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2025 A Year of New Beginnings!

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Why do we get so excited about celebrating the end of one year and the beginning of the next? Maybe it’s because we have a fresh start to do those things we didn’t accomplish or finish in the past year. Maybe the past year had disappointments and heartaches. Maybe we didn’t finish or even start last year’s goals and we want to try again this year.

Even if the past year was wonderful, we get excited about making new life history. This New Year, we’re excited to have a positive direction change in our nation. We’re glad the blundering administration’s four years are over and we can’t wait for the new competent administration to start. Many people today are counting down to January 20 like they countdown to Christmas. We have high hopes and expectations for President Trump’s promises and plans and his cabinet choices to start cleaning up the carnage left by the failed anti-American, anti-faith, anti-common sense Biden administration.

Whatever our reasons, most of us are ready to “turn the page” of 2024. I’m personally embracing the motto “Revive in 2025.” That was the opening article theme of my December 2024 About His Work Ministries newsletter. If you don’t receive the free newsletter, you can sign up here and read the article here.

Revive Your Bible Reading in 2025

Each of us will determine what we want to revive in our personal life this year. For some, it might be reading the Bible in a year, which is something I’ve enjoyed doing for years. I’m praying for my daughter and granddaughter who are committing to this revival in their life in 2025. Each is using a different reading plan, and I’m cheering and praying for them to accomplish this worthy goal by the end of the year. Their lives are going to be abundantly revived and enriched by what God has to say and show them through His Word. They’re in for a huge blessing!

Some of you might be committing to reading a Scripture a day for 365 days. No matter how you do it, gleaning the wisdom, encouragement, love, and guidance from letting God’s Word, the Holy Bible, speak to you daily will result in a spiritual and personal revival.

I’ve found that changing up the Bible translation I read each year adds freshness. Last year, I listened to the Bible from Genesis to Revelation on my earbuds while working out at the gym. I finished the last chapters at the gym on December 31! Combining physical enhancement with spiritual enhancement put a new kick in my step. I followed the CBN annual Bible reading plan, which I’m doing again in 2025.

There’s still time to start if you would like to read the Bible this year or maybe read the Old Testament or the New Testament.

Revive Your Prayer Life in 2025

At the beginning of 2024, the Lord told me my prayer life was going to deepen. I was curious to know what He had planned for me. Then I became involved with My Faith Votes (MFV) and soon I was enjoying prayer zoom meetings on Monday mornings with MFV action partners from across the nation, and during the week, with our MFV group here in Idaho. What an inspirational way to start the day praying with like-minded fellow conservative men and women as we called on the Lord with our petitions and praises for our country, state, and each other.

Even as I continue praying and serving with My Faith Votes in 2025, God has more for me this year. On December 30, 2024, Hubby and I watched Kirk Cameron’s Takeaways program on TBN. A rerun we hadn’t seen, but God wanted us to see it. Kirk was interviewing Matthew West, a favorite Christian musician of ours who we’ve seen perform in person. Kirk and Matthew’s topic was prayer. Matthew has a new album out “Don’t Stop Praying,” and he and Kirk had an inspirational discussion about prayer.

Matthew West says about his new album: “My new album #DontStopPraying is OUT NOW!! Each song in its own way is inspired by the different types of prayers we find ourselves praying throughout our lives. We pray prayers for strength when we are weak, prayers for a miracle when we need a breakthrough, prayers for purpose when we feel lost. Most of all, I wanted to make a record that echoed the call I have felt in my own heart to hit my knees like never before and never forget that the most important conversation I could have today, and every day of my life, is with the One who made me, knows me, and has the best plan for my life. I hope these songs inspire you to discover for the first time, or maybe rediscover, the power of a prayer.

West is going to share some of his favorite “mission statement” songs on his Facebook page every day in January to kick off the New Year, which I’m going to listen to. He also has a prayer wall on his website.

God was using Kirk Cameron and Matthew West to talk to me about enhancing my prayer life. Isn’t that just like God to show a past episode just two days before the start of 2025! It was obvious that God had new prayer revelations and plans for me in the New Year.

Then January 3, God moved again. He woke me up early, and as I settled into my quiet time chair with a cup of coffee, I turned on my cell phone. Pastor Jack Hibbs was looking back at me on Facebook live. Apparently, Pastor Hibbs had started on January 1, at 5:00 am PT, 6:00 am MT, a 5–10-minute morning prayer group. You can tell he too is just waking up. With tussled hair, wearing a hoodie, and talking softly outside to not wake up the rest of the house, he shares a short devotional and Scripture based prayer. If you’ve ever heard Pastor Hibbs speak, his knowledge of the Bible, no notes, just talking directly to us, is amazing.

Now, maybe you don’t want to wake up that early, and I don’t always either, but he’s recording live on his Facebook post and sharing on Instagram and X, so you can watch it anytime you want. The idea is to start your day praying with him and others. Here’s how he describes it for those who would like to join us.

Beginning January 1, 2025, I invite you to join me for LIFT: Daily Prayer – A Global Prayer Meeting. I will be live on Facebook at about 5 am [PT] for about 5-10 minute daily. These will be rooted in Scripture and prayers for mercy, grace, healing, peace, guidance, and strength.

If you miss the live prayer time on Facebook, it will be there for you to playback at any time. We will also share these on Instagram and X so you can watch and get involved on those platforms. We want you to share these videos and leave a comment with your prayers and prayer requests so that the community can pray with you. Let’s truly make this a Global Prayer Meeting together. See you tomorrow! Here is a link to my page. Please follow: https://www.facebook.com/RealJackHibbs

As I write to you today, we’re only 5 days into 2025, but God’s already showing me two ways to revive my prayer life by listening to Matthew West’s prayer album and starting each morning in prayer with Pastor Jack Hibbs. Won’t you join me.

Revive Your Health in 2025

If nutrition and health is on your 2025 revival list, and you’re excited like I am about “Make America Healthy Again,” you’ll enjoy my latest Nutrition Nook article in Christian Living Magazine, Make Your Body Healthy Again in 2025.

As a former Registered Dietitian, I always say, “Once a dietitian, always a dietitian.” I’m thrilled that the Trump administration will be looking into the thousands of toxins and additives in our foods that aren’t even allowed in other countries!

Also on a side note, did you read the recent report by the US Surgeon General that alcohol has been linked to seven types of cancer? He wants alcohol labeled just like cigarettes, “Alcohol is a cancer risk!” Alcohol consumption is the “third leading preventable cause of cancer” in the country with tobacco and obesity taking the top two spots.

The liquor lobby, manufacturers, and distributors distribute propaganda to the public that small amounts of alcohol are good for your health. A blatant potentially lethal money-making lie. The small amounts of antioxidants found in red wine for example are also found in larger amounts in blueberries and spinach, which are good for you, not harmful.

Alcohol is a toxin and causes inflation. How could it be good for you when besides cancer, it also leads to obesity, lethargy, depression, sleep problems, and addiction?! If you drink alcohol, consider asking yourself, “Why?” With the high cost of healthy food today, maybe your 2025 budget could use the break of eliminating cancer-causing alcohol.

How is God Reviving You in 2025?

What revival plans has God put on your heart for 2025? Please share and let me know.

You can leave a comment here.

January 6, 2025
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Vote To Let Freedom Ring and Remain!

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Engaging in discussion regarding the people and platforms involved in the 2024 election can be frustrating and even divisive. This blog will post the day before we find out which side will govern our country for the next four years or maybe longer. It might take days in our current election chaos to know the outcome of the election. That says so much about the deterioration that has occurred at every level of government.

What’s distressed me most this election season is discussions with fellow believers who have opposing worldviews. We read the same Bible and pray to the same God, so how can this be? I think the answer is the powerful influence the mainstream media, which has literally become a propaganda arm of the Democrat/liberal/progressive party, has effectively had on the minds and hearts of people who to me seem brainwashed and blinded by Satan’s lies. Yet, they’ll tell me I’m brainwashed as they defend the evil the Democrat party wants to inflict on us. It amazes me that they can’t see the moral, spiritual, and economical destruction that’s occurred in our country and our culture over the past four years. How could they call this good?

I’ve also seen Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS) at its worst exemplifying the power of propaganda and lies to influence intelligent godly people to hate and detest someone so much they would vote against Trump knowing the other side has an evil, demonic, anti-God agenda. They hate Trump more than they love America. Even Trump commented recently when asked why he thought so many people have such strong views against him, even to trying to assassinate him. His response is that only consequential candidates produce that kind of reaction in people. Many in the deep dark Washington swamp don’t want him in power because they know he’ll reveal and remedy the evil that’s taking place there.

Speaker Johnson has warned that Republicans need to win the Senate and the Congress because if the Democrats win either one, they’ll immediately try to impeach President Trump. How crazy is that?!

As we countdown to the election, here are links to the blogs the Lord led me to write about this election. Also, I’ll post the About His Work Ministries opening newsletter article “What Does It Mean to Think Biblically” because not everyone receives my monthly newsletter. (You can sign up at my website.)

What Does It Mean to Vote Biblically? continues to receive more hits than any blog I’ve ever written.

Don’t Be Fooled by the ‘Joy and Vibes’ Political Shield, which now has turned to ugly name calling, yelling, and angry tirades.

What Does It Mean to Think Biblically Versus Culturally or Secularly?

The opposite of thinking biblically is thinking secularly. Christians should vote their faith and values, but when we see the polls of Christians voting for a candidate whose platform is anti-biblical, anti-life, anti-Christian, anti-God, and anti-capable, it’s evident that many Christians aren’t checking with God or their Bible before selecting a candidate’s platforms and policies to govern our land. That goes for down ballot too.

It’s blessed me to see many Christians during this election cycle who aren’t afraid to discuss politicized biblical issues like sanctity of life, marriage, sexuality, protecting children from pornography and gender mutilation, and God’s design for humanity. Social media is full of brave posts and conversations. Now many are speaking and posting biblical values publicly. Praise God!

I even heard one pastor say, “Don’t be afraid to talk about politics and religion at holiday or family gatherings.” For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. 2 Tim. 1:7 NLT

We need to speak God’s truth no matter the circumstances. It’s the fear of man rather than the fear of God that has sent many Christians underground and silenced them. This has congruently allowed a nefarious government to successfully enforce laws contrary to God’s laws. But God’s Word in Hebrews 13:6 NLT assures us, “So we can say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?’”

However, here’s what “mere people” will try to do when Christians don’t speak up and vote. Ohio voted to codify abortion into the state constitution and a judge recently ruled unconstitutional the state’s previous six-week abortion ban law, which had been the law in Ohio since 2019.  “Ohio voters have spoken,” Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge Christian Jenkins wrote in the filing. “The Ohio Constitution now unequivocally protects the right to abortion.” I would add, nullifying rights and protection of the unborn.

Why weren’t there enough Christian Ohio voters to protect the unborn? Ohio, once considered a conservative red state, is now a “swing state.” Up for grabs politically and morally. How did the Christians in that state let this happen? How is it that after the Supreme Court ruled unconstitutional Roe v Wade and sent the decision back to the states, that we now have more abortions not fewer? More precious babies killed in the womb before they have the right to life?

Harris’ platform is to federally codify abortion in every state, which would strike down unborn baby protection laws like those we have in Idaho that bans all abortion. Christians need to vote against her and her radical platform.

Pro-life activists and leaders in Missouri are sounding the alarm about Amendment 3, the “Right to Reproductive Freedom Initiative,” on the ballot that would not only result in unrestricted abortion through all nine months of pregnancy, but would also “go way beyond abortion” and enshrine transgender surgeries on children. Let’s pray Missouri Christians are sounding the alarm to vote it down.

How are some Christians okay with killing human babies? Surveys tell us they are?  45% of Christians and 6 in 10 Catholics say they’re in favor of abortion and are voting for an unbiblical political platform?!

The only answer has to be that some Christians aren’t praying and reading their Bible to help them think biblically. Their worldview is influenced by secular culture, not God’s Scriptures. They may go to Bible studies, attend church, and check the Christian box. But they’re not allowing the Bible to transform and renew their mind and heart, thus their thinking and actions. How can I say this? Because God would NEVER condone killing human babies that He creates in His own image.

Randall Terry of Operation Rescue, along with several pastors, created TV commercials to depict the horrors of abortion and he’s paying to run them during prime time. Here’s the link to one that ran on The View, but warning, it’s graphic.

Tools For Thinking Biblically

Our Couples Bible Study group is viewing and discussing a My Faith Votes free online video series “Think Biblically” led by faith experts to help Christians stand firm on God’s Holy unchanging Word and think biblically about culture and politics. The video series is designed for churches, small groups, families, friends, couples, or on your own. The focus is to help Christians firmly align their beliefs with God’s Word and gain an understanding of how their views of culture align with a biblical worldview.

A quote from Think Biblically website: “In today’s polarizing world, many struggle to anchor their views on the truth of God’s Word. Now, more than ever, Christians need to evaluate our nation’s issues through a biblical lens and stand with an unshakeable faith.”

Another free resource, even after the election, is from Cissie Graham Lynch, granddaughter of Billy Graham and daughter of Franklin Graham. Fearless Family: Eight-Day Election Prayer Guide to take a biblical look at the issues affecting the heart of our families. Cissie writes, “Today, we are surrounded by a culture, both inside the church and out, that continues to compromise on truth and morality. It feels as if the only sin in America today is to call something sinful! Marriage, gender, sexuality, equality, and justice are simple words that have been twisted and redefined in ways God never intended. People are choosing to be ruled by their feelings rather than truth. My grandfather once said, ‘The secret strength of a nation is found in the faith that abides in the hearts and homes of the country.’ We must have a strong faith if we want to have a strong nation!”

What Does It Mean to Think Biblically?

  • We’re guided by God’s Word and His truths alone, not the latest cultural or political trend or talking points.
  • We will not bend to political or social pressure.
  • We will not break our vows, promises, and adherence to God and His laws.
  • We will stand for our faith and biblical values, even when they’re unpopular, especially when they’re unpopular.
  • We won’t be intimidated or coerced into denying the Gospel. We will be proud of our faith never apologetic for our Christian beliefs.
  • We will fill our minds with Scripture not propaganda.
  • Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2
  • Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. Col 3:2
  • Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life. Pr. 4:23
  • For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Heb. 4:12
  • All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Tim. 3:16-17

“Our battle is not between political parties—it’s a matter of good versus evil. Truth versus lies. And God’s absolute truth never changes—no matter how our culture tries to redefine it.” Cissie Graham Lynch

Please Pray and Vote on November 5th If You Haven’t Already!

If you’re undecided about how to vote, listen to this message by Pastor Jonny Ardavanis at Stonebridge Bible Church in Franklin, TN “Pastoral Perspective on Politics.”

Also join in a prayer group on Monday Nov. 4th as they take place online, in person, or in your own homes and churches. Pray for God’s will to take place at the voting polls. Election interference subverted. Truth and justice prevail.

My hope for after the election is “Revive in 2025.” I pray God is preparing us for a mighty revival and just as we became brave and bold speaking against the evil that one side is trying to legitimatize, we would continue supporting biblical values and God’s good and gracious plans for the America we’re so blessed to call home. No victory is ever won easily. It takes diligence, persistence, focus, and God’s wisdom and discernment.

This will be my last blog for the month of November. I want to thank you for letting me share what God puts on my heart each week. I pray no matter who wins this election, you’ll continue serving God wherever and however He calls you!

Have a blessed Thanksgiving month. To God be the glory for the things He has done and will continue to do until His Son, Jesus Christ, returns.

Here’s a beautiful song from Danny Gokey, My America. Listen, watch, enjoy.

Please leave your comments here and I will reply.

November 4, 2024
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The Lies Satan Uses to Deceive Christians and Churches

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You’ve heard it said, maybe you’ve said it yourself, “Christians and the church should stay out of politics.” Satan has used that lie effectively to transform America from a country that honored God and godly principles to electing a current administration that bows to evil demonic ideologies. It’s been a steady progression to a tipping point of a 2024 American presidential ticket with two progressive extreme left neo-Marxists! Both of the candidates on that ticket have demonstrated a lack of integrity, honesty, and morals, while embracing Marxist ideologies that attempt to replace God with government.

By trying to become gods without submitting to the God, they rebel against Romans 13:1-2. “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God” (vs. 1).  We’re only to honor government that acknowledges its authority comes from God. Those currently in power, and seeking to keep power, fall under the second verse.  2 “Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority [of God] is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.”

God has more to say to governing rebels about their insolence.

There are six things the Lord hates—
    no, seven things he detests:
17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that kill the innocent, 18 a heart that plots evil, feet that race to do wrong, 19 a false witness who pours out lies, a person who sows discord in a family. Pr. 6:16-19 NLT

How did these kinds of people get into power? We let them! Christians and the church, which should’ve put on their armor of God to speak loudly and boldly against evil and demonic inroads in our government, instead chose complacency, apathy, and silence. What are some of those evil principles you might be asking. Here’s just a few demonic travesties the progressive liberal left champions . . .

  • Federally codify as a “constitutional right” the savage and barbaric murder-on-demand of human babies in the womb, even after birth, calling it “healthcare” or “women’s reproductive rights.” Some blue states, including Minnesota under Governor Walz, have already codified this in their state constitutions and at least two babies in Minnesota were left to die after birth. The destruction of human babies during abortion would be vehemently condemned on rats, but if you speak or pray too loudly to protect human babies from being viciously murdered, you might be arrested.
  • Allow malpractice doctors to hormonally and surgically mutilate and castrate minor children deceitfully calling it “healthcare.” Walz deemed Minnesota a “sanctuary state” for this atrocity on children. Walz will take your children from you if you don’t agree to letting your child’s body be permanently altered and made infertile.
  • Allow unvetted illegal aliens to invade our borders, obtain citizen benefits, vote in elections, and thereby facilitate child sex trafficking and smuggling of drugs killing thousands of children and adults. Harris, the “border czar” for the past 3 ½ years, encouraged and facilitated this invasion.
  • Voter fraud.
  • Incarcerating political prisoners, conducting legal warfare against political opponents, while letting criminals go free.
  • Children taught perverted sex practices in school starting in kindergarten.
  • Children brainwashed and indoctrinated in schools to believe the lie that they can change their gender and parents coerced into agreeing with it, never told, or threatened with loss of parental rights if they don’t agree.
  • Children exposed to obscene and pornographic books in school and public libraries.
  • Forcing people to take an experimental vaccine or lose their job or military status and closing churches, which Walz did in Minnesota during Covid.
  • Allow men to compete in women’s sports, undress and shower in women’s locker rooms, and use women’s bathrooms in schools where governors like Walz put feminine hygiene products in boys’ bathrooms.
  • Pro-Hamas, anti-Israel protests encouraged not condemned, while pulling back support for Israel.
  • Promoting and financing a “climate change” “green new deal” scam/hoax.

You might think what decadent country would allow such evil? You’re living in that country right now! Everything on that partial list is allowed and legalized, either federally and/or in blue Democrat run states.

Yet, how many of you have heard a sermon on any of this evil? How many of you have spoken out against it? How many of you realize that every moral issue we hold dear as Christians is being politicized because Christians stayed silent and let it happen while falling prey to the lie from hell that Christians shouldn’t be “political” or participate in government. That’s like saying Christians shouldn’t be emotional, logical, moral, or take a stand against evil. Instead, Christians should relinquish religious freedoms of their families, friends and neighbors to the diabolical policies of an anti-God government without objecting. Wrong!

Lies straight from the pit of hell. Satan wants Christians to cower as he exerts his authority and power on the world with no pushback from those who have the Holy Spirit’s power inside but fail to tap into it. Just like when the serpent taunted Eve with the famous question that led to sin creating death for us all, “Did God really say that?”

Yes, God told us to combat evil wherever and whenever we see it manifested in our own lives, in the lives of others, and in the public square. Christians have civic duties and responsibilities. The lie that the church should restrict itself to solely preaching the Gospel, but not teach how to take the Gospel into the world to combat evil is from Satan’s playbook, not God’s Holy Book.

God is in Politics!

God created government and politics just like He created every element of our lives and the world. God and godly men got involved in politics throughout the Bible!

From Genesis to Revelation, we see the history of good and bad governments and the destruction of society when an evil regime is in power. Often, a prophet of God gave wise godly political council to leaders like Moses whose father-in-law Jethro told him to establish a government structure. God gave Moses the 10 Commandments laws to govern the people. Daniel and Joseph found themselves in ungodly governments, but didn’t acquiesce or stay silent. Each spoke God’s truth to those in political power and ended up in high positions in government serving righteously. The prophet Samuel anointed Saul as King, but later spoke God’s truth boldly against Saul’s misdeeds. The prophet Nathan confronted King David about using his power in government immorally and Nathan counseled David’s son, King Solomon.

I could go on with biblical examples throughout history. Here’s the point: we need godly men and women today who are willing to serve in government. We need churches encouraging Christians to get involved in developing and supporting righteous laws and combatting evil however and wherever the Lord leads, but especially using their God-given right to vote. There is nothing prohibiting a pastor from telling his congregation to vote their faith and biblical beliefs. He should be discipling and guiding them in what biblically based faith looks like. He can do that in a nonpartisan biblical way.

God didn’t create us to be puppets at the mercy of whoever is in power when they’re evil. God is the ultimate power, but He gave us responsibility and authority to occupy this land until His return. We’re not one-dimensional human subjects or slaves to whomever is in charge. We the people are the government and with prayer and research, we determine who we want to oversee the government structure that works best for the citizens. We’re actually the boss, not the White House.

Political Engagement is An Important Stewardship for Christians!

We’re to infuse God and His ways into every area of life from the family to the frontlines of government. Nothing in the Bible tells us to stand down and submit to evil. Instead, we’re to take our biblical worldview into every corner of the earth and every activity under heaven, including politics and government.

Many argue that politics is divisive and we only want unity in the church. People will always have different opinions over everything from the music to the color of the carpet or maybe even no carpet. It doesn’t mean we don’t talk about our differences and work them out and the same should be said of political views.

The unifying factor is always the Bible. What does the Bible say about all the issues I’ve mentioned in this article? That’s what pastors and congregants should be talking about. Do we just acquiesce to the culture or do we use the Bible and biblical principles to create a revival in culture?!

We’re in our current cultural evil wokeness because of apathy, crowdedness, fear, lack of knowledge, and unwillingness to get involved. The Bible counters every one of those weapons of Satan. In Everyday Brave: Living Courageously as a Woman of Faith, I give examples of fifty women in the Bible and twenty-eight modern-day brave women who understood how to put their faith into action and change history for the good of their families, communities, and in many cases, their nation.

Pastor Jack Hibbs Gets It!

I was thrilled to read in The Christian Post that Pastor Jack Hibbs at Calvary Chapel Chino Hills in Southern California, one of the bluest and most progressive liberal governed states in the union, is implementing exactly what I’m discussing in this article. He’s not afraid and he refuses to back down and let California be consumed by the anti-Christ spirit that’s been ruling my birth state for far too long. Pastor Hibbs’ church is conducting a “Comeback California Tour” that seeks to equip churches legally and effectively to get involved in the political process ahead of the November general election.

“For several months, I would say at least … four, five months, we’ve been putting our plan together, actual details, inviting the churches where we’re actually stopping, talking to the pastors,” Gina Gleason, who leads the church’s Real Impact ministry that’s devoted to equipping churches “to stand for righteousness in the public square,” told The Christian Post. Churches will also be able “to obtain voter and church-compliant election resources” and interact with local candidates.

“California is at a crossroads, urgently needing the Church’s influence to reverse the moral decline and stand in the gap for our children, families and communities,” the website states. The events are an effort to “unite Christians to bring the values of Scripture and the light of Christ to our state, helping us rebuild and restore our communities,” it adds. 

The “Comeback California Tour” is part of a broader effort by the California megachurch to get churches involved in the political sphere.

That’s what I’m talking about! God created culture to be intertwined with the church. God created politics. Satan is using another lie to separate the Gospel and politics, which aren’t exclusive of each other. They’re dependent on each other. Many people still labor under the lie that the Constitution sets them apart but the Constitution and Bill of Rights were based on the Bible. Only man has tried to separate them. God established the law in the very beginning of time!

I believe the coming election in November will determine whether America experiences God’s grace or judgement. Freedom or Marxism. I believe He’s looking to see how many good men and women there are in the church who aren’t afraid to mix the Gospel with government the way it was always meant to be.

A false Christianity says we’re not to take politics into the church and Christ into government. There’s a mantel on believer’s today just as there was on Elisha, Elijah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, all the Old Testament Prophets, Deborah, Esther, Daniel, Joseph, David, John the Baptist, the disciples, and of course, Jesus Christ to witness to all people everywhere whether in church or the public square, “Thus sayeth the Lord. . .”

Jesus didn’t solely preach the Gospel. He covered all of life including sex, marriage, family, gender, lying, finances, health, work, business, children, babies, prodigals, adultery, sin, government . . . everything!

As Christians, we must be part of God’s solution to our nation’s problems, not cower as a silent majority letting our country be destroyed as our failed legacy to our children and grandchildren. We have a moral and spiritual obligation to speak out against evil and share the truth. Would we have been silent about slavery as so much of the church is silent about murdering babies or mutilating children?

What gospel are we preaching when we let evil prevail? Silence actually enables evil. We’re complicit with evil when we do nothing. Because we know who God is, we need to care who the President of our country is because he or she will determine if we’re a country under God or under Satan! Morals or evils will rule in our land!

You can be sure the other side is not going to stay silent. They’re going to get involved in the spiritual and political battle. I know what side I’m on and how I’ll be involved promoting good versus evil in this election, which will determine if we remain a free republic. Please pray for God to lead and guide you where He wants you to go and what action He wants you to take. If we don’t do something together, we’ll lose this nation we love and want to pass on to the next generations.

 O my people, listen to my instructions.
    Open your ears to what I am saying,
2     for I will speak to you in a parable.
I will teach you hidden lessons from our past—
3     stories we have heard and known,    stories our ancestors handed down to us.
4 We will not hide these truths from our children;
    we will tell the next generation
about the glorious deeds of the Lord,
    about his power and his mighty wonders.
5 For he issued his laws to Jacob;
    he gave his instructions to Israel.
He commanded our ancestors
    to teach them to their children,
6 so the next generation might know them—
    even the children not yet born—
    and they in turn will teach their own children.
7 So each generation should set its hope anew on God,
    not forgetting his glorious miracles
    and obeying his commands.
8 Then they will not be like their ancestors—
    stubborn, rebellious, and unfaithful,
    refusing to give their hearts to God. Ps. 78:1-8 NLT

I hope you’ll listen to this short interview with Jason Yates of My Faith Votes and Eric Metaxas author of Letter to the American Church and the movie by the same name. Check out My Faith Votes to see how you might get involved in your state and the free video series Think Biblically for your small group, Bible study, or Sunday school class.

After finishing this blog, I read the article by Mark Gerson: “The Solution to Woke Insanity Can Be Found in an Unexpected Source. Moses and Joseph both needed to be publically truthful and that’s what woke insanity also needs.” I didn’t want to make my article any longer by quoting this excellent article, but please take the time to hit on the link and read it. God just confirmed to me that my blog today was exactly the one I was supposed to write to you. Take your time. Read them both and then pray about what you’ve read.

Please leave a comment here and I will reply.

August 12, 2024
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6 Ways to Respond to Vileness, Vitriol, and Violence

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Last week, I wrote about a local business owner, Mark Fitzpatrick, who decided to counter “gay pride” month with “Heterosexual Awesomeness Month” at his establishment, The Old State Saloon (OSS) in Eagle, Idaho. Here’s the link to that blog if you haven’t read it yet. I did preface there that while we don’t drink, many restaurants we eat at do have a bar, we just don’t imbibe. Old Sate Saloon is no different, so they have our full support. Mark is a vocal Christian and I’ve since learned there’s a Bible Study on Sunday mornings at OSS for people who might never set foot in a church. Their Facebook post today, Saturday, as I’m writing this week’s blog read: “Don’t forget! Bible study Sunday morning at 10 am. This week we have a special guest teacher, David McClellan, who will be covering Ephesians 3.”

Their regular Sunday morning Bible study teacher wrote on OSS’s Facebook page: “Some people raise their eyebrows when they learn I teach a Bible study each Sunday morning in a Saloon. If you’re in the Treasure Valley, it’s 50 E State Street in Eagle. Start time is 10 am … we wrap up no later than 11. Everyone 21+ is welcome.” With that, he posted the opening meme in this article.

Mark Fitzpatrick’s fun, yet bold and firm, stand for heterosexuality and his Christian faith has gone viral across the nation, but predictably it’s also brought out vileness and vitriol on the Old State Saloon’s social media pages. So far, praise God, I haven’t heard of any violence, which we’ve prayed against for him all month. Mark said in the beginning that he was surprised at the vile vitriol in social media comments on their Facebook page and they would be removing any offensive comments using slander, foul language, or profanity.

I posted my last week’s blog, God Created Us Heterosexual and Idaho Celebrates That As Awesome, on OSS’s Facebook page, and as you might expect, the hate and vitriol flowed along with self-righteous comments. I’m sure many were also trolls with nothing better to do than write nasty, profane, and often heinous verbal attacks. I’ve learned to never engage with these sick people and just ignore them as they pour out their vitriol against my ministry, Christianity, and me.

I actually feel sorry for each one as I read their hateful ignorant slander with blasphemous memes against Jesus and Christians. Tragic that they’re living a lie and resort to vicious vileness that I doubt they’d be willing to say to Mark or my face. I doubt some of them even read my blog because no one left a comment on my website post. They were looking for a bigger audience on OSS’s Facebook page, which has attracted hundreds of comments since the publicizing of Heterosexual Awesomeness Month special events.

As I’ve been writing and speaking in the public forum for years, I’m not naive that people exist who troll on their phone or computers looking for an opportunity to spew vile words, while calling you hateful names and slinging accusations. They’re lost, deceived, maybe lonely, and either have never heard the Gospel or have rejected it. They need prayer, but not indulgence. They want you to respond so they can keep going, but when you ignore them, they don’t know if you’ve even read what they wrote. That surely frustrates them. What a sorry way to live!

Satan’s Offensive Playbook is Vileness, Vitriol, and Violence!

In the wake of the horrific Hamas attack on Israel, we’re watching violence on college campuses. Brainwashed kids protesting in favor of terrorists and creating mayhem are being allowed to setup encampments on the campuses, until they inevitably start destroying and defacing property. Sometimes they’re not even arrested or held accountable. It’s as if the college administrators are afraid of the students or think if they indulge them, they’ll get tired and go away. These kids obviously were never taught how to peacefully, politely, and intelligently express their viewpoint. Often, they have no idea what or why they’re even protesting. But they do know how to express vileness, vitriol, and violence!

Vile language and behavior, profane vitriol, and destructive violence do not come from the Holy Spirit, Jesus, or God. That means the only other spirit in our world, a satanic evil spirit, is producing this behavior. Have you noticed on the news during clips of violent protests or gay parades and speeches, all you hear are bleep, bleep, bleep, because the media can’t let those vile profanities be heard on television. So, the protestors aren’t saying anything intelligent, just a series of bleeps

Public TV also can’t show the true vileness of the lewd acts being performed in the streets during gay parades, often in front of little children, so you’re only seeing sanitized short clips, which are bad enough. And what about parents who expose young children to these vile obscenities and actions instead of protecting them from profanity and sexual lewdness?! These parents are letting their children be mentally and visually influenced by obscenity and immorality. Normalizing it as acceptable. After all, if your parents think it’s okay, it must be okay.

The father of godly children has cause for joy. What a pleasure to have children who are wise. Pr. 23:24 NLT

Adults and children persuaded by satanic actions and rituals instead of godly purity and morals are opening themselves up to demonic behavior. I doubt the parents taking their children to gay parades or drag queen story hours are taking them to Sunday school. A power play of Satan versus God. We know who wins in the end, but how many souls will be lost along the way.

The Bible tells of people possessed or influenced by demons. From these examples, we can find some symptoms of demonic influence and gain insight as to how a demon possesses someone. Here are some of the biblical passages: Matthew 9:32-33; 12:22; 17:18; Mark 5:1-20; 7:26-30; Luke 4:33-36; Luke 22:3; Acts 16:16-18.

Demon possession is not always as dramatic as in biblical times, but it can cause the individual to say and perform evil acts. Judas being the main example. Or King Saul, after rebelling against the LORD, was troubled by an evil spirit (1 Samuel 16:14-15; 18:10-11; 19:9-10) with the apparent effect of a depressed mood and an increased desire to kill David. There’s a wide variety of possible symptoms of demon possession, such as a physical impairment that can’t be attributed to an actual physiological problem, a personality change such as depression or aggression, supernatural strength, immodesty, antisocial behavior, violent anger, spewing obscenities, lewdness, and sexual depravity.

In Judas’ case, he opened his heart to evil by his greed (John 12:6).  Then Satan entered Judas, called Iscariot, one of the Twelve (Luke 22:3). So, it’s possible that if one allows his heart to be ruled by some habitual sin, it becomes an invitation for a demon to enter, which always leads to ungodly behavior and a mindset against God as the apostle Paul told us in the following verses.

21 Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. . . 24 So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies. 25 They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen. 26 That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other. 27 And the men, instead of having normal sexual relations with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and as a result of this sin, they suffered within themselves the penalty they deserved.

28 Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done. 29 Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip. 30 They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. . .  Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too. Romans 1:21, 24-29, 32 NLT.

So How Should Christians Respond?

If you’re encountering vileness, vitriol, or threats of violence on social media or in person, here’s how I try to handle it. Maybe it will help you too.

  • Don’t try to one up, reason with, or engage them.

Attempting to change their mind is unlikely to succeed, but it will usually intensify the debate and consume considerable time and energy. Even though you’re sure you have the perfect response, in my experience, I’ve never seen anyone concede or surrender their opinion or verbal attack. Typically, they become more hostile while their vile vitriol escalates.

  • Ignore them.

I know that’s hard to do because you want to help them see the truth, but they’re just looking for an argument and you’ll only become more frustrated and irritated yourself.

  • Delete their comments and consider blocking them.

You’re not obligated to leave their vitriol on your social media and blocking them will prevent them from returning. You can also report them to the social media administrator. A troll is just looking for an argument and you have better things to do with your time.

  • In person, change the subject.

Offer your point of view if you want, but if the conversation is deteriorating, tell them to have a blessed day and move on. Don’t ever let Satan cause you to match their vileness, vitriol, or violent behavior.

  • Pray for them.

Hard as it is, Jesus tells us to love and pray for our enemies (Matt. 5:44-45). Maybe, just maybe, their eyes will open and the blinders fall off because they’re headed for a mental, emotional, and spiritual crash, if not already there. Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Eph. 6:18

  • Our offensive playbook is the Word of God, the Holy Bible.

Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Eph. 6:17

The apostle Paul also advised, Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone. Rom. 12:18 NLT

Please leave your comment here. I reply to all your comments and appreciate receiving them.

June 17, 2024
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What Is God’s Revelation in Harrison Butker’s Commencement Speech?

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If you follow me regularly, you’re not surprised with the topic God has me writing about this week, as it has relentlessly filled the news cycles. Actually, there’s so much written about it, I wondered what I could share that you hadn’t already read or heard.

But I think I might be able to offer a different perspective and how we as committed Christians can find hope and encouragement to share our own faith and beliefs as openly and honestly as Harrison Butker did, especially when like him, we’re speaking to our faith peers. The world notices when we speak out because typically, we tend to keep our beliefs inside the walls of our church. Or we let the atrocities and evil we see daily in our culture not affect us personally, emotionally, or spiritually.

Even though we don’t all have a platform like Harrison Butker, a three-time Super Bowl Kicker for the Kansas City Chiefs, God will reveal to us places and times we can be bold for Him. I don’t know much about football. I had to ask my husband if a “kicker” only plays on the field when it’s time to kick the ball. While his kick can determine the outcome of a game, he’s also only visible when kicking.

Yet, Butker was quite visible when he gave a commencement speech on his own time at Benedictine College, not as a Chief’s Kicker, but as a Catholic man, husband, and father to an audience of Catholic graduating students. As a speaker myself, it’s imperative to know your audience and speak to issues that will affect, motivate, and encourage them. When I speak to a group of Christian women, I’m not addressing the secular world or media. I might speak about those topics and my thoughts on how we can be a light in a dark world or even change it, but I’m not expecting the secular culture to agree with me.

I may however receive a negative response to something I write publicly. For example, I posted on a community Facebook group page about pornographic books targeting children in our local library that started a firestorm of positive and negative comments. I was surprised at all the negatives, but soon I knew I’d touched on a topic that liberals expect conservatives to just tolerate as “normal,” accept, and stay silent. Unfortunately, that’s been our typical pattern which is how we’ve arrived at orgy parades in front of children during a month devoted to sin, coming up in a couple of weeks. The left also promotes killing babies in their mother’s wombs as “normal healthcare,” so when conservatives speak out against anything evil, we’re the “radical” “extreme” ones.

The next time I posted something on the community Facebook page, I was prepared for the pushback. I told the first person with a snarky comment that I was expecting this and they didn’t disappoint. I suggested they were the very ones who needed to hear my message most. The result was silence and no one else has posted a negative remark yet.

Did Butker expect the firestorm he started? I rather doubt it. I’ve heard him interviewed before. He speaks out against abortion often and the left’s woke evil agenda. But this time was different. People in the media, who he wasn’t speaking to, felt they needed to chime in and critically attack him for having values different than the woke ones they’re trying to normalize. They got defensive because they expect us to literally let them call good evil and evil good, shut up, and take it.

The culture, starting at the White House, has rejected God and God’s way of life and we’re watching violence, crime, broken families, single-parent families, divorce, Marxism, suicide especially amongst teens, addictions, dissatisfaction with how God made you, war on women, pro-terrorist support, and lies called gaffes from a president who lies every time he opens his mouth.

Some criticized Butker’s speech because they said he was taking women back to the 50’s. That’s rich from the same people advocating the erasure of women and can’t even define a woman. They believe women should be more like a man or replaced by a man pretending to be “her”! Women should have abortions because the economy needs more women in the workplace instead of nurturing families at home. How absurd and evil is that!!

The graduates at Benedictine College in Butker’s audience didn’t protest or walk out. They were respectful, applauded often, and gave him a standing ovation. That’s the difference between a Catholic or Christian College like ORU where they sang praise songs at commencement, and the elite indoctrination colleges where students tear up their diplomas, hold up signs for terrorism, yell, walk out, and disrupt the speaker. Which student would you want to hire? Which student would you be proud of as a parent?

What’s All the Fuss?

If you haven’t heard, the NFL Kansas City Chief’s Kicker Harrison Butker gave a commencement speech at a Catholic College where he spoke about not only his own Catholic faith practices, but also what were probably the same beliefs of every Catholic student in the audience. They had a common ground and common faith foundation, so he was mentoring and confirming how to live out their faith in the real world. Critics who weren’t students, and in most cases weren’t Catholic, were offended by his profession of faith and how dare him share it in the public square?!

Every day the liberal news is full of glowing articles praising and glamorizing the antics of his fellow Chiefs player Kelce consorting with Taylor Swift. They think it’s big news that should interest us. They love writing about his childish antics like jugging a beer during his commencement speech. But when a clean cut, Catholic married father speaks on the virtues of loving, providing for, and cherishing your wife and family as a masculine husband and father, those same news pundits go crazy. How dare he speak of virtues like that to impressionable college students! How dare he say that God blessed women with the capability of birthing and nurturing children! How dare he declare that God created marriage to be between a husband and wife!

The NFL had their “chief diversity and inclusion officer” issue a statement distancing the league from him, and as you read this, 150,000 people have demanded his immediate firing. Head Coach Andy Reed says no way. “I’m not losing a great kicker to this whole woke thing. Not on my watch… If they get rid of Harrison. They get rid of me.”

 Jason Yates’, CEO of MyFaithVotes, in an email to MFV Action Partners shared some points in Butker’s pro-faith speech that critics found offensive.

On Biden: “Our own nation is led by a man who publicly and proudly proclaims his Catholic faith but at the same time is delusional enough to make the sign of the cross during a pro-abortion rally.”

On Women: “It is you, the women, who’ve had the most diabolical lies told to you. Some of you may go on to lead successful careers in the world. But I would venture to guess that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world.”

On Men: “…the absence of men in the home is what plays a large role in the violence we see all around the nation. Be unapologetic in your masculinity. Fight against the cultural emasculation of men.”

On Pride Month: “I’m certain the reporters at the AP couldn’t have imagined that their attempt to rebuke and embarrass places and people like those here at Benedictine [University] wouldn’t be met with anger, but…with excitement and pride. Not the deadly sin sort of pride that has an entire month dedicated to it. But the true God-centered pride that’s cooperating with the Holy Ghost to glorify Him.”

Yates concluded with: “This attempt to CANCEL Harrison Butker is nothing but anti-Christian bigotry. We cannot allow Christian values to be pushed out of the public square.”

God Will Use All of This for The Lord’s Glory!

Do you respect the NFL that stood behind Colin Kaepernick kneeling for the National Anthem, hosting pride celebrations and jerseys, drag shows at games, silent when players arrested for spousal abuse, reckless drunk driving, murder…but one of their players speaks out for God and godly values and they disavow him? Is this an organization you care about what they think?

Do you care what the gossiping liberal women on The View think?

Do you care about liberal media’s meltdown over conservatives and Christians?

Here’s my “view.” When the culture wants to cancel you, you’re probably doing something right! Wear it like a badge. It’s an honor when the world persecutes you for your faith because you’ve hit a nerve. They know in their core that what they’re doing and saying is wrong, but Satan has convinced them his ways are more fulfilling than God’s ways. In the end, everyone will answer to God for their choices and actions. Satan leaves that truth out of his crusade for perversion and sin.

What Satan means for evil, God will use as good. Butker could literally be saying today, like Joseph said to his brothers, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives (Gen. 50:20).

Benedictine is a small college, but just look at how many people are actually reading or listening to Butker’s speech that has gone viral. His enemies are listening to it, even though they take much of it out of context. His truths, even when ridiculed, are broadcast on every news channel, talk show, social media, written commentaries, and opinion articles.

Even atheist liberal “Real Time” host Bill Maher defended Butker’s right to profess his beliefs and points out the hypocrisy of the attacks. Maher said, “I can’t express how much this guy is not like me. He’s religious. He loves marriage. He loves kids… And he’s now history’s greatest monster . . . Again, I don’t agree with much with this guy, but he said… ‘Some of you may go on to lead successful careers in the world.’ Ok, that seems fairly, like, modern. ‘But I would venture to guess that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world.’ I don’t see what the big crime is. I really don’t . . . I find it very ironic that he’s saying, ‘You know what, in my world, you know, we like the women to stay at home and just have babies’ and the college kids and the young people find this absolutely abhorrent, but they’re demonstrating for Hamas, who make that the law! . . . It’s not just an opinion in Hamas, that you stay home and have the babies. They will enforce you [to do] that!”

Rob Schmitt Tonight on Newsmax did an entire opening monologue defending Butker, saying the critics expect us to just stay silent when we’re offended. If you speak up, you’re vilified. We’re supposed to be tolerant to forceful indoctrination.

Then Schmitt interviewed Christian Jason Whitlock who reiterated that culture has abandoned God. In the interview Schmitt admitted, “I’m not a particularly religious person, and I don’t really share that with many people. But I can see what’s happening to our society and I can see the general hedonism that we’ve moved towards, and I can see the decay. I can see the loss of the quality of life as we move more towards leftism. More towards where the state is the thing to be worshipped rather than something above. I can just feel the failings of that ideology. I don’t believe necessarily everything that he [Butker] said, I disagree with him on a number of points, but I would never be offended by what he said, and I would never stop him from saying them. There are people vilifying this man and when you listen to his speech, he’s just such a kind-hearted good person who cries talking about meeting his wife. Their anger is so interesting to me.”

Jason Whitlock’s response addressed Schmitt’s admitted lack of faith! “Rob, I appreciate the transparency and the honesty. I do think that as time continues to pass, I think you’re going to come more and more into the understanding of why religious faith is so important and why Christianity is so important.”

Whitlock was able to actually witness to Schmitt on TV and Schmitt was intensely listening. Hear the entire interview here.

I hope that Butker is overlooking the negative criticism, while smiling at how often his faith values are being spoken over the airways and written in words.

Could anyone speak their faith today and not be called offensive or divisive? Are the critics suggesting we should just stay silent when we’re offended? Butker believes, as do I, that the lack of faith in God and Jesus is largely responsible for the culture’s moral decline. Like many of us, he wasn’t afraid to say so. I applaud him!

Here’s what we can never forget—good will NEVER unite with evil. There’s no grey area. So, for those saying his speech was divisive, it wasn’t divisive to his Catholic audience. It was marching orders to take your faith into everything God calls you to do. The only people who call it divisive are those who are complacent and tolerant of evil. That would not, and should not, be Jesus followers. Jesus came into the world to forgive us our sins not to be tolerant, complacent, or accepting of sin.

Good can NEVER unite with evil. In today’s culture, everyone wants us to go along with evil, but we must speak up just as Butker did. Satan wants us to be quiet and let evil reign, but we must NEVER let that happen. Jesus had a dividing line. All Butker did was speak truth. Let’s pray more of us start following his example.

I think his Chief’s jersey #7 is prophetic! The number 7 holds profound biblical significance, symbolizing completion, perfection, and rest. It’s mentioned over 700 times in the Bible — more than any other number, indicating its significance in biblical narrative and prophecy. This number’s recurrence is no coincidence — in fact, it reflects divine order and the spiritual completeness found in God’s creation.

It looks like many people, especially women, are going to be wearing #7, since it’s reported that Harrison Butker’s jersey is the most popular in the NFL shop and women’s jerseys are sold out for now!

For I fully expect and hope that I will never be ashamed, but that I will continue to be bold for Christ, as I have been in the past. And I trust that my life will bring honor to Christ, whether I live or die. Philippians 1:20 NLT

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. Johsua 1:9

Full Text: Harrison Butker of Kansas City Chiefs Graduation Speech| National Catholic Register (ncregister.com)

Better yet, listen to his emotion as he gives this speech. Harrison Butker | Commencement Address 2024 | Benedictine College (youtube.com)

Do you agree with this article heading? Harrison Butker, Not His Critics, Represents the Mainstream!

You might also enjoy reading one of my past blogs A Society Crumbles That Doesn’t Recognize Sin! — Woman to Woman Mentoring

Please leave a comment here. I appreciate reading them and I always reply.

May 20, 2024
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God Fights for Prodigals When We Pray His Will!

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“You know how it feels when you see any glimmer of hope in your prodigal.” —A praying mom

If you follow my blogs and newsletters, you know I wait on the Lord to tell me what to write about each week. God is so faithful to not only give me a word, but also back it up with confirmation that I cannot ignore. So I know today there are parents and grandparents in my reading audience experiencing sorrow over prodigals in your family because that’s what God has told me to write about in this blog. It’s not the first time I’ve written on this topic, in fact, I wrote an entire book about praying for our prodigals.

Last week, hubby and I participated in a prayer group where the common request was for prodigal children, most of whom were in the millennial age range in their thirties and early forties. That was the age of my own prodigal years. Even children raised in Christian homes sometimes want to explore their independence, which might mean venturing into the world’s ways. So, we prayed that night for the spiritual awakening, or reawakening, of all the prodigals.

Then the next night, Dave and I watched a recorded Flashpoint program, which aired originally on the same night the group was praying for prodigals. Gene Bailey, the host of Flashpoint, interviewed Pastor Kent Christmas about his new book, Turning Sorrow Into Joy: A Journey of Faith and Perseverance. Here’s the interview: Kent Christmas on FlashPoint with Gene Bailey Interview Segment 4.9.2024 (youtube.com). If you have a loved one engaging in sexual sin, I highly recommend you listen.

In the interview with Pastor Christmas, they referred to the previous night’s program when again the topic was praying for prodigals. Now God really had my attention, so we watched it also. Gene Bailey interviewed Pastor Tim Sheets of Awaken Ministries and his daughter Rachel Shafer who wrote together Come Home: Pray, Prophesy, and Proclaim God’s Promises Over Your Prodigal. Even as parents and grandparents agonize and grieve with tears on their pillow every night, Pastor Sheets and Rachel offered assurance that God will forgive returning prodigals.

They emphasized that while you wait, stay rooted in God. Your feelings and emotions will lie to you, but God’s Word is truth, as I wrote in last week’s blog Knowing and Speaking Only the Truth Will Keep Us Free!

Come Home contains 90 decrees in Scriptures to pray for bringing prodigals home.  In the interview, the authors mentioned several verses with the prophetic message of hope. Belief accelerates the power of God. Believe in a future where your children will come home physically and spiritually.

But now this is what the Lord says: “Do not weep any longer, for I will reward you,” says the Lord. “Your children will come back to you from the distant land of the enemy. 17 There is hope for your future,” says the Lord. “Your children will come again to their own land. Jer. 31:16-17 NLT

God promises He will fight for and save your children! You must believe and claim these promises and pray them over your children with unwavering faith.

Who can snatch the plunder of war from the hands of a warrior? Who can demand that a tyrant[a] let his captives go? 25 But the Lord says, “The captives of warriors will be released, and the plunder of tyrants will be retrieved. For I will fight those who fight you, and I will save your children. Isaiah 49:24-25

The Message translation of Isaiah 49:24-25 says: Can plunder be retrieved from a giant, prisoners of war gotten back from a tyrant? But God says, “Even if a giant grips the plunder and a tyrant holds my people prisoner, I’m the one who’s on your side, defending your cause, rescuing your children. And your enemies, crazed and desperate, will turn on themselves, killing each other in a frenzy of self-destruction. Then everyone will know that I, God, have saved you—I, the Mighty One of Jacob.”

Those verses emphasize that God’s on our side. He’s going to save our children. While we want to believe this, it’s tempting to take back our concerns and worries even after we cast them onto God. We should quit putting power into earthly circumstances and instead magnify God and His heavenly perspective as these following Psalms emphasize.

All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him, 28 for dominion belongs to the Lord and he rules over the nations. Ps. 22:27-28

They [prodigals] will receive the Lord’s blessing and have a right relationship with God their savior. Ps. 24:5 NLT

My Daughter and My Prodigal Story of Redemption

I wrote Praying for Your Prodigal Daughter: Hope, Help & Encouragement for Hurting Parents with input from my daughter of what she was thinking and feeling during her prodigal years. For seventeen years, I was a prodigal raising a prodigal until God reawakened my spirit at a Harvest Crusade where I rededicated my life to Christ. On the stadium floor, I knelt and told the Lord, “Your prodigal has returned. I will go where you send me.”

Kim didn’t receive well the dramatic change in my life. She was happy with the way we were living before. In spite of her resistance, I felt an urgency for Kim to also surrender her life to the Lord. I remembered a time when I stopped eating beef and switched to turkey burger. One day Kim, who was probably in middle school, said, “Mom, don’t you care about my health too?!” I thought she would still want hamburgers, but she wanted to be healthy like me. She hasn’t eaten beef since.

After my rededication, I heard a message on the reality of hell. I couldn’t stand the thought of my daughter going there. I had a dream that I looked down from heaven and heard her saying, “Mom didn’t you care enough about my spiritual health to not give up on me?” That’s when I began praying Scripture for my daughter daily, biblically, expectantly, persistently, sacrificially, unceasingly, and thankfully.

In Praying for Your Prodigal Daughter, Kim writes, “Mom, I saw the book Praying God’s Will for my Daughter in your bathroom one time, and I felt resentful that you thought I was ‘lost’ and needed you to pray for me. You turned your life around so completely, and I couldn’t relate to the new, ‘weird’ you. All the praying stuff was outside of my comfort zone. When I learned you were praying for me, it upset me. I felt that I could take care of myself and didn’t need your prayers.”

From the devotional Kim referred to above, I learned how to personalize and pray Scripture for her, which allowed me to pray God’s will while I journaled my will to release my feelings and concerns on paper. I share those journal writings throughout the book and include “40 Days of Praying Scripture for Your Prodigal” on page 313. Kim thanks me today that I never gave up praying for her.

Satan is Targeting Children!

Today, Satan is blatantly attacking the family and children more openly and abrasively than ever before.  Abortion for teenagers or gender changes without parents’ consent. Parents who want to know what their children are being taught in schools labeled domestic terrorists! Drugs are rampant and killing our children. Child suicide has reached record numbers. Schools are teaching young children about perverse sex practices as “sex education,” even as young as kindergarten. As “gay rights” became mainstream and legalized, Satan had to move it up a notch to transgenderism. Children are given drugs and surgically mutilated, irreversibly in many cases, and deceived into thinking they can change their gender from the way God created them. Drag grooming is considered entertainment for children, even though it’s a precursor to pedophilia.

This isn’t normal or biblical. It’s satanical. Satan really is coming after our children, but Christians have the weapons we need to ward off the attacks of the enemy. Prayer. God’s Word. Civic action like voting, running for office, and activism.

I’m not writing this article to promote my book, or any book, but there’s a reason God had these pastors and me write about saving our prodigals. Because we all need to know how to love and pray scripturally for children and grandchildren, while still maintaining a relationship with them without backing down from our biblical beliefs. Their very lives depend on it!

If you have a child or grandchild involved in sinful activities, it doesn’t make it right. Yes, I know it hurts and it’s painful. Parents often think they need to go along with what their child is doing or risk losing the relationship instead of being godly parents and getting them the emotional, spiritual, and mental help they’re so desperately crying out for, while also praying unceasingly for them. If they were a murderer, and some are, you still love your child, but you don’t decide that murder is acceptable because your child committed it. That applies to any and every sin.

I chose to unconditionally love but never condone. In God’s eyes, all sin is wrong, and all have sinned. Only repentance and asking forgiveness from Jesus for our sins places us in a right relationship with God. Salvation.

We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. 23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. 24 Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. Romans 3:22-24 NLT

Never Stop Praying!

Declaring God’s Word over your prodigal activates your own faith!

None of us know when Christ is going to return for believers. We watch the prevalent evil today and wonder how long it will be before the Lord says enough. No parent or grandparent wants to have a child or grandchild left behind. That was the urgency I felt when I was praying for my daughter’s salvation. Then I prayed for each of our eleven grandchildren to be saved with the assurance that I would someday see them all again in heaven. Yes, there’s been a few regressions, and I just pray all the harder because I know what God assured me with my daughter: God wants our prodigals back even more than we do!

Don’t give up and let Satan win the spiritual battle for your prodigal’s heart and soul. Though it may seem contradictory, the more rebellious, defiant, stubborn, and argumentative your prodigal becomes, the more you should cling to this hope and encouragement: God is working in his or her heart, and they’re resisting. But that means they haven’t surrendered completely to Satan and are experiencing tormenting guilt. God hasn’t given up and neither should you. There’s still hope.

I know it’s hard to do when your heart is breaking and you don’t see any change in the situation, but never stop praying for your prodigal. Pastor Christmas prayed and interceded for 14 years. I prayed Scripture for six years for my prodigal. Previous blogs from prodigal Alycia Neighbours whose story is in Praying for Your Prodigal Daughter, shared how long her parents prayed for her return: Never Stop Praying for Your Prodigal! and After the Party for the Returning Prodigal.

Alice prayed for 27 years. She said, “It’s all you can do when everything else is out of your control.” In the chapter on Praying Biblically in Praying for Your Prodigal Daughter, Alice told how she prayed Scripturally for her daughter, which is how I prayed for my daughter EVERY DAY! It’s simply personalizing and paraphrasing God’s Word as a prayer back to Him. Here’s an example of how Alice said she prayed Scripture for her prodigal.

“I’ve learned to pray for my daughter by praying back the Scriptures to God. For example, I pray Ezekiel 36:27-29 for Liz’s heart to soften and for her to return home: “God, give my daughter Liz a heart of flesh to replace her heart of stone toward spiritual things. Through Your Spirit, move her to follow Your decrees and carefully keep Your laws. Help Liz to return home Allow her to live in the land You, God, gave to her spiritual forefathers; may she be Your child, may You be her God. Save her from all her uncleanness.”

As another praying mom Suzanne said, “I know God isn’t done with her, and I choose to see her the way He does!”

 “Never stop praying!” 1 Thess. 5:17 NLT

Photo Credits: http://www.sharefaith.com

PS Hear the interview I did on Solomon and Jamila Jefferson’s podcast about praying for your prodigals, It’s Not How You Start But How You Finish. click here.

PSS The principles I share in Praying for Your Prodigal Daughter also apply to sons and grandchildren. There are questions at the end of each chapter for use in a Support Group or Bible study group.

Library Update

  • VICTORY!! Idaho’s Governor Little signed the Children’s School and Library Protection Act, finally addressing the widespread library porn issue in a meaningful way! It goes into effect this summer so I’ll  follow up with our local library to be sure they enforce it.
  • Gov. Little also signed Bill 538 that bars teachers from referring to a student by a name or pronoun that doesn’t align with their birth sex unless parents consent.
  • Last month, the governor signed House Bill 668, which blocks the use of public funds for gender-affirming procedures.
  • Gov. Little also signed House Bill 421. It states, “In human beings, there are two, and only two, sexes: male and female. In no case is an individual’s sex determined by stipulation or self-identification.” Most notably, in addition to ruling that sex and gender were synonymous, this bill “codifies in state law biological definitions for ‘woman,’ ‘man,’ and other sex-based terms, making [Idaho] the fifth to exclude men who identify as women from being legally recognized as female.”

Idaho is on a role! What’s happening in your state?

Please leave a comment here. I always reply!

April 15, 2024
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Jesus is Our First Love!

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I know I don’t have to remind you that this Wednesday is Valentine’s Day! A day we traditionally show that special someone how much they mean to us. It can also be a difficult time for someone who doesn’t have an object of their affection to dote on or to be the recipient of doting…but it doesn’t need to be a sad day for those who know Jesus as their First Love!

My First Prayer Garden

Almost thirty years ago, I realized that even though I was happily married after being single for 17 years, my love for my husband wasn’t to take priority over my First Love, Jesus Christ. The Scriptures are so clear about this. When we were first married, we vowed to each other that we would always put Jesus at the center of our marriage.

We love each other because he [God] loved us first. 1 John 4:19 NLT

I never wanted Jesus to say about us what He said about the church in Ephesus in Revelations 2:5 NLT “But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first!”

The NIV translation says, “ Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first.”

Just as our earthly relationships take time, energy, and nurturing, I knew my spiritual relationship with Jesus required the same attention and devotion or it could become stale and routine. So I decided to approach my devotional time with Jesus each day with the same attitude I would lavish on my earthly love, Dave. I set about finding a special place to spend time with my First Love and I called it my prayer garden.

At that time, we were living in sunny Southern California, so I could have my quiet time outside almost every day. I’ll share with you in a moment how I have this date with Jesus now in our home in Idaho.

Thinking of Jesus as the lover of my soul and the One I love above all others, gave me the idea of creating a romantic atmosphere for my daily “Quiet Time” with Jesus. It needed all the touches of a special date. First, it must be quiet and free of interruptions, so that meant outside. Since my backyard was all cement, I arranged colorful potted plants in a shaded alcove of the patio and hung a hummingbird feeder. Our house overlooked a small lake, so I had a beautiful view. I placed a chair for Jesus and a chair for me with a small table in the center for a romantic fragrant candle. I later added wind chimes, and my son-in-law made a waterfall. Walla, I had a Prayer Garden.

The importance of having the chair for Jesus was to remind me that even on the days when I was rushed and missed our date . . . Jesus was still out there waiting for me. Every time I looked out at that prayer garden, my heart ached because I had neglected my First Love for whatever was happening in my life that day.

My Date Bag is Always Packed

Then I packed a date bag with my Bible, a journal, devotional, highlighters, pens, Post-it notes, current Bible Study, and oh yes, a lighter for the candle. One trip back into the house for something I forgot could be a major distraction.

First thing every morning, I grabbed my cup of coffee, my date bag, a blanket or sweater if it was chilly, and headed out for my date with Jesus in our Prayer Garden. Here is a major key to intimate time with my First Love—I shut the door to ALL interruptions. In those days, we didn’t have cell phones, so I let the answering machine take care of any phone calls and the family knew when I was having my Jesus date, the Do Not Disturb sign was out.

Now I was ready to read God’s love letter to me in my Bible, pray, journal, and work on a current Bible study. Most importantly, I could take time to hear God’s still small voice saying how much He loved me and telling me the plans He had for me.

When our date was finished, I repacked my date bag and put it back in the same spot every time by the patio door so it was ready for tomorrow’s big date. If the weather wasn’t good, Jesus and I curled up together on the couch and I played soft instrumental worship music in the background.

Idaho Dates with Jesus

When we were looking for a new home in Idaho, two things on my priority list were a writing room with an “ah ha” view and a place to have my special Quite Times with my First Love. As we toured homes, I was always looking for both, along with a kitchen with a scenic view, I could see the fireplace, and easily chat with visiting friends and family. In other words, don’t wall me in while I’m cooking!

Praise God we found the perfect home for us. Now that we live in Idaho with its four seasons, my Quiet Time locations change with the season. When the weather is nice, I’m out in the deck swing, and when it’s snowing or cold, I have a Quiet Time chair next to the fireplace with a beautiful forest view from our many windows. I still have my Quiet Time bag packed and ready to go depending on where I’m having my date with Jesus. It’s my most favorite part of the day!

At the end of our date, I sit back close my eyes and linger in conversational prayer being sure to let my First Love talk to me. He always whispers words of love and endearment as He reveals His plans, visions, and goals for us. Often, there are answers to prayers and previous questions. Many times, we just share a sweet silence.

“Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.” Ps. 46:10 NLT

Like any wonderful date, I hate for it to end, but I know my First Love will be waiting eagerly for our special meeting tomorrow.

To keep romance exciting, it’s good to vary the activities on dates, so I constantly add freshness to my Quiet Time with variety. Each Christmas, I pick out a new devotional for the coming year. Sometimes, I select one with an area for journaling love letters to the Lord. I start my Quiet Time date by praying the armor of God from Ephesians 6:10-18 and would never think of going into my day without this spiritual protection. I alternate working on my small group Bible studies or one I am doing for fun. Some years, I read completely through the Bible, and other times, I leisurely enjoy the Scriptures.

 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ Matt. 22:36-39

How about you? Tell me about your dates with Jesus.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Here is a poem I wrote about my California Prayer Garden. Enjoy!

OUR PRAYER GARDEN

You wanted to meet me early in the morning

            In a place that was special to just you and me.

My heart was willing, and I had such a yearning

            To talk and be in your presence daily.

I began to arise just after the sun came up,

            And  searched for a place where we could meet.

It had to be quiet where no one would interrupt,

            For the time that we shared would be so sweet.

I moved from room to room,

            As I tried to find the aura,

For you and me to just commune

            Every day at the same hour.

As we began to spend our time,

            I felt you nudging as I would pray:

“Our get-togethers need fresh air and sunshine.

            Let’s be amongst the beauty of the day.”

Of course, it was there all along.

            The table, the patio, the view—

I had all the makings for a Prayer Garden,

            But flowers were sadly very few.

A “green thumb” I have never been,

            But I knew this was the spot for us.

And it would not be a Prayer Garden,

            Without the ferns, oleanders and hibiscus.

A shopping trip to the nursery was fun,

            Even though I didn’t know what to buy.

Some flowers wanted shade and others liked sun,

            So I just bought what caught my eye.

Soon my garden was worthy of comment.

            The flower beds were colorful and in full blossom,

 And the array of potted plants carpeted the cement.

            The transformation was truly awesome.

One final touch called out to me,

            Wind chimes to catch Your breath in the breeze.

A hummingbird feeder for quiet company,

            In the place where we will meet when ‘er You please.

Jesus, I know now why you sought a garden

            When you went to pray alone that night.

Amongst Your creation God’s presence is sovereign,              

            You just know God’s plans will turn out right.  Janet Thompson 7/17/96

Please leave a comment here to this blog. I always reply and enjoy reading your thoughts.

 I apologize that the link to reply to last week’s blog wasn’t working, but it is now if you would like to leave a comment or haven’t read it yet Respect Your Weapons of Fasting and Prayer!

One more thing. Thinking about those who might be alone on Valentine’s Day, many people in our churches can feel marginalized. I wrote an article for Crosswalk.com that I hope you’ll share with the pastors and ministry leaders in your church. It’s a slideshow if you read it on a computer. 13 Ways to Recognize the Overlooked People in Your Church.

February 12, 2024
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The Truth About Grace

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Like many of you, I pray for the Lord to give me a word and verse He wants me to focus on to improve my spiritual witness and my walk in the New Year. At first, I chose ‘persistent’ for 2024, but my husband and friends quickly squelched that one reminding me that I already am a very persistent person in my faith and life. It must be a word where I need to improve.

As I prayed about my 2024 word, the Lord revealed that I needed a heavy dose of grace in my communication and actions. What I probably needed the most was patience, but we all know it’s not a good idea to pray for that or the Lord might give you an abundance of experiences requiring patience. However, patience is often required to exhibit grace.

The Scripture that best reflects my pursuit of grace is Colossians 4:6 “Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.”

I probably would’ve made a good lawyer because I do have skills to win an argument or get my point across, but I may win the case and lose the relationship. I first became awakened to focusing on grace when our Couples Group did The Chosen Bible Study, which covers the Sermon on the Mount. Lesson 3 was on Matthew 5:5 “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” In that week’s study, two Scripture passages hit home to me.

 1 Peter 5:5 ESV “Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

Eph. 2:4-7 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

Then we came to Lesson 5, The Merciful and Their Mandate, with Matthew 5:7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.”

We were reminded that the ability to reflect meekness, mercy, and thus grace, comes from the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-25).

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. John 14:16-17

So my 2024 word is ‘grace’ and the Scripture I will pray repeatedly is Colossians 4:6. But what about the Spirit of truth?

Balancing Grace and Truth

John 1:17 says, For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.  Not Grace or Truth. Not Grace versus Truth. Grace and Truth. Yes, they can occur simultaneously, but it takes work. Displaying both grace and truth is a delicate balance, and often, we err towards one side or the other.

Christians often err on the side of grace resulting in sin not only tolerated, accepted, and overlooked, but made lawful and legal. We know the commandment “Thou shalt not kill,” but abortion is still legal in many states and called a “woman’s choice.” The Bible clearly states that homosexuality is a sin and marriage is between a man and a woman, but homosexual marriage is legal in America and called a lifestyle choice.

Sin has always been a choice, that’s why God sent His Son to earth to offer us mercy and grace. Not grace to keep on sinning . . . but grace to choose to turn from our wicked ways, seek forgiveness, and accept eternal life with Christ. An undeserved second chance to live a righteous life— the balance of grace and truth.

When faced with a sinful situation, many Christians fear sounding judgmental so their response is full of grace but evades the truth. This can appear to condone the sinful behavior. Or we’re so shocked or appalled at the sin we know God hates that we slam the person with biblical truth. Very few people are receptive to a condemning approach.

I tend to err on the side of wanting the truth told, but not always presenting it in a grace-filled manner. How do we not condemn, but not condone? How can we tell the truth, but still extend grace?

Truth or Grace?

“You’re late!” A greeting to the last arriving meeting members. Truth but no Grace.

“Where are you going to live?” A response to a Christian who announces she’s going to live with her boyfriend. Grace but no Truth.

“That dress looks terrible on you.” Truth but no Grace.

“It’s alright. No problem.” A reply to a friend backing out on an important commitment. Grace but no Truth.

“You’re going to hell if you keep up that behavior!” Truth but no Grace.

“Ok, I understand…” Said to the friend you babysat for numerous times, but when you ask to do a trade, she’s too busy. Grace but no Truth.

“Congratulations!” A gay couple tells you they are getting married. Grace but no Truth

Follow Jesus’ Example

Randy Alcorn wrote an excellent book, The Grace and Truth Paradox: Responding with Christ-like Balance. Randy points out that the early church drew thousands to Jesus by copying the only model they had at the time…Jesus Himself. Today, we often ask ourselves, “What would Jesus do?” Those people knew what Jesus would do. We could arrive at a number of adjectives describing the character of Christ that would let us know what He would do today, but Randy suggests all reduce to two character qualities…yes only two!

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” John 1:1, 14.

Jesus was full of both grace and truth ALL the time. He had the perfect balance of justice and mercy. Not grace one time and truth another time. Everything He did and everything He said embodied both character qualities. Notice that grace comes first in the verse because it was a new concept to the early Christians. They knew about the truth of the law from the Old Testament, but the grace of forgiveness that Jesus brought was brand new to them. 

Even in Jesus’ day, with his example for them to emulate, some like the Pharisees still chose to rely only on truth, and we call them legalists. Jesus pointed out that the law could only reveal sin, but only the grace of Jesus Christ could remove it.

We want others to know Jesus by what they see in our life, but then we have to ask ourselves what do they see in us? Are we full of grace and truth? Does it seem like a paradox sometimes? It shouldn’t. Randy points out that grace without truth, or truth without grace, are like a bird without one wing.

Don’t Bait and Switch

Communicating with grace and truth is not telling someone something flattering, then zinging them with truth. That bait and switch approach is never effective. They feel manipulated and tricked. Have you ever had that happen where you wonder: Did they just compliment or chastise me? Telling the truth should never cause confusion. It needs to be clear and concise.

Grace also doesn’t mean sugarcoating. That’s not what Jesus did. The passage in John 4:7-26 with Jesus and the Samaritan woman is a pattern for displaying grace and truth. Notice Jesus didn’t compliment the woman, then slam her with the truth. He first asked her a question, “Will you give me a drink?” which was a display of grace since Jews didn’t talk to Samaritans. The remainder of the passage is an example of Jesus telling the truth with grace. He didn’t avoid the truth because it would embarrass or put her on the spot. He confronted her with the truth of her sin of living with a man that wasn’t her husband then mercifully offered her the grace of forgiveness and eternal life. And what was the result? The woman left her sinful life and became one of the first women evangelists (John 4:28-30).

What About You and Me?

We can check ourselves with Randy Alcorn’s “Two Point Checklist” to help determine if we are a grace and truth Christian.

1.  Are nonbelievers uncomfortable around you?

It could be you are erring on the side of legalistic truth. People were drawn to Christ, who was both grace and truth, but ran from the Pharisees who had only the ‘truth.’

2.  Do all nonbelievers like you?

A red flag you’re erring on the side of grace. The true spirit of grace is that you love enough to tell the biblical truth and share the Gospel.

 Truth without grace:            Destroys          Crushes

 Grace without truth:             Deceives          Cowardly

Grace and Truth together:    Draws              Christ

God’s truths are guardrails in life to prevent us from going over the cliff into the sinful abyss, not tools for beating us over the head. Truth is a lifeline, not a weapon. Truth can release someone from bondage or rescue him or her from certain death. When we choose to bypass truth and go straight to grace, it’s no longer grace. Offering someone grace without the truth—the guardrail that protects and sets us free to know the true grace of Jesus—is sending them over the cliff in a loving way.

A quote from Randy’s book: “Truth without grace breeds a self-righteous legalism that poisons the church and pushes the world away from Christ. Grace without truth breeds moral indifference and keeps people from seeing their need for Christ. Attempts to ‘soften’ the gospel by minimizing truth keep people from Jesus. Attempts to ‘toughen’ the gospel by minimizing grace keep people from Jesus. It’s not enough for us to offer grace or truth. We must offer both.”

This balance is something most of us will spend a lifetime trying to achieve and only Jesus was perfect at it, but the Holy Spirit will help us if we ask. Tricia McCary Rhodes writes in Taking Up Your Cross, “To be humble is to live always with poignant awareness of God’s extravagant grace poured out in exchange for our complete inadequacy.” Isn’t that the TRUTH!

“If we get it wrong about Jesus, it doesn’t matter what else we get right.” —Randy Alcorn

In the first week of the New Year, I’ve heard the Holy Spirit repeatedly nudging me to remember grace or reminding me I bypassed it! The Holy Spirit and I are going to do a lot of communicating this year!

But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness. Ps. 86:15

How about you? Did you pick a word and Scripture to guide you through 2024? Please share it with me.

Leave your comment here and I will reply!

January 8, 2024
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10 Ways to Share the Gift of Jesus This Christmas

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If you go online and search lists of words that best characterize Christmas, you’ll find words like gifts, family, friends, decorations, busyness, happy, magical, celebration, dazzling, lights, baking, winter, shopping etc. Those are all appropriate words that apply to Christmas, but sadly when most people think of Christmas, they don’t think in biblical terms unless they’re Christians. Even some Christians busily preparing for Christmas don’t readily consider the foundational reason for Christmas. Instead, many first think of words that describe the commercial, cultural, and even secular aspects of Christmas.

Some people, like the Pro-terrorists-Hamas activists at New York City Rockefeller Center’s tree lighting ceremony, are suggesting that Christmas be canceled this year! How dare they? How quickly they forget that Christmas is a celebration of the birth of Jesus! Or could it be because Jesus was a Jew that’s exactly why they want it canceled?

Christmas is also a federal holiday formally recognized in the United States by the House of Representatives, the Senate, and President Ulysses S Grant who signed a bill designating Christmas into law as a legal holiday in 1870. It’s actually the only federal Christian holiday, even though it has become greatly secularized. So to even suggest Christmas be canceled, you know it’s the work of the enemy trying to deny the Christian celebration of our Lord and Savior’s birth, a Jew born in Judea in the city of Bethlehem.

Federal businesses have attempted to prohibit employees from showing any Christmas displays because “it might offend someone who doesn’t believe in Christmas.” Denying Christmas is offensive to me! It’s a weak excuse that should offend every Christian and be illegal.

Christmas is a federal holiday whether it offends someone or not. Post offices, banks, schools, federal offices close on Christmas. Secularists in schools now call Easter a “Spring break” and since it falls on Sunday, they’ve gotten away with minimizing the Christian significance. But not so with Christmas and we must not let them. Every employee in every business should be allowed to decorate their desk or work area for Christmas.

As we watch the Islamist countries joining against the tiny country of Jews in Israel, God’s chosen Holy Land, while activists and protesters threaten Jews in America, you can be sure that Christians are next. We must never bend or succumb to any attempts to change language or prohibit the public celebration of our Savior’s birth or His resurrection. Even though the Christmas tree isn’t biblical, it’s associated with Christmas even at the White House, so Christmas trees and manger scenes should be allowed in public places.

BTW—the heart of the word Christmas is Christ! The English term “Christmas” comes from the combination of the words “mass” and “Christ. Never forget that it’s CHRISTmas!

What Can Christians Do to Remind People of the True Meaning of Christmas?

Unfortunately, this year Christmas won’t be celebrated as usual in Bethlehem. The city’s municipality announced the traditional Christmas decorations and lights in Manger Square “will not be put up in an effort to show solidarity with those suffering in Gaza.” Bethlehem Pastor Stephen Khoury doesn’t agree with the decision. “So if they want to not do the light celebrations, that’s fine. I don’t like it, but it’s a decision. They’re not holding us back from doing prayer services and doing a Christian religious service. They’re not holding us back or stopping us from doing that.”

In a CBN article by Chris Mitchell, “As Christmas Decorations Go Dark in Bethlehem, Pastor Shines Light of Jesus with Tent Display,” Pastor Khoury outlined his plan to keep the focus of Christmas on Jesus. “So, here’s what we’re doing: where we tell people to let the lights go out, but let the light of Christ shine, let the decorations be taken down, but let the symbol of Christ’s promise be heard, and stand – what we’re doing in the month of December, and probably till the early January is, we’re going to set up a tent.”

 “We’re going to call it the nativity encounter Christmas tent, the Hope tent,” Khoury told us. This nativity encounter tent is, we’re going to get people to walk through this tent . . . And it’s a Bible discovery experience. And people can feel –touch something – dealing with what it would have looked like during Christ’s days in Bethlehem 2000 years ago. And they walk out the other side getting the message that the miracle has happened here.”

“We are bringing it back to ground zero and that the Christmas season, it’s about Jesus. He’s the reason for this season. And that’s what I plan to do throughout Christmas. And we invite the world to pray, to stand and to come volunteer with us at this tent,” he said.

That started me thinking about ways Christians could keep the focus on Jesus Christ this Christmas. I love how Samaritan’s Purse, who does the Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes, sends their teams to help in areas of crisis, disaster, and pandemics like Covid, always making it clear they’re helping and serving in the name of Jesus Christ as they share the Gospel wherever they go. Even the shoeboxes include the Gospel message.

How can we imitate a similar outreach as individuals this Christmas and openly share the true reason for Christmas, the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. His birthday should be a reminder of the reason He humbled Himself to come into the world as a baby to die on a cross to offer forgiveness and eternal life to you, me, and everyone who believes in Him.

Following are 10 ideas to share the gift of Christmas with others, remembering that helping others actually helps us. I’m sure you can think of more.

  • Give the Gift of Encouragement. Instead of writing letters to Santa, have children write letters to people who need encouragement this Christmas or include them in your Christmas card list. For example: military, first responders, police, medical staff, nursing home residents, or hospital patients. Be sure to include a Scripture or two from the biblical Christmas story.

So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing. 1 Thess. 5:11 NLT

  • Give the Gift of Hope. Adopt a disadvantaged family in your church or community. Bless them with Christmas presents like age-appropriate Bibles, Christian authored books, personal necessities, toys, or provide a special meal. Include a Gospel track* with the food and goodies. Ask if you can pray with them for any prayer requests.

I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance. Eph. 1:18 NLT

  • Give the Gift of Joy. Find simple ways to bring a smile to someone’s face during the Christmas season. For example, pay for the car behind you at a drive-through and give the cashier/server a Gospel track* to include with their order. Give an extra track to the server and be sure to leave a nice tip.

You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever. Ps. 16:11 NLT

  • Give the Gift of Kindness. Offer your time and energy to someone in need. Hang lights for an elderly neighbor or help decorate their house. Wrap presents for an overwhelmed new mom or someone recovering from an illness or surgery.

Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Col. 3:12 NLT

  • Give the Gift of Words. Speak words of affirmation and affection to your friends, family, customer service, waiters/waitresses, store employees . . . Take time to write a personal note in your Christmas cards or Christmas letter.

Kind words are like honey—sweet to the soul and healthy for the body. Pr. 16:24

  • Give the Gift of Faith. Read the biblical Christmas story with your family. If you read a chapter in the Book of Luke starting December 1, you’ll finish on Christmas Eve. You still have time to catch up. Look for opportunities to talk about what Christ’s birth means for your life today.

Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see. Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation. By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen. Heb. 11:1-3 NLT

  • Give the Gift of Peace. In the midst of the hustle and bustle of the season, and the unsettling news reports, set aside at least one “silent night” a week for the family to be home. Light a fire if you have a fireplace, curl up with cups of hot chocolate or tea, play worship Christmas music, and take a few moments to rest and reflect on the true meaning of Christmas.

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:27

  • Give the Gift of Hospitality. Invite someone to your home who may not have family close by or host a Christmas open house for your neighbors, friends, family, fellow workers, or Bible study group.

Cheerfully share your home with those who need a meal or a place to stay. 1 Pet. 4:9 NLT

  • Give the Gift of Time. Help nursing home residents write Christmas letters and read the Christmas story to them from the Bible. Offer to baby-sit so busy parents can go on a date or Christmas shopping together. Spend a few hours volunteering at a shelter. Help with Christmas festivities or services at your church or community.

Serve one another humbly in love. Gal. 5:13

  • Give the Gift of Love. Presents under the tree won’t make you or anyone else happy for long, but the presence of Jesus will! The happiest Christians are evangelistic all the time, not just at Christmas. Engage people with the love of God.  

“Love is never wasted for its value does not rest upon reciprocity.” C.S. Lewis

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:34-35

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave[a] his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 NLT

That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. 9 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, 10 but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. 11 The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! 12 And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.” Luke 2:8-12 NLT

*You can purchase Gospel tracks from places like Christianbook.com, but I also found a Souls for Christ Ministry that offers free printable tracks to make yourself.

If you missed my November newsletter, the opening article is “An Urgent Message of Christmas” and includes my Christmas poem “Time to Sit with You.” Here’s the link.

Please leave a comment here and share your thoughts and ideas with others. I reply to every comment.

December 4, 2023
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Three Lessons Beyond the Story of His Only Son!

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Last week, Hubby Dave and I saw the latest movie from Angel Studios, His Only Son. I was thrilled that just like Jesus Revolution, this new Christian movie stayed in theaters long after its Pre-Easter release and the five day expected showing. That’s because many Christians poured into theaters to support His Only Son.

When I looked over at Dave during the movie to see if the sounds he was making meant he was falling asleep, I discovered to the contrary, he was crying. The story of Abraham, Sarah, and Isaac brought my tenderhearted husband to tears more than once.

If you haven’t seen the movie, I don’t want to give away too many details, but it’s the familiar story of God asking Abraham to sacrifice his long-awaited son, Isaac, born to elderly parents. The son that God had told Abraham would bring descendants outnumbering the stars in the sky. It’s a beautifully filmed movie with superb acting as it brings the Bible story of Genesis 22 to life. If you haven’t seen it and it’s still in your theaters, I encourage you to go, enjoy, and maybe cry at a father’s love for his son, but his even greater love for the Father in Heaven who Abraham trusted and obeyed, even when asked to perform a seemingly impossible sacrifice.

Interwoven into the story was a brief glimpse of Sarah’s servant Hagar when Abraham and Sarah attempted to go ahead of God. In today’s blog, I want to fill in some of the blanks with lessons from the story of Hagar and Ishmael, discussed in conversation during the movie if you listen closely, but not depicted.

We can learn from the consequences of Abraham and Sarah’s poor decision about using Hagar to circumvent God’s plan. Consequences still felt in the Middle East today.

Who Was Hagar?

When we first meet Hagar in the Bible, she’s an Egyptian maidservant to Sarai (later called Sarah), the wife of Abram (later called Abraham). Sarai was infertile and desperately wanted a child. God had told Abram that he would have an heir, a son, and yet as time passed the aging couple still didn’t have a baby (Gen. 15:2-5).

Mistakenly, Sarai thought the Lord had kept her from having a baby so she came up with her own plan to give Abram a family. (Gen. 16:2) In those days, a maidservant had no rights and was required to comply with whatever her owners told her to do. When her barren and desperate mistress Sarai decides to use Hagar as a surrogate to provide her husband Abram with a child, Hagar has no option but to obey. Abram agreed and slept with Hagar and she became pregnant.

The movie alludes to this, but tastefully never shows Abram and Hagar in any sexual scenes, not even an embrace. This seems like an odd practice to us today, but it was actually an ancient custom in biblical times to ensure the birth of a male heir.

What Happened Next to Hagar?

When Hagar learned she was carrying Abram’s child, she felt superior to Sarai and the Bible says she “began to despise her mistress” (Gen. 16:4). Maybe Hagar was upset that her mistress forced her husband on her, or she felt rejected that Abram didn’t treat her as a wife, and she took her frustration out on Sarai. Whatever the reason, she wrongly thought that her pregnancy empowered her to treat Sarai with contempt.

When the relationship between the two women deteriorated and became hostile, Sarai complained to her husband. Abram told her that this had been Sarai’s idea in the first place and Hagar was hers to do with what she wanted. He wasn’t going to get involved with their dispute. Sarai took that as permission to mistreat Hagar, so pregnant Hagar ran away into the desert. But what she didn’t expect was an encounter with God, which we don’t see in the movie.

7 The angel of the Lord found Hagar near a spring in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur. 8 And he said, “Hagar, slave of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?” “I’m running away from my mistress Sarai,” she answered. 9 Then the angel of the Lord told her, “Go back to your mistress and submit to her.” Gen. 16:7-9

The angel of the Lord also told her she would have a son and name him, “Ishmael, for the Lord has heard of your misery.” (Gen. 16:11)

So obediently, Hagar returned, gave birth to her son, and stayed on as Sarai’s maidservant. Sixteen years later, Sarai, renamed by God, Sarah, finally had her own miracle son as God had promised, but like any older brother, Ishmael started teasing his little toddler half-brother Isaac. Sarah was having none of this and demanded that her husband, now called Abraham, send Hagar and her son away . . . this time permanently. The movie eludes during a conversation that this took place, but we don’t see it happening. We hear about Ishmael, but never see him.

The child [Isaac] grew and was weaned, and on the day Isaac was weaned Abraham held a great feast. 9 But Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham was mocking, 10 and she said to Abraham, “Get rid of that slave woman and her son, for that woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac.” (Gen. 21:8-10)

Abraham, now the father of both sons, protested but to his surprise, God intervened and incredulously told him to let them go. Listen in the movie for when Abraham discusses why he let them both go.

11 The matter distressed Abraham greatly because it concerned his son. 12 But God said to him, “Do not be so distressed about the boy and your slave woman. Listen to whatever Sarah tells you, because it is through Isaac that your offspring[a] will be reckoned. 13 I will make the son of the slave into a nation also, because he is your offspring.” (Gen. 21:11-13)

Reluctantly, Abraham agreed and sent Hagar and Ishmael out into the desert with food and water.

14 Early the next morning Abraham took some food and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar. He set them on her shoulders and then sent her off with the boy. She went on her way and wandered in the Desert of Beersheba. (Gen. 21:14)

God has lessons for us to learn from every biblical story and He tells us the story of Hagar in the Bible so we can apply what she learned to our own lives. Here are three important life application lessons.

Lesson #1: God Never Rejects Us

Hagar must have lamented her painful mistreatment and abandonment. Why was all this happening to her? When her hurt and despair sent her fleeing into the desert the first time, she was surprised but also very relieved and blessed when God met her there. She realized that even in her lowly position in life, she was important to God and He hadn’t rejected or forgotten her.

It was hard to hear God wanted her to go back to Sarai and endure abuse, but then God gave her a name for her son, Ishmael. God said He would even multiply Ishmael’s descendants. Wow, that was quite a promise, which God did fulfill in later years.

Hagar agreed to God’s plan and called the Lord, “The God who sees me, for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.” (Gen. 16:13)

God heard her cries of affliction. Amazingly, a slave girl was the first recorded appearance of God face to face in Scripture. Others had heard His voice or seen visions, but here was God in person.

Like Hagar, when it seems like others are rejecting you, God sees and hears you. Don’t let rejection define you; allow it to refine you. Hagar had the confidence and security in God to humbly return to Sarai and Abram and fulfill her role in biblical history.

Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me! (Ps. 66:20)

The Lord will not reject his people; he will not abandon his special possession. (Ps. 94:14 NLT)

Lesson #2 God is Near to the Brokenhearted

When Abraham sent Hagar and her son Ismael into the desert, it looked like they would surely die when the supplies Abraham had given them were exhausted. Now her precious son who God had given her and even named would starve to death. It was too much for her to bear. She couldn’t watch as he curled up in a fetal positon under a tree, but she couldn’t block out his starving moans and wails.

15 When the water in the skin was gone, she put the boy under one of the bushes. 16 Then she went off and sat down about a bowshot away, for she thought, “I cannot watch the boy die.” And as she sat there, she[b] began to sob. (Gen. 21:15-16)

But, what was she hearing now? Could it be a second encounter with God?! Yes, He had heard the cries of her son and asked her what was wrong? The Angel of the Lord spoke to this distressed mother yet again and reassured her not to be full of fear or sadness. Just as He had promised, God reaffirmed that her son’s legacy would be a great nation.  

17 God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid; God has heard the boy crying as he lies there. 18 Lift the boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.” (Gen. 21:17-18)

When we’re in deep despair, our tendency often is to shut out the world, and sometimes that includes shutting out God. But God is the one who understands our distress like no human can. Sometimes He will put people in our life and speak through them to comfort us, but what He longs for us to do is bend our ear towards Him and listen. Let His presence comfort you with the hope that He’s going through this with you and He always has a plan if we open our eyes to see our opportunities and listen to the wisdom He whispers in our prayer time.

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. (Ps. 34:18)

Lesson #3 God’s Plan Is Always the Best One to Follow

When Hagar opened crying eyes, to her astonishment there was a well of water in the middle of the desert. Only God! She ran to fill her wineskin and gave her thirsty son a refreshing drink.

19 Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. So she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink. (Gen. 21:19)

Bravely, Hagar believed God and trusted that even as a single mom rejected and stranded in the middle of nowhere, if God said it was so, then she would trust Him and obey again. God was faithful to His promise.

20 God was with the boy as he grew up. He lived in the desert and became an archer. 21 While he was living in the Desert of Paran, his mother got a wife for him from Egypt. (Gen 21:20-21)

While we often focus on Abraham and Sarah, God has a powerful lesson in the story of Hagar. Through no fault of her own, she became entrenched in the couple’s contrived plan to fulfill God’s promise themselves instead of waiting for God’s perfect timing and plan. We can’t outsmart or outdo God. His plans always are for good and will prevail, but we’ll pay a price when our impetuous and prideful thinking is that we know best.

22 The Scriptures say that Abraham had two sons, one from his slave wife and one from his freeborn wife.[a] 23 The son of the slave wife was born in a human attempt to bring about the fulfillment of God’s promise. But the son of the freeborn wife was born as God’s own fulfillment of his promise. (Gal. 4:22-23)

Just as God promised, Ishmael became a great nation but to this day, his descendants continue to be in conflict with the nation founded by his half-brother Isaac.

Everyday Brave Hagar

I include Hagar in Everyday Brave: Living Courageously as a Woman of Faith because she didn’t let the hard life that she encountered defeat her. She had a personal experience with God and He protected and provided for her. She courageously understood that God was the One she could depend on and trust. He would make a way when circumstances seemed impossible.

Even when we don’t see God face-to-face like Hagar did, or maybe have trouble feeling His presence, our faith assures us of the truth that we’re never alone. God has promised to never leave or forsake us even when others disappoint or even abandon us. God is always just a prayer away.

God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” (Heb. 13:5b)

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April 17, 2023
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