Changing Your Focus, Psalm 107

As many of you now know, Buddy is a rescue who was abused for three years before I adopted him—furever! At first he was terrified of me, but gradually his focus moved from his awful past to his present life full of love with his new family.

I bought a pocket-sized NASB version of only the Book of Psalms, so that I could focus reading a few chapters every morning without pulling out a heavy book.

Most people focus on Psalm 23. It’s a wonderful Psalm by the ancient king of Israel, David. But there are many other marvelous Psalms that are also worthy of our meditation and focus.

Please join me in culling some of the wonderful gems in the 43 verses of chapter 107 in the Book of Psalms.

Primarily, the Psalm describes the various ways that people get themselves into trouble by acting without God in their lives. But when they acknowledge their need for the Lord’s help, He responds to their cries.

“Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His lovingkindness is forever.”—Verse one

It’s basically a Psalm about how kind God is, rescuing us from our own self-imposed troubles. Unlike Satan, He doesn’t kick us when we’re down, but responds to sincere cries for help.

1. Verse two discusses how God redeems us “from the hand of the adversary.” The Lord Jesus came in the flesh, which is celebrated on Christmas Day, to live a perfect life and redeem us—buy us back—out of Satan’s realm of darkness and transfer us into the kingdom of His beloved Son (Colossians 1:13) by dying for our sins.

We cannot earn this salvation; it is freely given to us when we call upon the name of the Lord to save us (Romans 10:13).

And throughout the Psalm, people call on God for help, which He freely gives to them.

2. Verses 4-9 describes people who are wandering “in a desert region” and in great physical distress. They were lost, unable to find an inhabited city to get help. Unable to get human aid, they turned to God, acknowledging they needed God’s rescue—and “He led them also by a straight way, to go to an inhabited city”.

Which reminds me of everyone’s favorite Psalm:

“He leads us in the paths of righteousness for His namesake.”—Psalm 23:3

When we follow God’s path, we discover that the Good Shepherd’s ways lead out of the confusion in the desert of sin and into green pastures of peace and safety.

3. Verses 11-16 describe people who are enslaved by sin and unable to free themselves. They’re miserable because “they had rebelled against the words of God and spurned the counsel of the Most High. Therefore, He humbled their heart with labor…”

Consequences for sinful behavior are an act of love from God. It causes us to realize our need for Him, to change our destructive behavior, so He allows us to suffer the result of our sin, so that we’ll come to our senses and acknowledge our need to follow Him and not our own desires. When the people in Psalm 107 finally realized, once again, that human effort couldn’t rescue them, they called out to God, who shattered their chains of sin.

4. Verses 17-22 describe people who became seriously ill: “Fools, because of their rebellious way, and because of their iniquities, were afflicted.” But when they acknowledged their sin and repented, how did God help?

“He sent His word and healed them.”—verse 20

Deceased Pastor Norman Peale had many different persons approach him, as detailed in his various books, with serious ailments of various sorts that caused them great suffering and interfered with their careers. What the Pastor often discovered is that these men engaged in serious sin, such as adultery. Their guilt and wickedness was the root cause of their illness and setbacks. Once they confessed their sin, acknowledging their need to follow God’s moral rules and stop rebelling, they became healthy—mentally, physically, and spiritually.

God’s word, the Bible, sometimes is the cure for what afflicts us. He gives us instruction, insight, and hope through the promises in the Scriptures.

5. Verses 23-32 describe men engaged in commerce, who “do business on great waters.” But they encountered a great storm which caused them great fear and distress. But when they called on the Lord to save them, “He caused the storm to be still.”

Sometimes we get busy conducting business, searching for wealth or fame, and forget to include God in our lives. Then we encounter obstacles which are totally beyond our control, which reminds us to seek God.

And, God graciously rescues us.

6. Verses 33-38 describes how God can curse the efforts of wicked people, but bless the labor of good people. “There is a way that seems right to a man, but the way is death (Proverbs 14:12).” Sometimes our efforts are not succeeding because we’re compromising our moral integrity. If you’re a child of God, He may delay blessing you till you repent and commit to acting with moral integrity.

7. Lastly, verses 39-42 describe how sometimes we suffer because of the wickedness of other people who oppress us in some way, particularly those in high positions of power. But God graciously delivers us.

Why?

“Who is wise? Let him give heed to these things, and consider the lovingkindness of the Lord.”—verse 43

May we always seek God in time of need, Who has the power to deliver us from circumstances and people too mighty for us to combat alone.

And from our own sin.

Please consider pointing unbelievers to this wonderful Psalm, which describes the many ways God will deliver people from the consequences of sin, if they’re willing to acknowledge their need for a Savior.

And recognize that He’s good.

God bless you.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

***

“Whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved.”—Apostle Paul, Romans 10:13

It doesn’t matter what kind of trouble you’re in, God is good and loves you. He’s willing to forgive your sin and rescue you from bondage to the Kingdom of Darkness.

He doesn’t discriminate. No matter how far you’ve wandered in the desert, He’s willing to respond to your cries for rescue if you’re willing to repent and call on Jesus to be your Lord and Savior.

Lord: your moral authority and King of your life and

Savior: The one Who died for your sins, taking the punishment you deserve.

No need to get your act together first. Just humble acknowledgment of your need for Him. He knows about it all anyway, so why not confess your need to be delivered from self-destructive behavior?

He loves you and is eager to hear you call out to Him.

After I gave my life to the Lord, the Holy Spirit told me that, “He knew every sin I’ve ever committed, but still loves me very much.”

God already knows you cannot be good. Your sin doesn’t shock Him, regardless of how bad you think it is. He wants to rescue you—if you’ll only call out to Him.

Why not invite Him into your life right now? Don’t delay. Tomorrow is never promised to us.

Please pray the following, out loud if possible:

Dear Heavenly Father, I’m sorry for my sin and ask for Your forgiveness. I call on Jesus to be my Lord and Savior, and confess that He died for my sins so that I don’t have to be punished for them. I call on Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. I give my life to You. Please fill me with Your Holy Spirit. And teach me how much You love me. I need Your help in my life. Thank you for hearing my prayer. In the mighty name of Your Son Jesus Christ, 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 food daily to be nourished, so does your soul.

And start attending a Bible-based 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 or follow bad teaching till you know the Bible fairly well.

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

Loved Just As You Are, Psalm 69:5, 16-17

Fall trim: Fruity

Buddy’s so adorable when he’s a big fur ball, but about three times a year he gets professionally groomed. When he’s trimmed, as above, I nickname him “Fruity,” because his trimmed face resembles a fruit bat.

Fruit bat image from Doi.gov

(I tried to find a tan bat but couldn’t locate the best one to illustrate my point.)

Although Buddy looks very different trimmed, we still love him and consider him adorable. Even when he acts like a little stinker (or smells like one on occasion), he’s still a beloved member of our family.

King David trusted that, even though God knew he was a sinner, his Heavenly Father could still be counted on to deliver him from his enemies in a time of need:

“O God, it is You who knows my folly, and my wrongs are not hidden from You….Answer me, O Lord, for Your lovingkindness is good; according to the greatness of Your compassion, turn to me, and do not hide Your face from Your servant, for I am in distress; answer me quickly.”—Psalm 69:5, 16-17

Because we’re born again, indwelt by the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16), we greatly desire to obey and please Jesus. But although our spirits and hearts have been renewed, we still have minds programmed and influenced by the world, the flesh, Satan, and our past history. It’s why the Apostle Paul exhorts Christians to “be transformed by the renewing of your mind (Romans 12:2).”

Because we’re aware of our sin, we sometimes balk at bringing our prayer requests before the Lord, because we feel unworthy. We want to clean up our act firstly before coming to Him.

But here’s the BIG TRUTH many Christians forget or legalism prevents us from considering:

WE’RE NEVER WORTHY.

It’s why Christ had to die to atone for the sins of humanity (John 3:16), because only a spotless lamb was an acceptable sacrifice for sin (Exodus 12:5, 1 Peter and 1:19). We are never seen as spotless, free of sin, before we confess our sins and come into relationship with Jesus. Then, clothed with the blood sacrifice of Christ, we become beloved children of God (Galatians 3:26).

The Apostle Paul admonished the Corinthian church for their sinful behavior: drunkenness at communion, tolerating incest, dividing into camps based upon which apostle they followed rather than Christ, etc. They were immature in their behavior and not doing a good job of submitting to God in the sanctification process.

Yet, the Apostle Paul begins his two letters to the Corinthian church greeting them as saints: 1 Corinthians 1:2, 2 Corinthians 2:2 and brethren (1 Corinthians 2:1, 3:1, 2 Corinthians 1:8) and, also:

“You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men; you are manifestly an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart.”—2 Corinthians 3:2-3

He gently rebukes them for their sin, calling for repentance, reminding them that they are God’s children who are to love others and shine the light of Christ into this dark world.

But he continues to love them and call them fellow believers—because they are born again by the Holy Spirit of God.

My dear brother or sister in Christ, always call upon Jesus in your time of need. He knows that it’s impossible for you to meet the perfect standard of righteousness that the Law requires (Matthew 5:48).

Call on Him with humility and sincerity as He loves you.

“This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”—Apostle John, 1 John 4:10

God bless you.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

***

Everyone is made in God’s image (Genesis 1:26-27), but only those who accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior and become born again are His children:

“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”—Apostle John, John 1:12-13

You may not have heard this before as our culture teaches that every person is a child of God—but it isn’t true. Only those in relationship with the Father through the Son are children of God.

Every human is made in His image, which gives precious value to everyone. So treasured are humans that He sent His Son to live a perfect life, taking on human flesh, then die on a cross to take the punishment for our sins instead of us. He rose bodily from the grave on the Third Day, proving that He is God and can give eternal life to those who repent and ask Him to be their God.

If you believe this but haven’t joined God’s family yet, will you please pray 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 my Lord and Savior. Please change my heart and life by granting that Your Holy Spirit lives within me. 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 Your Son Jesus Christ, amen.

If you prayed sincerely, congratulations: You’re born again. Please start reading the Bible daily as it’s your spiritual soul food. Just as your body needs food every day to stay 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). There are other godly ministries, but it’s easy to be misled by bad teaching or legalism till you know the Bible fairly well.

God bless you as you make a new start in life. May Buddy and I meet you in heaven one day.

The Zombie Apocalypse, John 10:10

Buddy can sleep contentedly without fear of harm, knowing that he is loved by his human family. But before I adopted him through Silky Terrier Rescue, he lived but did not have a real life: He was mistreated and miserable. I thought he’d be thrilled to have a new owner. But when I put his new leash onto his brand new halter and started leading him to my car to take him to his new home, he bucked and kicked and struggled against me like a wild horse. He didn’t realize there was something far better awaiting him, a much better life. Once he realized that he was adopted into a new family with people who loved him, he began to relax and really enjoy life. (In other words, he is now spoiled rotten.)

This current generation of youth appear to be obsessed with zombies, whereas the prior generation was smitten with vampires (I think maybe because of Anne Rice’s novels about the Vampire Lestat which led to the Twilight craze). Subconsciously, they are onto something: I believe they sense that there is something very wrong with their generation, that something that truly gives a person life is missing. They live but perhaps sense an emptiness inside.

They are the Zombie Generation, the first generation of kids raised with zero knowledge of Jesus, God and the Bible. They walk and move about, but they don’t truly live.

When I was growing up, Christianity did not exist in a TV ghetto, confined to Christian cable shows. Bible-based or Christian tales like Ben Hur and The Ten Commandments were frequently on the major networks and on Easter, movies about Jesus would be televised.The Billy Graham Crusade would rent time on the local TV networks in prime time. There were Christmas pageants in school and history teachers weren’t forbidden to acknowledge that the United States had a Christian heritage.

“I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”–Jesus, John 10:10

As Bob Christopher and Richard Pfeiffer like to say in their radio ministry, Basic Gospel, the problem with humanity is that we are dead spiritually. We’re walking zombies: We have souls and bodies but our spirits are dead.

Many people sense this emptiness and try to fill it with things that never satisfy. My pastor, Ben Davis, likes to quote about those who don’t know Jesus, “They have forsaken Me, The fountain of living waters, To hew for themselves cisterns, Broken cisterns That can hold no water.” (Jeremiah 2:13, Old Testament prophet) They try to fill their empty cisterns (their incomplete souls) with food, or drugs, or parties, or sex, or serial romantic relationships, or books, or exercise, and after exhausting themselves physically or mentally, wonder why they still fill empty inside.

It’s because only One can fill that emptiness: the Spirit of God.

We are all created in the image of God, and in a sense, were also meant to be triune beings just like He is. He is Three Persons yet One God, called the Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We were meant to have bodies, souls and spirits. But we are all born incomplete: body and soul only, lacking the Spirit of God.

Jesus referred to Himself as water, when He invited people to come to faith in Him, crying out to the crowd attending a great festival in Jerusalem:

“Anyone who is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.'” But this He spoke of the Spirit…John 7:37-39a

I wasn’t raised Christian, so I had no idea what being “born-again” meant and the Christians I knew in college never explained it. Born-again means that you are indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God, Who gives you eternal life. This occurs when you believe that Jesus is the Christ, God in the Flesh (Emmanuel, Matthew 1:23), that He died for your sins and was raised from the dead, so that you can be declared righteous in His sight. The Holy Spirit comes to live within your spirit, giving you spiritual Life. Where once you were dead spiritually, incomplete and broken, you are now alive in Christ. And once you are born-again, it is forever, for He “will never leave you nor forsake you (Hebrews 13;5)”.

You become a triune being: body, soul and spirit.

You are no longer a zombie.

“But these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have LIFE in His name.”–John 20:31 (emphasis mine)

Please come to Jesus and be filled with His Life.

God bless you.

From Dawn and Buddy

***

If you realize that you’ve been spending your entire life feeling broken, empty, that something is missing, then please ask the Spirit of Life, Jesus Christ, to be your Lord and Savior:

Dear Father, I believe that Jesus is God in the Flesh. He lived a sinless life and died for my sins on the Cross so that I don’t have to pay for my sins. I believe that He was resurrected from the dead. I don’t understand much about Christianity, but I want Your abundant Life and Your guidance. Please forgive my sins. I invite You into my life and heart.

If you prayed sincerely, congratulations for entering into the abundant life that Christ gives. It is not an easy road, but it is a path that leads to everlasting life. I recommend finding a good Bible-based church and getting a good translation of the Bible. I use the NASB and many recommend the New Revised Standard version. The Bible was originally written in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek, so there are different organizations that translated the Scriptures into English, which why there are various versions. Once you obtain a Bible, I recommend learning the 23rd Psalm and meditating on the 139th. These will both assure you of God’s great love and care for you. Then please read the Four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, to learn about who Jesus is and what He taught. But always pray to the Father that you are led by God to understand.

 

Believing The Lie That You’re Not Enough, Genesis 3:5

When Buddy wants attention, he’ll sometimes head for the bag of paper shredding in my parents’ den and live it up by kicking shredded paper everywhere. I don’t want him to inhale any paper shavings, so I’ll interrupt his fun. But no matter how he misbehaves, he’s still the perfect dog for me. We have a great partnership.

I had planned a different topic tonight but felt the need to write something encouraging again. Yes, I’m going to squeeze more “juice” out of the Adam and Eve story. (Some claim it’s apple juice, but that claim cannot be confirmed.)

Adam and Eve were declared “very good (vs 1:31),” not only because humans were designed in “God’s image (vs 1:27),” but because they were perfect. Flawless. The very best of God’s creation. They were complete.

And God had created a beautiful world for them to live in, full of delicious foods and animal companions that they could speak to.

But they bought the devil’s lie that they were incomplete, that they didn’t measure up. That they could be more.

“For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”—Genesis 3:5

Adam and Eve didn’t accept themselves as created. There was something more and better that they could be, Satan said. They were inadequate as they were. They didn’t measure up. They needed to be wiser and more knowledgeable like God. They were blind to their true potential.

As you know, they disobeyed God by eating fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and fell from their glorious perfection. They became dead spiritually, when they were once alive and in perfect union with God in their spirits. They also began to age, when their bodies were created beautiful and magnificent.

By buying Satan’s lie, they became seriously flawed.

Modern Western culture, and sadly the church, is swallowing the bitter apple Satan offers: That they are not good enough.

Christians are declared, once accepting the blood sacrifice of Jesus to atone for their sins, “holy and blameless and beyond reproach (Colossians 1:22), and can “stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy (Jude 1:24).”

Even the Old Testament prophet, Isaiah, described our future cleansing from our sins by the one time sacrifice of Jesus in Isaiah 1:18: “Though your sins are as scarlet, they will be white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they will be like wool.”

And King David of ancient Israel, who also prophesied about the coming Messiah, said in Psalm 103:12: “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgression from us.”

Yet many Christians confuse their spiritual condition (blameless and forgiven) with their lifelong process of sanctification. They feel dirty and undeserving before a holy God, rather than rejoicing they are a beloved child. They believe they need to earn the Father’s love by trying to be as perfect as possible, rather than resting in the finished work of Christ—Who already fulfilled the Law—that God already loves them perfectly, that His love doesn’t need to be earned by being “good enough.”

God knows we’re flawed beings, which is why Jesus had to come to save us from our own self destructive behavior.

And unbelievers cannot accept themselves either, as they were created. They wish they were another sex, another race, had a different metabolism or body shape, were smarter or had different skills or talents, etc.

They often accept the devil’s lies through another person or our culture that they are not lovable or acceptable unless they look a certain way, achieve certain goals or status, or health, or have certain talents and interests.

Instead of viewing their current sex, or race, or body type or intelligence or talent or physical appearance as a gift from a loving God who designed them to follow a particular path in life, they reject themselves for who they are.

If you discover as a child that you have one amazing skill—can play football, build things or dance—it’s pretty easy to find your life path.

But if you’re multi-talented, it can be a bit more difficult to figure out which path is the best one, or how to fit all the different pieces together.

Or it’s not so obvious, and a person needs to work a little harder to discover what they’re naturally gifted at.

Most often, I believe, it’s not that the person doesn’t know what they’re good at or naturally interested in, but they don’t believe that talent or skill is important or special enough.

I also believe that some of our interests are God-given. And Science is proving that we’re born introverts or extroverts, that our basic personality can only be modified so much (note the book, “Quiet, by Susan Cain). As David declares in Psalm 139:13-16, He lovingly creates us, even forming “our inward parts,” ie. our personality.

God made you in His image.

You are NOT an accident of the universe.

You were deliberately designed to be loved…

By an amazingly patient and loving God.

God bless you.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

***

I viewed a short clip online by a young woman, tricked out in piercings and tattoos and risqué clothing, who commented that God wasn’t real because He wasn’t zapping her for being blasphemous.

I responded, “He isn’t punishing you because He loves you and wants you to repent and come into relationship with Him. He doesn’t want you to go to Hell.”

Jesus said in John 3:17:

“For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.”

We’re made in God’s image, but fall short of His glory spiritually because we’re born dead in our sins (Romans 3:23, Ephesians 2:1). He wants to give everyone the spiritual life we were designed to have, but don’t, because Adam and Eve decided to believe Satan’s words rather than His word.

If you realize you feel incomplete and acknowledge only Jesus can give new birth to your spirit, please pray the following:

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for loving me so much that You want to be in relationship with me. I realize that I need You in my life. I’m tired of feeling inadequate and not enough, because of other people’s criticism or my own self condemnation. I ask Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. Please forgive my sins and wash me white as snow. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I give my life to You. Help me to stop believing the lies of my culture and other people by revealing to me how much You love me. May the Holy Spirit guide me into all truth. In the name of Your Son Jesus Christ, 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 your soul needs God’s holy word to be healthy. I suggest starting with the Book of Matthew as it’s easy to understand. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you as you read.

Also, please join a Bible believing church or Bible study. And get baptized. If that’s not possible right now, I suggest these godly ministries, in order of my personal preference: http://www.AndrewFarley.org and http://www.LTW.org (Leading The Way). They also have apps, if that’s your preference. There are other godly ministries, but they can sometimes be legalistic and you need a firm foundation in the truth to recognize when law and grace are being mixed together.

May Buddy and I meet you in heaven one day.

One Missing Piece Ruins The Puzzle Picture, 1 Corinthians 12:18-25

Buddy staring at me, as usual.

As Buddy approaches his 14th birthday, I’ve been a bit traumatized as he’s noticeably losing his hearing. I rushed him to his veterinarian because he scarcely reacted to the fireworks this past holiday. I gave him ear ointment for a week due to the beginnings of some irritation in his ear canal, but there was no noticeable infection. The poor little fella is aging.

Now, when Buddy passes on to heaven, it’ll be a devastating event in my life and for my parents. However, in the grand scheme of life, the world will continue as if nothing of any importance occurred. But for me, it’ll be a big event.

Occasionally I’ll post a blog relating an issue I’m struggling with to share how I’m overcoming in the hopes it’ll help someone else.

Illustrations introduce each chapter in my Cattle Capers(tm) novels. I had nearly completed the cartoons for the second novel when my main computer died, preventing publication last year. Coupled with a frustrating job hunt, this event precipitated my slide into mild depression.

I’ve been asking myself the past few months: What did it matter that my second novel wasn’t published? No one cares that it didn’t see the light of day. What does it matter if I publish or not? Who gives a hoot?

Those questions led to asking myself: Do I matter? Does what I do matter in the grand scheme of things? If Christ is returning to destroy the world and all its works one day, why bother to spend my time working on my projects? Am I competent enough to contribute anything memorable? I want to have a positive impact on my culture that is hell bent on sliding into the trash heap, but does what I do really matter? Do I have any real impact?

I prayed fervently to the Lord earlier this week, as “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble (Psalm 46:1)” and “comforts the depressed (2 Corinthians 7:6).” I knew that my attitude was wrong but didn’t have the correct answers to pull myself out of the muck.

The image of a puzzle came to mind. No matter how lovely the image depicted on the box top may be, the picture is incomplete if just one piece is missing. It doesn’t matter if the piece belongs in a corner or the center, the puzzle is ruined after assembly if only one piece is absent, whether there are 500 or 10,000 pieces.

I realized that I am just one piece in God’s great creation. He’s assembling the world according to His desire and design. I may not see what the completed picture should look like, but God created me for a reason to live at this time and where I am —now. If I just give up, I’m leaving a hole in the great design in my Creator’s universe where something should exist.

True, there are nearly 7.9 billion people in this world, so I’m just a tiny piece. But isn’t your eye usually drawn to that one flaw in a garment or an image? Once you notice the hanging thread or the missing pixel, it nags on you.

Apostle Paul pointed out the importance of each person in the body of Christ. Every born again Christian is part of one body through the indwelling Holy Spirit. Not everyone has the same gifts or functions, but all God’s children are important to the proper functioning of Christ’s body.

“But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired. If they were all one member, where would the body be? But now there are many members, but one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you’; or again the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you.’ On the contrary, it is much truer that the members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary; and those members of the body which we deem less honorable, on these we bestow more abundant honor,… But God has so composed the body…that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another.”—Apostle Paul, 1Corinthians 12:18-25

Recently I’ve read that the liver performs over 500 functions in the human body. So often disease can be traced to one bodily process not working properly. Yet, that function is not noticeable to the person till it’s awol, missing in action.

I cannot say that I’ve arrived, resolved my feelings of inadequacy. I know that my self worth comes from God alone. But it’s difficult, in this age of social media, not to be aware of the many artists and writers out there and not feel inadequate in comparison. However, with God’s help, He will shine His light of truth into my soul and reveal the false beliefs that need to be overcome.

And will give me the victory.

God bless you.

Love from Dawn and Buddy

***

All of us were created by God to fellowship with Him. But we are all born separated from Him, devoid of His Holy Spirit which fills us with spiritual life and power. This creates a void in our soul that only God can fill.

People try to fill this void with food, material things, exercise, fame, power, alcohol, drugs, sex, escapism, etc. but we can never get enough of these things or experiences to feel satisfied or whole, because only God can do this. This void can also be experienced as depression or loneliness or a longing for Utopia, a desire for the perfect world and fulfillment humanity once had but lost when Adam and Eve rebelled against God’s authority.

As you can see from my blog post, receiving God’s life is not usually an instant cure for all of life’s struggles, but it’s a start on the path of true living as false beliefs and sins are revealed that must be surrendered to God for our benefit and that of others.

If you’d like to receive the life of Jesus, please repeat the following prayer: “Dear Heavenly Father, I humbly ask Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. I acknowledge Him as my God and King. Please forgive my sins and fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I give my life to You. Thank you for saving me and bringing me into the body of Christ. In the mighty name of Jesus, amen.”

If you prayed sincerely, congratulations, you are born again. Like the body needs food to thrive and grow, so does your spirit. The Bible is your supernatural food. Please begin reading it daily. I recommend starting with Matthew. The Psalms and Proverbs also bring bring comfort and instruction. Also, please join a Bible-based church or Bible study. If that’s not possible right now, I recommend these three ministries, which are my favorites: http://www.BasicGospel.net, http://www.InTouch.org and http://www.LTW.org. Each also have apps.

God bless you. See you in heaven with Buddy.

Plucked Out of Satan’s Kingdom, Colossians 1:13-14

Buddy resting peacefully on my bed.

My bed is too high for Buddy to leap up onto by himself, so he sits by the bed and stares at me expectantly. Since he asks, I pick him up so that he can rest.

What most people don’t understand is that there is no spiritually neutral territory: We are all born into Satan’s kingdom. The Lord Jesus claimed that Satan was “the ruler of this world” (John 14:30 and 16:11) and the Apostle Paul referred to the devil as “the god of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4).

No one exists in a neutral zone.

The problem is: Just as Buddy has to ask me to lift him up onto my (our) bed, because it’s impossible for him to reach it on his own, so, too, we must ask Jesus to lift us up out of Satan’s kingdom, because it’s impossible to lift ourselves out.

Jesus came to “destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8).

When Adam and Eve rejected God’s authority over their lives, they unwittingly chose to place themselves under Satan’s rule and authority. As a result, all humanity is born separated from God–spiritually dead. As a result of our dead spirits, we are self-willed and act contrary to God’s holy standards. The “soul that sins must die” (Ezekiel 18:20) as punishment for sin. But because God loves His creation, Jesus died for our sins, suffering the punishment we deserve.

What we are doing, when we ask Jesus to forgive our sins and accept His rule and authority, God plucks us out of Satan’s kingdom and makes us one of His children, binding us eternally to Himself. We are no longer under Satan’s authority.

“For He 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, Apostle Paul

So where do you prefer to dwell? Continue in the kingdom of darkness?

Or dwell in the kingdom of light?

“This is the message we have heard from Him (Jesus) and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.”–Apostle John, 1 John 1:5

***

You may notice, despite all your efforts to distract your heart and mind, that you feel incomplete, that there is an inner emptiness that can never be filled. Made in the image of God, we are meant to be triune beings: body, soul and spirit. The Holy Spirit left humanity when the first couple rejected God’s authority, so we are all missing the Spirit of Life (Romans 8:2): We are all born incomplete. Yielding your life back to God’s authority restores you to the original relationship with God. He is a God of Love (1 John 4:16) and cannot tolerate sin. When we come under the power of the Holy Spirit, He guides us into being more loving people.

Why not ask God to forgive your sin and ask that He become your Lord? Also, request that the Holy Spirit indwell and guide you.

Please find a Bible-based church to grow as a Christian. And begin reading the Bible each day and praying. It is God’s main way of communicating His will to us–and speaking to our hearts.

What Is Salvation? Ephesians 2:1

Last Wednesday my family celebrated Buddy’s 11th birthday. I don’t know his true birthday, only that he was a summertime puppy. However, a little over 8 years ago on August 21st, 2011, I picked up Buddy from Barbara, who was working with Silky Terrier Rescue as a foster mom, so that’s his unofficial birthday. He’s been a great little pal and I’m very thankful to them both for rescuing and fostering Buddy till he came into my life. And am praying that Buddy will have many more happy and healthy years.

It’s my belief that many people don’t understand what salvation is, not only nonbelievers, but also many people who claim to be Christians. I agree with the Basic Gospel ministry that many preachers teach only “half a gospel”, i.e. that to become a Christian you repent of your sin. True enough.

But the problem with humanity is not that we sin, but that we are sinners. We sin as a result of who we are: fallen humanity. Whether you believe in Adam or Eve or not, the point of the story is that humanity chose to believe satan, rather than God. They chose to be their own gods and choose for themselves right and wrong, rejecting God as their Lord Who defines right and wrong.

We were created in God’s image (Genesis 1:26). God is a triune being–Father, Son and Holy Spirit. So, we too, were once triune beings–body, soul and filled with God’s Spirit. When our human ancestors rejected God, the Holy Spirit left the human race. As a result, we are all born incomplete: body and soul only. Everyone is born spiritually dead. That is why everyone feels incomplete and tries to fill that emptiness with food, drugs, alcohol, pleasure, sex, whatever, to make that wrong feeling go away. But it never works because that hole in your soul was meant to be filled with God’s Spirit only. Nothing else will satisfy and make you feel complete.

What that means is that, as Apostle Paul explained to the Ephesians who lived in a culture steeped in the occult:

“You were dead in your trespasses and sins,…” Ephesians 2:1

Doing good works or being good or knowing enough or being wise isn’t going to give you life. The problem isn’t just that you are bad and God is good; the problem is that you’re dead in your sin and need spiritual life.

And only Jesus Christ can give you life.

That’s the problem that unbelievers don’t understand. And what many Christians don’t understand, either. It’s not about a list of rules to obey. Christianity isn’t just a religious system: It’s about your soul being resurrected spiritually from the dead so that you can interact with God. Only spiritually alive people can enter heaven; only spiritually alive people can relate to God the Father.

It is the reason why, after Adam and Eve listened to satan and rejected God’s authority, that they ran and hid from Him. And God was walking around asking, “Where are you?” It wasn’t that God isn’t omniscient and didn’t know where they were physically; it was because they were no longer connected to Him spiritually (Genesis 3:9).

Jesus died for our sins; He took the punishment we deserved to satisfy God’s wrath for our sinful behavior.

But Jesus was also resurrected from the dead, proving He was God in the Flesh (Immanuel, Matthew 1:23). When we put our faith in Him, we are also resurrected from the dead with Him and seated in the heavenly places with Christ. Which is the symbol of baptism: having our sins washed away and then resurrected to a new life.

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surprising riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”–Ephesians 2:4-9

So the main point I’m trying to get across is: your works don’t make you right with God because you’re spiritually dead without the Holy Spirit indwelling you. You have to become spiritually alive and trying to be good doesn’t cut it. You can never be good enough to earn the Holy Spirit. You receive Him by asking in faith, admitting that you are sinful, i.e. cannot meet God’s standards and need Him to change you through His resurrection power.

It takes away all boasting before God because you cannot stand before Him and say, “Look how good I am. God is really pleased with me.” That’s what Christians call “legalism”: thinking that you can follow God’s rules to be right with Him. And those people are usually mean and judgmental. It may not be that they are not saved but that no one properly explained to them what salvation is after they accepted Jesus by faith.

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

After accepting Christ, you’ll once again be whole: body, soul and Spirit.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

***

There is much more that could be said to clarify, but, hopefully, I’ve laid the foundation for a greater understanding of why we need Jesus in our life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Zombie Apocalypse, John 10:10

Buddy can sleep contentedly without fear of harm, knowing that he is loved by his human family. But before I adopted him through Silky Terrier Rescue, he lived but did not have a real life: He was mistreated and miserable. I thought he’d be thrilled to have a new owner. But when I put his new leash onto his brand new halter and started leading him to my car to take him to his new home, he bucked and kicked and struggled against me like a wild horse. He didn’t realize there was something far better awaiting him, a much better life. Once he realized that he was adopted into a new family with people who loved him, he began to relax and really enjoy life. (In other words, he is now spoiled rotten.)

This current generation of youth appear to be obsessed with zombies, whereas the prior generation was smitten with vampires (I think maybe because of Anne Rice’s novels about the Vampire Lestat which led to the Twilight craze). Subconsciously, they are onto something: I believe they sense that there is something very wrong with their generation, that something that truly gives a person life is missing. They live but perhaps sense an emptiness inside.

They are the Zombie Generation, the first generation of kids raised with zero knowledge of Jesus, God and the Bible. They walk and move about, but they don’t truly live.

When I was growing up, Christianity did not exist in a TV ghetto, confined to Christian cable shows. Bible-based or Christian tales like Ben Hur and The Ten Commandments were frequently on the major networks and on Easter, movies about Jesus would be televised.The Billy Graham Crusade would rent time on the local TV networks in prime time. There were Christmas pageants in school and history teachers weren’t forbidden to acknowledge that the United States had a Christian heritage.

“I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”–Jesus, John 10:10

As Bob Christopher and Richard Pfeiffer like to say in their radio ministry, Basic Gospel, the problem with humanity is that we are dead spiritually. We’re walking zombies: We have souls and bodies but our spirits are dead.

Many people sense this emptiness and try to fill it with things that never satisfy. My pastor, Ben Davis, likes to quote about those who don’t know Jesus, “They have forsaken Me, The fountain of living waters, To hew for themselves cisterns, Broken cisterns That can hold no water.” (Jeremiah 2:13, Old Testament prophet) They try to fill their empty cisterns (their incomplete souls) with food, or drugs, or parties, or sex, or serial romantic relationships, or books, or exercise, and after exhausting themselves physically or mentally, wonder why they still fill empty inside.

It’s because only One can fill that emptiness: the Spirit of God.

We are all created in the image of God, and in a sense, were also meant to be triune beings just like He is. He is Three Persons yet One God, called the Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We were meant to have bodies, souls and spirits. But we are all born incomplete: body and soul only, lacking the Spirit of God.

Jesus referred to Himself as water, when He invited people to come to faith in Him, crying out to the crowd attending a great festival in Jerusalem:

“Anyone who is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.'” But this He spoke of the Spirit…John 7:37-39a

I wasn’t raised Christian, so I had no idea what being “born-again” meant and the Christians I knew in college never explained it. Born-again means that you are indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God, Who gives you eternal life. This occurs when you believe that Jesus is the Christ, God in the Flesh (Emmanuel, Matthew 1:23), that He died for your sins and was raised from the dead, so that you can be declared righteous in His sight. The Holy Spirit comes to live within your spirit, giving you spiritual Life. Where once you were dead spiritually, incomplete and broken, you are now alive in Christ. And once you are born-again, it is forever, for He “will never leave you nor forsake you (Hebrews 13;5)”.

You become a triune being: body, soul and spirit.

You are no longer a zombie.

“But these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have LIFE in His name.”–John 20:31 (emphasis mine)

Please come to Jesus and be filled with His Life.

God bless you.

From Dawn and Buddy

***

If you realize that you’ve been spending your entire life feeling broken, empty, that something is missing, then please ask the Spirit of Life, Jesus Christ, to be your Lord and Savior:

Dear Father, I believe that Jesus is God in the Flesh. He lived a sinless life and died for my sins on the Cross so that I don’t have to pay for my sins. I believe that He was resurrected from the dead. I don’t understand much about Christianity, but I want Your abundant Life and Your guidance. Please forgive my sins. I invite You into my life and heart.

If you prayed sincerely, congratulations for entering into the abundant life that Christ gives. It is not an easy road, but it is a path that leads to everlasting life. I recommend finding a good Bible-based church and getting a good translation of the Bible. I use the NASB and many recommend the New Revised Standard version. The Bible was originally written in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek, so there are different organizations that translated the Scriptures into English, which why there are various versions. Once you obtain a Bible, I recommend learning the 23rd Psalm and meditating on the 139th. These will both assure you of God’s great love and care for you. Then please read the Four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, to learn about who Jesus is and what He taught. But always pray to the Father that you are led by God to understand.