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.

Too Lovey Dovey? Buddy Brief

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

What’s Your Sign? Buddy Brief

Having been fur pals with Buddy for almost 13.5 years, I’ve gotten pretty good at interpreting his whines, looks, and woofs.

But the most insistent are his signs of impatience.

When I’m not walking fast enough, he’ll bump my legs from behind to prod me to walk faster. Or if he wants a walkie RIGHT NOW! he’ll keep staring at me or will begin to stand in front of me and block my path until I put my shoes on.

It’s not uncommon for people to ask me, “What sign were you born under?”

I know they expect me to respond with a horoscope symbol, but I answer, “The Cross.”

I was born again by the power of Christ’s shed blood on the Cross and resurrected into eternal life by His bodily resurrection from the dead.

The Cross is the sign that determines the direction, path, and destination of my life.

Not some man-made collection of star patterns.

If you’re a Christian and answer honestly, that the sign you were born under is the Cross, you don’t know what doors of witness might open up to you.

But then again, maybe not.

But at least you didn’t deny your Savior.

“And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory.”—Jesus, Matthew 24:30

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

Cure For A Stinky Attitude, Buddy Brief

Buddy wasn’t too thrilled to get a bath this afternoon, but he was starting to get stinky. No one wants to be around a stinker.

Sometimes I have a stinky attitude; the only thing that can wash it away is to remind myself about God’s love and power toward me.

“But You, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head. I cried aloud to the Lord, and He answered me from His holy hill.”—King David, Psalm 3:3-4

Reminding myself to call out to my Lord when I feel distressed or sad gives the Holy Spirit the opportunity to work on my attitude.

And He will lift my attitude skyward, to rise above my circumstances, to remember that He is with (me) always, even to the end of the age,*” to grant me the courage to face the day.

Nobody enjoys the company of someone with a stinky attitude. Instead of wallowing in self pity, it’s best to call out to Jesus, just like the ancient King David did.

Jesus is always willing to listen.

*Jesus, Matthew 28:20

God bless you.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

Yes, You Could Lose Everything, Except… Romans 8:38-39

Got any chickie?

The thought of losing Buddy one day makes me want to cry. But he won’t ever truly be lost, just separated from me until I join him in heaven one day. He’s been my fur pal for over thirteen years now.

Yet, I’m still hoping to be raptured together. Although he’s 16 years old, he’s still pretty spry,so I am hoping for a few more earthly years with him.

The following is a bit harsh, but want to challenge you to consider something, if you haven’t already.

Don’t deceive yourself. If you don’t have the courage to speak up now for what is right and to defend your liberty, then you definitely will NOT do so when the AntiChrist arises. You will take the Mark of the Beast.

This sounds awful, but it’s the truth: If you’re a coward now when the stakes are lower, you’ll be a coward then.

Yes, if you stand for Jesus and godly values, it’s possible that evil people will attack you. They’ll slander you, maybe try to financially bankrupt you or take away your liberty.

Or even take your life.

For me, the hardest thing would be to witness my loved ones suffering, particularly if the abuse is aimed at them because of me.

But there is something the devil and his servants can never take from you: your soul.

“For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”—Apostle Paul, Romans 8:48-39

Now I’m not sure if I will have the courage then that I have now. Indeed, the stakes are lower now.

So I occasionally pray that the Lord will give me the strength to stand strong On That Day, if the “abomination of desolation (Mark 13:14)” arises and desecrates the temple of Jerusalem (Daniel 11:31) during my lifetime.

Because when it comes to Jesus and spiritual matters, it’s only by the power of the Holy Spirit that I can walk in triumph.

For it is only through Christ “I can do all things through Him Who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13).”

For “thanks be to God Who always leads us in triumph in Christ (2 Corinthians 2:14).”

If you’re feeling afraid, please remember Christ will strengthen you, if you will ask Him.

God bless you.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy.

***

There’s something way more scarier and awful than being a coward: It’s dwelling in the kingdom of Satan, rather than walking in the kingdom of light in Jesus Christ.

Because being called bad names may hurt our egos, but the devil is damaging souls under his power.

You see, there IS NO neutral territory: You’re either living in the kingdom of Satan or in the kingdom of Christ.

Do you feel like something’s missing in your life? Like there is an empty space on your soul that can never go away, despite how hard you try to fill it with things or relationships you think should make you feel happy—but don’t.

Your soul was created to be united with God’s Spirit. If you feel empty, it’s because the Holy Spirit isn’t filling that space in your heart where He is supposed to dwell.

If you haven’t yet, please consider asking Jesus to be your Lord and Savior. He died for your sins, so that you don’t have to, and was resurrected bodily on the Third Day to prove that He is God and can give you supernatural, eternal life.

Please repeat the below prayer, out loud, if possible:

Dear Heavenly Father, I’m sorry for my sin. Please forgive me. I call on Jesus to be both my Lord and my Savior. Please fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I give my life to You. And please teach me how much You love me. 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. Just as your body needs daily nourishment to be healthy, so does your soul. The Bible is your soul food.

And attend a Bible-believing church or Bible study, and get baptized. If that’s not possible right now, I recommend the following 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). There are other godly ministries, but it’s easy to be deceived by bad teaching or legalism until you know the Bible fairly well.

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

Demanding Treats Now! Psalm 27:14

Yesterday in the USA Americans celebrated our Thanksgiving holiday when we focus on our blessings and, hopefully, also express gratitude to our Creator “Who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy (1 Timothy 6:17)”.

Buddy nearly drove me crazy last night as he apparently believes that I’ll forget he’s standing near my feet unless he whines consistently to remind me to give him some meat.

There’s no way that I’d ever forget to share with my pal. I’m well aware where he is.

I bought a pocket-sized book of the Psalms. I’m trying to read several every morning before starting my day.

What really strikes me, as I read the Psalms, is how frequently the writers are in deep distress and need to reassure themselves that God will eventually rescue them. They trust by faith in God’s promises and love for them, reassuring themselves that He’ll eventually answer.

It’s just a fact of our spiritual life that God cannot show Himself strong on our behalf if we weren’t in a situation needing rescue.

Psalm 3: The number of enemies against David are overwhelming.

Psalms 4 & 5: David is the victim of slander.

Psalm 6: David is wearing out himself weeping because of his troubles.

Psalm 9: David is oppressed by his enemies.

And so it goes.

David is so distressed, that he laments:

“How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me? How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily? How long will my enemy be exalted over me?”—Psalm 13:1-2

How long? How long? How long will You make me wait, Lord? I’m suffering!

David’s distress caused him to feel as if God didn’t care and had abandoned him.

It’s easy to keep faith when God answers instantly to rescue us. But much more difficult when the problems last for days, weeks or even years.

I wonder how I must look to God sometimes. Am I whining constantly like Buddy, believing God has forgotten that I need something from Him? Just like Buddy cannot open the refrigerator and grab himself a piece of turkey, there are times that I am totally dependent on God to come through for me. He needs to open that door of blessing that remains shut in my face.

It seems to be a fine line between trusting on God’s love for me and His promises in Scripture…

And barking for treats.

I have to remind myself that my prayers are requests. The same Lord Who fashioned the heavens and the earth and all its inhabitants graciously meets my requests because He loves me.

But I am not God’s boss.

He’s my Lord and King.

I don’t get to order Him around.

When I’m demanding that He rescue me immediately, I’m barking demands at Him, rather than trusting that He knows what He’s doing and what’s best for me.

Poor Job; he suffered severely and unjustly in a cosmic game of chess. Yet God reprimands him for questioning His goodness and fairness, basically reminding Job that He’s not the Creator.

So when in great distress, I need to remind myself not to demand immediate rescue.

Not to bark at God.

Not whine continuously till I’m irritating.

I need to learn to wait—to trust that He hears me.

Delays encourage faith in His love and goodness.

As David reminded himself in his distress:

“Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He will strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord!”—Psalm 27:14

And he would see “the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.”—Psalm 27:13

Ask Him to strengthen your heart as you wait.

God bless you.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

***

Any situation we find ourselves in this life is fleeting in comparison with eternity.

God’s greatest desire is to rescue us from our sinful lifestyle and bring us into fellowship with Him.

We cannot earn our way into heaven please by doing more good deeds than bad deeds.

Jesus declared that God’s entrance standard was perfection (Matthew 5:48). One nasty word or wicked thought and we fall short of the mark.

We sin because we have sinful hearts that need to be transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit. Only through Jesus can we receive eternal life.

The leaders and gods of other religions cannot give you the Holy Spirit.

Only Jesus can.

Do you sense that your life and heart needs transformation? Do you realize that your life would improve if you weren’t your own worst enemy?

Why not call on Jesus? He lived a perfect life because we cannot. As a result, he could die in our place to take the punishment our sins deserve. He rose bodily from the dead on the Third Day, proving that He was “God in the flesh (Matthew 1:23)”.

If you’re ready, please say the following, 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, and best friend. Please transform my heart and life by the power of the Holy Spirit. 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 soul food. Just as your body needs daily nourishment to be healthy, so does your soul. It’s also the main way that God communicates with us.

Also, please start attending 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. May Buddy and I meet you in heaven one day.

Move That Mountain! Matthew 17:20

Buddy’s getting a little hard of hearing. Or perhaps he’s developed that “selective hearing” so many family members tend to develop. I’ll call out to him to come into the house, but he’ll keep roaming and sniffing, totally oblivious to my commands.

And then I surreptitiously open a cookie bag…

And, suddenly, Buddy leaps to alertness.

Similarly, it’s said that the pupil doesn’t hear the message till they’re ready to receive it.

Or, in my case, it could be an instance of forehead thumping, dense thinking that needs to be penetrated.

(I’m posting three photos because the last one is the photo that shows up in links.)

Christian motivational writer, John Mason, recommends reading something positive each day to maintain a godly, positive mindset in our negative, fear mongering culture. So I pulled from my bookcase a positive thinking book that I’ve read about ten years ago but kept shelved since.

Now Pastor Peale has many critics, some valid as he wasn’t a perfect man, but he believed that the challenges of life could be met fearlessly and overcome through faith in Jesus. That faith is relevant for daily living, not just confined to a Sunday sermon. A fellow Cross Country runner gave me one of his books in high school, which was my first positive introduction to Christianity, as I was raised in a cult religion that taught Christians were false teachers serving Satan. Until that book, “You Can If You Think You Can,” I’d been told God was a scary guy who wanted to throw a fireball at me if I got out of line.

That’s a bit of an aside to my head slapping moment.

Jesus’ twelve disciples asked Him why they couldn’t cast a demonic spirit out of a boy, which was trying to destroy his life.

“He replied, ‘Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, “Move from here to there,” and it will move. Nothing will be impossible to you.’”—Matthew 17:20 (NIV)

I’ve always been puzzled by this verse. Can we really command nature to obey?

Pastor Peale likened this verse to believing faith.

Then the big “Duh” moment came: Jesus was using the ancient Jewish tradition of hyperbole, using exaggeration to make a point.

When Jesus says to “pluck out your eyes,” “if your eye causes you to stumble” (Mark 9:47), He wasn’t advocating dismembering ourselves to avoid enticements to sin that torment us through our human vision, such as lust, envy and coveting. He was using hyperbole to emphasize that we must be careful what we’re looking at and how we perceive those images. We can choose to gaze at the one fruit from the one tree God says not to eat—or we can choose to look at all the delicious fruit He permits on many other trees available to us (Genesis 3).

In the same way, Jesus doesn’t discount that there will be mountainous challenges blocking our life path. In fact, we may be on the path God wills for us to travel, yet encounter those steep climbs that can discourage us from continuing onward.

Buddy keeping a vigilant eye on me.

But with faith in the Lord, Who promises to hear our cries and help us, we can expect that mountain of difficulty to be navigated successfully or removed out of our path.

“From my distress I called upon the Lord; the Lord answered me and put me in an open space.”—Psalm 118:5

“I sought the Lord and He answered me, and rescued me from all my fears.”—Psalm 34:4

“On the day I called You answered me; You made me bold with strength in my soul.”—Psalm 138:3

Jesus promises to answer if you have enough faith to merely ask for help and guidance.

So what mountain of difficulty do you need to ask Him to help you move or overcome today?

Hope this helps you.

God bless.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

***

So what is faith? Is it grunting out enough belief? Or feeling like you have enough faith?

Or is it the object of your faith?

We all have faith in something. For the average person, it’s faith in oneself to be good enough to earn God’s favor to earn a ticket into heaven.

Or enough faith to know we’re too rotten to earn a pass and lose hope of ever getting through those pearly gates, so why not live it up, because hellfire awaits anyway?

But the truth is: Faith needs an object.

And that focus of faith should be Jesus, God in the flesh (Matthew 1:23). Believing in anything, or anyone else, as our basis to enter heaven is mistaken.

Having faith in our own efforts—or lack of them—will never measure up to God’s standards. He demands perfection to enter heaven (Matthew 5:48).

But the Good News is that one perfect sacrifice for our sins was offered to pay our sin debt—“Once for all (Hebrews 10:10)”—by Jesus. As God in the flesh, Jesus was the only perfect God Man to satisfy the entrance requirement to heaven. Since He had no sins to pay for, He was able to substitute His death on the Cross for the punishment our sins deserve.

Are you tired of trying to measure up, to be good enough, to earn God’s approval? Jesus invites you to find rest and peace in Him from your self efforts and asks you to trust in Him:

“Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”—Matthew 11:28-29

If you’re ready to give you life to Jesus and travel a new path in life, please pray the following, out loud, if possible:

Dear Heavenly Father, I’m sorry for my sin and ask you to change my life and heart. Please forgive my sin. I ask Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. I give my life to You. Please fill me with Your Holy Spirit. And teach me about Your love for me and others. 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. Just as your body needs daily nourishment, so does your soul; the Bible is your soul food. I suggest starting with the Book of Matthew as it’s easy to understand.

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). There are other godly ministries, but it’s easy to get misled by bad teaching or legalism till you know the Bible fairly well.

God bless you.

May Buddy and I meet you in heaven one day.

Jesus Wasn’t Always “Nice,” Matthew 23:33

Buddy looking for me.

I took this photo this afternoon. While I was doing my back exercises, Buddy lay in his bed while keeping a watchful eye on me. When I had to leave the room to make lunch for my mother recovering from surgery, he got up to investigate where I’d gone. He likes to keep a watchful eye on me.

When I adopted Buddy, he became my furever friend. I’d never abandon my pal—willingly. If death suddenly claims me would be the only cause.

Which is why his prior owner placed Buddy for adoption: She was dying of cancer and was unable to prevent her husband from mistreating Buddy.

Can you imagine a man so callous?

I cannot imagine mistreating my pal, although I’ll admit to rate moments of not speaking nice when I’m frustrated, for which my pal always forgives me. (I’ve had a few things to forgive Buddy for, also. After all, he is a terrier.)

I guess there’s an advantage to not being raised Christian, as I haven’t been exposed to Christian memes my entire life. (I was saved from Satan’s kingdom at age 28, for which I’ll always be thankful.) One widely repeated phrase is that if you’re nice, you can get a person’s attention so that you eventually win the right to preach the gospel to them.

“Preach the Gospel at all times, and, if necessary, use words.”—St Francis of Assisi

Which is sort of a work’s righteousness attitude, that one’s good works can win someone to Christ, rather than the Gospel. Or, as Apostle Paul said,

“How then will they call on Him in Whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him Whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher?”—Romans 10:14-15

I actually discovered this website that claims St Francis of Assisi never said that. And agrees with my assessment of the attitude: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/factchecker-misquoting-francis-of-assisi/

Okay, please follow me here. You can note above a Christian meme repeated often, yet is not true.

It’s the Gospel that shatters the stubborn, flinty heart of pride (Jeremiah 23:29).

So back to being nice—or not.

Jesus called the religious, legal and political rulers of the Jewish people: “You serpents, you brood of vipers, how will you escape the sentence of hell?”—Matthew 23:33

Jesus wasn’t exactly being “nice,” was He?

In fact, in the section of Scripture described as the “Eight Woes” in the NASB translation, Jesus calls them (Matthew 23:13-36):

“Hypocrites”—verses 13, 14, 15, 23, 25, 27, and 29. (Seems like Jesus is trying to make a point here.)

Are hell bound—verse 13, sons of hell—verse 15.

Blind guides, fools—verses 16 and 17.

Prevent others from entering heaven—verse 13.

Take advantage of widows, pray long prayers for show, and are condemned—verse 14.

Reject justice, mercy and faithfulness—verse 23.

Full of robbery and self-indulgence—verse 25.

Murderers—verses 34-35

But, the gentle Jesus spoke kindly to the common person: tax collectors, prostitutes, fishermen, adulterers, the sick and lepers, children, etc. He seemed to have enormous patience, also, with his disciples.

Jesus spoke harshly to those who were misleading the children of Israel and hindering the saving work of God’s kingdom, denying that Jesus was their awaited Messiah, the Christ.

In fact, the only time it’s recorded that Jesus spoke harshly to the disciples is when Peter tried to convince Jesus not to give His life as a sin sacrifice on the Cross, temping Jesus not to fulfill His mission:

“Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, ‘God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You!’ But He turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me;’”—Matthew 16:22-23 (Interesting that Peter still acknowledged Jesus was the Lord, yet was telling Him what to do. Don’t all of us Christians do the same at times? I do.)

So, my point is: There are times when it’s appropriate to rebuke people, yet do so without hypocrisy (2 Timothy 4:2). When someone is in a leadership position, they can influence many ordinary, or powerless, people in the wrong way. They may be misguided (Nicodemus repented) or wickedly misleading people into ungodly behaviors.

Evil sometimes needs to be called out for the benefit of others.

It takes courage to “speak truth to power.”

If you lack courage, wisdom or opportunity to do so, then please pray that the Lord guide you how to respond properly toward evil leaders.

Or support those willing to do so, just as the army of Israel initially was afraid but followed David into battle after David killed Goliath (1 Samuel 17).

Please remember: Evil persists till it’s challenged.

Even God challenges evil: It’s called “consequences”. So that people repent.

Hope this prompts some contemplation.

God bless you.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

PS. Jesus did pay a consequence for challenging the Jewish leaders. They convinced the Romans to crucify Jesus, a man Pontius Pilate knew was innocent (Luke 23:4). Be certain that you’re prepared to suffer the consequences of standing against evil leadership.

***

Yes, it’s scary to stand up against people who have power over you. But there is a Creator Who loves you Who has already defeated evil in this world by dying on the Cross for your sins and then was resurrected from the dead on the third day to give you His resurrection life (Romans 5:8, 6:4).

It doesn’t matter what sins you’re guilty of. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).” Every person is born spiritually dead in their sins and needs God to forgive them. Not one single person is good enough to earn their way into heaven by their good deeds (Matthew 5:48).

“Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved (Joel 2:32, Romans 10:13).”

Are you willing to accept God as Your Lord, your moral authority? To recognize that He sent His Son Jesus, “God in the flesh (Matthew 1:23),” to die for your sins so that you don’t have to?

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

Dear Heavenly Father, I’m sorry for my sin. I ask You to please forgive my sin and I call on Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. I ask the Holy Spirit to fill me and seal me for eternity as Your child. I give my life to You. Please teach me how much You love me, so that I can love others like You do. Thank you for hearing my prayer. In the mighty name of Jesus, amen.

If you prayed sincerely, congratulations, you are born again. Please start reading the Bible daily, as it’s your spiritual 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 read.

And please join a Bible believing church or Bible study group. 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) or http://www.AndrewFarley.org (The Grace Message). There are other godly ministries, but it’s easy to get misled by false or legalistic teaching until you know the Bible fairly well. Pastors Max Lucado, Chuck Smith and Chuck Swindoll also wrote excellent books.

God bless you as you start your new life.

May Buddy and I meet you in heaven one day.

It’s A Matter Of Perspective, John 4:35

You left me!

If you’ve read last week’s blog, you know that I spent a week in New Orleans, Louisiana, visiting my brother. My parents took care of Buddy while I was away. They love my furry pal and took good care of him, but, unhappily, Buddy spent quite a lot of time staring at the front door, anxiously awaiting my return, instead of enjoying frolicking around a one-level home.

One one hand, I’m glad that Buddy is attached to me and wasn’t happy about my leaving him. But on the other hand, I love my pal and wished he’d enjoyed himself more.

I recently listened to a podcast by the fiction writer and book coach, Sophie Hannah, who has found fame by writing a new series of books featuring Agatha Christie’s iconic detective, Hercule Poirot. Fortunately, I stumbled upon her website, when searching for something else. (https://dreamauthorcoaching.com/)

She discussed the concept of cognitive bias, as to how we search for information that already confirms what we believe, whether our current beliefs are true or not. As a book coach who enjoys encouraging writers to be persistent in pursuing their publishing dreams, she mentions that if someone believes their goals are too difficult to achieve, then they focus on facts and thoughts that confirm that belief. But if a person believes their goals are worthy and achievable, they’ll interpret events and setbacks more positively and continue pursuing their publishing dreams.

There’s more to her particular application of the concept, as the discussion lasts a little more than an hour, but it got me thinking about whether the modern Christian Church also has a cognitive bias that is preventing us from winning the culture war and advancing Christ’s kingdom on earth.

We must admit that something seems seriously wrong in today’s Western culture: corruption appears to suffuse all aspects of government, corporations and media, and there no longer seems to be a cultural consensus where the line is drawn between being strange or being downright perverted, to defining what moral degradation is nowadays.

“If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?”—Psalm 11:3

But does the Christian Church have a negative cognitive bias?

I know many Christians who are wringing their hands in despair, that is, when they aren’t clutching the handles of their suitcases, waiting for Jesus “to be me up.”

“And He (Jesus) did not do many miracles there, because of their unbelief.”—Matthew 13:58

Was it because Jesus lacked power?

Certainly not. God is the source of all life and energy in the universe. And Christ was “God in the flesh (Matthew 1:23).”

But one insidious aspect of cognitive bias is that you act on your beliefs. If you believe Jesus can work miracles, then you’ll take the time to ask for miracles, to pray that the Holy Spirit would work in might and power to claim souls. If you don’t, then you’ll be busy with some other activity than prayer, or wringing your hands with anxiety and earning a massive stomach ache.

I do believe we’re in the Last Days before Christ’s Return. But does that mean we should just consider advancing Christian faith in the world a waste of time? That Satan holds all the cards and we should just accept that Armageddon and God’s Judgment is just around the corner?

Or can we decide to look at our current spiritual malaise and cultural rot as a great opportunity to hope for, and earnestly pray for, a spiritual revival?

Is today’s world morally more depraved than Ancient Rome? Babies were exposed* to the elements if they weren’t perfect or wanted, false gods were worshipped everywhere, gladiators provided murderous entertainment, and perversion abounded.

But what did Jesus see?

A great opportunity to save the lost!!!

“Do you not say, ‘There are still four months until the harvest?’ I tell you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are ripe for harvest.”—John 4:35

Where the apostles could only see the visible world, Jesus saw the invisible reality that souls were ready for harvesting. Where some may despair, seeing degradation and chaos, Jesus saw opportunity.

So, what is your spiritual cognitive bias?

Because what you believe, will determine your feelings, which then leads to action— or inaction.

To earnest prayers for salvation and wielding the mighty sword in spiritual warfare.

Or to binge watching television and hoping you’ll survive till the rapture.

God bless you.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

*https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-roman-studies/article/abs/childexposure-in-the-roman-empire/3410A0618E4B37F1CF1EE52B11DC89F4#

***

This wicked world cannot truly offer you hope. Life is unpredictable. But there is an immovable Rock, a North Star that you can guide the ship of your life by that is true and honorable. His name is Jesus Christ of Nazareth and He died to take the punishment our sins deserve to reconcile us to God (Roman’s 5:10).

Adam and Eve rejected God’s moral authority in their lives and died spiritually, as the Holy Spirit left the human race. When you confess you’re a sinner who needs God’s moral guidance in your life, you’re doing the reverse of rebelling against God like our first ancestors. And you become a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17) by the power of the Holy Spirit, indwelling and giving supernatural life to your formerly sin dead spirit.

God hates sin and must punish it. But Jesus His Son took that punishment instead, so that whoever invites Him to be their Lord and Savior can have eternal fellowship with Him.

Are you ready to repent of your sin and ask God into your life? I’ve never regretted making that decision. I only wish I’d invited Christ into my life 15 years sooner; I’d have avoided a lot of unnecessary heartache.

Nobody can earn God’s love—it’s freely given. Don’t believe the lie that you’ve sinned too much and cannot be saved. Apostle Paul helped round up Christians to be jailed and executed, before Jesus confronted him and changed the direction of his life.

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

Dear Heavenly Father, Please forgive my sin. I ask Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I give my life to You. Please teach me how much You love me. And help me to know You. I ask in the mighty name of Your Son Jesus, amen.

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

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) or http://www.AndrewFarley.org. There are other godly ministries, but it’s easy to be misled till you know the Bible fairly well.

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

The World Has Always Been A Mix Of Good And Bad People, Proverbs 25:26

NOT a happy dog.

We train our pets so that they can interact with us and others, both human and animal, in a civilized fashion. Because Buddy was abused for three years before being rescued by his foster mother, I was reluctant to discipline him because he was so fearful.

He’s a little monster now in some ways, but generally is a good boy. He’s small enough that I can quickly pick him up if I sense trouble brewing.

The book of Proverbs has a warning that many Christians do not seem to be heeding:

“Like a trampled spring and a polluted well is a righteous man who gives way before the wicked.”—Proverbs 25:26

We want to obey Christ and not judge, because we want others to come to know that God loves them and to encourage them to be saved.

But Christianity has always been about balance.

Jesus also commanded:

“Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”—John 7:24

In the Old Testament, God cautions the prophet Samuel:

“Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature…for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”—1 Samuel 16:7

So what does this really mean?

We cannot judge a person’s motives, because we cannot see their heart. Even Martin Luther in his pamphlet “Christian Liberty” warned that bad people can do good deeds. Only God examines the soul.

But that doesn’t mean that we cannot judge a behavior as right or wrong.

As the title to this blog post states, there has always been a mix of good and bad people in this world. If not for good people standing up against evil, bad people would prevail and do great harm. It’s not loving others to allow them to become victims of evil.

So besides a fear of disobeying God and wrongly judging others, what might cause a person to permit the dirt of sin to pollute our world (Proverbs 25:26)?

Five things, I believe, which God hates or warns against.

1. Cowardice: “But for the cowardly…their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”—Revelation 21:8

2. Unbelief, uncertainty that God is with a person to help them prevail against evil: “For by You I can run upon a troop; by my God I can leap over a wall…He trains my arms for battle.”—2 Samuel 22:30, 35

3. A false belief that Satan and evil is more powerful than good: “Upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of Hades will NOT overpower it.”—Jesus, Matthew 16:18

And:

“Do not be afraid of sudden fear nor the onslaught of the wicked WHEN it comes; for the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught.”—Proverbs 4:25-26

4. Naivety: “For the waywardness of the naive will kill them,”—Proverbs 1:32

5. Passivity: “And the complacency of fools will destroy them.”—Proverbs 1:32

To summarize: cowardice, unbelief, underestimating God’s power, naivety, and passivity can cause good people to run from responsibility to stand against evil.

I’m not guiltless. But I don’t want to die a coward, letting my country go down the drain or see people hurt, enslaved or murdered because I wasn’t willing to speak out and “stand firm against the schemes of the devil (Ephesians 6:11).”

So are you standing against evil?

Or running away?

God bless you.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

***

Without the power and presence of God working in your life and heart, it’s difficult to muster up the courage to fight evil or just withstand the pressure to conform, even when you know something is wrong and you shouldn’t be participating or giving tacit approval through silence.

But no power is more mighty than God’s.

“The earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains, the world and those who dwell in it.”—Psalm 24:1

In Psalm 2 God mocks at the nations which don’t want Him nor His Messiah, Jesus, ruling over them. He is in control of history, nations, time and people. Nothing escapes His notice.

God is kind and works in people’s lives, even those who refuse His love nor acknowledge His existence.

But if you want eternal life and assurance that He hears your prayers (Matthew 7:7-11), please surrender your life to Him, acknowledging Him as Your Lord and God.

Please repeat the following prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, I call on Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. Please forgive all my sins. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit. Save me from your wrath on Judgment Day because Jesus died for my sins. I give my life to You. Be my God, Father, Savior and Wonderful Counselor (Isaiah 9:6). Thank you for hearing my prayer. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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

Also, please join a Bible-believing church or Bible Study and get baptized. If that’s not possible right now, I suggest these three ministries: http://www.LTW.org, http://www.InTouch.org and http://www.AndrewFarley.org. There are other godly ministries, but it’s easy to be misled till you know the Bible fairly well.

God bless and thanks for reading my blog. May Buddy and Then meet you in heaven one day.