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.
Regardless of what you think about the sport of horse racing, I hope you’ll continue reading and take away what I hope will be a great encouragement to you.
In horse racing there are two main types of winners: front runners and closers.
The front runners will pop out of the gate straight to the front, remain in front throughout the entire track and cross the finish line first. The other horses may challenge the front runner but never manage to edge out to the lead position.
But there is another type of horse that runs last or near the back of the pack for most of the race. They don’t look at all like winners.
But something amazing happens during the race. When the front running horses begin to tire, the closers seemingly catch a second wind and begin to close in on the lead. The horse that looked like it was doomed to finish last or near the back of the pack begins to challenge the leader.
And, amazingly, that horse once near the back closes in and surpasses the lead horse to win the race.
If you’re a front runner, great. Keep running your race and don’t look back. Keep your eyes straight ahead toward the finish line.
But if you’re like me, feeling like you’re trotting along near the back of the pack, take heart.
You can still win your race if you don’t lose heart and give up.
And please remember: There are many races to run. The trainer and jockey agent places the horse in the race they think the horse can win.
If you cooperate and listen to Jesus, He’ll place you in the right race.
“The Lord will accomplish what concerns me; Your lovingkindness, O’ Lord, is everlasting;”—Psalm 138:8
Buddy and I love the Pacific Ocean beach. After walking along the marvelous boardwalk at Longbeach, Washington, Buddy and I found rest, lying in the cool sand amongst the beachgrass, allowing the salty breeze to flow over us.
We live in frightening times. The West is increasingly self-destructing, the citizenry no longer appreciative of their Christian heritage: individual rights, property rights, animal rights, archeological preservation, women’s rights, the abolition of slavery, conservation; and marvelous cathedrals, symphonies, and paintings, etc. Led by ungodly intellectuals and other elites, who don’t acknowledge that their talent and intelligence are gifts from the Almighty Creator, the accomplishments of Western Civilization are increasingly disdained, ignored or denigrated.
People who reject Jesus usually believe that people are basically good, yet reject the positive attributes of Western Society and focus only on the negative.
Basically, many elites believe Western Culture should be dismantled, burned to the ground, in favor of erecting a new society…
Made in their own image, divorced from the West’s Christian roots.
If you’ve read this far, you likely identify with the king of the ancient, united kingdom of Israel, King David, who prayed the following to the Lord:
“Give heed to me and answer me…Because of the voice of the enemy, because of the pressure of the wicked;…My heart is in anguish within me, and the terrors of death have fallen upon me.
“Fear and trembling come upon me, and horror has overwhelmed me.”—Psalm 55:2-5
Over three thousand years ago King David also felt overwhelmed by the evil of his day. Which goes to demonstrate that technology may change and customs, but not human nature.
I often feel exactly as David did in response to the wicked times he lived in:
“I said, ‘Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest.
“‘Behold, I would wander far away, I would lodge in the wilderness.
“‘I would hasten to my place of refuge from the stormy wind and tempest.’”—Psalm 55:6-8
I don’t know about you, but I often wish I could run away with Buddy to some quiet cabin in the wilderness, nestled amongst pine and fir trees, far away from evil people. Buddy could race after squirrels and I could sit on a checkered blanket, eating a tuna fish sandwich while listening to, and watching, a burbling brook meander by.
But then I’m reminded of several things:
One: I often fight evil within myself. I’ve had to pray many times not to hate the people trying to destroy my country, my faith, and my family. Not to despise those who are increasingly pushing our nation toward tyranny and denying the existence of their Creator.
I can flee to the wilderness, but am still bringing evil with me. There’s days some people would love to flee from me, too!
Two: “Our Father Who is in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”—Jesus, Matthew 6:9-10
We all have an advantage that King David didn’t have: the prophecies in the Book of Daniel, in the Book of Revelation, and other Biblical prophecies after his time.
I have to remind myself that God has a plan to bring human history to a close. Jesus is coming (possibly in our lifetimes) to claim this world, purchased with His blood, as His own and end the reign of evil.
As Jesus taught, it’s His will, not mine. Although I live in troubled times, Jesus did forewarn in Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21 that scary times will come. I need to accept it’s His plan in play, not mine.
Three: There is a place to run to when I’m scared. I’m never alone nor unprotected.
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
“Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change and the mountains slip into the heart of the sea…
“The nations made an uproar, the kingdoms tottered; He raised His voice, the earth melted.
“The Lord of Hosts is with us…”—Psalm 46:1-2, 6-7
Yes, there is good cause today to be fearful and angry.
But God has a plan.
And we can find refuge through coming to Him, admitting our fears and seeking His comfort, a comfort this deteriorating world cannot give.
Hang in there, my friend. Jesus knows every hair on your head (Matthew 10:30). He’s in control.
God bless you.
Much love from Dawn and Buddy
***
Jesus is our rock and our fortress, “a very present help in trouble.” But if you don’t acknowledge God exists, loves you, and is the King, then your confidence is in feeble, changing people or your own ability to control the events of your life.
That you have ultimate control is only an illusion. The recent pandemic proved that most of life is beyond our control.
But nothing is beyond the power of The Almighty God Who is unlimited in power, knowledge and presence (omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent).
Jesus promises to answer prayer. But only for His children Who accept that He died for their sins and was raised bodily from the grave to give eternal life to those who acknowledge Him as Lord and God.
If you don’t know Jesus, the only prayer you can be confident He’ll answer is a prayer of repentance, asking Jesus into your heart as Your Lord and God.
God us gracious and does answer prayers at times for those who don’t know Him, in order to show His love and care. But you cannot have any confidence that He will listen, only a hope.
Why not ask Jesus into your life to bring you comfort and peace?
“My peace I give to you…”—Jesus, John 14:27
Peace is a gift from God to those who ask for it.
No earning. No grunting it out.
Just asking.
Won’t you invite God into your life right now?
I’m so glad that I did, years ago.
If you’re willing, please repeat the following, out loud if possible:
Dear Heavenly Father, I’m tired of feeling afraid. You are God Almighty, in control of the universe and Creator of all life. Please forgive my sins. I ask Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. I acknowledge He died for my sins and rose bodily from the dead, proving that He is God. Please fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I give my life to You. Please teach me how much You love me. Thank you for answering my prayer. In the name of Jesus, Your Son, amen.
If you prayed sincerely, congratulations, you’re 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. The Bible is your soul food.
Also, please join a Bible believing church or Bible study. And get baptized. If that’s not possible right now, I 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 legalism or false teaching till you know the Bible fairly well. Ask God to guide you as you read and seek godly information.
Buddy wasn’t happy with me when I returned home today after being away for several hours. He let me know how he felt about it. He almost looks like he’s ready to do battle when I took the photo above.
Speaking of battles, one of my favorite verses from the Biblical book of Proverbs has been on my mind this week:
“The horse is prepared for the day of battle, but victory belongs to the Lord.”—Proverbs 21:31
After Moses died, the Lord appointed Joshua to lead the nation Israel across the Jordan River to claim the Promised Land for their territory. Joshua sent the priests carrying the Ark of The Lord ahead of the people before they crossed.
Later, God promised to fight on behalf of the people of Judah after “a great multitude (2 Chronicles 20:2)” of the enemies of the nation gathered together to attack them. Victory seemed impossible.
But Jehoshaphat loved and trusted the Lord. After requesting that the people of Judah fast, the king prayed sincerely from his heart, declaring their dependence upon the Lord to save them as the nation gathered before him. Then he took the following action:
“And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who should sing to the Lord, and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying:
“‘Praise the Lord, for His mercy endures forever.’
“Now when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated.
I think one reason Western Christian Civilization is in danger is because most Christians don’t realize that we’re in a spiritual battle, so they don’t bother to “prepare for battle.”
It’s my belief, and I cannot prove this, is that the lockdowns stopped corporate worship. And too many people have not returned to church once the lockdowns ended. The above two passages from the Bible demonstrate the importance of depending upon the Lord to defeat the enemies of our faith and of the necessity of praise and worship.
Thankfulness expressed to God for our blessings and declaring His magnificence, creativity, power and love, I believe are a vital part of winning spiritual battles.
Satan absolutely hates hearing The Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—praised because He loathes God. He knows his judgment is inescapable, so he’s doing as much harm as he can to those God loves: the human race, made in His image (Genesis 1:27).
We complain about people’s behavior and the seeming onslaught of wickedness in our modern culture, but they are not our true enemies: the powers influencing them are:
“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.”Apostle Paul, Ephesians 6:12
To summarize:
Remember that you ARE engaged in a battle. Ignoring this fact will just make you a casualty.
Prepare your “horse” for battle.
Praise, worship and honor God Who indwells you and fights on your behalf. This also gives you confidence as you remind yourself how powerful that Big Guy on your side is.
And remember that your true enemy is not the hapless people in bondage to Satan; instead, have pity on them and ask God to save their souls.
Pray, requesting God’s counsel and guidance, then step forward in faith, crossing whatever Jordan River our Mighty God has asked you to cross.
God bless.
Much love from Dawn and Buddy
PS. I hope you’ll memorize Proverbs 21:31 as it’ll remind you that victory comes from God. I cannot tell, or promise, what shape that victory will take.
***
You cannot defeat the forces of darkness in your own strength. But Jesus defeated Satan and the powers of darkness when He died for our sins and then was resurrected bodily on the third day.
“Having disarmed principalities and powers… (Colossians 2:15).”
So that He “might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives (Hebrews 2:15).”
People who don’t believe in an afterlife just grab all the gusto they can to build their castles and kingdoms in this life. It’s tough being in the rat race, because not all the rats can win.
But knowing Jesus can free you from having to grasp for every little tidbit of cheese you can scramble together. He promises eternal life in His kingdom to those who accept Him as their Lord—meaning acknowledging He’s God and your boss.
“Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”—Jesus, Matthew 11:28
The “rest” Jesus promises is for your soul. You can relax and find spiritual peace in His kingdom.
Are you ready to stop grasping for all the gusto, wearing yourself to a frazzle? Would you like God to start leading your life?
If so, please pray the following, out loud if possible:
Dear Heavenly Father, I’m tired of the battle, of trying to live life without Your help. I need rest in my soul. Please forgive my sin. I ask Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. Please grant me Your Holy Spirit. I give my life to You. And please show me how much You love me. Thank you for hearing my prayer. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
If you prayed sincerely, congratulations, you’re born again. God has given you spiritual life. Please begin to read the Bible daily, as it’s your soul food. Just as your physical body needs daily nourishment to be healthy, so does your soul. I suggest starting with the Book of Matthew and reading forward, as it’s easy to understand. And try to remember to ask the Holy Spirit to guide your understanding, as it’s a supernatural book.
And start attending either a Bible based church or Bible study. And get baptized. If that’s not possible right now, I suggest the following two ministries, which also have apps, if that’s your preference: http://www.LTW.org (Leading The Way) and http://www.AndrewFarley.org (The Grace Message).
God bless you. May Buddy and I meet you in heaven one day.
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.
Buddy can be impatient about getting his needs met. Sometimes it’s a good thing: He’s learned to bark when he wants into the house, important on a hot day. But he can be insistent on getting walkies, not wanting to wait to get his harness on. But the harness is critical to keep him safe from harm while we take our walks.
Multiple times I’ve heard famous preachers refer to this Biblical verse:
“Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the Lord.”—Psalm 27:14
Christians hear many sermons about “waiting on the Lord,” but not how to do that.
Some make the error of thinking you send up a prayer and then go about your business, hoping God arranges things or changes minds to answer the prayer.
Sometimes we think it means doing what you can and then let God work out the consequences, directing where “the chips may fall”.
Or just going with the flow of events in your life, floating downstream without any resistance and hoping the current takes you where you want, that God is directing the river along a desirable pathway. The old “Let go and let God,” mantra.
But after several decades as a Christian, I believe this is really what is meant by waiting on the Lord: Acting toward desires and goals following God’s ways of doing so.
The ancient King of Israel, David penned Psalm 27 in a time of great personal distress. According to BibleStudyTools.com, there is no agreement amongst scholars when David wrote the psalm, before or after he became king.
But I think the time period before he ascended the throne of Israel provides an excellent example of waiting on God.
The following events are chronicled in the Old Testament Book of 1 Samuel, chapters 15 and following.
The Lord rejected the first King, Saul, as ruler over His people because Saul’s heart wasn’t totally devoted to fully obeying Him (1 Samuel 15:26). Although the prophet Samuel loved Saul and was grieved by God’s rejection, he obeyed the Lord and anointed a young shepherd boy to be the next king.
But after David was officially anointed as Saul’s successor, he never stirred up rebellion nor went to war to claim his right to rule. He submitted to King Saul’s sovereignty until forced to flee when the jealous king sought to kill him to prevent his ascension to the throne, displacing his own selected successor, his son Jonathan. David fled to the wilderness to preserve his life, instead of planning to assassinate the king, prompting civil war.
Many disaffected men over a period of years joined David, accepting him as their leader. But David didn’t recruit his servants: They came willingly. King Saul was determined his family would inherit the kingdom, although he knew it was not God’s will. Saul forgot that Israel was not his personal kingdom, but the Lord’s; he was supposed to be a steward over the people, acting under God’s authority, which he rejected. He continued seeking to murder David, even though David had never made an attempt to seize the throne or murmur against the current king’s rule.
Twice, during his pursuit of David, King Saul unknowingly put himself in a vulnerable position, where David or his followers could have killed him. David was even encouraged to do so by his men. But on both occasions, David refused to murder the king.
On the second occasion, David rebuked his top commander, Abishai, for encouraging him to assassinate Saul:
“‘As the Lord lives, the Lord shall strike him, or his day shall come to die, or he shall go out to battle and perish.
‘The Lord forbid that I should stretch out my hand against the Lord’s anointed.’”—1 Samuel 26:10-11
David trusted in God’s promise that he would become king one day. He obeyed the Lord, while trusting God would work out His will in His timing.
Now David was not passive. He knew it was God’s will that he become ruler, but he wanted God’s timing, not his own. He refused to act in an ungodly way to obtain his goals. He refused to compromise his moral beliefs, even when prompted by others.
How to apply this lesson from David’s life to our own?
David was not passive. He continued praying but was not inactive in pursuing his goals. He fled, for instance, instead of allowing Saul to kill him. He even submitted to Saul’s authority, even when mistreated. He learned how to command men and to provide for all their needs in the wilderness, away from Jewish civilization. He never advocated rebellion against Saul’s authority.
He trusted God, even when the “chips didn’t fall his way.” He trusted God’s sovereignty and ability to fulfill His will for David’s life. He didn’t give up and just “go with the flow.” He played an active role in God’s plan, not just waited and did nothing.
Another way of stating my position: It’s not wrong to have goals and desires. But, also, to be open to God moving events in a new direction which may not align with our plans.
But we must try to achieve those goals God’s way, which means, by playing the game of life according to His rules, not sinful ways.
If God wants you to have a promotion, or attain an elected office, you will achieve that goal through honesty, perseverance and hard work. Maybe even get some help from unexpected sources.
But if you need to cheat or lie to obtain an elected position, or backstab and slander a fellow employee or lie on your resume to win that job, you obtained the goal either out of God’s timing, (if it was His will), or achieved a goal He didn’t intend for you. Obtaining wealth through defrauding or deceiving others, or committing crimes, or deliberately harming others, are obvious modern applications. And satisfying sexual needs through seducing a married person or other ways God forbids. I’m sure you can think of many other examples.
In other words, if you sin to obtain a goal or desire, it’s either not God’s will that you have it—or not the right time for you.
And anything you obtain through sinful behavior will bring you—and possibly many others—great sorrow and harm.
To summarize: To wait upon the Lord is to act in a godly fashion toward your goals and dreams, trusting that you don’t have to obtain them through unrighteous, fleshly means.
To “help the Lord” means that you’re taking matters into your own hands by trying to shove open doors through ungodly behavior that God either isn’t ready to open yet or He may want to redirect you to a better doorway to enter through which has unforeseen blessings.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will direct your paths.”—Proverbs 3:5-6
Even when life doesn’t make sense, don’t get anxious. Love and worship the Lord. Keep living life and working to fulfill your dreams by acting godly and lovingly. And He’ll open the right doors in His timing.
Because Jesus loves you.
David knew he would be king one day, so he trusted God to fulfill His promise, despite how difficult the wait was.
He prayed. But wasn’t passive. He acted, but did not disobey.
Was David perfect? Nope. But neither are we. Confess your sin when you get anxious and slip up, and keep trucking.
Believe me, please. I learned what it meant to “wait for the Lord“ the hard way because it was never explained to me properly. I want you to not only reach your goals, but also to enjoy God’s blessing when you obtain them His way.
God bless you.
Much love from Dawn and Buddy
PS. Or as Pastor Blaine Smith once said, “God steers a moving ship.”
***
Jesus loves you. And wants to help you through the difficulties and hardships of this life. God never promises an easy life. But He promises to bring your soul safely to heaven where God will wipe every tear from your eyes (Revelation 21:4), and there will be “no more sorrow” or “pain.”
Your life is a fairy tale, full of dark woods, danger and evil rulers. But you get to choose the ending: eternal joy—or sorrow by dying separated from a loving God forever.
Will you choose the happy ending? Living with the Prince Who rides a “white horse (Revelation 19:11)” and lives in a palace of gold and precious gems (Revelation 21:18-21)?
That good King your heart has always been longing for is Jesus, God in the flesh (Matthew 1:23).
Will you accept Him as your Lord and King today? Will you let Him rule in your life? Will you accept that Jesus died on the Cross for your sins and was raised to prove that He is God (1 Corinthians 15:1-4)?
If so, please repeat the following prayer, out loud if possible:
Dear Heavenly Father, please forgive my sins and wash me white as snow*. I call on Jesus Christ to be my Lord and Savior. Please fill me with the Holy Spirit. I give my life to You. Teach me how much you love me. Thank you for answering my prayer. In the mighty name of Jesus, Your Son, amen.
If you prayed sincerely, congratulations, you’re born again. Please start reading the Bible. Just as your body requires daily nourishment to be healthy, so does your soul; the Bible is your soul food. I suggest starting with the Book of Matthew, as it’s easy to understand.
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 and http://www.AndrewFarley.org (The Grace Message). There are other godly ministries, but it’s easy to get misled by legalism or false teaching till you know the Bible fairly well.
God bless you. May Buddy and I meet you in heaven one day.
It’s been a blessing to move from Washington State to the Arizona valley. Most days I can walk Buddy without the two of us getting soaked with rain. My feet usually remain dry most days and Buddy doesn’t need toweling off.
Now I don’t know if Buddy understands what a shadow is or recognizes his own shadow.
The church, similarly, seems not to recognize who it is.
“And coming to Him (Jesus) as to a living stone which has been rejected by men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God, you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Christ Jesus.”—Apostle Peter, 1Peter 2:4-5
I believe one reason evil is advancing in the world is a lack of prayer and praise; the church is spending too much time watching media and playing video games, instead of praying that His “will be done on earth as it is in Heaven (Matthew 6:10)” and expressing love for His blessings and His precious character.
Jesus warned (and Abraham Lincoln later quoted) that:
“Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and a house divided against itself falls.”—Luke 11:17
The Church has forgotten, in many ways, that we are one spiritual house founded on the cornerstone Christ Jesus. We are one body (Romans 12:5), yet do not act like it.
An army cannot conquer its enemies when the soldiers scatter and do their own thing. They must gather together under the authority of their commander.
This is not a new problem for the Christian church, however. The Apostle Paul warned against forming a personal identity under other persons, earthly authority figures, rather than under Jesus Christ alone:
“For when you say, ‘I am of Paul,’ and another, ‘I am of Apollos,’ are you not mere men?
“What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one. I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth…We are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.”—Apostle Paul, 1 Corinthians 3:4-6, 9
Why are Christians referred to as “living stones” and “God’s building”?
The apostle Paul continued in verse 16: “Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?”
Satan loves to cause division because then it’s more difficult for godly people to martial both physical and spiritual forces against him.
Every person who is born again—who has the Holy Spirit indwelling them—is a living stone and a member of the body of Christ.
The church needs to stop splitting itself up, like the ancient Corinthians, and remember that we follow one Lord and one leader through Jesus Christ.
We follow Martin Luther or John Calvin or John Wesley or the Apostle Peter, for example, huddling in groups within our separate church walls while Satan attacks our culture along multiple fronts.
And the Church wails and wonders why everything seems to be going to Hell?
ALL born again believers are ONE church.
Time to remember and declare who we are:
ONE body in Christ Jesus.
“But thanks be to God, Who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:57).”
God bless you.
Much love from Dawn and Buddy
***
A person can be indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God?
Yes. We were created to be united with God, His life flowing through us. But Adam and Eve decided to reject God’s authority, choosing to listen to Satan the tempter, instead. They died spiritually at that moment, so all of their descendants—you and me—are also born spiritually dead, separated from God.
But God loves us too much to remain separated from His Creation. He provided a way to reconcile the human race back to Himself by sending Jesus to suffer the punishment our sins deserve. God hates sin and will not suffer evil in His presence. He had to find a way to declare a person a clean vessel for the Holy Spirit to inhabit once again.
We are washed clean of our sin by the blood of Jesus. (The old hymns emphasized this truth. Sadly, many modern songs lack strong declarations of Christian doctrine.)
“Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,…”—1 Corinthians 15:3-4
It’s a marvelous experience to discover that the God of the Bible is real. But you have to invite Jesus to live His life in you; God never forces Himself in anybody. (Although He may in some instances strongly act to convince you, author CS Lewis, for instance.)
If you’re ready to truly experience spiritual life and change at the center of your soul, please pray the following, out loud if possible:
Dear Heavenly Father, Please forgive my sin. I believe that Jesus suffered the punishment for my sin, died, and rose on the third day to prove that He is God in the flesh*. I ask Jesus to be my Lord and Savior and invite that the Holy Spirit into my life. I give my life to You. Teach me how much You love me. In the name of the Lord Jesus, amen.
If you prayed sincerely, congratulations, you are born again. Please start reading the Bible. Just as your physical body needs daily nourishment to be healthy, so does your soul need spiritual food—soul food. I suggest starting with the Book of Matthew as it’s easy to understand. Always ask the Lord to guide your understanding as it’s a supernatural book.
“If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you WILL be saved;”—Romans 10:9
Please join a Bible believing church or Bible Study. And get baptized. Christians are designed to be in fellowship with God and each other, not wander alone in a hostile culture. If you cannot meet with others in person at this time, 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 get misled by legalism or false teachings until you know the Bible fairly well.
Pastors Max Lucado, Chuck Smith and Chuck Swindoll also have published many excellent books, if you enjoy reading.
God bless you as you begin your new life in Christ.
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.
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.
Buddy shocked me when he walked over to my artificial Christmas tree and knocked my manger scene ornament off the tree. He chose that one particular ornament to flip to get my attention.
He got it.
Now Buddy is a creation of God, but he doesn’t know about Jesus and His manifestation in the flesh (Matthew 1:23), which Christian believers celebrate on Christmas Day. It’s probably just a coincidence that he chose that particular ornament, as it was within reach of his nose, rather than a secular ornament. It’s unlikely that his goal was to show God disrespect.
This winter, I’ve been thinking about who Jesus hung around with. Yes, He loves everybody and sat at the table to share meals with sinners—people who weren’t following the Lord—and with self righteous sinners who thought they knew God.
But who did Jesus spend His private time with? And most of His personal time with? His 12 disciples, the 72 others who served Him, and the women following Him and offering financial support. Not people who had no interest in serving, or knowing, the Lord.
The Apostle Paul issued a warning in his letter to the Corinthian church, whose members were struggling to overcome various sins:
“Do not be deceived; ‘Bad company corrupts good morals.’”—1 Corinthians 15:33
This story about Abraham’s nephew, Lot, particularly distresses me. Abraham had a discussion with God, begging Him not to destroy the city of Sodom if only ten righteous men lived within the city (Genesis 19:32). Abraham was concerned about the welfare of his nephew, Lot, who lived in the city limits of Sodom. So God sent two angels to visit Sodom.
Lot met the two men and “urged them strongly (vs 3)” to spend the night in his home and not stay in the city square, as it wasn’t safe. When the men of the city learned that Lot harbored guests, they knocked on Lot’s front door, insisting that he open up and let them have sex with his guests.
Lot refused, rightly so. But he demonstrated his moral confusion by offering his two virgin daughters, in the place of his guests, to be raped.
As a woman, it really bothers me that Lot considered his only two offspring, his daughters, to be treated like cheap meat to be abused then disposed of.
Lot moved into the vicinity of Sodom because there wasn’t enough grazing land for his livestock and his uncle’s, but then he moved his family progressively closer to the pagan city till he lived within the city limits and participated in its civic life.
After God rescued Lot, because ten good men couldn’t be located in the city, Lot lived in a cave with his two daughters. Apparently the pagan culture also influenced Lot’s family, as each daughter got their father drunk, slept with him, and became pregnant. They lacked the faith to trust God to care for their needs, so they took matters into their own hands to ensure their family line continued.
(Now their offspring became the nations of Moab and Ammon, who caused the nation of Israel quite a bit of grief later in the history of Abraham’s own offspring.)
Now I’m not saying that Christians shouldn’t be friends with unbelievers. The Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 5:9-12, that we’re not to avoid associating with unbelievers, as we have to live in society. But not to associate with believers who are engaged in immoral behavior.
When I first got saved, my close friends were unbelievers. Their behavior greatly influenced my character, beliefs and behavior till I grew strong in the knowledge of God’s Word, the Bible, and developed close Christian friendships through the church.
The Apostle Paul also admonished that we should “not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness with lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?”—2 Corinthians 6:14. We should not marry, nor own a business, with nonbelievers as they can skew our moral compass in the wrong direction. (If you get saved while already in these relationships, you’re not to break your contract with them (2 Corinthians 7:10-16).
So, in conclusion, we need to be in contact with unbelievers to help point them toward a relationship with the Lord, without making them feel like they have targets on their backs. We’re to love them, just as God loves them, showing them kindness and respect. But our closest friendships should be with godly people who can influence us for good and gently correct us when needed. We need people in our lives who’ll help keep us on the good Shepherd’s path (Psalm 23:3). Who have a moral compass pointed in the direction of Jesus and not the worldly culture.
Because we already have a daily battle with the world (1 John 5:5), the flesh (Galatians 5:17), and the devil (Ephesians 6:11). Our close friendships should be with those who help us to conquer.
God bless you.
Thanks for spending your time reading my blog post.
Much love from Dawn and Buddy
***
You may start each New Year with the best of intentions, yet find yourself falling flat on your face once again, having difficulty breaking old habits.
No surprise! But some habits are more difficult to overcome than others.
As above, every person has three ungodly enemies trying to push each person into bad decisions: the world, the flesh and the devil. But Jesus died on the Cross, taking the punishment for our sins, “once for all (Hebrews 10:10),” to free us from the enslavement to sin (Romans 6:17-18). For the believer who has faith in the finished work of the Cross and has become born again by the Spirit of God (1 John 3:24, 4:4), the power of sin is broken. A believer can break bad habits (although some are overcome with more time and effort in cooperation with the Holy Spirit than others). This is called the sanctification process: over time, God’s Spirit gradually conforms a believer’s moral character to be more like Jesus (Romans 12:2, 1 John 5:1-5).
If you’d like a new start in life by becoming born again spiritually, please repeat the following prayer, out loud if possible.
Dear Heavenly Father, I’d like a new start in life. I ask Jesus Christ to be my Lord and Savior. Please forgive my sins and fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I give my life to You. Please show me how much You love me and bring godly people into my life to disciple me. Thank you for hearing my prayer. In the mighty name of your Son, Jesus, amen.
If you prayed sincerely, congratulations, you’re born again. Just as your body needs daily nourishment, your soul needs daily food; the Bible, which is your soul food. Please start reading it regularly. I suggest starting with the Book of Matthew, as it’s easy to understand.
Also, please join a Bible believing church or Bible study. If that’s not possible right now, I suggest these two ministries, which also have apps, if that’s your preference: http://www.LTW.org (Leading The Way) and http://www.AndrewFarley.org (The Grace Message).
May Buddy and I see you in heaven one day.
Have a great year as you begin your new relationship with the living and almighty Lord God.
Once again, life has proven that a person cannot predict what a day will bring. I was walking Buddy Thanksgiving morning in the nearby green belt as we’ve done many times. But, apparently, two visiting dogs escaped from one of the townhomes. The chow was not aggressive, but for some reason the standard poodle was determined to harm Buddy.
The poodle ran half a block and snapped at Buddy, injuring his back right side as I lifted him up into the air. Buddy struggled and I feared he’d hurt his long back. The poodle ignored me but kept jumping upward to attack my pal. I love dogs and didn’t want to hurt it, so I kept kicking it flat footed against its chest. But it would not back off.
The poodle was tall. Neighbors heard my screaming and invited me into their home to wait till the aggressive dog left the green belt. It was quite a challenge to keep Buddy out of reach as I ran into the home. A few minutes later, it appeared that it was safe to leave. I thanked Maria and her mother.
It wasn’t safe.
The poodle saw us leave and scampered back to attack. I ran between two homes and placed Buddy onto a fairly tall HVAC condenser, while yelling and kicking the aggressive dog away. A resident of one of the homes came outside, saw what was happening, and began picking up rocks and throwing them at the dog. The poodle finally ran off. Fortunately, I was only about a hundred yards from my parent’s home and was able to get us both to safety.
With my heart pounding loudly in my chest.
The attack was unprovoked. Yet that poodle was determined to harm Buddy.
The next day I was able to get Buddy to his vet who cleaned the wound, shaved the fur away and prescribed antibiotics. Although my mother used hydrogen peroxide to clean the wound and neosporin to prevent infection, I was concerned that his fur would cause an infection. I didn’t sleep well that night!
After calming down a few hours later, I realized that I’d been singing and praising Jesus out loud and giving thanks just before the attack. The dog’s persistent aggression certainly ended my praise.
Was it a coincidence or an attempt by Satan to silence my praise? I cannot say definitively as the spiritual world is invisible.
Many born again Christians I know has at some point told me a story about a demonic attack against them. Mostly the encounters are unseen, but, occasionally the victim has seen an entity.
Now, my desire is not to frighten anyone. I just want to arm you with a few strategies in case you have an encounter.
My number one warning is: NEVER think you’re an expert in spiritual warfare. And be suspicious of anyone who claims to be an expert. The demonic has been around for thousands of years and has far more intelligence and experience than you’ll ever have. They are deceitful spirits (1 Timothy 4:1) and have had plenty of practice at it.
My number two warning—and this is very important—is never stray from God’s word in spiritual warfare. Do not go by someone’s experience but by what God’s word says. Any deviation can get you into trouble.
And, thirdly, you must be a true Christian, indwelt by the Holy Spirit. The seven sons of the Jewish chief priest Sceva were severely attacked by one man possessed by one evil spirit (Acts 19:11-17) because they tried exercising spiritual authority which they did not rightfully have.
Now, between screams I prayed for God to help and protect Buddy. He normally uses people (as does the devil) to accomplish His will. I truly believe that those two neighbors were God’s way of helping us.
But the type of attack I’d like to address in this blog is that spirit of oppression, which often feels like you’ve suddenly been draped with, or encapsulated by, a suffocating presence. You have trouble thinking, or speaking or moving. Often this may occur after you turn out the lights and attempt to sleep. Why darkness matters, I don’t know.
I don’t claim to be an expert!
If you cannot speak, you must at least pray to Jesus in your mind and ask for help and His deliverance. Once you can speak any words at all, cry out to Jesus, even if just to say His name. For it’s only in the name of Jesus that “every knee should bow…and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:10-11).” Only the name of Jesus is given “the name which is above every other name (Philippians 2:9).”
Once you’ve cried out in the name of Jesus, keep crying out till the oppression eases. Then take authority by saying, humbly, “In the name of Jesus, and covered by His blood, I command you to leave.”
ALWAYS do so in the name of Jesus and under His blood covering. Not to do so is to be presumptuous, that you have the power over evil. You don’t; it’s given to you by God alone. Only in the name of Jesus must every power bow down.
Jesus wants you to know: “the exceeding greatness of His power toward those who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. And He put all things under His feet and gave Him to be head over all things to the church,”—Apostle Paul, Ephesians 1:19-22
Then begin singing praises to God. Evil hates hearing Jesus, our Lord, thanked and praised. He wants us to blaspheme and curse God (Psalm 139:20).
I also suggest turning on the light and keep praying and praising God till you’re certain you’re delivered.
Those are your weapons of warfare: prayer and praise and the blood of Jesus (Revelation 12:11).
As Jesus said in Luke 10:19-20: “I have given you authority…over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”
Two further caveats: “Trouble will come to him who seeks evil (Proverbs 11:27).” I highly advise not seeking out spiritual warfare opportunities and don’t watch ghost hunting shows. And stay away from witchcraft and fortune telling and all forms of the occult (Deuteronomy 18:9-14). Stay out of the devil’s domain. If you’ve been involved in these activities, ask God to forgive you and turn away from them. As my Pastor, Jon Bjorgaard, says, “God has Satan on a leash; so stay out of the devil’s reach.”
Secondly, repent from known sin. But, please, don’t be paranoid about it. “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).” Nobody is perfect. We all have sin to confess and faults we struggle with to overcome. But if you’re engaging in sexually immoral behavior, for instance, don’t count on Jesus to protect you. He may, because He’s kind and loves all of His children, but don’t presume upon His assistance. He may choose to withhold help till you repent of something you know He’s been telling you to repent from but are refusing to do so.
This is definitely not the topic I was planning to blog about tonight, but the unprovoked aggression against Buddy got me thinking about how evil can suddenly attack without warning.
So be ready. Use God’s weapons.
“You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord; He is their help and their shield.”—Psalm 115:11
Hope this is helpful.
God bless you.
Much love from Dawn and Buddy
***
If you are not born again, which means you’re indwelt by God’s Spirit, you don’t have authority over evil spirits. They may trick you into thinking you do—through casting spells or giving peace offerings—but you don’t. They will cooperate in any way to keep you from seeking Jesus and His protection.
“If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.”—Apostle Paul, Romans 10:9
You see, everyone is born spiritually dead, devoid of the Holy Spirit of God, because our first ancestors rejected God as their moral authority. When you confess Jesus as Lord, you’re reversing that first rebellion against God, by asking Him to be your moral authority and your Lord. You’re asking Him to deliver you “from the kingdom of darkness and translate you into the kingdom of the Son of His love (Colossians 1:13).” In other words, you’re confessing that God is the boss, not you.
If you’re ready to invite Jesus into your life, please pray the following, out loud if possible:
Dear Heavenly Father, I ask Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. Please forgive all my sin. I invite the Holy Spirit into my life and give my life to You. Help me to repent and free me of those sins I struggle with. Thank you for my new heart. In the powerful name of Jesus, amen.
If you prayed sincerely, congratulations, you’re born again. Please start reading the Bible, as it’s your spiritual food. Just as your body needs daily nourishment, so does your soul. I suggest starting with the Book of Luke as it begins with the Christmas story.
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 get misled by legalism or false teaching till you know the Bible well enough.
God bless you. May Buddy and I meet you in heaven one day.
Meditations About God and Buddy 