Friday I admonished “Beware the Barking Dog,” and today I ask YOU TO BE the barking dog.

Jesus was the “Word made flesh…full of grace and truth (John 1:14)” and God spoke all of creation into existence (Genesis 1). So language is a special gift from God and He wants us to speak wisely, as words have great power to influence others for good or evil.

The cattle dog herds a flock of sheep to where their shepherd wants them to go. The sheep hear the dog barking and, although scattered across a meadow, they group together and obey the dog.

As Christians, we must not allow only the dogs under the command of the devil herd people into the domain of darkness. And we must be wise to realize which dog’s owner is in command of the dog we’re listening to. We gotta be sure we’re paying attention to where those barking dogs in our media and culture are trying to herd us.

But we all have an obligation to drop our suitcases, packed for Christ’s return or the rapture, and use our own voice as dogs barking for the Good Shepherd.

“Have mercy on some, who are doubting; save others, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh.”—Jude, half-brother of Jesus, verses 22-23

Don’t let just the devil’s dogs herd the wandering sheep in your nation.

Be the brave dog who herds people into the Good Shepherd’s field.

God bless you.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

Beware The Barking Dog, John 10:27

I enjoy watching animal videos on Instagram. There are several cattle dog sites that show their dogs herding sheep, including even ducks.

One intrepid cattle dog rounded up and moved the entire herd of fluffy sheep where he wanted them to go. They were contentedly munching in the meadow before being herded into the pen.

It got me thinking about herd mentality and the hive mind. Jesus referred to His followers and nonbelievers as sheep. The critical fact is: Which shepherd are the sheep listening to?

Because it’s apparent that, just as only one determined dog can move dozens of sheep into the direction it wants the herd to go, just one voice can move a group of people into one direction or another.

In postmodern culture, the wrong voices are herding the sheep into a pen of perversion, lies, and destruction.

So sheep need to listen for the voice of the Great Shepherd to keep us safe and moving in the right direction.

“My sheep listen to My voice and I know them, and they follow Me.”—Jesus, John 10:27

Each of us who are born again can hear the voice of Jesus calling us into the right direction.

But we’ve got to listen.

Because there are a lot of ungodly voices barking at us, trying to herd us into the wrong direction.

He’s already speaking, so you don’t need to ask Him to speak.

So please pray daily that you listen to His voice and for the grace to follow.

Or you might find yourself corralled into the wrong pen.

God bless you.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

***

It’s true: Unbelievers can hear the voice of Jesus. But He’s got one message: Invite Me into your life and heart.

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in…”—Jesus, Revelation 3:20

But Jesus knocks, He doesn’t break down the door to enter into your life. He offers eternal life of total happiness, but you have to ask Him for it. He could force everyone to obey Him, but He wants you to willingly ask Him to be your Lord and Savior.

Are you willing?

Are you tired of feeling empty inside, striving for things or to please people, but are never feeling happy?

If you’re ready for a change, please pray the following, out loud if possible:

Dear Heavenly Father, I’m sorry for my sin and ask You to forgive me. I believe that Jesus lived as God in the flesh, died for my sins, and rose bodily from the grave. Therefore, I call on Jesus to be my Lord and Savior, my Heavenly Shepherd. Please fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I give my life to You. Thank You for hearing my prayer. In the mighty name of Jesus, amen.

If you prayed sincerely, congratulations, you’re born again. Please start reading the Bible daily as it’s your soul food. Just as your body needs daily nourishment, so does your soul to be healthy.

And join a Bible believing church or Bible study. And get baptized. If that’s not possible right now, I recommend these two ministries, which also have apps, if that’s your preference: http://www.LTW.org (Leading The Way) and http://www.AndrewFarley.org (The Grace Message).

Be blessed as you start your new life with Jesus.

May Buddy and I meet you in heaven one day.

Happy Independence Day! God bless from Dawn and Buddy

It’s NOT About What You Do, But WHO You Are, Matthew 7:21-23

Once I decided to adopt Buddy as my fur pal, he became my responsibility. Some days he’s a good boy; sometimes he’s rascally or misbehaves; and occasionally he’s totally disobedient and a stinker. But I don’t love him because I expect him to be a perfectly behaved little dog.

I love Buddy because he’s my pet.

Buddy is a member of my family.

Jesus said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”—John 3:3

Once you’ve called on Jesus to be your Savior and invited Him into your heart, you become a child of God (John 1:12-13). You’re a child of a mighty King, which makes His children princes and princesses, “a royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9).”

God loves born again Christians because they’re His adopted children, not because they always behave.

On Judgment Day people will protest, claiming that they should be allowed into heaven because they’ve done so many good deeds.

But what does Jesus say?

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven… Many will say to Me in that day, ‘have we not… done many wonders in your name?’

“And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’”—Matthew 7:21-23

Although these people claimed to do good, even to honor Jesus, the Lord declared that He did not know them. They were not in a spiritual relationship with God.

They tried to do good deeds. But they were not born again. Which is why Jesus declared that He never knew them.

Jesus wants us to obey Him, but He declared that He not only didn’t know them, He also declared that they “practice lawlessness! (vs 23).”

But they thought they were doing good deeds.

What I’m trying to emphasize tonight is that Jesus through the Holy Spirit will lead us into the path of righteousness (Psalm 23:3) and will complete “the good work He began in you (Philippians 1:6).” God knows that His children will stumble in their walk until entering into Heaven.

Don’t believe the lie that if you sin, you’ve lost your salvation. Or that if you’re being good, you’re more acceptable to God. That’s the error that the Apostle Paul urged the Galatians to reject (Galatians 3).

You’re going to heaven because you’re a child of God.

Your salvation is based upon WHO you now are.

Not how good you can obey.

(The meanest Christians are those who think they earn God’s favor by being good and look down upon other lesser Christians who don’t meet their standards.)

Hope you find this helpful.

“For apart from Me you can do nothing.”—Jesus, John 15:5

You cannot earn your way into Heaven.

But only receive your salvation as a free gift from God (Ephesians 2:8-9) and serve Him in gratitude for His love.

God bless.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

***

“The goodness of God leads to repentance,”—Apostle Paul, Romans 2:4

God wants you to obey Him as it blesses your life and those around you. It’s not because He wants to find fault or be “a buzz kill.” Adam and Eve wanted to define right and wrong for themselves, so they disobeyed God. How’d that work out? As a result, we all age and die. And sin against others and ourselves.

Jesus came to die for our sins so that we don’t have to suffer God’s wrath for disobedience. He obeyed God perfectly, never sinning. So He could die for our sins, because He had none to be punished for.

Would you please consider inviting Jesus to be your Lord and Savior? You don’t have to “clean up your act,” first. You just need to be willing to ask Jesus to enter your life and change your heart.

If you’re ready, please repeat the following prayer, out loud if possible:

Dear Heavenly Father, I’m sorry for my sin. Please forgive me. I call on Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. I give my life to You. Please grant me Your Holy Spirit. Thank you for hearing my prayer. In the mighty name of Jesus, amen.

If you prayed sincerely, congratulations, you’re born again. Please start reading the Bible daily, as it’s your soul food. Just as your body needs daily nourishment to be healthy, so does your soul. God speaks mainly through prayer and the Bible. I suggest starting with the Book of Matthew and reading forward.

And please join a Bible believing Bible study or church. And get baptized. It’s difficult to stand alone in an ungodly culture. If that’s not possible right now, I suggest these two ministries, which also have apps, if that’s your preference: http://www.LTW.org (Leading The Way) and http://www.AndrewFarley.org (The Grace Message).

May Buddy and I meet you in heaven one day.

Enjoy being a child of God!

(PS. I disagree with Pastor Farley about the Antichrist. I believe the Bible clearly teaches there will be a One World Government one day, ruled by the son of perdition (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4.) But he’s an excellent teacher about God’s grace.)

The Attitude Of The Majority, Buddy Brief, Luke 11:14-17

Standing alone

Just as Buddy stands alone in this photo, looking toward his master, we frequently can feel alone and isolated in our culture as Christians who look to and honor our heavenly Master. We have a wonderful country, the USA, because of the Christian principles that our nation was founded upon.

So many people over the past hundred years took our godly heritage for granted and did not obey the Lord, to be careful to make the Word of God part of the daily lives of their children (Deuteronomy 11:19).

Although we can sometimes get discouraged by so many people’s lackadaisical attitude toward the Lord, it might help to recall that a spirit of indifference and ingratitude has always been the majority attitude.

Jesus healed ten lepers who pleaded with Him to be healed, yet only one of them took the time to thank the Lord:

“So when He saw them, He said to them, ‘Go, show yourselves to the priests.’ And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.

“And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan.

“So Jesus answered and said, ‘Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine?’”—Luke 11:14-17

The majority did not turn from their intended path to thank God for this remarkable blessing in their lives. Only one in ten—10%—diverted the time from his destination to acknowledge God’s goodness.

90% of that amazingly blessed group did not thank Jesus. They were focused on their journey, not God’s amazing love.

So as we both wonder at how so many people can enjoy God’s kindness, including the gift of life, yet totally ignore Him, even acting willfully ungrateful, please remember:

The majority have always been this way.

Hope this encourages you.

God bless.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

Found You Guys Again

Buddy enjoying the car’s air conditioning.

Hi. Most of the blogs I follow weren’t coming up in my timeline. I checked with the WordPress Help Desk. Ai recommended logging out of my account and logging back in.

Found the blogs I follow.

Hopefully, everyone won’t disappear on me again.

But I wonder if anyone is seeing my posts?

As my traffic got throttled to nearly nothing after the conversion.

Thanks to everyone reading this.

Dawn

The Elites Were Wrong, Mark 11:27-33

My fur pal just got a bath.

Buddy doesn’t know where his food is processed, or where his kidney health pills are made, or where his dog shampoo is manufactured. But he definitely knows who loves and cares for him.

Me, his human, of course.

We live in a time where the common man is scorned and considered an idiot. So-called educated elites, graduated from Ivy League Colleges, consider themselves our superiors. Just as Karl Marx believed that the common man should be ruled by educated elites for their good, so do privileged persons from wealth and privilege, or acquired wealth, believe they have the right to rule and make decisions for the “unwashed masses.”

Do not be deceived. Bible believing Christians are included in the class of persons considered idiots who should be controlled and “reeducated.”

But consider the educate elites, the persons who knew the Scriptures and the prophecies about the Messiah (Jesus fulfilled over 300 of them), yet didn’t recognize the Messiah when He stood right in front of them and performed miracles.

“And He (Jesus) was walking in the temple, the chief priests and the scribes, and the elders came to Him.

“And they said to Him, ‘By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority to do these things?’

“But Jesus answered and said to them, ‘I will also ask you one question; then answer Me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things.’

“‘The baptism of John—was it from heaven or from men? Answer Me.’

“And they reasoned among themselves, saying, ‘If we say, “from heaven,” He will say, “Why then did you not believe him?”’

“‘But if we say, “From men,”’—they feared the people, for all counted John to have been a prophet indeed.

“So they answered and said to Jesus, ‘We do not know.’ And Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.’”—Mark 11:27-33

The common person who were ruled unwillingly by the Roman rulers and were under the authority of the Jewish leadership were the ones who recognized that John the Baptist was the prophet foretold by Isaiah who would pave the way for the Messiah (Isaiah 40:3-5). And the common person recognized that Jesus was the Messiah. They heard His message and understood that His many miracles confirmed Jesus was God in the flesh (Matthew 1:23), Who had come to redeem humanity from their sins (Acts 4:12).

So please don’t feel diminished because someone claims to be your superior because of wealth, birth, or education.

Because the educated, the wealthy, and the rulers—the elite amongst the Romans and Israelites—totally missed the most important event in human history:

That God Himself walked among humankind.

Don’t let anybody make you feel less than or inferior. Because many of our elites today still miss the fact that Jesus, the Son of God, lived, died for our sins on the Cross, and rose from the grave on the Third Day to give us life.

God bless you.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

***

The wisest decision you can make in your life is to ask Jesus to be your Lord and Savior.

Life is all about choosing who we will spend eternity with: Jesus in Heaven or Satan in Hell.

Because Satan cannot escape his coming punishment, he hates humanity, made in God’s image. So the devil will do anything he can to prevent you from escaping his control and entering into God’s kingdom of light. He wants you to believe his lies that your life is better off, and more fun, than being a Christian.

But please consider this: Whatever happiness you think you have in this life is a tiny drop in the ocean of eternity.

Does it make sense to choose a drop over a vast ocean?

When you repent of your sin, asking Jesus to be your Savior, and ask Him to be your Lord, your moral authority, this happens:

“He delivers us from the power of darkness and translates us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.”—Apostle Paul, Colossians 1:13-14 (Verb tense changed in italics.)

Won’t you please choose to leave the power of the darkness and enter the kingdom of light?

If you choose not to right now, Jesus is always willing to accept you when you finally ask Him to be your Lord. But it’s always best to make that decision now, as tomorrow is never promised to us.

If you’re ready, please pray the following, out loud if possible:

Dear Heavenly Father, I’m sorry for my sins and ask You to forgive and cleanse me. I call on Jesus to be both my Lord and Savior. I believe that Jesus was God Who died for my sins and rose from the grave to give me eternal life. I give my life to You. Please fill me with Your Holy Spirit. Thank You for hearing my prayer. In the mighty name of my Lord Jesus, amen.

If you prayed sincerely, congratulations, you’re born again. Please start reading the Bible daily as the Word of God is your soul food. Just as your body needs daily nourishment to be healthy, so does your soul. I suggest starting with the book of Matthew and reading forward, as it’s easy to understand.

And please join a Bible believing church or Bible study, and get baptized. You cannot grow in your faith and stand alone in an ungodly culture.

If that’s not possible right now, I suggest these two ministries, which also have apps, if that’s your preference: http://www.LTW.org (Leading The Way) and http://www.AndrewFarley.org (The Grace Message).

God bless you as you start your first steps into a new future with Jesus Christ. May Buddy and I meet you in heaven one day,

The Cost We Pay For Lingering, Genesis 35:1

Buddy has several beds in our home: one in the loft, one in my bedroom, and a cubicle in the living room to hide in. He also cools his belly off during the summer heat by lying on the kitchen tile or hides near the wall behind one end of the couch.

But wherever he chooses to lie down, Buddy always makes sure that he’s got his human in view. He doesn’t get too far from me.

The Lord commanded Jacob to “‘Return to the land of your fathers and to your relatives… (Genesis 31:3),”’ but Jacob settled near the city of Shechem rather than Bethel, where he’d met the Lord in a vision of the ladder to heaven (Genesis 28:10-22).

As a result of not immediately obeying God, Jacob’s only daughter, Dinah, was raped by the “prince of the land (Genesis 34:2)” and his sons murdered the men of Shechem and looted their village in revenge. This incident led to Jacob fleeing with his family to Bethel, the place God wanted the family to settle (Genesis 35:1).

His grandfather Abraham and his nephew Lot had to part ways in the land of Canaan because there wasn’t enough pastureland to sustain all of their flocks. Now the Lord had commanded Abraham to leave his relatives and travel to the Promised Land, but he still took Lot with him. He didn’t leave all his relatives as God commanded. Lot moved toward Sodom, a wicked city, and progressively interacted with the citizens until he owned a home in the city and participated in their civic affairs.

Lot’s compromise, by lingering and interacting with ungodly people, led to losing his wife and all of his belongings when he fled God’s wrath poured out onto Sodom. He became so morally confused that he offered his virgin daughters to be raped in place of visiting angels. And his daughters, morally confused and not trusting in God’s provision, slept with their father after getting Lot drunk and gave birth to the founders of Moab and Ammon, two enemy nations that plagued and warred with ancient Israel.

As Pastor Dr Charles Stanley pointed out in a sermon, Eve lingered near the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, listening to the serpent instead of passing by (Genesis 3). Because she paused near a site of temptation, Satan took the opportunity to deceive her and the human race has suffered since. (Adam stood by and didn’t intervene, so both of our ancient ancestors were at fault.)

Similarly, I lingered too long in a place of temptation during my recent visit to New Orleans and spent more money on an item than I should have. If I’d been content to just look around and leave, I wouldn’t have been tempted.

But I lingered.

Sometimes our problem is that we plant ourselves in a place God doesn’t want us to be.

We engage in close relationships we’re supposed to stay away from.

Or we should just take note of a situation, offer advice, then move on, as we’re not supposed to get involved further.

We linger in places of temptation. We gaze too long through the picture window, or walk into the shop, or scroll too long through online stores till our resolve weakens.

We’re forgiven of our sins through Christ, but we “reap what we sow (Galatians 6:7).”

The bills come due, the ungodly relationships distract us from obeying God and weaken our moral resolve or reputation, attaining our goals are delayed.

So, are you lingering in Shechem right now?

Or are you in Bethel?

The wrong place brings trouble into your life.

God bless you.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

***

We all make mistakes. But “everyone calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.”—Apostle Peter, Acts 2:21

Jesus is the only name you can call upon to be saved. He is the Son of God, God manifested in the flesh (Matthew 1:23). God forgives your sins—past, present, and future—so that He can give you life through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus died on the Cross to pay for all your sins—and was resurrected from the grave to give you life (1 Peter 1:3).

But Jesus won’t force you to accept Him as your Lord and Savior. You have to invite Him into your life.

You see, there are not many ways to God. You can only get into heaven if you’re spiritually alive. You remain dead in your sins—spiritually dead—until you invite God into your life. And you can only become spiritually alive by receiving the Holy Spirit, becoming born again. And only Jesus sends the Holy Spirit (John 16:7).

Are you willing to ask Jesus into your life? If so, please repeat the following prayer, out loud if possible.

Dear Heavenly Father, I’m sorry for my sin and ask for Your forgiveness. I call on Jesus to be both my Lord and Savior. I’m ready to walk a new path in life with Your love and help. Please fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I give my life to You. Please teach me how much You love me. Thank You for hearing my prayer. In Jesus’ mighty name, amen.

If you prayed sincerely, congratulations, you’re born again. Please start reading the Bible as it’s your soul food. Just as your body needs daily nourishment, so does your soul. I suggest starting with the Book of Matthew as it’s easy to understand.

And join a Bible believing church or Bible study. It’s difficult to stand alone in a culture that rejects God. And get baptized. If that’s not possible right now, I suggest these two ministries, which also have apps, if that’s your preference: http://www.LTW.org (Leading The Way) and http://www.AndrewFarley.org (The Grace Message).

God bless you as you begin your new life. May Buddy and I meet you in heaven one day.

The Truth About Demons, Revelation 20:1-2

I’m not spoiled enough.

I call Buddy “a little monster” because he’s a bit spoiled. I’ll tell him “No.” And he’ll pretend to obey, then return right back to what he was doing. Because he’s so little, I can pick him up and he cannot do anything about it. His disobedience is ended.

He gets away with misbehaving sometimes because he’s so darned cute.

There are so many scary things occurring in our nation and world. It seems like evil continues to march forward despite good people’s efforts to stop or hinder it.

But evil is not as powerful as good, despite the appearance that it is.

The following passage is from the vision the Apostle John had when incarcerated on the Isle of Patmos:

“Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.

“He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up…”—Revelation 20:1-2

God warned Adam and Eve that if they disobeyed Him and ate from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, “the day that you eat of it you shall surely die (Genesis 2:17).”

They both died spiritually; the Holy Spirit left them. Their descendants have been born spiritually dead ever since.

And Adam and Eve began to age, weaken, and eventually die.

Please note that one angel, and not listed as a powerful archangel, was able to capture and cast the once mighty archangel, Satan, into a pit and confine him.

There are two good angels for one demonic, fallen angel; even two archangels, Gabriel and Michael, for the fallen archangel, Satan. Revelation 12:4 says that a third of the angels were cast out of heaven with their rebellious leader.

Note that sin always destroys and causes ugliness and weakness. It speeds the process of decay. For example, whenever I get angry, it exhausts me. And it’s certainly not a beauty enhancer.

The devil and demons have been deteriorating, separated from God, the source of all life energy and goodness, for at least six thousand years.

On the other hand, the good angels have been continuously connected to The Source of Life and Goodness. Sin is not causing them to deteriorate in strength.

I believe this is why one angel is able to grab ahold of an archangel without a fight and toss him into a pit.

Please remember that the prophet Daniel was born 620 BC. The answer to his prayers was hindered by a demonic spirit about 539 BC. (See below link to the reference.) That was 2,563 years ago.

2,563 years of disconnection from the Source of Life and Energy. 2,563 more years of deterioration.

Just like Adam, who was born perfect and didn’t die till he was 930 years old (Genesis 5:5), the devil and angels were also created perfect. They likely deteriorate much slower than modern humans who are born in sin and subject to fairly short lifespans.

The demons are likely much weaker than the good angels who’ve never sinned. However, they are much more powerful and crafty than humans. We should never underestimate their ability to attack or deceive us.

But my point is, just as I can pick Buddy up when he refuses to obey, Satan and the demons are no match for Jesus and His angels. There are two good angels who can defeat every demon.

And Jesus is far more powerful than Satan, a being of His creation. Jesus is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent. Satan is not.

So although we should respect the power of the demonic and not speak arrogantly against them (Jude 8-9) or invite them into our lives through occult participation, we shouldn’t be terrified of them. God and His angels are far more powerful.

Though it looks as if evil is prevailing, the truth is:

“The Lord has established His throne in heaven, and His sovereignty rules over all (Psalm 103:19).”

Stay safe under the shadow of the mighty wings of Jesus (Luke 13:34). He is always aware and in control.

Although we cannot understand His plan at times, evil will be cast into the everlasting “lake of fire and brimstone (Revelation 20:10).”

Evil cannot thwart God nor prevail.

Hope this brings some reassurance.

God bless you.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

*https://biblehub.com/timeline/daniel/1.htm

***

If you’re born again, the Spirit of God indwells you. Some savvy pastor said, “When the devil comes knocking at your door, the Holy Spirit answers.” (I don’t recall who.)

If you’ve made the serious error of getting involved with the occult or other spirits, only Jesus has the power to deliver you. No rituals or human effort can deliver you from spiritual danger.

But Jesus forgives all sins. And “whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved (Acts 4:12).”

If you’re ready, please repeat the following prayer, out loud if possible:

Dear Heavenly Father, I need Your help. Please deliver me from all evil and forgive my sins. I ask Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. I give my life to You. Please fill me with Your Holy Spirit. Help me renounce and eliminate anything in my life that invited evil into my life. Thank you for hearing my prayers. Please show me how much You love me. In the mighty name of Jesus, amen.

If you prayed sincerely, congratulations, you’re born again. Please start reading the Bible. It’s your soul food. Just as your body needs daily nourishment to be healthy, so does your soul. I suggest starting with the Book of Matthew, as it’s easy to understand.

And please join a Bible believing church or Bible study. It’s hard to stand alone in a world that hates God. If that’s not possible right now, I recommend these two ministries, which also have apps if that’s your preference: http://www.LTW.org (Leading The Way) and http://www.AndrewFarley.org (The Grace Message).

God bless you as you begin a new path in life.

And call out to Jesus if you need protection from the demonic. Only His power can defeat them. Human power alone cannot.

May Buddy and I meet you in heaven one day.

One Reason You and I Make Bad Decisions, Buddy Brief, Psalm 106:13-14

Buddy enjoying the car’s air conditioning.

It pleases me to see Buddy enjoying the car’s air conditioning. I enjoy seeing my fur pal happy.

Regarding the ancient Israelites as they trekked to the Promised Land after leaving Egypt:

“They believed His words; they sang His praise.

“They quickly forgot His works; they did not wait for His counsel, but craved intensely in the wilderness, and tempted God in the desert.”—Psalm 106:13-14

Last week I confessed how lingering in a place of temptation led to a purchase I probably shouldn’t have made.

But like the people of the ancient nation of Israel, not consulting God before making a decision can also lead to a bad devision.

The main cause is “craving intensely.”

If I greatly desire or crave something, even if I pray about it, I’m not truly open to God’s counsel. My intense desire is interfering with my ability to sense God’s direction.

Or I may not even pray about it, knowing God will likely say “wait” or “no.” Which is totally stupid, because God only has my best interest in mind and also knows more about the situation than I do.

For instance, maybe it’s OK with Him that I buy a particular product, but wants me to wait because He knows it’s going on sale soon. But I don’t know this. Or that I’ll suffer buyer’s regret.

So, the root issue is focusing on the desire and not trusting in God’s goodness.

Hope this is helpful.

God bless you.

Much love for Dawn and Buddy

The Correct Interpretation of This Biblical Verse Sets You Free, Philippians 4:13

Buddy

Buddy’s veterinarian has nicknamed Buddy “The Energizer Bunny” because he’s quickly adapted to being lame. In the photo above he’s acquired a stance that stabilizes him while eating.

Despite the critics, I have found Pastor Norman Vincent Peale’s books very helpful and inspirational. When I ran Cross Country in high school, a teammate gave me a copy of his book, “You Can If You Think You Can.” I wasn’t raised in a Christian religion, so the book was not only the first Christian book I’ve ever read, but was also the first book that presented Jesus, and God, in a friendly light.

But I believe his broadly applied application of Philippians 4:13 is not quite correct.

“I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me.”

I can repeat this verse out loud as my own personal mantra, but in my heart of hearts, I know that not only I cannot do all things, but God hasn’t designed me to do all things.

I not only have limitations, but God has created me with certain skills and heart desires to guide me in a particular direction. And no one person can do all things. The Church praises the superstars, but most Christians are part of a group accomplishing great things for Christ.

I think Pastor Andrew Farley has the correct interpretation, based upon verse 12, preceding the oft quoted verse 13:

“I know how to get along with little, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need.”

Pastor Farley says verse 13 is not about being enabled by God to accomplish a particular goal, but is about God walking alongside us to face every circumstance of life.

The Bible has multiple verses about our Great Shepherd leading and guiding us, the most famous being Psalm 23:4:

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me.”

When interpreted correctly, Philippians takes the pressure off of me that God has the expectation that I can be a Super Christian and accomplish spectacular results with Christ’s help.

It’s freeing to realize that Christ actually promises to help be through whatever circumstances this life throws at me.

And as we know, “The truth sets you free (John 8:32).”

I think this takes the stress off our shoulders to accomplish spectacular deeds or achievements, and reassures us of God’s attention to survive or thrive during our sojourn here.

Hope this helps you as it did me.

God bless.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

***

The best thing that’s ever happened to me was to give my life to Jesus, to accept Him as Lord—God in the flesh (Matthew 1:23)—and Savior: Who died for all our sins.

Won’t you please give your heart to Jesus now? And experience the joy of knowing that the God of the Bible is real?

If so, please repeat the below, out loud if possible:

Dear Heavenly Father, I ask You to forgive my sin and cleanse me of all unrighteousness. I’m sorry for my sin and want new life in Jesus. I ask Jesus to be both my Lord and Savior. Please give me Your Holy Spirit. I give my life to You. Please teach me how much You love me. In the mighty name of Jesus, amen.

If you’ve prayed sincerely, congratulations, you’re born again. Please start reading the Bible as it’s your soul food and the main way God speaks to you. I suggest starting with the book of Matthew and reading forward.

Also, please join a Bible believing church or Bible study. And get baptized. If that’s not possible right now, I suggest these two ministries, which also have apps, if that’s your preference: http://www.LTW.org (Leading The Way) or http://www.AndrewFarley.org (The Grace Message).

God bless you as you start your new walk with Jesus. May Buddy and I meet you in heaven one day.

Can A Christian Sin? Buddy Brief, 1 John 5:18

Buddy’s the sweetest little guy. Even though injured recently through negligence at a grooming shop, he still trusts in my protection and willingness to bless him.

I think there’s a lot of confusion in the Church about Christians who sin.

There’s some who seem to believe it’s a sign that a person is not really saved if they struggle with sin.

But the difference between a Christian and non-Christian is that a believer is “a temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19).”

A person who is not born again does not have the Spirit of God convicting them when they willfully disobey God. This is why we’re baffled when someone engages in what seems blatantly wicked behavior without any remorse.

A Christian will be tormented and convicted by the Holy Spirit until he or she repents. God hates sin and our Great Shepherd is going to chase down a wandering sheep and return His child back to the sheepfold.

It’s why the Apostle John can confidently state in 1 John 5:18:

“We know that everyone who is born of God does not keep on sinning; the One who is born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him.” (BSB)

Please note: The Apostle John recognizes that we’re human and sin, but will not continue to sin.

A friend’s daughter was living with a man. I asked my friend if the daughter was born again. Since she confirmed that the daughter was indwelt by the Spirit, we prayed the Holy Spirit would make her miserable till she repented.

She did repent within a few months and soon after met and eventually married a godly Christian man who was a better role model for her children.

But God couldn’t bring the right man into her life till she was willing to repent of her disobedience.

So please don’t assume that someone sinning isn’t a believer. Everyone is at a different stage in their Christian walk. Even the Apostle James stated that “We all stumble in different ways (James 3:2).” Every believer has wrong thinking that needs changing and it’s usually a lifetime process.

And not all sin is obvious. We all have sins of attitudes and thinking that aren’t loving.

Pray for the repentance of a believer with confidence. The Holy Spirit will answer that prayer and work within them.

And if they don’t repent…You know why.

God bless you.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

Please Pray For Buddy

Hello. I took Buddy for a grooming appointment this afternoon and the groomer allowed Buddy to fall out of the tub after opening its door. I rushed him to the ER vet, because our regular vet across the street refused to make room for him. (Grrrr.)

He pulled an ACL in his knee and cannot walk or stand without assistance.

Please pray for his recovery.

The vet said 20% of dogs can recover, but 80% will require surgery. Because of Bud’s age, the vet would prefer not to operate.

Thank you.

With much gratitude,

Dawn and Buddy

Are You Getting Eaten? Buddy Brief, 1 Peter 5:8

Buddy keeping an eye on me.

Buddy likes to keep me within sight, even though he may not desire interaction.

I’m currently reading a nonfiction book that I highly recommend: Stolen Focus, Why You Can’t Pay Attention—and How to Think Deeply Again, by Johann Hari. You can probably find it in your library system, as I did.

This statement really stood out for me, quoted by the author interviewing the magician called Tristan:

“How does a magician do their work? It works because they don’t have to know your strengths—they just have to know your weaknesses. How well do you know your weaknesses?”—page 108

Do you think Satan attacks your strengths?

Of course not. Like any enemy, he’s searching your life for any unintentional opening to breach your protective wall.

“Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”—1 Peter 5:8

Now most of us aren’t important enough to attract Satan’s attention, but a third of the angelic host fell into disobedience and works for the devil.

So, please consider in prayer, asking Jesus to open your eyes to anything in your life that is giving the enemy of your soul an opening to take a bite out of you.

Take heed of CS Lewis’ oft quoted warning:

“There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors and hail a materialist or a magician with the same delight.”

What are your weaknesses?

God bless you.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

***

To be fair, I’ll admit one weakness I am working on. I hate being treated as if I’m stupid or a liar. I’m neither and can quickly become defensive if I feel someone has attacked my intelligence or honesty. I have to learn to listen before responding without allowing my “hackles” to rise up and overwhelm my reason. Proverbs 18:13

It’s Not About How You Feel, 1 Thessalonians 4:5

I love Buddy with all my heart, but some mornings I’m tired and want to be left to myself. But I have to get up and walk Buddy, as we live in a condo with only a balcony. Then I prepare his breakfast and pills before my own. Some days I just don’t feel like doing it, but Buddy is my responsibility.

Similarly, there’s times when our feelings don’t match up with God’s commands. As Christians we’re under grace and not the Law, but God’s rules still work to help us lead happier and more prosperous lives. We’re also commanded not to grieve the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30), and we do that by not listening to Him and disobeying His leading.

One area people are particularly susceptible to disobey God and follow their feelings is in the area of sexual relationships. God’s commands demand one behavior, but our feelings pull us strongly toward a relationship, or behavior, we know displeases God.

“For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God…Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given us His Holy Spirit.”—the Apostle Paul, 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5, 8

Now as Christians we can still choose to disobey God and, thereby, grieve the Holy Spirit; since He indwells the believer, we’ll be miserable till we repent. We still have free will as believers.

But we are supposed “to walk by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7).”

Do we please God by following our passions? Because feelings are not only fleeting but changeable.

Or by obeying His Word, the Bible?

God promises that we’re blessed when we obey Him:

“But without faith it’s impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”—Hebrews 11:6

I’m thinking about this because in the past I tried so-called Christian dating sites and the majority of the men wanted to engage in premarital sex, which God expressly forbids (Hebrews 13:4). So I left the sites.

Every day, as believers, we can choose to disobey God and be miserable—or defy our feelings, obey God, and be blessed.

It’s all a matter of whether we trust God more than our feelings.

He loves us. And wants to lead us in the paths of righteousness (Psalm 23:3).

God forgives our sin. We can always confess our sin and choose to repent and get back onto the right path.

It’s all a matter of: Do you want to be miserable?

Or content, knowing God is in control and not your feelings?

It’s all up to you—and me.

And the Holy Spirit. We’re not left alone in our struggle.

“Blessed be the Lord , because He has heard the voice of my supplications! The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in Him and I am helped; therefore my heart greatly rejoices, and with my song I will praise Him.”—Psalm 28:6-7

Prayer, honest conversation, and singing praises helps a lot.

And maybe a brisk walk.

God bless you.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

***

If you do what you know is is wrong, but don’t feel God’s Holy Spirit convicting you, then you should truly examine your heart whether you actually believe Jesus is God in the flesh (Matthew 1:23), died for your sins (1 Peter 2:24), and rose bodily from the dead (Romans 10:9).

Please don’t let pride get in the way of recognizing the truth about yourself. God loves you and wants to be your Lord and best friend. Jesus promises never to leave nor forsake His followers (Hebrews 13:5). But you must submit to His authority to be saved. The demons believe that Jesus is God and rose from the dead, but they aren’t saved.

Don’t be like the demons. Choose life obeying Jesus instead.

If you’re ready to receive Jesus, please pray the following, out loud if possible:

Dear Heavenly Father, I’m sorry for grieving You and ask for forgiveness of my sins. I also ask Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. I believe that He is God, died for my sins, and rose bodily from the dead. Please fill me with your Holy Spirit. I give my life to You. And show me how much You love me. Thank you for hearing my prayer. In the mighty name of Jesus, amen.

If you prayed sincerely, congratulations, you’re born again. And please start reading the Bible as it’s your soul food and the main way God speaks to you. And please join a Bible believing church or Bible study. And get baptized.

If that’s not possible right now, I suggest these two ministries, which also have apps, if that‘s your preference: http://www.LTW.org (Leading The Way) and http://www.AndrewFarley.org (The Grace Message).

May Buddy and I meet you in heaven one day.

God bless you as you start your new life in Christ.

WORST sermon EVER! Buddy Brief, Jonah 3:4-5

Buddy’s cubicle doghouse.

Buddy looks like a giant Yorkie. He’s even oversized for a Silky terrier. But despite his larger breed style, he’s incapable of protecting himself; he’s totally dependent upon me for his needs.

The Old Testament prophet, Jonah, preached the lamest sermon ever. Most people, even if they’ve never read the Bible, have heard the story about Jonah and the Whale, about how he was swallowed and lived within the giant sea mammal for three days and nights.

However, most people don’t know that Jonah was swallowed by the whale because he disobeyed God and hopped a ship going into the opposite direction of the city of people God wanted him to preach to. After his horrendous incarceration, Jonah obeyed God and traveled to the Assyrian city of Nineveh to preach repentance.

Jonah hated the Ninevites and wanted God to kill them, not save them.

Although Jonah finally obeyed God, his attitude sucked. He preached the lamest sermon ever!

“And Jonah began to enter the city on his first day’s walk. Then he cried out and said, ‘Yet forty days, and Nineveh will be overthrown!’

“So the people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them…”—Jonah 3:4-5

The king made a decree that everyone was to fast, even their animals, and “turn from his evil way and the violence that is in his hands (vs 3:8).”

Because the people of Nineveh repented in faith, God relented and did not punish them.

My point is: Just as Buddy is totally dependent upon me, Christians are totally dependent upon the Almighty God and His power. We cannot change a person’s heart nor can we force anyone to believe in Jesus.

Because repentance doesn’t depend upon our charisma or powers of persuasion—or even how knowledgeable we are.

On the other hand, it doesn’t matter how weak or pitiful we think our testimony or words are.

Our responsibility is merely to obey and tell people about Jesus.

And the power of the Holy Spirit will do His work.

Cone on! You cannot preach a worse sermon than Jonah did!

And because God’s power was already working on the hearts of the people, they repented anyway.

God bless.

Thanks for reading.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

PS. Please check out my latest Friday blog post if you have time. Thanks!

https://meditationsaboutgodandbuddy.wordpress.com/2024/04/06/whats-life-all-about-really/

What’s Life All About Really? Colossians 1:13-14

Give me more attention!

Life is simple for Buddy. Take walkies. Snooze. Eat treats. Beg for food. Occasionally pay attention to your human.

Actually, human life is similarly simple. All of life boils down to one simple answer.

Want to know what it is?

What life really is all about?

Enough suspense yet? Here’s the answer:

Our life here on earth is all about choosing which god you’re going to spend eternity with.

That’s it in a nutshell.

The secret to this chaotic, rollercoaster, sometimes thrilling, sometimes awful life.

“I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness.”—Jesus, John 12:46

Every day a person can choose to remain in Satan’s “domain of darkness” and “perish in their sin” (Colossians 1:13, 2 Thessalonians 2:10,) or choose to spend eternity with Jesus.

“For He (God) rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”—Colossians 1:13-14

The choice is yours.

Jesus hung on the Cross between two thieves. One continued to hurl insults at Jesus, demanding that He come down from the Cross and rescue them from crucifixion.

The other humbled himself, admitted he was a sinner, and asked that his soul be saved. And Jesus answered him, saying:

“‘Truly, I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.’”—Luke 23:43

Eternity with Jesus or Satan.

Everyone makes that choice.

It’s truly what life is really all about.

Thank you for reading!

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

PS. So next time someone asks you, “What’s life all about?”—you have an answer.

***

Maybe you’re unhappy because you’re trying to be your own god instead of submitting your life to the Lord and trusting in His guidance.

Jesus is omniscient and omnipresent. He sees the future. What seems the right course of action to a person may actually be leading toward disaster. Only God knows where a chosen path will lead.

Jesus died to pay for your sins. He lived a perfect life as a human being so that He could pay for the sins of others, having no sin of His own to be punished for. After His crucifixion, He rose from the dead to prove that He is also God, that He has the power over death.

You don’t have to continue living a life of regret and defeat. But becoming a Christian doesn’t guarantee health and wealth, as false preachers claim, but does set you onto a new path leading away from self-destructive behavior.

A new Christian is like a baby: You’ll crawl, then totter on wobbly legs till you learn to walk steady. I’m encouraging you to give your life to Jesus, because it’s wonderful to be in relationship with God. But I also want you not to get discouraged after doing so. It takes time to learn about God’s love for you and how He works.

Are you ready to make Jesus your Savior from sin and your Lord, the God Who rules your life? If so, please repeat the below prayer, out loud if possible:

Dear Heavenly Father, I’m sorry for my sin and ask for Your forgiveness. I call on Jesus to be both my Savior and Lord, my moral authority. I give my life to You. Please fill me with Your Holy Spirit. And teach me how much You love me. I want to learn to trust You. Thank You for hearing my prayer. In the mighty name of Jesus Christ, the Lord, amen.

If you prayed sincerely, congratulations, you’re born again. You should begin to experience new attitudes and a desire to obey Jesus as you’ve been given a new heart by the power of the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. You’re starting to walk a new path in life, so please be patient with yourself as you learn and grow in the knowledge of the Lord.

Please start reading the Bible daily. And join a Bible believing church or Bible study. And get baptized. If that’s not possible right now, I recommend these two ministries, which also have apps, if that’s your preference: http://www.LTW.org (Leading The Way) and http://www.AndrewFarley.org (The Grace Message). There are other godly ministries, but it’s easy to be misled by legalism or false teaching until you know what the Bible teaches fairly well.

God bless you. May Buddy and I meet you in heaven one day.

The Power of Words, Proverbs 18:21

I felt badly recently when I became impatient with Buddy and yelled at him as he kept whining when I was trying to solve a problem. His wince made me realize that words, just like a fist, can punch and hurt.

“Life and death are in the power of the tongue.”—Proverbs 18:21

Our words can inspire people to try harder or to accomplish great things.

Or our words can discourage people and drive them to despair.

Great leaders are often remembered, not just for their great deeds or accomplishments, but also for their inspiring oratory.

“Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.”—JFK

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only love can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”—Martin Luther King Jr

“Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”—Abraham Lincoln

Sometimes it can be discouraging to blog regularly, yet not many people read what took hours to create. But does that make my words or message any less worthy? Do numbers or recognition determine the value or a person or thing?

Or do we all have intrinsic value apart from recognition or financial success?

YES! We’re all made in God’s image, therefore we all have value as He created each of us for His own purposes (Genesis 1:27, Philippians 2:13).

“The pen is mightier than the sword.”—British playwright Edward Bulwer-Lytton

Is one of the most famous quotes of all time, outside of Biblical quotes.

Yet, this same playwright and novelist is also remembered for penning one of the most wretched opening lines to any novel:

“It was a dark and stormy night.”—Opening line of his novel Paul Clifford

This same man who is lionized for one amazing line is also lampooned as an atrocious novelist. In fact, there’s even a contest to write the worst novel opening in Mr Bulwer-Lytton’s honor, the Bulwer-Lytton competition:

https://www.bulwer-lytton.com/

Ironically, the site uses the same word: “atrocious”.

Guess what I’m saying is what the Apostle James admonished:

“But no one among mankind can tame the tongue… from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing.”—James 3:8,10

So, in summary, no one is perfect. Don’t beat yourself up for saying stupid or hurtful things. Ask forgiveness, if necessary. But we must all be careful to guard our words. They can inspire revolutions or success, save or destroy lives.

And don’t despair, either. You may not be remembered just for foolish talk…

But also be loved for being that one person who makes one life better by encouraging them not to despair and give up.

Or to use your words to pray for them and God to move mountains for the spread of the gospel.

Just be faithful.

“For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man…”—James 3:2

Thank the Lord for His grace which covers all our sins.

God bless you.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

***

Jesus said: “But the things that come out of the mouth, come from the heart…”—Matthew 15:18

That’s why the Apostle Paul states:

“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”—Romans 10:13

If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is the Christ, the Lord Who came in the flesh to die for your sins, and rose bodily from the dead, your words reflect faith is in your heart.

Please call on Jesus to save you. There’s no neutral ground: You’re either in the kingdom of darkness, dead in your trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1) or in the kingdom of Light, spiritually alive.

If you call out to Jesus, He will enter through the door of your heart to give you new, and eternal, life.

If you’re not ready to take this step in faith, please ask the Lord to help you. Or please remember to call on Him when you’re ready for a life change.

If you’re ready now, please repeat the following prayer, out loud if possible:

Dear Heavenly Father, I believe that Jesus is the Lord God Who died for my sin and rose bodily from the grave. I’m sorry for my sins and ask You to save my soul and forgive me. Please grant me Your Holy Spirit. I give my life to You. Please teach me how much You love me. In the name of Your holy son, Jesus, amen.

If you prayed sincerely, congratulations, you’re born again. Please start reading the Bible daily and join a Bible believing church or Bible study so that you can understand your salvation and get to know Who God is.

If that’s not possible right now, I recommend these two ministries, which also have apps, if that’s your preference: Leading The Way and The Grace Message at the below links:

https://www.ltw.org/

or

https://andrewfarley.org/

God bless you. May Buddy and I meet you in heaven one day.

God Wants To Hear From You, Psalm 55:17

I want your dinner! Are you listening to me?

When I was a teenager, I’d walk my poodle, Penny, and talk to God for at least an hour. Sometimes poor Penny sat on the bed with me as I poured out my teen angst and concerns to the Lord. Although I wasn’t born again nor understood who Jesus was yet, I believed there was a God Who heard me.

That poor dog!

Over a decade later I became born again. And although I accepted Christ was the Lord God in the flesh (Matthew 1:23), I then started talking to God like a holy person was supposed to: interceding for people and making other mighty requests that an Almighty, caring God could answer.

And expressing thanks, of course, trying to focus on the silver lining of life and its events.

But over the years I’ve had one problem after another. My pastor talks about the valley every Christian will have to go through eventually. But I’d like to get out of the valley once in a while! Some of us just seem to stay there in the desert without understanding why and if we get out of the valley, we’re right back in another with little rest!

Even when not engaging in any willful disobedience.

So this past holiday season I asked God: “What’s up with that? Why can’t I get a break from things going awry?”

Psalm 55:17 provides an answer:

“Evening and mourning and at noon, I will complain and murmur, and He will hear my voice.”

What, Dawn? Have you lost it?

I sensed that God was trying to pull me back into a true friendship with Him. To not see Him just as The Big Guy Who answers prayers, but also as my friend Who wants to hear from me. Who wants to be the Heavenly Father Who listens to his child talk about her day, her feelings, her concerns, and her worries.

To engage with Him and not just talk to Him.

So I think God trying to coax me into opening up my heart to Him once again as I used to as a teen. After all, when everything’s going great, I don’t have much to complain or murmur about.

God wants a true relationship with us, to be a friend and not just a Guy Who Answers Prayers.

Now it’s OK to make requests. In the verse before, 16, David cries out:

“As for me, I shall call upon God, and the Lord will save me.”

But I have to remember that He’s also my best friend Who knows me more intimately and completely than anyone else ever could, Who understands me better than anyone else ever could, and is always there to call out to when no one else can always be there for me.

“I will never leave you nor forsake you.”—Hebrews 13:5, Deuteronomy 31:6

Please say “hello” to your best friend every day.

God bless you.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

***

Even though I spoke for hours upon hours to the Lord as a teenager, pouring out my heart to Him, it was a one-way conversation as I was not yet born again, filled by God’s Spirit.

Only His sheep hear His voice (John 10:27).

If you’re unsaved, generally the Lord will have only one message for you to hear: Follow Me. Become born again by My Spirit. Come to Me for life (Matthew 16:24, John 3:3, 5:40).

God wants to be your Heavenly Father and best friend. Will you please accept His invitation to enter into relationship with Him?

“Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”—Apostle Paul, Romans 10:13)

The Lord’s name is Jesus, the God Who came in human flesh (Mathew 1:23) to die for your sins so that you don’t have to, and rose bodily from the dead to give you resurrection life through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Do you believe this?

If not, will you ask Him for the faith to believe?

If you’re ready to enter into a love relationship with God, please repeat the below prayer, out loud if possible:

Dear Heavenly Father, I call on Jesus to be my Savior and God Who died for my sins. I’m sorry for my disobedience and humbly ask for Your forgiveness. Please be my friend and Father and constant companion, my Good Shepherd Who will lead me and guide me now and forever. Please give me Your Holy Spirit. I give my life to You. Thank you for hearing my prayer. In the name of Jesus, amen.

If you prayed sincerely, congratulations, you’re born again. Please start reading the Bible daily as it’s your soul food. Just as your body needs daily nourishment to be healthy, so does your soul. I suggest starting with the book of Matthew as it’s easy to understand, and reading forward.

Also, join a Bible believing church or Bible study. And get baptized. If that’s not possible right now, I suggest these two ministries, which also have apps, if that’s your preference: http://www.LTW.org (Leading The Way) and http://www.AndrewFarley.org (The Grace Message).

God bless you as you start your new life in Christ.

May Buddy and I meet you in heaven one day.

Weirdly, I didn’t Like My Favorite Movie When I Saw It In The Theatre

What movies or TV series have you watched more than 5 times?

Still from The Mummy, 1999, photo from Imbd.com

I’ve watched the 1999 version of The Mummy many times as it’s one of my favorite movies, yet I didn’t enjoy it that much in the theatre.

I was expecting a scary movie, not an action adventure film.

So the film wasn’t the issue but, rather, my expectations.

When I watched it a second time on a movie channel, I became entranced: It’s a perfectly written movie with a great mix of humor, action, romance, and good-looking people.

It makes me wonder, sometimes, if having false expectations in other areas of my life might be coloring my viewpoint of people or events.

My other favorites that I’ve nearly overdosed on:

Jurassic Park

Independence Day

Planes, Trains & Automobiles

John Carpenter’s The Thing

Alien and the sequel Aliens

Camelot

My Fair Lady

Fiddler On The Roof

Pride & Prejudice (Kiera Knightley version)

and

It’s A Wonderful Life.

For anyone who knows me personally, my favorite, lifelong TV show should come as no surprise:

the original Star Trek.

Yes, I love musicals, scary monsters, comedy, and action adventure.

Thanks for reading.

Please check out my latest Buddy Brief:, my mostly weekly blog posts:

https://meditationsaboutgodandbuddy.wordpress.com/2024/03/13/too-lovey-dovey-buddy-brief/

Too Lovey Dovey? Buddy Brief, Matthew 10:16

If you read my blog regularly, you know Buddy was rescued out of an abusive situation. Because he was so terrified of me, I didn’t enroll him in an obedience class.

Now he sometimes acts like a spoiled little brat. For instance, demanding I give him my chicken lunch through continual whining and fussing, even after gobbling down his own portion in his dish.

I was thinking about this verse recently, something Jesus said, recorded in Matthew 10:16:

“‘Behold, I am sending you out like sheep among wolves; therefore be as shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves.’”

There seems to be an expectation in the Christian community that every leader, even politicians, should always be sweet and loving.

Lovey dovey.

But the Bible has multiple examples of leaders who were quite outspoken, bold, loud, even obnoxious at times.

The Old Testament prophets Elijah and his successor Elisha, and John the Baptist in the Gospels, were fiery, aggressive orators; definitely not men you’d call sweet and kind.

Elijah mocked and taunted the false prophets of Baal and even ordered to have them slaughtered (1 Kings 18:40).

Elisha cursed the “youths” mocking him and calling him names, so he “pronounced a curse on them in the name of the Lord. And two female bears came out of the woods and mauled 42 of the youth (2 Kings 2:24)”. Because you don’t show disrespect to God’s appointed prophets!

And John the Baptist “saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, ‘Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?’ (Matthew 3:7)”

Even Jesus overturned the tables of the money changers in the Temple in Jerusalem, and took a whip of cords and chased the money changers and their animals out of the building.

There seems to be a theme here:

Sometimes you gotta act “not nice” when confronting evil.

In summary, God uses all sorts of personalities to accomplish His will.

Please don’t discount someone as a servant of God because their manner is more brash or forceful than yours.

Acting like a dove means avoiding sin but, also, sometimes knowing when to show grace to a sinful person.

But, in my opinion, sometimes being shrewd means knowing when to stand up and confront evil with strong words and actions.

Because some hearts are too hard; evil’s strong grip on a soul may require a good yank.

God bless you.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

PS. Please check out this great sermon by pastor Dr Charles Stanley. It’ll bless you.

https://www.intouch.org/listen/radio/when-we-feel-burned-out-part-1

Substituting their righteousness for His, Romans 10:3

Buddy was unhappy about being confined to the loft, so he pouted by staring into the mirror. He is losing his depth perception and must wait for me to pick him up and carry him down the staircase to the main living area. He would rather roam freely in our condo, doing what he wants when he wants.

The ancient Jewish religious leaders–the Pharisees, Sadducees, and scribes–rejected Jesus because they believed that their own works made them righteous in God’s sight. Although they diligently searched the scriptures about the coming Messiah, they missed recognizing Him when He stood in front of them, although He’d performed many miracles and fulfilled over 300 Old Testament prophecies. They were awaiting a Messiah Who would rescue them from oppression by the Roman Empire; they weren’t looking for a Savior Who would rescue them from their sins.

Their pride prevented from realizing they weren’t righteous enough to earn their way to heaven. God’s standard for holiness is perfection (Matthew 5:48). They believed that because they kept the Laws of Moses, they had God’s favor.

But they didn’t.

Their self-righteousness caused them to reject the very Messiah they eagerly awaited.

“For not knowing about God’s righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God.”–Apostle Paul, Romans 10:3

Today it’s still pride that keeps people from recognizing their own need for a Savior. They think they can earn their way into heaven by being good enough, whatever “good enough” is. They create their own moral code, neglecting to realize that they aren’t little gods who get to write the laws of the universe.

Satan also believed that he could replace god and write his own rules of behavior. Because he wanted to be worshipped and make the rules, he rebelled against God, falsely believing that He could knock the Almighty off of His throne (Isaiah 14:12-17).

It surprises me that people believe they can reject God’s rules, create their own moral code, and live however they want, then believe God must accept them into heaven to live with Him for eternity when they’ve rebelled against Him their entire lives. They don’t realize that the rules they hate still apply in Heaven, and the people they despise who follow the Lord and attempt to obey His rules will be in Heaven.

In other words, Heaven would be Hell for people who think they’re good and can create their own moral code. And don’t need to listen to some Almighty God telling them what to do.

Satan must’ve been a great speaker as he persuaded a third of the angels to rebel against their Maker.

Similarly, our postmodern Western culture has persuaded many to believe that there is no Almighty Creator and that they can make up their own rules of what good behavior is, what’s right and wrong.

We’re seeing right now how poorly that’s working out as our culture continues to disintegrate and technology increasingly threatens our liberty and freedom to move freely, to think and speak freely, and to protest against corruption and tyranny.

Or as Pastor Brandon Holthaus describes it: “Our Western culture is circling the drain.” (https://youtu.be/Hu-sL5iwKxo?si=5nmPDPFoZwwo1HQy)

Just as the ancient religious leaders rejected Jesus as a Savior from their sins, sadly, many also do the same today.

But this lesson also applies to Christians in this way:

You can never be good enough through your own works righteousness. You need to remind yourself frequently that Jesus has clothed you with His robe of righteousness (Isaiah 61:10). It’s never about how good you are, but how good He is. Jesus loved us so much that He died for our sins–all of them–because we can never be good enough to please Him. We want to please Him because our spirit is united with Christ through the Holy Spirit, and we now have an undying love for Him (Ephesians 6:24). But thinking we have to be perfect keeps us running on the hamster wheel of works righteousness till we exhaust ourselves emotionally; therefore, physical and spiritual exhaustion follows. He wants us to rejoice in how sweet, kind, and gentle He is.

“For My yoke is comfortable, and My burden is light.”–Jesus, Matthew 11:30

Rejoice today in how much Jesus loves you.

It’s not about being perfect, but how much He loves you by wanting to live with you forever. And to hear your prayers. He’s the only friend Who always has time to listen.

God bless you.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

***

Maybe you’re unhappy because you’re trying to be your own god instead of submitting your life to the Lord and trusting in His guidance.

Jesus is omniscient and omnipresent. He sees the future. What seems the right course of action to a person may actually be leading toward disaster. Only God knows where a chosen path will lead.

Jesus died to pay for your sins. He lived a perfect life as a human being so that He could pay for the sins of others, having no sin of His own to be punished for. After His crucifixion, He rose from the dead to prove that He is also God, that He has the power over death.

You don’t have to continue living a life of regret and defeat. But becoming a Christian doesn’t guarantee health and wealth, as false preachers claim, but does set you onto a new path leading away from self-destructive behavior.

A new Christian is like a baby: You’ll crawl, then totter on wobbly legs till you learn to walk steady. I’m encouraging you to give your life to Jesus, because it’s wonderful to be in relationship with God. But I also want you not to get discouraged after doing so. It takes time to learn about God’s love for you and how He works.

Are you ready to make Jesus your Savior from sin and your Lord, the God Who rules your life? If so, please repeat the below prayer, out loud if possible:

Dear Heavenly Father, I’m sorry for my sin and ask for Your forgiveness. I call on Jesus to be both my Savior and Lord, my moral authority. I give my life to You. Please fill me with Your Holy Spirit. And teach me how much You love me. I want to learn to trust You. Thank You for hearing my prayer. In the mighty name of Jesus Christ, the Lord, amen.

If you prayed sincerely, congratulations, you’re born again. You should begin to experience new attitudes and a desire to obey Jesus as you’ve been given a new heart by the power of the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. You’re starting to walk a new path in life, so please be patient with yourself as you learn and grow in the knowledge of the Lord.

Please start reading the Bible daily. And join a Bible believing church or Bible study. And get baptized. If that’s not possible right now, I recommend these two ministries, which also have apps, if that’s your preference: http://www.LTW.org (Leading The Way) and http://www.AndrewFarley.org (The Grace Message). There are other godly ministries, but it’s easy to be misled by legalism or false teaching until you know what the Bible teaches fairly well.

God bless you. May Buddy and I meet you in heaven one day.

Today’s My 35th Birthday!

35 years ago I became born again!

I sensed something was wrong with my life.

I felt like it had to do with me, not life itself.

At that time we had a limited number of TV channels, and on one of the local channels was the Billy Graham Crusade, live.

I called the number on the screen to speak with one of their counselors, a kind woman, who listened to me, explained who Jesus was, and led me in a prayer of faith.

Shortly after hanging up, I was praying and a spirit swooped into my body near my sternum.

Scared the crud out of me, until the Holy Spirit told me Who He was.

This is one reason I emphasize that becoming saved is more than forgiveness of sin.

It’s also being given new life through the resurrection of Christ from the dead.

Christians never told me what becoming born again meant. I’d hear one gal say that her “body was the temple of the Holy Spirit,” so she would keep herself sexually pure.

But no one explained that being saved meant being given new life.

I was taught by the false religion I was raised up in, that the Holy Spirit was just a force in the universe,…

…but not God Himself, the third person of the Trinity.

In any case, I’m so thankful that Jesus never gave up on me.

CS Lewis claimed that God dragged him kicking and screaming into His Kingdom.

Jesus just kept prodding me along till I finally woke up.

Thanks for reading.

God bless.

Dawn

Does God Want Christians To Look Miserable? Buddy Brief, John 10:10

I feel happy when my beloved Buddy smiles. It shows that he enjoys living with me. After three years of being abused by his former owner, he’s loved sharing thirteen-and-a-half years with me now, someone who loves and dotes on him.

God is called “Our Heavenly Father (Matthew 6:26, 32),” yet sometimes Christians are presented with a solemn, joyless image of Jesus in movies and pictures as if being miserable or unhappy is the preferable Christian personality.

Does your earthly father want you to be miserable? (If mentally healthy, he doesn’t.)

Or, too often, pastors tell us that joy is independent of circumstance, meaning that you’re not supposed to feel or be happy, as if a smiling countenance means you’re not thoughtful or taking your faith seriously. That you can be cognitively happy, but to actually be happy is an unrealistic expectation.

Please ask yourself: Does a happy, energetic joyful person attract you more or less than a solemn, frowning person?

Jesus told His disciples:

“I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”—John 15:11

I believe Jesus wants us to be authentic people. To be honest with Him when we talk with Him. To cry when we’re suffering, to smile when we’re happy, to laugh when we think something’s funny.

Jesus said:

“I have come that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”—John 10:10

After all, who invented laughter?

As the Bible says, and modern scientific research continually confirms:

“A cheerful heart is good medicine.”—Proverbs 17:22

Go ahead and enjoy life.

Giving thanks to our loving Father Who has created a beautiful world full of wonders.

After all, who should be the happiest people on earth than Christians who know that all these worldly sufferings are temporary and in no way comparable to the eternal joys of heaven (Romans 8:28) prepares for us by a loving God?

God bless you.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

PS. I realize pastors are trying to deal with human suffering, but is that how God wants our lives to be? Nothing but suffering without overcoming? To focus only on unhappiness? Even cops use gallows humor to defuse stressful situations.

Two Questions Unbelievers Need Every Christian To Answer, John 5:40

Why are you waking me up?

I can totally relate to Buddy not wanting to be awakened at 10am this morning. After all, he woke me up at 6:30am to take a walkie and to do his business.

Similarly, one benefit of not being raised in the Christian religion is that I have an understanding of the outsider’s perspective. And I have not had dogma drilled into my mind without questioning it.

Not that the dogma is necessarily incorrect, but when you’re used to hearing something for many years, it’s usual not to mull over it much.

And sometimes we should.

There are two questions that would be very helpful to unbelievers if Christians could answer them.

1. Why did Jesus have to die?

2. Why is Jesus the only way to heaven?

The usual response to number one is: He had to die for your sins because, as God in the flesh, only Jesus could live a perfect, sinless life. Having no sin of His own to die for, He could die for the sins of others.

Great response. But then the unbeliever asks: Why do I need my sins forgiven?

Because God cannot inhabit a dirty vessel!

We require sanctification, to be declared righteous, wiped clean of our sins, for the Holy Spirit to indwell a person as God cannot tolerate sin in His presence:

“Because it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’”—1 Peter 1:16

The second question has a similar answer: Jesus is the only way to heaven because only Jesus can give a person new life. A person is spiritually dead until they become born again through the power of the Holy Spirit. Only Jesus can give a person new life by resurrecting their dead spirit and freeing their spirit from bondage to sin.

Generally, the Church understands how to get saved, but not what happens when a person gets saved.

A saved human spirit is transformed, crucified with Christ on the Cross and resurrected with Christ.

Not just crucified with Christ.

But also resurrected into eternal life with Christ.

Before becoming born again:

A person sins because they’re a sinner.

A person isn’t a sinner because they sin.

The sin comes out of an unredeemed heart.

The unbeliever is:

“Darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart.”—Apostle Paul, Ephesians 4:18

In summary, the nonbeliever needs to understand that they are spiritually dead and need to repent of their sins. Eternal life only comes when a person accepts Jesus as their Lord and Savior, that He is “God in the flesh (Matthew 1:23),” died for their sins, was crucified on the Cross, and rose bodily from the dead.

Jesus warned the religious leaders in ancient Israel that pride in their good works was blinding them to the truth of their need for a new heart, an internal spiritual transformation:

“You are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life.”—John 5:40

So dear reader, please be prepared to answer these two questions.

Because it’s a matter of eternal life or death.

God bless you.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

***

Do you have eternal life? You cannot earn God’s favor; it’s impossible to meet His perfect standard of behavior (Matthew 5:48). It’s a gift. You need to ask for it, however, as Jesus won’t force you to accept Him as your Lord. He wants you to voluntarily invite Him into your life.

Are you willing to ask Him now? If so, please repeat the following prayer, out loud if possible:

Dear Heavenly Father, I’m sorry for my sins and want new life. Please forgive me. I ask Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. Please give me your Holy Spirit. I give my life to You. And reveal to me how much You love me. In the mighty name of Jesus, amen.

If you prayed sincerely, congratulations: You’re born again. Please start reading the Bible daily as it’s your soul food. Just as your body needs daily nourishment to be healthy, so does your soul.

And please join a Bible believing church or Bible study, and get baptized. If that’s not possible right now, I recommend these two ministries, which also have apps, if that’s your preference: http://www.LTW.org (Leading The Way) and http://www.AndrewFarley.org (The Grace Message).

God bless you as you start your new life.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

Please Don’t Forget Who You Are, Buddy brief, James 1:23-24

Buddy

When I first left Buddy to stay for a few days with my parents, I was concerned he’d become their pet and not return home with me to our condo.

Turns out that he stares at the front door for hours, waiting for my return. Buddy does not forget that he’s my best pal.

My parents love Buddy and he’s fond of them, but he loves me the “mostest”.

The Apostle James reminds Christians not to forget who they are:

“For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.”—James 1:23-24

Once you were “dead in your trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1),” “slaves to sin (Romans 6:20)” and “the powers of darkness (Colossians 1:13),” until you believed in the Gospel and became born again.

You were a sinner who sometimes did good deeds.

But now you are a saint who sometimes sins!

“You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.”—Apostle Paul, Romans 6:18

You are no longer a dirty worm. Nor a reformed sinner.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”—Apostle Paul, 2 Corinthians 5:17

You are a saint! You want to act saintly.

Or you grieve the Holy Spirit within you and become miserable.

It’s vitally important that you remember who you are! What is now your natural bent!

You were dead; now you’re spiritually alive!

The author CS Lewis got it correct in his Narnia book series:

You are now a prince or princess. You now wear the royal garments of Christ Jesus.

Look into the mirror which reflects back “Christ in you, the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27).”

Now walk like the royalty you are!

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

Milking The Parable One More Time! Luke 11:29-30

Buddy resting in his cube.

Buddy can rest in the privacy of his cube knowing that he is loved and cared for. When he became my fur pal, it was for life.

I want to return to the prodigal one more time and milk a new point that I haven’t heard from preachers before.

You might be familiar with this parable Jesus told: A father had two sons. The younger son asked for his inheritance early; although such a request was dishonorable in that culture, his father honored the request. The younger son ran off to waste his money on “loose living (vs 13).” After impoverishing himself to the point of near starvation and demeaning, employment, he returned home, expecting to be treated by his father as a hired employee and disowned.

However, the father was so overjoyed that his son repented of his wicked behavior and showed new respect, that he threw his once wayward son a party.

The older son had been laboring away in his father’s field, not living it up; he was building up his father’s estate and his future inheritance. In anger he refused to accept his father’s invitation to the party to celebrate his brother’s return home.

“But he answered and said to his father, ‘Look! For so many years I have been serving you and I have never neglected a command of yours…but when this son of yours came, who has devoured your wealth with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him.’”—Luke 15:29-30

Get to the point, Dawn! We already know the story!

The older son believed he was more worthy of his father’s love because he worked for it. He believed he had earned his father’s love, but his younger brother hadn’t measured up. This passage is often preached on as a contrast between the legalistic believer who thinks he earns his salvation through good works, verses the person who realizes his salvation is through grace alone and cannot be earned, and that our Heavenly Father loves those with repentant hearts.

But also…

The older brother wasn’t the only one hard at work in the fields. He wasn’t taking care of his father’s estate and property by himself: The father had “hired men (vs 17).”

The older brother was equating his hard work with his worth in his father’s eyes.

But there were other men laboring hard for his father, also.

But the difference in the workers wasn’t how hard they were laboring, but their status in the father’s eyes.

You see, my dear reader, your value in the Heavenly Father’s eyes isn’t dependent on how hard you labor in his field.

You’re valuable to the Father because you’re His child,…

regardless of how you think your work is measuring up compared to those “superior” older brothers.

“See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are.”—Apostle John, 1 John 3:1

Hope you find this message encouraging.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

***

Maybe you’re unhappy because you’re trying to live life apart from the loving embrace of your Heavenly Father who has rules of living to protect people. After all, He’s the one Who created us and knows the instruction manual.

Jesus is omniscient and omnipresent. He sees the future. What seems the right course of action to a person may actually be leading toward disaster. Only God knows where a chosen path will lead.

Jesus died to pay for your sins. He lived a perfect life as a human being so that He could pay for the sins of others, having no sin of His own to be punished for. After His crucifixion, He rose from the dead to prove that He is also God, that He has the power over death.

You don’t have to continue living a life of regret and defeat. But becoming a Christian doesn’t guarantee health and wealth, as false preachers claim, but does set you onto a new path leading away from self-destructive behavior.

A new Christian is like a baby: You’ll crawl, then totter on wobbly legs till you learn to walk steady. I’m encouraging you to give your life to Jesus, because it’s wonderful to be in relationship with God. But I also want you not to get discouraged after doing so. It takes time to learn about God’s love for you and how He works.

Are you ready to make Jesus your Savior from sin and your Lord, the God Who rules your life? If so, please repeat the below prayer, out loud if possible:

Dear Heavenly Father, I’m sorry for my sin and ask for Your forgiveness. I call on Jesus to be both my Savior and Lord, my moral authority. I give my life to You. Please fill me with Your Holy Spirit. And teach me how much You love me. I want to learn to trust You. Thank You for hearing my prayer. In the mighty name of Jesus Christ, the Lord, amen.

If you prayed sincerely, congratulations, you’re born again. You should begin to experience new attitudes and a desire to obey Jesus as you’ve been given a new heart by the power of the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. You’re starting to walk a new path in life, so please be patient with yourself as you learn and grow in the knowledge of the Lord.

Please start reading the Bible daily. And join a Bible believing church or Bible study. And get baptized. If that’s not possible right now, I recommend these two ministries, which also have apps, if that’s your preference: http://www.LTW.org (Leading The Way) and http://www.AndrewFarley.org (The Grace Message). There are other godly ministries, but it’s easy to be misled by legalism or false teaching until you know what the Bible teaches fairly well.

God bless you. May Buddy and I meet you in heaven one day.

God Is No Respecter Of Persons, Buddy Brief, Luke 22:31-32

When Buddy ran off last year, he was too quick to capture. I couldn’t run fast enough. Fortunately, he stopped to sniff a bush and I was able to convince him to jump into the car for a ride.

The Lord Jesus told His disciple, Peter, during the Last Supper before His arrest that:

“Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat.

“But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail;…”—Luke 22:31-32

If Jesus prayed that Peter would not lose his faith after falling away for a brief time, do you think He isn’t willing to do the same for you?

Indeed, there are two clear promises regarding the faith of God’s children.

For Jesus is:

“the author and finisher of our faith.”—Hebrews 12:2

And:

“He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.”—Philippians 1:6

Rest assured that the Good Shepherd doesn’t bring sheep into His pasture and then allow them to wander away.

He’s going to continue His sanctifying work within His children till the Return of Christ, His Second Coming.

God bless you.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

Acceptable In The Beloved, Ephesians 1:6

Buddy

As you all know by now, Buddy is a bit of a spoiled brat because I was reluctant to discipline him after his adoption as he had spent three years in an abusive situation. But no matter how big of a stinker he is at times, I still adore my furpal and would never give him up.

Pastor Andrew Farley has been speaking quite a bit this year about how the modern church is treating the gospel as a “self-improvement program,” focusing Christians’ attention on themselves, rather than on their Savior.

So that got me thinking.

Concurrently, I started reading a book from the library on the perfectionism epidemic in modern Western culture called, The Perfection Trap, by Thomas Curran.

Mr Curran discusses the research of the past few decades into the exploding, and rapidly rising, trend in perfectionism. It’s particularly difficult for the generations growing up under the influence of social media.

Culture, and families, are pushing unrealistic expectations onto people to be more, do more, accomplish more, excel more. It’s creating depression, stress, and anxiety.

There’s pressure to look better, be more fit, be more healthy, be more relaxed, be more confident, be more educated, be more organized, be more cosmopolitan—just always striving to be more!

You cannot just relax and be yourself.

Enough is never good enough!

You must always be improving!

People are manifesting this pressure in several different ways: overwork, or trying to be like someone else, or not trying, or procrastinating out of fear of failure.

Parents want their kids to be all stars and get into the best colleges, even if it means bribing people. Kids want to be influencers and make lots of money on social media.

And, it seems to me that the modern Church is mirroring our culture by putting the same expectations on people, turning the Good News into Bad News.

Many new Christians hear the message: The Law of Moses showed you that you were incapable of meeting God’s righteous standards, so, congratulations, you’ve realized your need for Christ. Now that you’re born again, the Holy Spirit will help you keep the Moral Law.

Now you can, dear Christian: be more, do more, excel more.

But what did the Apostle Paul write to the Church in Ephesus:

“…He chose us in Him (Jesus) before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His Grace, by which He has made us accepted in the Beloved.”—Ephesians 1:4-6

The Apostle Paul was highly educated and can sometimes create massive sentences, but did you catch his conclusion?

That Christians are “accepted in the Beloved.”

After I prayed to give my life to Christ, the Holy Spirit told me three things, and I surely wish I’d meditated these past 33 on the third much more: “Although I know every sin you’ve ever committed, I still love you very much.”

I was so thrilled that God was real and loved me that I was smiling with excitement nearly 24/7. At that time I worked with the public, and nonbelievers would ask me, “Why are you so happy?” And I’d respond, “Because Jesus loves me!”

Knowing me for some time, they wouldn’t criticize, but mumble, “OK,” and walk away.

Then I heard two legalistic sermons the same day that stole my joy. Since Jesus declared that “the truth sets you free (John 8:32),” I should’ve figured something was wrong with the teaching. But I was a new Christian, so who was I to question these two preachers with massive audiences and worldwide influence?

What was that false teaching that stole my joy and placed the chains of legalism around my heart for decades?

That some Christians were more acceptable to God than others. Christians who worked hard enough and met a certain standard (whatever that is) got to sit at the banquet table with Christ.

And those who didn’t meet that standard—lesser Christians—got to heaven but weren’t seated at the table with those superior Christians.

So I fell out of the joy of knowing Jesus loved me…

…and hopped onto the hamster wheel of trying to be acceptable to God through works.

In other words, the gospel of: do more, be more, achieve more.

And then, we’re saturated with examples of the super Christian, the one who makes us feel we’re failing because we aren’t as good, or kind, or humble, or doing enough amazing works like this phantom superstar.

So, some give up, walking away from Christ and the Church because they can’t meet THE STANDARD.

When they were already humble enough to admit they couldn’t meet God’s STANDARD of righteousness and gave their lives to Him.

You see, Pastor Farley is correct: the Church has Christians focused on themselves and their performance,…

…instead of…

…on Jesus and His performance,…

…His finished work on the Cross.

Dear Readers, Jesus said, “It is finished (John 19:30).”

King David, of the ancient kingdom of Israel and Judah, understood this truth. He was forgiven the sins of murder and adultery because he understood the grace of God.

“Oh my soul, you have said to the Lord, ‘You are my Lord, my goodness is nothing apart from You.’”—NKJV Psalm 16:2)

Relax. Focus on Jesus and His righteousness…

…on God and His unbelievable love and kindness.

He loves you so much that “even the very hairs of your head are all numbered (Jesus, Luke 12:7).”

And, please, pray for the grace to follow the Holy Spirit’s guidance.

And don’t stress about your focus!

You are totally “accepted in the Beloved.”

And the joy of the Lord will begin to bubble out of your soul.

“Praise the Lord!”—Psalm 147:1 (and others!)

“Give thanks to the Lord for He is good, for His lovingkindness is everlasting.”—Psalm 136:1

God bless you.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

***

The gospel about Jesus really is Good News.

God loves you and sent His Son to die for your sins, so that you don’t have to meet His standard of perfection to enter heaven (Matthew 5:48).

No one can meet God’s standards, not even the kindest and most sacrificial of Christian teachers.

What God wants is for you to humble yourself enough to admit that you’re a sinner and need a heart change, to submit to His moral authority.

If you realize you want to experience God’s marvelous love and acceptance by becoming one of His children, please pray the following, out loud if possible:

Dear Heavenly Father, please forgive my sins. I ask Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. I believe He died for my sins and was resurrected bodily to give me new life. Please give me Your Holy Spirit. I give my life to You. Please reveal to me how much You love me. In the wonderful name of Jesus, amen.

If you prayed sincerely, congratulations, you’re born again. Please start reading the Bible daily as it’s your soul food; just as your body needs daily food to be nourished, so does your soul.

And join a Bible believing church or Bible study. And get baptized. If that’s not possible right now, I suggest these two ministries, which also have apps, if that’s your preference: http://www.LTW.org (Leading The Way) and http://www.AndrewFarley.org (The Grace Message).

God bless you as you learn how much He loves you.

May Buddy and I meet you in heaven one day.

We Are All Light Bulbs, Buddy Brief, John 14:6

You can see that Buddy wasn’t feeling cooperative when I asked him to pose with a lightbulb. Since he’s totally dependent on me for his welfare, you’d think he could do this little favor for me.

Nope.

Why is Jesus the only path to eternal life and heaven (John 14:6)?

An easily understood metaphor is to see everyone as a lightbulb.

Lightbulbs exist but are not fully functional until they’re connected to an electrical power source.

They can be in boxes, on a self, and even screwed into a light socket…

But as long as the electrical switch is turned off, or the fuse in the electrical box isn’t functioning properly, then the bulb won’t shine with light.

There’s no power to come to life!

The potential to come to life is present in the bulb, but it needs electricity to shine.

Likewise, every person needs to be plugged into the power of the Holy Spirit to operate properly spiritually.

A person may appear to be plugged into that spiritual socket, attending church or expressing “spirituality” by following some other teacher than Jesus, but there’s no spiritual life flowing through their soul, resurrecting their dead spirit.

After Adam and Eve rebelled against God’s authority over their lives, every person has been born spiritually dead.

And the Holy Spirit is only sent to indwell a person after they accept Jesus as their Savior, Who died for their sins and was resurrected bodily to give them life.

This spiritual electricity, the Holy Spirit, is free!

You don’t have to pay a power company to provide this spiritual electricity.

But we are all totally dependent on God to give us spiritual rebirth.

You gotta ask for it.

Jesus said:

“If you, then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”—Luke 11:13

Don’t be a dead bulb. Ask Jesus into your life.

And if you’ve already become born again, trust that your heavenly power source, the Holy Spirit, will help you shine.

God bless you.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

Just Wasn’t “Feelin’ It”, Buddy Blog Nonpost, 1 John 3:1

Hi. I try to post the regular longer blogs on Friday evenings, but I had a big project due this Tuesday (Am I crazy to go back to school and worry about getting my homework in on time?) and was feeling exceptionally cranky Friday night. I’m still not proficient in some popular graphic arts programs and miss being able to draw mostly by hand.

So, I’m just as human as everyone else. And have days I feel great, or not so great. Am joyful, thankful, and elated—or am crabby, worrying, and critical.

Thank goodness, just as I love my spoiled and demanding Silky terrier, Jesus still loves me—even on my bad days.

Just as the love Buddy and I have for one another is unconditional, so is the love of my God and Savior.

“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called the children of God! And that is what we are!”—the Apostle John, 1 John 3:1

I write these posts, not because I think I’m holier than others or the most knowledgeable, but because the best thing that’s ever happened to me is to become born again by the love of Jesus.

I want that same wonderful relationship for everyone.

Have a great week.

Love you,

Dawn

Not Everyone In The Church Is A Christian, Buddy Brief, Luke 4:31, 33-35

Happy doggie.

I know my furpal. If another dog walked into my home who wasn’t Buddy, I’d immediately wonder why and who its owner was.

Because that dog does not belong in my home.

But we don’t use that same discernment in the church. We just assume that everyone who sits in the pews is a born again believer or is interested in knowing more about Christ, or that anyone who preaches has the Spirit of the Lord.

But there is an event in the Bible that warns this is not necessarily true.

“Then He (Jesus) went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and was teaching them on the Sabbaths….Now in the synagogue there was a man who had a spirit of an unclean demon. And he cried out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!’ But Jesus rebuked him,…”—Luke 4:31, 33-35

Not only was there an opponent and enemy of God hanging around in the congregation of sincere followers of God, but who also wanted nothing to do with Jesus.

The demonically possessed man was also perfectly capable of speaking openly and emphatically within a group of believers gathered together.

This is a warning not to assume everyone knows, loves, and obeys the Lord who attends or teaches in a church. Always use discernment and evaluate their teaching. If they disobey, or reject Jesus’ clear teachings, do not follow them. And do not allow them to influence you to disregard what God teaches in the Bible.

Please be respectful, as everyone is made in God’s image and He loves them.

But there might be a time to reprove or bring false teaching to the attention of leadership.

And if it’s the leaders who disobey God’s Word, leave the church.

Not everyone who walks through the doors of a church building is owned by Jesus.

God bless.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

Rock Climb A Sheer Cliff

What’s the thing you’re most scared to do? What would it take to get you to do it?

I’ll never forget when my mother and I visited the Yucatán peninsula. I don’t recall if it was Chichen Itza or Uxmal, but I ascended into the inside of a windowless pyramid up a narrow staircase with narrow steps. There was no handrail and when I looked downward to descend, the bottom looked way too far away. And my feet seemingly wouldn’t fit on the stairs with my bulky sneakers.

I sweat so badly in the sweltering humidity in the pyramid, that my hands slid off the walls. So I sat on my butt and slid down each step while bracing myself against each wall to prevent a fall.

And violently shaking with fear.

A line of people backed up behind me.

I’ll never forget someone yelling from the ceremonial room at the top: “Who’s holding up the line?!!!”

It was my mother!

So, there’s absolutely, positively no way I’d ever climb up a sheer cliff or rock.

And zero chance I’d ever rappel down a sheer cliff or rock.

Unless I accidentally slipped off or was tossed off.

I feel anxious even thinking about it!

PS. I had nightmares for decades after visiting the observation deck at what was formerly called The Sears Tower in Chicago.

Always Pulling Away Our Focus, Buddy Brief, Isaiah 14:13-14

Looks SO innocent, doesn’t he?

For a few years Buddy started knocking things over to get my immediate attention. I’ll never forget when he knocked the top off of my shredder onto the tile of my dining room; my friend must’ve jumped two feet in the air off her chair. Buddy likely loved the loud slamming sound.

Buddy stopped knocking things over for about a year. Then, above, he pulled my fleece jacket off the back of a high chair to the floor. No loud slam, but it elicited a laugh—and my attention.

I’ve recently returned to school to improve my design skills. However, there’s a lot of intense homework this semester; I’ve been stressing out and my severe insomnia has returned. I’ve realized that my focus has been on the time crunch and worrying about not doing well—my focus has been negative, rather than positive.

So I’m trying to focus on the fact that the school allows older adults into their certificate programs, I’m already learning useful and valuable information helpful for my artistic goals, I only need to pass and not get perfect scores, etc.

OK. My mind goes in different directions sometimes. But this experience has prompted me to consider how Satan works: he wants our attention focused on the negative, rather than the positive, to discourage and depress us.

The devil lives “to steal and kill and destroy (John 10:10)”, Jesus declared. He can only tear down and create chaos; he doesn’t want us focused on the beauty, creativity, and kindness of God—enjoying the Lord’s world. Satan wants us focused on his world of darkness, evil, and depravity.

As always, Satan wants to be the center of attention, rather than submitting to our Lord and Creator.

Satan’s self-centered desire to replace God in worship and attention never changes.

“You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly….I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’”—Isaiah 14:13-14

So, please, just like I need to, keep your focus on the blessings of the Lord.

And not the negativity of the devil’s chaos.

God bless you.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy.

The Lord Is My Shepherd? Psalm 23:1

Bud is admittedly spoiled. Which greatly concerns me as he’s willful and doesn’t like to listen to me. A family member let him slip out the front door this afternoon, so I panicked, knowing that Buddy wouldn’t listen to me call for him to return to the house. However, he was more interested in following me back through the doorway to safety than running away.

If Bud ran off, he’s too quick for me to catch him.

Some people won’t like this post. But if I’m only repeating what’s already posted out there on the internet ad nauseam, then why bother? I could just post links directing people to other material.

Many Christians have memorized Psalm 23; some have even read the excellent book, “A Shepherd Looks At Psalm 23” by W. Phillip Keller; and many follow the Shepherd of our souls; but how many “sheep of His pasture (Psalm 100:3)” actually trust Him?

“The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want… He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His namesake.”—King David, Psalm 23:1, 3

Jesus made it clear several times what His attitude toward His flock is.

1. If they wander off, He goes in search of them:

“What do you think? If a man had a 100 sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the 99 and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying? And if he souls find it, assuredly, I say to you , he rejoices more over that sheep than over the 99 that did not go astray?”—Matthew 18:12-13

Jesus doesn’t just wave goodbye when one of His children stray away from the faith. He takes action and goes in search of that Christian to return them to the fold.

2. The Good Shepherd leads His sheep in the paths of righteousness for “HIS namesake” (Psalm 23:3).

Jesus takes action to correct His wandering sheep because His reputation is at stake when someone claims to be born again but is willfully, or deceived by Satan, disobeying.

3. Jesus promises that we’re united with Him through the Holy Spirit once we’re born again. As a result, He will never abandon us to evil nor can anyone or anything separate us from Himself.

“And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, Who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”—John 10:27-28, 30

“I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word (the Apostles); that they may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me…I in them, and You in Me…”—John 17:20-21, 23

So, if you believe you can lose your salvation, you may not either understand what being born again means and your salvation—or you are trusting in your own works and efforts to maintain your relationship with Him. You are not trusting Him to seek his wandering sheep and return those sheep back into the safety of His flock.

You don’t have temporary life until you die. You are promised eternal life if you are in Christ Jesus (John 3:16, John 10:27).

Apostle Paul strongly admonished the Galatians about this teaching in his letter, Galatians 3:1-3:

“O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your eyes Jesus was clearly portrayed as crucified? I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard? Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh?”

Christ’s crucifixion put to death all human self effort. You’re either one with Christ or not, trusting in Him or yourself.

So you have a choice, dear brother and sister in Christ: standing on sifting sand or on the rock of Jesus Christ; trusting in Him to keep you—or in your own shifting, unstable efforts and moods (Matthew 7:24-26).

Your salvation is not at stake.

But, rather, your ability to rejoice in your salvation and truly feel grateful for being delivered out of slavery in the kingdom of darkness to becoming a sheep in the kingdom of light. (Colossians 1:13).

You can exhaust yourself with fear on the hamster wheel of insecurity or…

Dance with joy, little sheep, trusting in His work on the Cross, not your works.

He promises to “never leave you nor forsake you (Hebrews 13:5)”.

So who is your shepherd?

You?

Or Jesus?

***

Please trust in Jesus for your eternal life. Only He can send the Holy Spirit to indwell you and resurrect your dead spirit into eternal life. Other religions can teach you how to behave better, or experts can guide you in self-improvement programs, but only Jesus can give you life (John 5:40).

I spend the time to write these blogs because I waited till I was twenty-eight-years-old to give my life to Jesus. I only regret not doing it sooner. Becoming born again is the most wonderful experience—to know that God is real and loves you—and I want this for you too.

Please, heed my plea and give your heart to Jesus now.

Tomorrow is never guaranteed to any of us.

Repeat the following prayer out loud, if possible:

Dear Heavenly Father, I’m sorry for my sin and for being my own worst enemy. I call on Jesus Christ to be both my Lord and Savior. Please fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I give my life to You. Please change my heart and teach me how much You love me. Thanks for hearing my prayer. I ask in the mighty name of Jesus, amen.

If you prayed sincerely, congratulations, you’re born again. Please start reading the Bible daily as it’s both your soul food and God’s letter to you. Just as your body needs daily nourishment to be healthy, so does your soul.

And join a Bible believing church or Bible study, and get baptized. If that’s not possible right now, I suggest these two ministries, which also have apps, if that’s your preference: http://www.LTW.org (Leading The Way) and http://www.AndrewFarley.org (The Grace Message).

There are other godly ministries out there, but it’s easy to be misled by legalism or false teaching till you know the Bible fairly well.

God bless you. May Buddy and I meet you in heaven one day.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

Taking Buddy For Walkies

What do you enjoy doing most in your leisure time?

And writing stories, drawing cartoons, and reading books.

That I’d Like Him To Sit On The Couch With Me and Snuggle

If you could make your pet understand one thing, what would it be?

Buddy was abused for three years before I adopted him. Because of his past, he won’t snuggle: won’t sit on the couch with me, won’t sleep on my bed next to me, won’t sit on my lap, won’t allow me to hold him for more than half a minute.

But I suppose, if he did snuggle, it would be too hard to part from him one day after thirteen years together.

So God is likely protecting my heart.

Missing Buddy Today, August 21st

Buddy: 2007-2025

Today is Buddy’s birthday—if he was still alive. Missing him terribly.

I do believe that animals go to heaven. And so did my believing grandma, Vera in 2010. I will be reunited with them again one day.

But that doesn’t keep me from missing them.

Thank you for reading.

Love, Dawn

Are You Deceived? Revelation 12:9

Monkey and Tango

As it’s often said, appearances can be deceiving. These two little adoptees usually look innocent, but they live up to their name of terrier as little “terrors.” I sometimes wonder if life would be easier if I gave one up, but then come to my senses. Not only would it be unkind to separate them from one another, as they’re frequently together, but I couldn’t choose. Despite their spoiled personalities, each pup has their good qualities. Monkey makes me laugh, while Tango is devoted and loves to sit on my lap or guard me.

Just as my pups can fool people into thinking they’re sweet little harmless dogs, as they resemble big Yorkies, so, too, are many people deceived, even Christians. Satan is a master of deception and the Bible clearly states that the entire world—its culture and civilizations—are under the influence of evil.

I hate to say this, but if you think you’re not deceived, you ALREADY ARE!

God says that he hates slander, that it’s sinful, per multiple verses in the Bible (Romans 1:30, 2 Corinthians 12:20, Leviticus 19:16, 1 Peter 2:1).

Jesus emphasized that He IS the Truth (John 14:6,) and that He is the “God of truth (Psalm 31:6).”

The whole world is deceived by Satan. Jesus declares that Satan is “the father of lies (John 8:44).”

The reason this topic hits home for me is that I’ve been deceived a few times on social media and passed on untruths. I don’t want to mislead people. The excellent book, Mastermind: How To Think Like Sherlock Holmes by Maria Konnikova, details psychological concepts, one of which is termed confirmation bias. That is, we tend to unquestionably believe something we’re told if it supports our preconceived bias and don’t investigate further to determine if it’s really true or not.

There are people whom I believe are wicked, but I’ve had to be careful not to believe every claim against them. I’ve sometimes discovered that, by digging deeper, certain claims are just not true. They seem true, because the claim is in line with that person’s preconceived character. Or the person is misquoted. There are, sadly, certain groups online that love to make up quotes for fun; the quotes seem as if they were said by that famous personality, but were never said nor written.

We have to continually remind ourselves daily that Satan IS the ruler of this world (John 12:31) until Christ returns to reclaim His creation. We are urged to bring every thought captive to His Lordship (2 Corinthians 10:5), because the world, the flesh, and the enemy are trying to influence us daily.

We must put on the armor of God every day, as the Apostle Paul warns in Ephesians 6:11:

One piece of that armor is the belt of truth (Ephesians 6:14), the Word of God (John 17:17).

As a result of being deceived, I try to remember to pray the prayer below every morning, besides asking God to help me bring every thought captive to His Lordship, to open up my ears to listen and the grace to obey the Holy Spirit as Jesus promises that His sheep hear Him and follow Him (John 10:27) and to help me to focus on “what is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely and of good repute, on anything excellent and worthy of praise (Philippians 4:8).”

If you’re willing, please pray some version of this prayer below:

Dear Lord, please help me to discern who I should listen to or not, and who I should trust or not. Help me to know who is lying and who is telling the truth. I don’t want to be deceived nor deceive others. Help me to discern truth from error, fact from fiction, right from wrong, and good from evil. Help me not to spread lies and slander. Jesus says that I can hear His voice, but also grant me the grace to listen and to obey. And if I’m deceived in any way or believe something that is not true, reveal that to me and help me to repent and walk in truth. Thank you for protecting me from evil. In Jesus’ great name, amen.

Sadly, we are surrounded by lies, swimming in a barrage of untruth coming from the major media, social media, our own thoughts, those misled and walking in the darkness of their own minds (Ephesians 4:18), and the devil. It’s imperative that every Christian submit their minds and hearts to the obedience of Christ, the God of Truth, daily.

One test I propose: If you continually find yourself criticizing Christian leaders, but not those who reject worshipping Jesus Christ, some red flags should be flashing and I suggest you question those sources. Do you really want to form your opinions based on people who “are darkened in their understanding, being alienated from the life of God, because of the blindness of their heart (Ephesians 8:18)”?

But please always remember, God loves His children. And you are forgiven if you’ve believed or spread untruth. But He wants you to repent and stop spreading slander and lies once you realize you’re believing something untrue. God knows that we’ll stumble and make mistakes, never be perfect in this lifetime.

Just try your best, in our ungodly culture, to walk in truth, hand-in-hand with Jesus Christ, our Truth. Jesus is our Great Shepherd Who will “always lead us in the paths of righteousness for HIS name’s sake (Psalm 23:3).”

God bless you.

Much love from Dawn, Tango and Monkey.

***

“God is love (1 John 4:16)” and He wants everyone to live forever with Him.

But salvation is like having a million dollars deposited for you into a bank fund: You can have the money but never write the check to claim it.

Jesus died for everyone person’s sin and was resurrected to give eternal life to everyone—who asks for it.

Adam and Eve rejected God’s rule over their lives and became spiritually dead as the Holy Spirit left them.

But you can ask Jesus to become your Lord and receive the Holy Spirit, reversing the effect of the our ancestors’ rejection of God’s authority.

Do you have a beloved pet you miss?

I believe all mammals have souls and go to heaven. You, also, have a soul but you decide whether you want God to rule your life—or not. God won’t force you to love and follow Him.

If you’ve read this far, God is calling to you to be His child. Will you accept His invitation?

If so, please repeat the below prayer, out loud if possible:

Dear Heavenly Father, I’m sorry for my sins. Please forgive me. I ask Jesus to become my Lord and Savior. I believe that He is God in the flesh, was punished for my sins, and rose from the dead to give me His eternal life. Please grant me your Holy Spirit. I give my life to You. In the mighty name of Jesus, amen.

If you prayed out loud, congratulations. You’re born again. Please start reading the Bible. Just as your body needs daily nourishment to be healthy, so does your soul. The Bible is your soul food.

And please start attending a Bible-based church or Bible Study—and get baptized. If that’s not possible right now, I suggest the following two ministries, which also have apps, if that’s your preference: http://www.LTW.org (Leading The Way) and http://www.AndrewFarley.org (The Grace Message).

God bless you as you start your new life.

May my pups and I meet you in heaven one day.

Is The Great End Times Apostasy Here? John 14:6

Buddy’s photo above is one of my favorites. Although I love my two current adopted Silky terriers–Tango and Monkey–I still miss Buddy terribly. He not only had a unique personality, but also had personality to spare. My two pups, put together, still don’t add up to the unusual personality quirks that Buddy had, although Monkey displays a few of them.

Similarly, it’s very shocking that people who claim to be Christians in America don’t realize how unique Jesus is. Latest polls declare that 65% of professing Christians in America deny that Christ is the only way to heaven.

I believe this is the fault of the Church. Christianity has become, by and large, about obedience to the moral law–the Ten Commandments–and being good. We’re told by far too many preachers that once we’re saved by faith, the Holy Spirit helps us to obey the Law, in other words, to be good people.

But every religion in the world, except I’d argue Satanism, has a moral code, a way to be good. So when people are feeling the pull of the Holy Spirit to seek the Lord, they examine the different religions to pick which system of being good feels right to them. It’s not about following the Truth, Who is Jesus Christ the Lord, but a truth that satisfies them.

When someone tells you that “There’s more than one path to heaven or to God,” please ask them, “Then why did Jesus have to die?”

Is God in Christ (Matthew 1:23) just a masochist?

Or is there a reason God had to come down in the flesh to die for the “sins of the world (John 1:29)?”

Jesus warned in Matthew 7:13-14 that the gate to salvation is narrow and few enter (vs 14), but the path to hell, to destruction, is broad and “there are many who enter through it (vs 13).”

It’s baffling that 65% of so-called Christians hold this erroneous belief, as Jesus made it exceptionally clear in John 14:6 that He, alone, is the only path to heaven.

When Jesus said, NO ONE, He meant, NO ONE!

Jesus also referred to Himself as Jacob’s ladder (John 1:51). This referenced the Old Testament event described in Genesis 28:12, when the patriarch of the Jewish people, Jacob, had a dream about heaven:

The ladder symbolized the means by which the angels traveled from heaven to the earth and back again. Jesus was explicitly claiming to be the path to heaven from the earth.

I know I’m beating the same drum in the following paragraph, but one reason I post these blogs is to help Christians learn how to witness to others and to strengthen their faith. Your faith and your witness! Because I’ve spent a lot of years thinking about why it took me so long to come to salvation (age 28) and how the Gospel was presented to me (very confusing and incomplete).

Jesus claimed to be the WAY to heaven. He proclaimed the TRUTH about how to get to heaven (Salvation comes from the Jews, John 4:22), but, also, that HE was the ONLY WAY to HEAVEN.

NO ONE comes to the Father EXCEPT THROUGH ME.

Jesus does not allow for other routes.

Why? Jesus died for our sins so that we could be declared holy and subsequently have the Holy Spirit indwell us, resurrecting our dead spirits to everlasting life.

Only Jesus sends the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, to indwell a believer. In other words, a Christian becomes born again!

As you know, we are made in God’s image, Triune beings: body, soul and spirit. Our spirits died when the Holy Spirit left the human race after Adam and Eve decided to disobey God to decide right and wrong for themselves. (Sound familiar?)

Buddha, Mohammed, Moses, the saints, and other prophets do not send the Holy Spirit to resurrect a person’s dead spirit.

Jesus reserved that role for Himself. As He said, as written down in John 15:26:

“When the Helper comes, whom I WILL SEND to you from the FATHER, that is the Spirit of truth Who proceeds from the FATHER, He will testify about ME…”

John the Baptist, whose job was to prepare the path for the Messiah, pointed to Jesus as the One Who creates born again persons through the Holy Spirit:

So, I ask you, do you think the great End Times Apostasy, a massive falling away from the true faith by the Church, is occurring as prophesied by both Jesus (Matthew 24:10) and the Apostle Paul (2 Thessalonians 2:3)?

I will leave that up to you to decide.

Because, perhaps, a great harvest of souls is just around the corner!

God bless you. Thank you for reading my blog.

Much love from Dawn, Tango and Monkey.

***

“God is love (1 John 4:16)” and He wants everyone to live forever with Him.

But salvation is like having a million dollars deposited for you into a bank fund: You can have the money but never write the check to claim it.

Jesus died for everyone person’s sin and was resurrected to give eternal life to everyone—who asks for it.

Adam and Eve rejected God’s rule over their lives and became spiritually dead as the Holy Spirit left them.

But you can ask Jesus to become your Lord and receive the Holy Spirit, reversing the effect of the our ancestors’ rejection of God’s authority.

Do you have a beloved pet you miss?

I believe all mammals have souls and go to heaven. You, also, have a soul but you decide whether you want God to rule your life—or not. God won’t force you to love and follow Him.

If you’ve read this far, God is calling to you to be His child. Will you accept His invitation?

If so, please repeat the below prayer, out loud if possible:

Dear Heavenly Father, I’m sorry for my sins. Please forgive me. I ask Jesus to become my Lord and Savior. Please grant me your Holy Spirit. I give my life to You. In the mighty name of Jesus, amen.

If you prayed out loud, congratulations. You’re born again. Please start reading the Bible. Just as your body needs daily nourishment to be healthy, so does your soul. The Bible is your soul food.

And please start attending a Bible-based church or Bible Study—and get baptized. If that’s not possible right now, I suggest the following two ministries, which also have apps, if that’s your preference: http://www.LTW.org (Leading The Way) and http://www.AndrewFarley.org (The Grace Message).

God bless you as you start your new life.

May my pups and I meet you in heaven one day.

Do Women Have To Live Up To The Perfect Christian Woman in Proverbs 31? Proverbs 31:10-31

Tango and Monkey

I was concerned about adopting two young dogs due to being considered “middle-aged”. (I refer to myself as “older” and not “old.”) Playful and rambunctious, young dogs require a lot of energy and attention. I also care for two elderly parents, one disabled. But the opportunity arose to rescue two of seven pups, so, after prayer, I drove up to Washington State to adopt them.

I had no idea how easy Buddy was to care for until these two furry monsters came into my life. Buddy was the perfect companion while I was working full-time and suffering nine years of severe insomnia.

Jesus always knows what we need. Though exhausting, these two pups make me laugh, which I don’t have enough of in my forced, early retirement life.

I don’t know about you, but I get exhausted just reading Proverbs 31:10-31. For the longest time, I thought God expected me to meet every characteristic of this perfect Christian woman and would get discouraged because I definitely fall short and likely always will.

But now I believe that Proverbs 31 is giving a picture of the vast parameters that a godly woman can operate within. Perhaps God foresaw that women were going to be told in the future that they could only be housewives and raise children to be considered obeying God, despite the fact that the Apostle Paul traveled with Lydia who sold purple garments, a luxury item in the ancient world (Acts 16:14).

The BibleHub.com website describes her occupation as follows:

“Purple cloth was a luxury item in the ancient world, often associated with wealth and royalty. Lydia’s occupation suggests she was a woman of means and influence. This detail underscores the diverse backgrounds of early Christian converts and the reach of the Gospel across different social strata.”

Proverbs does state that the godly woman can work from home and takes care of her husband’s and children’s needs (Proverbs 31:15, 27-29). If a woman chooses this as her occupation, there is no condemnation (Romans 8:1).

Below is a survey of the many qualities and occupations that a godly woman can pursue:

1. She seeks out materials to create her own products (vs 13).
2. She goes shopping to feed and maintains her household (vs 14-15). She’s an organizer!
3. She engages in investment opportunities, such as purchasing real estate (vs 16:a). She’s a businesswoman, as she does her research firstly before making her decision to purchase.
4. And then reinvests the earnings from the property investment; in other words, she’s both an investor and engages in capitalistic behaviors (vs 16:b and 11). She brings financial gain to the household and is a blessing to her family’s welfare. It’s OK to make money.
5. She takes care of her body. She keeps herself healthy and strong (vs 17). Hey, Christians, it’s OK to go to the gym and exercise! And to take care of yourself medically and to eat properly to keep yourself healthy. Healthy people can do more for the kingdom of God. (No condemnation. If you’re suffering poor health, you can still pray effectively to strengthen the Church and expand the Kingdom of God, and use your voice and writing/artistic talents to encourage and exhort others. In God’s kingdom, everyone has a purpose!)
6. She is optimistic and self-confident. She works hard (vs 18). (She’s not looking to redistribute someone else’s wealth, but creates her own and contributes to her household through self effort.)
7. She makes stuff (vs 19 and 31). It’s OK to have hobbies and create things that interest you or has a purpose for your household.
8. She helps the poor and needy (vs 20). It’s OK to volunteer outside the home or run or work for foundations that help others. She might even be involved in decisions regarding where to distribute the household income’s tithes and offerings.
9. She and her family are well-dressed (vs 21). It’s OK to wear nice clothing and look good. You don’t have to go around in hand-me-downs and not wash. (I’ve known Christians like that.) Some Christian women are called to minister in areas where dressing well and smelling good are valued. A slovenly woman would be a poor testimony in that atmosphere.
10. She makes beautiful clothing and wears it (22). It’s OK to be involved in fashion. Think of Lydia, Apostle Paul’s sometime traveling companion.
11. She’s not only optimistic about the future, but she acts with dignity and courage (vs 25). She’s not a coward who shirks at speaking out against evil. She can be involved in the ProLife movement or in other areas that courage is required to fight against evil and preserve our Western culture and civilization. I believe, though it might be a stretch, it’s OK for a Christian woman to be involved in politics or run for public office to influence our culture positively.
12. She can be a public speaker and teacher (vs 26). It’s OK to be a public speaker or an exhorter who strengthens the church and the discouraged. Speaking at women’s conferences or writing books about how to be more positive (based upon Biblical principles) is OK. Nowadays, we’d call that “being an influencer.” She can engage in social media to share Biblical wisdom.
13. Lastly, it’s OK to consider your calling as housewife (vs 27-28). A woman who decides to stay at home and raise her children is a great blessing to her children and husband. Because she is so godly and loving, her husband trusts her fully and doesn’t feel the need to hover over her every movement (vs 11). Do not accept anyone’s condemnation if you make this choice. They are not your Lord.
14. It’s OK to receive recognition for your efforts (vs 31).

But what is the main characteristic of her personality that enables to accomplish and engage in some of these activities?

Hope you find this helpful and encouraging.

God bless you this week. Thank you for reading.

Much love from Dawn, Tango and Monkey

(OK, my pups weren’t actually involved in writing this blog, but they will be loving on you when we are all in heaven one day.)

***

“God is love (1 John 4:16)” and He wants everyone to live forever with Him.

But salvation is like having a million dollars deposited for you into a bank fund: You can have the money but never write the check to claim it.

Jesus died for everyone person’s sin and was resurrected to give eternal life to everyone—who asks for it.

Adam and Eve rejected God’s rule over their lives and became spiritually dead as the Holy Spirit left them.

But you can ask Jesus to become your Lord and receive the Holy Spirit, reversing the effect of the our ancestors’ rejection of God’s authority.

Do you have a beloved pet you miss?

I believe all mammals have souls and go to heaven. You, also, have a soul but you decide whether you want God to rule your life—or not. God won’t force you to love and follow Him.

If you’ve read this far, God is calling to you to be His child. Will you accept His invitation?

If so, please repeat the below prayer, out loud if possible:

Dear Heavenly Father, I’m sorry for my sins. Please forgive me. I ask Jesus to become my Lord and Savior. Please grant me your Holy Spirit. I give my life to You. In the mighty name of Jesus, amen.

If you prayed out loud, congratulations. You’re born again. Please start reading the Bible. Just as your body needs daily nourishment to be healthy, so does your soul. The Bible is your soul food.

And please start attending a Bible-based church or Bible Study—and get baptized. If that’s not possible right now, I suggest the following two ministries, which also have apps, if that’s your preference: http://www.LTW.org (Leading The Way) and http://www.AndrewFarley.org (The Grace Message).

God bless you as you start your new life.

May my pups and I meet you in heaven one day.

Is God Punishing You? Matthew 16:24

Monkey

I don’t know why, but Monkey started urinating every time I pick him up or try to put his harness on. It’s like he’s afraid of me, no matter how many times I feed, walk, give belly rubs or kisses on his nose.

I have to try to stay out of the direct “line of fire” to escape. Sometimes I am not successful…

His veterinarian claims that he’ll grow out of it.

I sure hope so!

I was raised a Jehovah’s Witness. I grew up with constant images of God throwing burning hailstones at people who didn’t obey Him. Their focus was on the judgments in the Book of Revelation. It’s a very fear-based religion. God was portrayed as someone eager to punish people who didn’t stay in line.

The Apostle Paul wrote:

It’s the nature of God to long to be kind and forgiving. Look how He blesses people with talent, intelligence, skill and beauty who will use it for evil purposes and never acknowledge that He is their Lord, Creator, and Savior.

Pastors Blaine Smith (Nehemiah Ministries) and Dr. Andrew Farley (The Grace Message) sadly detail the horrendous portrayal of God by the modern Church: as a God who wants to crush us, who wants to destroy our individuality so that He can use us. You cannot be in the Church body for long without hearing the message that you have to “kill yourself.” We’re repeatedly told the contradictory message that Jesus loves us and has a plan for our lives, but that we’re also supposed to destroy ourselves to be useful to God. As if He won’t truly love us until we’ve reached some spiritual Super Christian plateau firstly to be worthy of His love.

It’s a misunderstanding, I believe of Jesus’ message in Matthew 16: 24: “Let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.”

What did the Cross represent at Christ’s crucifixion?

Did it represent killing our personalities?

No. Christ died for our sins.

I believe that Jesus was telling us that, in order to follow Him, we have to deny our sin nature, crucify our passions and desires, to follow Him on His path.

Not kill our individuality or the unique interests and personalities that we have.

Please note that many people do not follow Jesus because they don’t want to give up their sin or admit that they’re sinners.

What does David claim in Psalm 23:3?

To follow in the path of Jesus is to be holy, to strive to obey God and do what’s right, not become a carbon copy of the mythical Super Christian.

God loves variety. It’s obvious, not only in the myriad of colors and creatures and His amazingly complex and beautiful creation, but in the many personalities He created to fellowship with.

I believe that God is so powerful and omnipresent, that He loves a lot of different people to fellowship with. Just like we do. None of my friends are exactly like me. Life would be boring if they were. I’d always predict what they were going to say and do. And I’d get no unique perspectives or ideas about places to go and things to do.

Gosh, if everyone was like me, we wouldn’t have electricity, let alone cellphones and computers! I’m just not smart in that way.

I recently completed my in depth analysis of the Book of Job. I wrote down everything each person said about God: Eliphaz, Bildad, Zophar, Elihu, and Job. God said that the first three men did not speak rightly about Him, so I wanted to examine how Job’s three friends differed in how they spoke about God than Job did.

Job’s friends claimed that God was punishing Job for his sin, without any evidence, and needed to stop being so proud and repent. They claimed that his horrendously unfortunate circumstances were evidence that God was displeased with him.

But God boasted to Satan that Job was uniquely good, the best of all the human beings on planet earth. In Job 1:8, God described Job as:

“‘There is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil.'”

Too often the Church is like Job’s friends, claiming that a Christian’s bad circumstances or ill health is the result of “God trying to get their attention” or “God punishing them” or “God trying to refine them.”

Yes, God wants us to walk in the path of righteousness, but people forget that it was Satan who harmed Job, not God.

It really cheeses me when people claim that Job suffered because: “What the wicked man dreads will come upon him, but the desire of the righteous will be granted,” Proverbs 10:24. They claim falsely, like Job’s friends, that Job feared evil, so evil came upon Him.

But God said that Job was a blameless and upright man.

And Job proved that God’s boasting was justified. Although he suffered more than any other person at that time, he never gave up his faith in God nor did he walk away. He expressed his dismay at his treatment, but he never cursed God. He continued to ask God for clarification.

Too often the Church blames people for their misfortunes. Or that God is trying to crush them to make them “useful vessels.” Or the oft repeated message, “All of Him and none of me,” as if God creates people unique in personality just for the purpose of destroying their uniqueness.

God creates our basic personality. Gives us our talents, our skills, our bodies–what makes each of us special.

The Apostle Paul clearly taught that each Christian has a unique function in the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:4-25), once again proving that God loves variety. He doesn’t expect us to be carbon copies of one another.

The Church can really discourage people from following Jesus by claiming that He wants to crush them or that He’s punishing them. Life is hard enough without being told, like the Jehovah Witness preachers, that God is after us.

Jesus healed the sick, opened the eyes of the blind and deaf ears, wept with His friends, taught and fellowshipped with men for three years who must’ve been annoying with their constant bickering, boasting and thick skulls, slow to understand what He was teaching. Yet, Jesus never punished them nor tried to crush their personalities. He just redirected their thinking. Each apostle had his own personality used in different ways to further His kingdom.

I think we really need to get the message out that: Life is hard, but it’s even harder without Jesus.

Jesus never claimed life would be easy. In fact, He said in John 16:33:

So please take heart and follow Job’s example. Life is hard, but don’t give up your faith in God.

And don’t listen to well-meaning, legalistic Christians who claim that God is punishing you.

Remember two things:

1. Satan is the God of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4). He’s after to discourage and destroy the faith of every Christian, even their lives. He cannot keep you from going to heaven, so he tries to prevent you from proclaiming Christ’s glory.
2. You reap what you sow (Galatians 6:7). Sometimes, your troubles are the consequences of your own behavior. But God is merciful. He often delivers people who cry out to Him for help (Psalm 107). I know that I haven’t paid the full consequences of my own sins, thank my loving God.

But please don’t think that God is after you or wants to crush you to remake you.

He brought you into fellowship with Him to love and guide you.

God bless you. Thanks for reading this post.

Much love from Dawn, Monkey and Tango

***

“God is love (1 John 4:16)” and He wants everyone to live forever with Him.

But salvation is like having a million dollars deposited for you into a bank fund: You can have the money but never write the check to claim it.

Jesus died for everyone person’s sin and was resurrected to give eternal life to everyone—who asks for it.

Adam and Eve rejected God’s rule over their lives and became spiritually dead as the Holy Spirit left them.

But you can ask Jesus to become your Lord and receive the Holy Spirit, reversing the effect of the our ancestors’ rejection of God’s authority.

Do you have a beloved pet you miss?

I believe all mammals have souls and go to heaven. You, also, have a soul but you decide whether you want God to rule your life—or not. God won’t force you to love and follow Him.

If you’ve read this far, God is calling to you to be His child. Will you accept His invitation?

If so, please repeat the below prayer, out loud if possible:

Dear Heavenly Father, I’m sorry for my sins. Please forgive me. I ask Jesus to become my Lord and Savior. Please grant me your Holy Spirit. I give my life to You. In the mighty name of Jesus, amen.

If you prayed out loud, congratulations. You’re born again. Please start reading the Bible. Just as your body needs daily nourishment to be healthy, so does your soul. The Bible is your soul food.

And please start attending a Bible-based church or Bible Study—and get baptized. If that’s not possible right now, I suggest the following two ministries, which also have apps, if that’s your preference: http://www.LTW.org (Leading The Way) and http://www.AndrewFarley.org (The Grace Message).

God bless you as you start your new life.

May my pups and I meet you in heaven one day.

Honor The Sabbath? Colossians 2:16-17

Monkey is a good-natured pup. I adopted an older dog, Tango, to help train Monkey. but Tango loves to bark and trained Monkey to be overly suspicious of strangers, also. I am in continual dispute with my dad how to retrain these two little fur butts.

Sometimes, disputes should be easy to resolve within the Church, as the Bible gives clear instructions on many issues. Some issues can be disputed as they do not impact a person’s salvation, such as the rapture: Is there a rapture? Some denominations say no, while others argue whether there will be a pre- mid-, or post-tribulation rapture. Many Christians and Biblical scholars disagree on the issue but are still saved.

However, it perplexes me why there is such a debate on honoring the Sabbath when two verses make it clear what the New Testament teaches.

The first verse I’d like you to consider is from Colossians 2:16-17 (edited to keep the background highlight working):

Also note Romans 14:5-6:

“One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord.”

The Apostle Paul teaches that it’s up to the individual conscience whether to honor the Sabbath or not. True, it’s one of the Ten Commandments, but the mighty evangelist teaches that this is just a “shadow of the things to come.”

So what did the Apostle Paul mean that honoring the Sabbath is “just a shadow”?

Although the religious leaders during the time of Christ had added to the Laws God dictated on how to honor the Sabbath rest, it’s clear that not doing any WORK was vitally important. Exodus 20:8 & 10:

The Law was a shadow pointing to Jesus Christ. Christ came to fulfill the Law, including the Ten Commandments. To be declared righteous under the Law, a person had to obey the rules 100% per the Apostle James in James 2:10: “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles on just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.”

Jesus also declares, in Matthew 5:48, to be declared righteous under the Law, a person must be perfect, obey it 100%:

The nation of Israel proved that was impossible to obey God apart from Christ’s indwelling Life, so God removed them from the Promised Land, firstly by Assyria and then by the Babylonians. And those religious leaders who condemned the adulterous woman realized they were also sinners when Jesus challenged them to stone her if they were sinless (John 8:7). They dropped their stones and walked away.

It was important to do zero work on the Sabbath, as it was a shadow of the finished work Christ would complete on the Cross. A person cannot be saved by being good and obeying all the rules, but only by trusting in Jesus and His finished work (Ephesians 2:8-9). The Apostle Paul rebuked the Galatians as they were being led astray by false apostles who told them they needed to be circumcised to be right with God, adding a work to their faith (Galatians 3).

To the Galatians, Paul wrote (2:16):

God condemned the Israelites in Psalm 106:24 because they didn’t believe and trust in His goodness and refused to enter the Promised Land. Similarly, Jesus is our Sabbath rest under the New Covenant and we are to rest in Him, not trust in our works to be right (declared righteous) with God.

Jesus declared, per Mathew 11:28, that rest for the soul wax to be found in a relationship with Him, not the Law:

Jesus Christ Himself is our Sabbath rest. The Old Testament emphasis on doing zero works to honor God was a shadow of the rest believers would one day experience by faith in Christ.

As it says in Hebrews 4:9-10:

“There remains, then, a Sabbath rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from His.”

To summarize: The Sabbath foreshadowed the spiritual rest for their souls that believers would find in Christ, to add zero works to their faith to enter into a relationship with God.

The Apostle Paul left it up to the individual conscience to honor the Sabbath or not.

So if you choose to honor the Sabbath to focus on the Lord or to rest your body, no problem. There’s “no condemnation in Christ (Romans 8:1).”

But if you choose Jesus alone to honor Him as your Sabbath rest, again, there’s no condemnation.

Just don’t take seriously anybody who tells you that you’re not saved if you don’t honor a particular day.

The Apostle Paul made it clear that is not true.

God bless you.

I hope you find this helpful.

Much love from Dawn, Tango and Monkey.

PS. Although I love my new pups, I still miss Buddy terribly. He had tons of personality.

***

Have you asked Jesus to grant you resurrection of your dead spirit?

You may sense that something is wrong but cannot put your finger on it. You feel empty and try to fill that emptiness with books, or food, or shopping, or gambling, or drugs, or partying, or fame, or work, or family, or exercise, or sex–but somehow, you just feel empty and don’t understand why the things and people you pursue just cannot seem to make you feel happy consistently.

Sure, a good book or a fabulous meal may make you feel great for a time, but then that happy feeling wears off and you feel incomplete again.

God knows that you are not responsible for the poor choices of your ancestors who gave birth to the human race. But God is perfect and cannot tolerate imperfect people messing up heaven like we’ve messed up life on planet earth. But HE LOVES YOU UNCONDITIONALLY. He knows you’re a sinner. Don’t be afraid to approach Him with an honest heart. He loves you so much that His Son, Jesus, became God in the flesh (Matthew 1:23) to die for your sins in order to earn the right to give you eternal life through the resurrection power of the Holy Spirit (John 3:16).

You are absolutely and totally important to God. He wants you in relationship with Him.

It doesn’t matter who you are or what your past is. He knows you were born dead in your sins and were only acting out your nature. But if you’re still reading this blog post, He’s asking you–yes, YOU–to become His beloved child and enter into a loving relationship with Him.

“I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”—Luke 15:10

The Great Shepherd wants you to live with Him forever as a member of His flock. Are you willing to accept Him as your Lord and follow Him?

If so, please pray the following prayer, out loud if possible:

Holy Father, I’m sorry for my sin and ask You to forgive me. I ask Jesus to be both my Lord God and Savior. I believe He died on the Cross for my sins and was resurrected bodily to give me eternal life. Please fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I give my life to You. Thank You for loving me and answering my prayer. In the mighty name of Your Son Jesus, amen.

If you prayed sincerely, congratulations, you’re born again. Please start reading the Bible daily. Just as your body needs daily nourishment to be healthy, so does your soul. The Bible is your soul food.

Also, please join a Bible believing church or Bible study. And get baptized. If that’s not possible right now, I recommend these two ministries, which also have apps if that’s your preference: http://www.LTW.org (Leading The Way) and http://www.AndrewFarley.org (The Grace Message).

His bless you as you begin your new walk with Christ.

May my fur pals and I meet you in heaven one day.

Happy 250th, America!

God bless you and your family as Americans celebrate 250 years of freedom.

Love, Dawn, Tango and Monkey

Are Christians Supposed To Be Masochists? Matthew 10:23

Monkey

Monkey has a unique personality quirk that is different from my other three Silky terriers (Tango, Buddy and Buster): He pees when he’s nervous.

I had to throw my dress pants into the washing machine yesterday as he squirted all over me when I picked him up. I don’t understand why he gets upset sometimes as I only wanted to pick him up to cuddle him. I’m working on calming his anxiety. It could be that I’m just so much larger than him. He’s the smallest dog I’ve ever owned, about 9 pounds.

Similarly, many Christians are scared of God. They think He’ll send them against their will to proclaim the gospel to some scary nation where they’ll be harmed. Or is out to punish them for their sins, forgetting that Jesus Christ has already taken the punishment that their sin deserves.

Frequently, however, there are too many Christians who believe God asks them to be masochists, to endure unnecessary persecution by unbelievers. As a result, they may ignore God’s warnings not to enter into dangerous situations. (Sadly, I’ve read and heard some testimonies where the Holy Spirit warned believers not to go with someone and they went, getting beaten up as a result.)

When Jesus sent out His apostles to proclaim the gospel, He warned that they would be “sheep in the midst of wolves (vs 16)” and would “be hated by all (vs 22)” as a result.

However, they weren’t to act foolishly and not protect themselves:

Sometimes the Holy Spirit might guide you into a dangerous situation because there is someone who will respond to the gospel who might not otherwise have the opportunity to hear it. But I believe this is the rare exception. Jesus told His apostles that it was OK to run away if they encounter persecution.

In fact, the Apostle Paul spread the truth about Jesus for about 23 years. The Book of Acts details several occasions when he had to flee for his life. He didn’t quit proclaiming the gospel, but he did act sensibly and escaped danger when possible.

In Acts 14, Paul and Barnabas fled to Iconium where they proclaimed the gospel “for a long time (vs 2),” until nonbelievers threatened to stone them. They didn’t stay to defy their persecutors but, instead, “fled to Lysra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia (vs 6).”

On an earlier occasion, Acts 9:23-25, the Apostle Paul escaped a murder plot by being lowered in a basket hrough an opening in the city wall of Damascus by his disciples.

In His famous parable about the prodigal son, Jesus portrayed God the Father as unselfish and amazingly loving, welcoming home with open arms the son who squandered his early inheritance, yet repented of his wickedness. There was no condemnation and no accusations, only rejoicing and celebration that His youngest child had returned home.

God is not out “to get you.” He loves you. As the Apostle Peter wrote:

Please always run toward our Heavenly Father to receive His loving embrace.

Not run away from Him.

God bless you.

Much love from Dawn, Tango and Monkey.

***

Have you asked Jesus to grant you resurrection of your dead spirit?

You may sense that something is wrong but cannot put your finger on it. You feel empty and try to fill that emptiness with books, or food, or shopping, or gambling, or drugs, or partying, or fame, or work, or family, or exercise, or sex–but somehow, you just feel empty and don’t understand why the things and people you pursue just cannot seem to make you feel happy consistently.

Sure, a good book or a fabulous meal may make you feel great for a time, but then that happy feeling wears off and you feel incomplete again.

God knows that you are not responsible for the poor choices of your ancestors who gave birth to the human race. But God is perfect and cannot tolerate imperfect people messing up heaven like we’ve messed up life on planet earth. But HE LOVES YOU UNCONDITIONALLY. He knows you’re a sinner. Don’t be afraid to approach Him with an honest heart. He loves you so much that His Son, Jesus, became God in the flesh (Matthew 1:23) to die for your sins in order to earn the right to give you eternal life through the resurrection power of the Holy Spirit (John 3:16).

You are absolutely and totally important to God. He wants you in relationship with Him.

It doesn’t matter who you are or what your past is. He knows you were born dead in your sins and were only acting out your nature. But if you’re still reading this blog post, He’s asking you–yes, YOU–to become His beloved child and enter into a loving relationship with Him.

“I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”—Luke 15:10

The Great Shepherd wants you to live with Him forever as a member of His flock. Are you willing to accept Him as your Lord and follow Him?

If so, please pray the following prayer, out loud if possible:

Holy Father, I’m sorry for my sin and ask You to forgive me. I ask Jesus to be both my Lord God and Savior. I believe He died on the Cross for my sins and was resurrected bodily to give me eternal life. Please fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I give my life to You. Thank You for loving me and answering my prayer. In the mighty name of Your Son Jesus, amen.

If you prayed sincerely, congratulations, you’re born again. Please start reading the Bible daily. Just as your body needs daily nourishment to be healthy, so does your soul. The Bible is your soul food.

Also, please join a Bible believing church or Bible study. And get baptized. If that’s not possible right now, I recommend these two ministries, which also have apps if that’s your preference: http://www.LTW.org (Leading The Way) and http://www.AndrewFarley.org (The Grace Message).

His bless you as you begin your new walk with Christ.

May my fur pals and I meet you in heaven one day.

Not Just A Rule Book, Luke 11:13

Tango is not the brightest bulb in the lamp stand, so I researched where the Silky terrier breed stood on the ladder of dog intelligence.

My first Silky terrier pal, Buster, was exceptionally bright, about as intelligent as our German Shepherd, Rambo.

Per the internet, Silkys rank at #109 out of 138 recognized dog breeds for intelligence, according to TheCosmicPet.com. (Rambo’s breed ranks at #3 per the AKC.)

The Silky terrier is a mix of Australian terrier and Yorkie, the latter which is considered a highly intelligent breed.

Seems to me that Buster, Buddy and Monkey (to some extent) leaned/leans toward the Yorkie side of the equation, while Tango is the dumbest dog I’ve ever owned. Doesn’t mean I don’t love him, but he does have a dopey smile on his face far more often than I’d care to admit.

I’ve nicknamed him, Goober.

Similarly, it seems to me that most people look at religions and rank them as either optional or according to what their perceived desires are.

They look at Christianity as just another “one of those religions” to choose from.

If a person feels their spiritual emptiness (their dead spirit), they look at the different world religions and ask, “Which one has rules that I find most acceptable to live by?” Or, if they choose Christianity, look at the Bible as a buffet of rules and moral concepts, picking and choosing which ones to place on their plate and which moral laws or Biblical verses they can leave behind on the smorgasbord table.

If you’ve been reading my blog posts recently, you know that I’ve been aggravated at how the Church Universal has been neglecting to preach the entire gospel. They’re doing a great job of talking about how Christ died for our sins on the Cross. So the general public understands that there are rules we need to live by so that we don’t sin and offend God. They see Christianity as a list of rules for good behavior.

As a result, most people don’t realize how different the Christian faith is, that the Bible is not just a book of rules on how to be a moral person, not just another religion of how to be good.

With that belief, why not just compare the different religions to decide which rules detailing how to be a good person are most acceptable?

But Jesus taught that the Christian faith is more than just a system of how to be good. After all, the Pharisees knew the Scriptures well and tried to obey and enforce “the rules,” yet were considered wicked and unkind by Jesus, “white-washed tombs,” per Matthew 23:27:

The Pharisees didn’t see themselves as Jesus saw them: looking good on the outside (following rules for living right), but spiritually dead on the inside.

Certainly, if we want people to understand why they should choose Jesus, there is something else to proclaim rather than being forgiven for our sins.

Why do people sin? Or are born in sin (Psalm 51:5)?

We sin because we are sinful.

We’re sinful because we were born spiritually dead and need to be born again, ie. gain spiritual life.

And only Jesus can send the Holy Spirit to live within a person, to bring life to their dead spirit.

We are made in God’s image, triune beings: body, soul and spirit. But when Adam and Eve disobeyed God, the Holy Spirit left the human race. Therefore, every person is born spiritually dead because our original two ancestors became spiritually dead.

The Church has to let people know that we need our sins forgiven so that the Holy Spirit, Who cannot tolerate sin (Psalm 5:4), can indwell a person.

Jesus died on the Cross for our sins AND was resurrected from the dead.

The Apostle Paul declared that our Christian faith was worthless without the Resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15:14:

The Christian faith is contingent on the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Any proclamation of the Gospel is incomplete without preaching that people need to be born again, receive new life.

Every human being absolutely needs the life that only Jesus can give.

No other religion will provide eternal life.

Everyone needs Jesus.

God bless you.

Much love from Dawn, Tango and Monkey

PS. I did not accept Jesus until I was 28 years old. I’ve spent a lot of years and time contemplating why it took me so long to understand and part of it was that the gospel was not clearly communicated to me. I hope that my blogs are helping to clarify the message to nonbelievers and assist believers on how to better communicate why faith in Christ Jesus is so critical.

***

Have you asked Jesus to grant you resurrection of your dead spirit?

You may sense that something is wrong but cannot put your finger on it. You feel empty and try to fill that emptiness with books, or food, or shopping, or gambling, or drugs, or partying, or fame, or work, or family, or exercise, or sex–but somehow, you just feel empty and don’t understand why the things and people you pursue just cannot seem to make you feel happy consistently.

Sure, a good book or a fabulous meal may make you feel great for a time, but then that happy feeling wears off and you feel incomplete again.

God knows that you are not responsible for the poor choices of your ancestors who gave birth to the human race. But God is perfect and cannot tolerate imperfect people messing up heaven like we’ve messed up life on planet earth. But HE LOVES YOU UNCONDITIONALLY. He knows you’re a sinner. Don’t be afraid to approach Him with an honest heart. He loves you so much that His Son, Jesus, became God in the flesh (Matthew 1:23) to die for your sins in order to earn the right to give you eternal life through the resurrection power of the Holy Spirit (John 3:16).

You are absolutely and totally important to God. He wants you in relationship with Him.

It doesn’t matter who you are or what your past is. He knows you were born dead in your sins and were only acting out your nature. But if you’re still reading this blog post, He’s asking you–yes, YOU–to become His beloved child and enter into a loving relationship with Him.

“I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”—Luke 15:10

The Great Shepherd wants you to live with Him forever as a member of His flock. Are you willing to accept Him as your Lord and follow Him?

If so, please pray the following prayer, out loud if possible:

Holy Father, I’m sorry for my sin and ask You to forgive me. I ask Jesus to be both my Lord God and Savior. I believe He died on the Cross for my sins and was resurrected bodily to give me eternal life. Please fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I give my life to You. Thank You for loving me and answering my prayer. In the mighty name of Your Son Jesus, amen.

If you prayed sincerely, congratulations, you’re born again. Please start reading the Bible daily. Just as your body needs daily nourishment to be healthy, so does your soul. The Bible is your soul food.

Also, please join a Bible believing church or Bible study. And get baptized. If that’s not possible right now, I recommend these two ministries, which also have apps if that’s your preference: http://www.LTW.org (Leading The Way) and http://www.AndrewFarley.org (The Grace Message).

His bless you as you begin your new walk with Christ.

May my fur pals and I meet you in heaven one day.

New name?

If you had to change your name, what would your new name be?

Rachel. Always a favorite of mine.