God’s Word — Page 9 — Woman to Woman Mentoring

Be Alert for Where and When the Lord Wants You to Get Involved!

If you follow me regularly, you know I’m always challenging my readers to be Christians of action and not just full of biblical knowledge. It’s one thing to know the Bible; it’s another to live the Bible. The Lord wants us to do both. Not only be knowers of the Word, but also doers. In our volatile world today, we don’t have to look far for where we can get involved in promoting good where evil is invading our culture.

It’s easy and comfortable to be armchair critics where we sit on the couch and watch on television, social media, or our electronics the world atrocities contradicting reason and right. We complain about how insanely wrong things are today.

We might even gather in groups and discuss our opinions and complaints, but talk is powerless unless we put our disgust and distress into some kind of positive action to make a difference.

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. James 1:22

There was a time when our frustration focused mostly on the world stage or maybe even centered on our government, but Satan is shooting his flaming arrows into our neighborhoods, families, schools, and yes, even, our churches.

We’re watching horrific pictures and narratives of evil at its worst as satanic barbarians attempt to wipe out the country of Israel. An evil attempted genocide of Jews we never expected to occur again after the Holocaust. How could this current atrocity happen to one of America’s allies and the people God has called His chosen?

I think some of the surprise attack came from relying on technology that can always be hacked or fail. Also, complacency and apathy to the reality that until Jesus returns for His church, Satan really is the ruler of the world.

We know that we are children of God and that the world around us is under the control of the evil one. 1 John 5:19 NLT

We must remain alert to the enemy’s tactics, which are ALWAYS evil and destructive with the motive of deception and denial of God’s principles.

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 1 Peter 5:8 NKJV

Complacency masquerading as “tolerance” has allowed the enemy to infiltrate almost every area of life today. Americans think we’ll never be blindsided by a 9-11 style attack again. We take our shoes off and go through metal detectors and put our liquids in 2 oz. bottles to board an airplane because that was the vehicle of evil used the last time, while millions of illegals flood our borders and throw away their passports and ID’s once inside so they can assume new identities in America. Why would anyone want to do that? You know it isn’t for good. Are we ready? Is the church ready?

I’m not talking provisionally ready; I’m talking spiritually ready. Are our loved ones ready? Are we willing to reach out with the gospel to those who aren’t?

Yes, it can be uncomfortable. Inconvenient. Unpopular. Challenging. Scary. But when I find myself in those situations, I rely on the promise God gives us in Luke 21:14-15 . . .

¹⁴ Don’t worry about what you will say to defend yourselves. ¹⁵I will give you the wisdom to know what to say. None of your enemies will be able to oppose you or to say that you are wrong. Luke 21:14-15 CEV

My Recent Getting Involved Experience

I hope you know I would never challenge you to do something I’m not willing to do myself. My mantra for years has been that the church, you and me, need to get involved in our local communities to right any wrongs that God brings to our attention. I’ve also said that we shouldn’t look only at the national level, but open our eyes to what’s going on in our own backyards. Maybe it will be running for office or actively supporting candidates who support our values. Every position is important from school boards to library boards.

I also would encourage you to investigate Christian-based organizations keeping a pulse on what’s happening in your area. I follow several in Idaho and one of those is Freedom Foundation. I receive their emails which often expose unethical issues in our state and draw our attention to pray over, and if we feel the Lord leading, to get involved. Since I live in a very small rural community most of the issues I read about are not in our area. But several weeks ago, there was an email from the Freedom Foundation addressing sexually obscene, pornographic, inappropriate books for children discovered in our local community library.

How could I ignore this? I couldn’t. So at first, I just posted the article on my social media page and a community social media page. Little did I know I was starting a firestorm! The comment attacks were fast and furious. I have to admit I was shocked that so many people were in favor of these books.

My main question was why were the books in our library? What was the purpose in making them available to our local children? But instead of answers, I received attacks on Christianity and my “morals,” although I never said I was a Christian. But it seems if you took a moral view of this atrocity, you must be a Christian. I was told, “keep your morals in your church.” I wondered what kind of “morals” the accusers had.

I learned there was a “Material Reconsideration Form” we could fill out to request these books be removed from the library. So I announced the situation to my church congregation and asked others to join me in filling out the forms. I was encouraged that many did. The two-sided form wasn’t easy to fill out and it required reviewing the dark material in these books, which I didn’t want to do. I felt like I needed a shower. How would I get the images and words out of my mind? It was just too dark.

Did I really want to do this? When my grandchildren were younger and visited us, I used to enjoy taking them to the children’s section of our library as a fun activity, but they’re older now, so these books weren’t affecting me personally. But I care about all children. I care about the next generation.

You would recognize some of the book titles as the same books parents are bravely contesting and reading aloud in school board meetings. Now God had brought them to my attention in my town. I had a choice to just complain or take further action beyond filling out the forms.

Then I discovered a podcast “Banned?” with Pastor Jack Hibbs interviewing Karen England, from Capitol Resource Institute. In this podcast, they discuss the sexually explicit and pornographic books that are plaguing our public-school systems and public libraries. Karen kept pointing out that we may be surprised to learn this isn’t only a problem in liberal cities, but many of these books are often available in conservative “red states” as well. They were talking about the very books in our “red state” small community library or on their website as an e-book download that children could access.

“Banned?” is an important podcast for every parent, grandparent, and concerned citizen to hear. It’s hard to listen, and yes, it’s dark, but that’s where Satan does his work. Especially, if you’re in a “red state” like we are in Idaho and think that none of this could happen in your local library or school. It is happening in school districts and libraries throughout our state! You can’t escape it.

It was a timely podcast for me. I thought if this brave Christian woman, Karen England, can subject herself to knowing the content of these books and go around the nation exposing them to protect our precious children, I can and will do my part.

I prayed long and often late into the night for God to give me the words, wisdom, and courage to take a stand and encourage others to join me. Many did. We attended the next library board meeting where those opposing our “moral” position and those joining me opposing the books each were given three minutes to present our arguments to the board.

Even a young twenty-year-old woman courageously read a disgusting sexually graphic page from one of the books and others told testimonies of the horrific acts that occur when young minds are exposed to pornography. To the board’s credit, they listened and allowed everyone the opportunity who wanted to speak. They recorded the meeting, and we were told they would review and make their final decision, which as of this writing we haven’t received.

Applause and Assaulted

A group of us stood outside the library hugging and thanking each other for speaking out and for those that came to support us. But as you can imagine, not everyone was happy about us being there. It only took a day for me to be attacked personally on the community social media page. I received the usual “hater” slander, my ministry was ridiculed, and I was pretty much told to stay in my own Christian lane. Which actually I was!

I could also see the delusional confusion when the slanderer accused me of making the young woman read the vulgarity from the book and referred to her as my “daughter”?! I had no idea she was going to read or what she was going to say. I was just delighted to have the next generation participate and speak the truth.

Sometimes you just have to laugh at delusion. The Lord reminded me I should be flattered they thought this 20-year-old was my daughter, since my own real daughter just turned 50!!!

Jesus told us to expect persecution but also not to stop sharing the gospel because there are some who will listen just as He experienced.
Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. John 15:20

Paul said, ¹²We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; ¹³when we are slandered, we answer kindly. 1 Cor. 4:12:13

I’ve chosen to not give the satisfaction of answering the latest slanders because I choose not to escalate the discussion with those who are blinded by lies. That’s a lose/lose attempt and only gives them more of a platform. I can only pray that one day their eyes will open to the truth.

As an author myself, I know that authors write to a target audience with a purpose and focused message. I can’t imagine what kind of mind writes this smut for children. An author would have to have a sinister agenda and purpose to write books like these directed towards children. Their purpose is either pedophilia or grooming.

If you saw the movie Sound of Freedom, they really are coming for our children! I wrote a blog last year on November 8, 2021 by that very title They’re Coming for Our Children! We can’t stay silent.

Jesus didn’t say living the gospel-life would be easy. It’s often heartbreaking to see so many people championing evil as a “freedom” when we’re talking about innocent little minds and bodies. If you’re willing to take action in the schools and libraries in your area, I want to leave you with this tool.

Obscenity Law Defined: Supreme Court Defines Obscenity

Roth v. United States, 354 U.S. 476 (1957). Ruled on two criminal convictions for obscenity. The U.S. Supreme Court affirmed the convictions, holding that obscene speech is not protected by the First Amendment. It further determined that the standard for obscenity is “whether, to the average person, applying contemporary community standards, the dominant theme of the material, taken as a whole, appeal to prurient interest. (Emphasis added)

Miller v. California, 413 U.S. 15 (1973), reaffirmed the Roth ruling. “In sum, we (a) reaffirm the Roth holding that obscene material is not protected by the First Amendment; (b) hold that such material can be regulated by the States, subject to the specific safeguards enunciated above, without a showing that the material is “utterly without redeeming social value”; and (c) hold that obscenity is to be determined by applying “contemporary community standards” not “national standards.” (Emphasis added)”

Where is God asking you to get involved?

[God] who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, 2 Tim. 1:9 NKJV

“Today is no random day. It’s a God-planned day for His devoted children.” Greater Purpose by David Jeremiah

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The middle picture is from Andrew D Griffin of Love Alive.

October 16, 2023

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4 Prayers Asking God to ‘Give Us This Day’

We all woke up to the news on Saturday October 7 that war had broken out in Israel. The terrorist group Hamas unleashed a barrage of rockets from Gaza into Israel, reaching as far as Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Sabbath tranquility in Israel was ruptured on a day marking the Jewish holiday of Shemini Atzeret and the 50^th anniversary of the Yom Kippur War in which Egypt and Syria launched a surprise attack on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in Judaism and a time of atonement and forgiveness. The current incursion during Simchat Torah in Israel revived painful memories.

Iran financially and ideologically supports Hamas in their desire to annihilate Israel. As of this writing, Hamas has taken hundreds of hostages including families, children, and the elderly and thousands of Israelis (maybe even Americans) are dead or wounded. There were 3500 rockets in 6 hours of surprise Gorilla warfare and a barbaric ISIS-style attack against civilians. “Hamas is running the streets killing civilians” one local said. Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu responded with full military mobilization and declared, “This is war!” Israel is calling this their 9-11.

Pastor Jack Hibbs responded on his Facebook page: “Throughout the decades, in our Bible prophecy, updates, and teachers, I have been preaching on this scenario for years. Now, keep your eyes on the Pacific Northwest for China to go against Taiwan or North Korea to do something stupid. Do not be surprised if simultaneously we see Hezbollah in the north of Israel, coming out of Lebanon and Syria. We could be looking at the setup of either Isaiah 17 or Ezekiel 38 or both.”

Since this attack was planned, funded, and equipped by Iran, Hal Lindsey considers it a precursor to the war prophesied in Ezekiel 38-39—a war led by Russia and Iran. All experts believe Russia is also tied to this current terrorist attack on Israel.

No one expected this day when they went to bed the previous night. Somehow it slipped by Israel’s top-notch Intel. But it happened. That’s exactly how the day of the Lord will come when God raptures His people from earth to heaven. It will be even more dramatic than war in Israel. It will usher in the 7 years of tribulation, which will make the evil we’re watching in today’s culture look mild. Praise God, if you know Jesus as your Savior, you won’t have to endure that horrific time, but I wonder how many of the Israelis who died knew Jesus as their Messiah?

We don’t know how this war in Israel will escalate or how it might even affect us here in America. Many people have been physically “prepping” for some world clash, but my response is always how many are spiritually prepping? How many are ready to meet Jesus? Your cupboards may be full but if Jesus isn’t filling your heart, it’s all for naught. It’s the difference between eternal death and eternal life.

A colorful plaque on the wall in our dining room reads, “Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread.” I placed it in the room where we eat because we typically associate bread with a meal. But there are so many other areas of life to ask God to give us what we need for this day.

Especially helpful during a morning devotional time is asking God to bless this day and prepare us for whatever He knows is going to happen in our life, particularly those things that might catch us by surprise. We read in the Bible that God wants us to take life one day at a time, but always be ready for the unexpected and the day He takes us home to be with Him. No one knows the day or time, but it will happen when we least expect it, in the wink of an eye.

“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.” Matt. 24:36 NKJV

Where Can We Find ‘Give Us This Day’ in the Bible?

During Jesus’ ministry on earth, He was continuously teaching and mentoring his twelve disciples. Prayer is an essential part of the Christian life so the disciples often observed Jesus praying. One day the disciples asked Him to teach them how to pray. Matthew 6:9-13, the “Lord’s Prayer,” is Jesus’ response to His disciples and to us on how we should pray. Many have memorized this prayer often recited in church or used as a model for prayer.

⁹In this manner, therefore, pray:

Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
¹⁰Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
¹¹Give us this day our daily bread.
¹²And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors.
¹³And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Matt. 6:9-13 NKJV

In verse 11, Jesus was referencing the daily bread, “manna from heaven,” God sent each day to meet the needs of the Israelites for food as they wandered in the desert. That the God of Israel could provide daily food for them was a confirmation that He was watching over them and guiding their life both physically and spiritually.

Jesus emphasizes this point in John 6:32 NKJV, Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven.”

Jesus then referred to Himself as the living bread, “For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” John 6:33 NKJV

Next, Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” John 6:35 NKJV

By emphasizing in Matthew 6:11 that we ask God to give us bread only for “this day,” Jesus was referencing the biblical history the disciples would know that God only sent the Israelites enough manna for each day. He wanted them to have confidence that there would be just enough for one day and He would rain down more the next day. If they tried to horde extra, it spoiled. They needed to trust Him for their daily provision. And so should we!

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you. And the people shall go out and gather a certain quota every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in My law or not. ⁵And it shall be on the sixth day that they shall prepare what they bring in, and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily.” Ex. 16:4-5 NKJV

Moses also reminded the people that spiritual food is as vital to life as physical food.

So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord. Deut. 8:3 NKJV

Jesus referred to Deuteronomy 8:3 in Matthew 4:4 NKJV when he spoke of spiritual bread. But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’”

What Does It Mean When We Ask God to Give Us This Day?

When we’re sick or going through financial or personal problems, we want answers for the future, now. How is it all going to turn out? What can we do to change things? Maybe we have enough to get by today, but what about tomorrow and the next day? We ask God to show us His plans and assure us that we’ll be fine. It’s all going to work out okay.

Matthew 6:25-27 is one of Jesus’ famous lessons about worrying about the next day. Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

Still, we worry until we learn how to turn each day’s needs over to God in prayer and trust that He has everything under control.

4 Ways to Pray Asking God to “Give Us This Day“

Pray for God to Give Us This Day: Provision

Dear Father, You know our needs before we even ask but still You tell us we have not because we ask not. So Lord, I’m asking You to provide for my needs, maybe not my wants, but enough. Show me what I must do to work with You to obtain what’s sufficient for this day. These are scary times. The shelves at stores are emptying, prices escalating, and we worry about providing food and clothes for our family today. With Christmas quickly approaching, how can we afford gifts?

Lord, could this be Your way of helping us focus on the true meaning of Christmas?! Remembering that it’s not about how many gifts we give, but the gospel message we share with people who are more open to hearing about the gift of Jesus at that time of year.

Please help me not to panic and start hording and hiding away food and supplies. It didn’t work for the Israelites with their hording manna for more than a day and it won’t help for me to take from others who might need provisions more than I do. Guide me into prudent buying and give me wisdom to discern between a want and a need.

Thank You Holy Father for the abundance You’ve poured down on a country that seldom gives You the glory. Let me be the voice that says I have enough for this day, and I want to take time to enjoy and appreciate the Lord’s provision for my loved ones and me. Everyday give me a heart of generosity to give to those who might not be as fortunate as I am. I praise You Lord for Your abounding love and grace to all those who love You. Amen

Pray for God to Give Us This Day: Peace

Heavenly Father, You see from Your throne in heaven the chaos and crises befalling our world, and especially today in Israel. A world that is rejecting Your moral biblical values and principles. How this must break Your heart. Lord, it breaks my heart, and sometimes I lose my peace and am filled with anxiety when each new day brings more discouraging news. It seems like evil rules instead of You.

Please help me wake up in the morning with a sense of peace when I look out the window and see all that You’ve created and the sun has risen again on a new day. Remind me to thank You each night for another day of life.

When my thoughts wander to worrying, bring me back this day to remembering John 14:27 where Jesus assures us, “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.” I pray Lord that You will bring peace to Israel and draw many hearts to Jesus during this horrible assault on their country. Amen

Pray for God to Give Us This Day: Joy

Dear God, I’ll admit I’m not joyful each new day. I want to be because I feel better physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. I need to smile and laugh more, but I look in the mirror and see frown lines on my face. More importantly, Father, I need Your joy to fill my heart and soul. Please help me to laugh. Give me a daily dose of joy.

I know Your Word tells me that joy is a fruit of the Spirit, as is the peace I so desperately crave. Just knowing You, Lord, as my Savior should fill my heart with bubbling over joy. Please help me this day to put a gospel song in my heart and a kick in my step that draws others to the joy of knowing the Jesus they see in me.

Fill me anew this day with Your Holy Spirit. Your living water. Your hope. Your peace. Remind me that the joy of the Lord is my strength (Neh. 8:10)! “Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me” (Psalm 51:12). Amen

Pray for God to Give Us This Day: Trust

Precious Lord, I give this day trusting You will not give me more than I can bear but will always give me just what I need to stand up under any adversity. Father, I know that the foundation of my faith is trust in You in every way and every day. Trust is believing in what I cannot see but knowing that You see all and only want the best for me.

Lord, it’s a constant daily process of turning all my life, not just portions of it, over to You completely. Giving up control when I want to do things my way. I need You to remind me when I’m falling off course or trying to do things on my own. Each day unfolds with new challenges and opportunities, and I must seek You moment by moment in making decisions and choices.

Keep this song in my heart: Trust and obey for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey. I see clearly now that You are my source of provision, peace, and joy and I implore You dear Lord, help me to trust in You and You alone this day and every day. Amen

Pray Like Today Is Your Forever Day!

Like Israel, we don’t know what tomorrow will bring, or for that matter even the rest of today. But God tells us He has numbered each of our days. While we’re here on earth, He knows the plans He has for us. So, it’s only fitting that we would turn this day and each new day over to Him to guide and lead us in what we say and do. How we feel and hope. How we respond and react. How we love and let love.

The faithful love of the Lord never ends!
    His mercies never cease.
²³Great is his faithfulness;
    his mercies begin afresh each morning.
²⁴I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance;
    therefore, I will hope in him!” Lam. 3:23-24 NLT

Pray for peace in Jerusalem.
    May all who love this city prosper.
⁷O Jerusalem, may there be peace within your walls
    and prosperity in your palaces.
⁸For the sake of my family and friends, I will say,
    “May you have peace.”
⁹For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,
    I will seek what is best for you, O Jerusalem. Psalm 122:6-9 NLT

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October 9, 2023

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Once I was Blind, But Now I See!

This week, I’m doing something I occasionally do and that’s promote a movie with a message that everyone needs to see and hear. I’m talking about the movie The Blind in theaters this week. Dave and I went to see it on 9/29 and even though I knew most of the story of Duck Dynasty’s Phil and Kay Robertson, I really didn’t know how bad it was before Jesus came into their life.

Decades before “Duck Dynasty,” Phil and Kay Robertson suffered a stormy early period of ten years in their marriage marred by Phil’s alcohol abuse and infidelity. “The Blind” captures their story of struggle, redemption, and hope.

When we were finding our seats at the theater, I saw a young teenage couple and asked if they knew what the story was about. They smiled and said they did. I told them how happy I was to see them there and that this film was reaching the next generation. After the movie, Dave and I started talking to a couple sitting next to us and discovered we had the same conservative faith beliefs and burden to protect children in our state’s schools and libraries. We were blessed to make new like-minded friends.

Let me backtrack a bit. Dave and I enjoyed watching the Robertson family with their four married sons’ families and Phil’s brother Uncle Si in their Duck Dynasty reality show adventures. That sparked our interest in learning more about them since the whole family was obviously Christian and they weren’t afraid to talk about their faith, Jesus, and family.

After Duck Dynasty ended, many in the Robertson family branched out with other shows, podcasts, books, and ministries.

Dave and I have a remote connection to the Robertson family. Their third son Willie Robertson’s wife Korie is the daughter of John and Chrys Howard owners of the former Howard Publishing that published my first two books, Dear God, They Say It’s Cancer: A Companion Guide for Women on the Breast Cancer Journey and Praying for Your Prodigal Daughter: Hope, Help, & Encouragement for Hurting Parents. The Howards later sold their publishing company to Simon & Schuster, which still publishes those two books.

I never personally met Miss Kay [as she’s fondly called] or Phil Robertson, but they spoke several years ago in Nampa, Idaho and Dave and I attended. Phil is a bold evangelist and speaks freely about his life before Christ and the change accepting Jesus as his Savior made in his life, his marriage, and his family.

Recently, we heard Phil and Miss Kay interviewed by Kirk Cameron on his TBN program Takeaways. They said that their children felt the couple’s early tumultuous marriage years needed telling to share the miraculous transformation Jesus made in Phil’s life and Kay’s belief in him when he was haunted by the demons of alcohol, infidelity, and childhood memories. I don’t want to give away any spoilers because you need to see the movie, but to quote Phil, “You’ve got to come to the end of yourself to find the beginning of God.”

It’s one thing to read and even hear Phil and Miss Kay’s testimony, but to see it visually in this film is indescribable and inspirational. The portrayal of Kay and Phil is raw, open, and vulnerable. They hold nothing back of how bad things were and how good God is. In the Kirk Cameron interview, Phil revealed something I hadn’t heard before that he had learned of fathering a now 45-year-old daughter during his time of infidelity. She’s welcomed into the Robertson clan.

Their son, Willie Robertson, said in an interview with USA Today Network about The Blind, “It’s the early years of their marriage, so it’s gutting and raw. It’s definitely not ‘Duck Dynasty.'”

“It tackles big issues – mental illness, depression, alcohol abuse,” Willie said.

Willie and his wife Korie Robertson produced the movie with their Tread Lively production company.

“Mom and dad have been very public about their early struggles, but seeing it up there on the screen really made it real for all of us,” Willie said. “It’s tough for them to open up that part of their life, but they’ve been willing to do it to try to reach others who are struggling. People see the family and ‘Duck Dynasty’ and think, ‘They have everything,’ but this story illustrates we had hard times like everyone else,” said Willie, who was 2 when his parents separated for a time.

“It’s powerful,” Willie said. “It’s a story of hope and redemption that shows you’re never too far gone to be saved.”

“In this movie, ‘The Blind,’ we let go of everything. We’re telling it,” Miss Kay says.

The 10-year span in The Blind depicts what Phil Robertson himself describes as his wild rebellious years of substance abuse and cheating before turning to God and building the clan’s Duck Commander duck-call manufacturing business into an empire in rural West Monroe.

Why would the Robertson’s be so open, vulnerable, and transparent about such a dark time in their life? Because they care more about saving lives than saving their reputation. Their testimony is one of redemption, love, and forgiveness. A wife who didn’t give up hope for her husband and a Jesus who can save even the most despicable wayward person. A testimony shared to bring others to Jesus.

It’s not about how bad you were, it’s about how good God is! He goes after the one that was lost even though 99 are saved. Which gives each of us hope for those we think will never change their life. If God could turn heathen Phil into an evangelist, he can and will save anyone who surrenders his or her life to Jesus Christ and seeks forgiveness for their sins.

“What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? ¹³And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. Matt. 18:12-13

Why Share Our Testimony?

And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. —1 John 5:11-12

But as for me, how good it is to be near God! I have made the Sovereign Lord my shelter, And I will tell everyone about the wonderful things you do. —Ps. 73:28 NLT

There’s no greater witness to God’s goodness than sharing what He’s done in your life. No one can question your testimony because it’s your personal experience. As we mature spiritually, we move beyond just remembering God’s goodness for our own benefit and start retelling our testimony to help others just like Phil and Kay have done.

We all have varied life testimonies in addition to our salvation testimony. Some of you have heard my “Feed my Sheep” testimony. If not, you can read a little here. I never tire of telling my story as History.

You may not think you have a testimony if you’ve been a Christian most of your life and life has gone smoothly. You can’t relate to Kay and Phil’s story or maybe even mine. God has been walking beside you guiding your life every step of the way. But that’s your testimony to others who worry about losing something by turning their lives over to God. You’re a living example of how good God really is!

Maybe you’re stumbling under the burden of a hidden past you’ve been too embarrassed to talk about and hope will never be revealed. Now may be the time to deal with those buried hurts and hang-ups. Like Phil and me, once they’re out in the open, Satan can’t use them against you anymore.

When I felt God leading me to write Praying for Your Prodigal Daughter, I had to ask my daughter if she was okay with me revealing the prodigal time in her life before she accepted Christ as her Savior. I assured her that I would also be sharing how I was a prodigal raising a prodigal.

I write her response in the Acknowledgments: “My dearest Kim, you will always be my “baby. To share our story, to bare our souls, is no little thing. I admire and celebrate the beautiful, humble, and courageous Christian woman you have become. When I shared my vision for this book, you were on board and willing to let me expose our lives on these pages, all for the glory of God. That’s no small concession, since our life together has had many twists and turns—some we regret and others we celebrate. I thank God for making both our paths straight. We were lost and now we’re found. I love you baby.”

Kim told me, “Mom, if we can help one daughter and her parents, we need to share our story.” Kim also writes in the book what she was feeling and thinking during her prodigal years.

God redeems your story by surrounding you with people who need to hear your past so it doesn’t become their future. Like Phil and Kay’s testimony and Kim’s and mine, it’s the opportunity to give purpose to a crisis.

You might not make a movie, write a book, or tell your testimony from a stage, but God will bring people across your path and the Holy Spirit will prompt you to share. Every day, you encounter opportunities to share your testimony, and every time you tell it, you’ll remember how good God has been to you.

Revealing is the first step to healing!

Just like Phil’s spiraling down and my backsliding years, our testimony isn’t about how bad we were. Our message is the redemption and forgiveness available through our initial salvation or a rededication to Jesus Christ.

When people ask me how I made it through life’s difficulties, the best answer is, “I couldn’t have done it without God.” That’s your best answer too. It opens the door to share your story. By the way, your story doesn’t have to have a “happy ending” like the Robertson’s or mine for you to share it.

Your story becomes your testimony when the focus is on God, not on you. It’s not a time to tell someone else’s story. Stick to details that pertain to you and those willing to let you include them in your story.

When anyone tells me about an encounter with God, or a memorable circumstance in his or her life, I always ask if they’re writing it down because God is going to use it as a life-experience testimony. My ministry tagline is “Sharing Life Experiences and God’s Faithfulness.”

I’m reminded of the Apostle Paul [formerly Saul], a persecutor of Christians before he was struck blind by the Lord on the road to Damascus in Acts 9:1:1-18.

So Ananias went and found Saul. He laid his hands on him and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road, has sent me so that you might regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Instantly something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he got up and was baptized.

Later in Acts 22:1-16, Paul told his testimony of transformation from being an enemy and persecutor of Christians to an evangelist sharing the Gospel.

As I watched in The Blind, Phil Robertson’s retreat into the forest almost living like an animal during his darkest times, I was reminded of the story of King Nebuchadnezzar’s testimony of living like a wild animal until he also surrendered to God (Daniel 4:1-37).

At the closing of The Blind movie, they showed comments on the screen. One was what Miss Kay said to the former pastor of the West Monroe White’s Ferry Church of Christ who visited Phil in Junction City during his darkest hour, planting a seed that eventually sprouted. Kay said to the pastor, “If you can help save Phil, he will go on to help save thousands.” Which Phil certainly has done!

While many may know of Phil’s tenaciously outspoken faith now, they may not know the hard and twisting road he walked before surrendering to Jesus. The title “The Blind is a play on words and refers both to, “I was blind, but now I see” (John 9:25), and to a shelter that conceals duck hunters called “the blind.“

“I think maybe if these people watch the movie and see how I was, and then they look at me now and see how I operate, [it will give them hope],” Mr. Robertson said. “You got to remember all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God so I’m not the only person that has sinned. The way out is faith in Jesus Christ.”

“I would have never dreamed I would be out there preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ when I was back there getting drunk as a skunk,” he continued. “But when that happened and I was freed from it, [everything changed]. That’s why I’ve been saying ever since that happened and I came to Jesus [what God can do].”

“Our prayer is that people will see the movie and know there’s hope. It’s never too late to be saved.”

“Jesus—that one sacrifice—has made perfect, forever, those who come to Him. If you just think about it, His blood gives us the opportunity to move beyond our sinful self,” Mr. Robertson said. “What do you get when He shows up, when you come to Him by faith? Love, joy, peace, patience…. It’s well worth the effort to follow Jesus faithfully.”

Amen!

If you didn’t receive my September newsletter, here’s the link. I would encourage you to read it.

Some of the “Why Share Your Testimony” discussion above is from my book Forsaken God? Remembering the Goodness of God Our Culture Has Forgotten.

Please leave a comment here. I reply to all comments.

October 2, 2023

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Breaking Up Is Hard to Do!

I’m sure you’ve broken up with someone in your lifetime. Maybe you found someone you liked better. Or maybe you learned the person wasn’t who you thought they were. Or maybe they were even talking bad about you behind your back. Or just maybe you discovered your values were at odds with theirs and you weren’t willing to compromise on your values and morals.

On different occasions in my life, I’ve broken up for each of those reasons. When we become Christians, the Bible tells us clearly to leave the old life and ways behind and choose to follow Christ in our relationships, words, actions, thoughts, time, and money. It might even mean breaking off a close relationship because that other person is tempting and luring you to return to wicked ways you’ve already asked God to forgive you for and you don’t want to regress. You want to live a new life in Christ.

This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! 2 Cor. 5:17 NLT

For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin. Rom. 6:6

Occasionally, God points out that something or someone has become an idol in our life. God warns us to have no other gods or idols before Him. We may need to break up or break away from anything that becomes more important to us than God or change our perspective and outlook on whatever is getting more of our attention than God is.

“You must not have any other god but me. ⁴“You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea.” Ex. 20:3-4 NLT

Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry. 1 Cor. 10:14

Breakups are painful. Hard to do. Sometimes freeing. Other times grieving. But often something you know you need to do to honor Jesus and your witness for Him. God may want us to use our breakup as a wakeup call to others. That’s the message I’d like to share in the remainder of this blog.

We’ve all seen the impact consumers can have when the woke agenda attempts to normalize sin and sinful behavior. Before anyone starts calling me names, I proudly identify as a Bible-believing Christian. My identity is in Christ alone. I’m not “homophobic,” I’m sinphobic! I think I coined a new word since spellcheck doesn’t like it. Webster’s Dictionary describes phobic as “having an intolerance or aversion,” and that’s exactly how I feel about sin. Anyone’s sin, including my own. But especially when the media, government, fringe groups, and even some pastors try to tell me I should be “tolerant” of sin, I’m gonna say a resounding, “No Way!”

Jesus was NEVER tolerant of sin. He spent time with sinners with the sole goal and purpose of helping them turn away from their sin and repent, not to celebrate, party, and revel in their sin or impose it on others. Jesus gave His life on the cross to free us from sin, not parade sin in the streets, teach it in schools, or ignore it in churches. He told the woman at the well living in sin with her boyfriend and the woman caught in adultery, “Go and sin no more.” He went to Zacchaeus’ house and even to the Pharisees’ homes to share the truth with them in hopes some would be saved from their sinful, prideful lifestyle.

So that being said, here are a few breakups I’ve experienced with businesses who finance, support, encourage, and promote sin. Maybe you’ll want to break up with them too if you haven’t already. We can make a difference as we saw with what is now termed the “Bud Light” effect when the beer brand decided to make their mascot a lunatic and very sick man impersonating as a woman. Hubby and I don’t drink beer, but we cheered the effective reaction and response from the conservative population who support the way God created us as either a man or a woman and never the two shall exchange bodies!

Here’s Some of My Breakups and the Whys

#1 Breakup with Target-In 2004, the Target retail chain announced a new corporate policy that banned Salvation Army bell ringers and their collection kettles from Target storefronts. Next, they banned employees from saying “Merry Christmas.” Then slyly they stopped having separate areas for little boys’ and girls’ toys and bedding. Their woke agenda continued to get worse with a crescendo this year of placing obscene clothing in the front of their stores and next to the children’s section, even displaying alphabet mafia clothing for babies!!

That’s what happens when you take Christ out of Christmas; it’s a deep dive into hell. Needless, to say we broke up with Target many many years ago and have NEVER missed them!

#2 Breakup with Starbucks—My breakup with Starbucks was brought on by their huge financial support and endorsement of gay marriage. But that was only the beginning. They also support abortion, the alphabet sexual perversion, pronoun reassignment, gender mutilation and castration even of children, and the entire radical liberal agenda.

When we lived in California back in 2008, voters voted in Proposition 8, which “provides that only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.” It passed 52% to 48%, by a margin of about 600,000 votes. The Protect Marriage campaign supporting Proposition 8 constantly invoked the “far-reaching consequences” of legal gay marriage, particularly the implication that school curriculums would be required to teach that gay marriage is “the same as traditional marriage.”

Pollster David Fleischer, in his analysis of the election results, found that the greatest shift toward “Yes” among undecided voters was “among parents with children under 18 living at home—many of them white Democrats,” who feared the effects of legal gay marriage on their children’s public education. Evangelicals and Republicans formed the core of Proposition 8’s support. Sadly, the people’s will was overturned and gay marriage was legalized.

What these parents feared most has become our reality today. The Biden Administration labels parents who protest the sexual/pornographic indoctrination of their children as domestic terrorists. Many Evangelicals and Republicans today seem defeated and fear speaking out against the cultural demise.

When the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade, Starbucks announced it would reimburse travel expenses for employees who “need” abortions and cannot get them within 100 miles of their homes. They also provide insurance coverage for mislabeled “gender-affirming care,” which is actually gender annihilation, and cover travel expenses for employees who don’t have access to this horrible atrocity near their homes.

One article said, “Starbuck’s customers and workers tend to be more liberal.”

I’ve been laughed and scoffed at when I compare Starbuck’s logo signs with Asherah poles from the Old Testament. But after my breakup with Starbucks, that’s how I see them. Like an idol, the Starbuck’s logo sign used to magnetically draw me to pay an insane price for a calorie-ridden cup of coffee! Now I see that sign and pray for everyone still deceived into throwing money at a company whose values are the opposite of God’s.

The Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight. They forgot about the Lord their God, and they served the images of Baal and the Asherah poles. Judges 3:7 NLT

Dear children, keep yourselves from idols. 1 John 5:21

#3 Breakup with Disney—I remember going to Disneyland as a child not long after it opened. I was so excited to take my daughter and then later her children to enjoy the “happiest place on earth!” Tragically, they’ve become the wokest place on earth with their corporate executives caught on video saying their goal is to include as much of the DEI and satanic agenda as possible by rewriting beloved children’s movies to depict gay, trans, morally sick people.

“Diversity” is a word you hear repeatedly along with “inclusive” and yet they now exclude conservatives, Christians, and godly values in all their movies and disgusting remakes of old favorites.

Diverse has become perverse!

#4 Breakup with Kohl’s—I was never much of a Kohl’s shopper, but like Target, they support the alphabet sexual agenda, especially during June.

#5 Breakup with Bed Bath and Beyond—I enjoyed this store because it didn’t matter how old the coupon, they would take it. Then they showed their true liberal loyalty by canceling Mike Lindell’s line of My Pillow because he was questioning the 2020 election. We stopped shopping at BB&B and threw away the coupons.

#6 Breakup with Maybelline— When they had a bearded man as a model for their makeup!

#7 Breakup with Fred Meyer/Kroger—Of all our breakups, this one is by far the hardest. We live in the mountains of Idaho over an hour away from major shopping. So, when we go down the hill to Boise, we appreciate one-stop shopping where we can get most of our needs from food to housewares, pharmacy and clothes. For twelve years, Fred Meyer was that store for us. We took advantage of their digital coupons, savings on gas, first Tuesday of the month and every Tuesday in December savings for seniors, and savings for Veterans on the 3^rd Thursday of the month.

This is an extremely painful breakup for both of us. Here’s why we’re parting ways with our treasured Fred Meyer and all Kroger products, since Kroger merged with Fred Meyer. You may have a Kroger store with a different name than Fred Meyer.

The gay, trans, alphabet “pride parade” and “celebration” of their sinful and perverted way of life not only dominated the month of June in Boise, Idaho’s Capitol, but because of Covid last year, they moved their parade and festival to the second weekend in September. When I got home from our church Women’s Retreat that same weekend, my daughter told me what took place in Boise. First, she sent a picture of the Fred Meyer float with children on it, then the heartbreaking photo that Fred Meyer not only participated in the parade, they also actually put it on!

This year’s parade title was “The 2023 Fred Meyer Pride Parade.” The parade was at 9:30 Sunday morning, I imagine so Christians would be in church and not protesting this debauchery.

Mad and grieving, I dashed off two emails to Fred Meyer corporate. The only response was an automatic form email confirming they had received my “valued customer” comments. I don’t feel like a valued customer. I feel like a betrayed ex-customer!

#9 Breakup with Walmart, Albertsons, and Wells Fargo—We seldom shop at Walmart, but they were a sponsor of the Boise pride parade as was Wells Fargo where we had already closed my ministry account many years ago when they went liberal woke. I don’t shop at Albertsons, but they also had a float in the parade.

What Does a Breakup Accomplish?

When God told Abraham that He was going to destroy his nephew Lot’s town of Sodom and Gomorrah because of their horrible sin, Abraham asked God if He would spare it if there were 10 righteous men. God said He would. But the night before Sodom and Gomorrah was destroyed, two male angels came to Lot’s house and a group of despicable men surrounded the house demanding Lot send those men outside so they could have sex with them. Do you remember that? Sexual perverted sin has been going on since the beginning of time, but never in my lifetime was sin celebrated in the streets until now.

The picture opening this blog is not when Obama lit up the White House for the legalization of gay marriage. No, it’s the Boise Capitol during the September Fred Meyer pride event on Friday night September 8^th and Saturday September 9^th. Since it was illegal to have the lights on government property, they solicited donner money to set up lights across the street and shine them on our beautiful Capitol. That should’ve been illegal too!

My blood pressure is rising and tears flowing just writing about this. We must have more than 10 righteous people in Boise because God has allowed us to remain a red conservative state, but how long Lord will You wait for those righteous people to take a stand against this evil? People used to try to hide their sin, but the current culture wants to flaunt their sin and force people to accept and embrace it. Indoctrinate our children.

Gay marriage was only the beginning and would never be enough. When Satan gets a foothold, he never stops.

Why do you boast about your crimes, great warrior? Don’t you realize God’s justice continues forever? All day long you plot destruction. Your tongue cuts like a sharp razor; you’re an expert at telling lies. ³You love evil more than good and lies more than truth. Ps. 52:1-3 NLT

I want you all to remember what the Bible says in Romans 1:24-28 NLT

²⁴Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. ²⁵They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.

²⁶Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. ²⁷In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.

²⁸Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done.

You may think I’m being too extreme, but God is watching where we spend our money and what we’re supporting. We can’t tithe on Sunday, proudly give to missionaries, and then throw money at businesses whose values are the opposite of ours because it’s more convenient or we like the products. That goes for our investments too! We must be good stewards of what God gives us. He’s watching. He knows. Do we speak one thing and do another?

As a cohesive likeminded group, we can make a difference. Many of the companies I listed, and others, are either going bankrupt or losing billions of dollars from conservative consumer pushback. When a restaurant in Boise was having drag brunches, I wrote about it and even stood up in church and told the congregation what was happening at this Italian restaurant. That restaurant is now closed.

If you’re thinking these breakups are unloving, 1 Corinthians 13:6 reminds us, “Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.” When we know the truth, we have no excuse for not living it. God will keep us accountable.

Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose. Phil. 2:1-2 NLT

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September 18, 2023

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When Brave Choices Regarding Our Children are Hard!

When I was writing Everyday Brave: Living Courageously as a Woman of Faith, I chose “Brave Choices” as the chapter to feature Jochebed, the mother of Moses. We know how terrible our culture is for children today, but when Moses was born, Pharaoh was demanding the murder of all newborn baby boys. Parents and children have been the object of satanic attack since the beginning of time.

Today, we have our government calling parents domestic terrorists for trying to protect their children from Marxist propaganda and perverted sexual grooming in schools. In some cases, those parents have been falsely labeled, targeted, canceled, and even lost their job, as one California mother experienced. Even still she says, “It’s been tremendously stressful, absolutely devastating to my family … Hopefully people will be inspired to just be courageous and strong and supportive of each other. And it’ll inspire parents to stand up for their children and come together as a community to not let cancel culture happen to anyone else.”

Marxists are running the American Library Association and pornographic books are considered curriculum in schools. Emergency room visits by children and youth with mental and behavioral health emergencies in the United States have been increasing over the last decade with an increased prevalence of depression and suicide.

Parents and grandparents can relate to Jochebed when they send their kids out the door to school not knowing what harm might come to them physically or mentally. Imagine Jochebed’s angst when she was making her legendary brave choice. As she gave birth to a beautiful baby boy, her heart twisted in turmoil: the joy of a new mother competing with fear for his life. Egyptian Pharaoh, observing the Israelites were multiplying too fast for his comfort, had commanded the killing of every Levite baby boy upon delivery.

Fortunately for Jochebed and Moses, the Hebrew midwives, Shiphrah and Puah, feared God more than Pharaoh and made the brave choice to defy Pharoah’s death command; “When you are helping the Hebrew women during childbirth on the delivery stool, if you see that the baby is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, let her live.” (Ex. 1:16) Selective infanticide even back then.

How the midwives must have feared for their own lives when the dreaded Pharaoh summoned them and angrily demanded to know why they were letting the baby boys live. Without wavering or hesitancy, they calmly answered that the Hebrew women were much stronger than Egyptian women were and they delivered before the midwives arrived. These two women risked their own lives to save lives. Discovery of their secret would surely result in punishment or even death. Instead, God blessed their courage and grit, “So God was kind to the midwives and the people increased and became even more numerous.” (Ex. 1:2)

God also caused Pharaoh to believe them so the king decided to take matters into his own hands by sending his soldiers to locate and drown newborn Hebrew males in the Nile River. Jochebed trembled with trepidation hearing the wails and screams of new mothers as soldiers ripped infant boys from their arms and mercilessly drowned the crying babies.

Jochebed and her husband Amram cried out to God to spare their precious son and trusted God to answer. For three months, she nursed and tended to her baby, while trying to muffle his cries and coos and cautioning her two older children, Miriam and Aaron, not to tell anyone about their new baby brother.

When she could no longer hide her baby, Jochebed resolutely wove together a basket to keep him safe from the flowing waters, swaddled him in a blanket, nestled him in the basket, and prayed as she tearfully slipped him into the Nile to float downstream, not knowing his ultimate fate. Would God protect her precious baby? Would the soldiers discover him? A mother’s distraught tears—a heart-wrenching choice.

Living Everyday Brave!

In an article titled, “Living Every Day Brave,” Rachel Linden wrote, “Today I am choosing to be every day brave. What does that mean, you may ask? In essence, every day brave means choosing courage in the face of challenge. Believing that on the other side of fear is something better. It means embracing bravery as a mantra, a habit, a way of life, and embracing it every single day.”

Some choices are easy, but others not so much. While vacillating between options, we’re often weighing the effect of our choice on ourselves or someone else. Sometimes, we have to dig deep to find the courage to make a hard choice . . . a brave choice we may not want to make, especially when it comes to our children.

In Putting the Basket in the Water: Trusting God in the Next Phase of Your Child’s Life, children’s teacher and author Ashlei Woods wrote:

“There comes a time – many times, actually – in the lives of our children where we have to put the basket in the water. We have to let go and trust the plan of the Father. The world is a scary place – a place where we fear our children could drown. But we must remember that we have to let go so that God can draw them from the waters for His great purpose. He has called us to be their parents, but they were His first.

My friend, whatever water you may be getting ready to put your basket into – remember that you have to put them in the water for God to draw them out and place them into His perfect plan. Though you might not be physically present with your child as much during the next phase of life, you can always petition the heart of the Father on their behalf.”

Susan Reinhardt commented on Facebook about Ashlei’s quote above, “I need this message again and again, reminder after reminder. The “water” grows much more tumultuous every day and can be terrifying, especially since I now have grandchildren to pray for as the world’s agenda is to own their souls. Praying, praying, praying!”

Susan has the answer for all of us with children or grandchildren heading off to school this year as the schoolroom turns into a political and spiritual battleground. As I was writing this blog, I came across an Op-ed by Jeannie Cunnion, “I’m a mom who left it all on the field raising my sons and I can’t stop smiling and crying.” The subtitle is “God was our coach and our leader, but now it’s time for my son to move on to college.” As the Lord led me to read this article about a mom sending her firstborn off to college, putting the basket in the water if you will, Cunnion shared why like Moses’ mother she could let the basket go with confidence. Here’s what she said:

“I know this: What I get right and what I get wrong does not determine who my child becomes. Yes, I play a vital role in his life. My words and actions matter greatly. But God’s sovereignty over my son’s life supersedes my significance in his life. What I’ve done is significant. But what God can do is supreme. And His wild grace covers us both!

But more than anything, God was our coach. He’s our leader and He held us together. And for all the things I got wrong, this is one thing I got right – I left it all on the field and I entrusted the outcome of our effort to God. I trusted God with the son He entrusted to me. God knows what my son needs in this next season. He loves my son in ways I can’t comprehend. He has a plan for my son that is better and bigger than what I often felt pressure to orchestrate for him.”

Our Children and Grandchildren Need to be Prepared to Make Brave Choices

God lets us all make our own choices, yes even our children and grandchildren. They have free will, but we as parents and grandparents can make the decision to ask God that they would follow the Holy Spirit’s guidance. S. Hawkins writes in his devotional The Believer’s Code, “An amazing aspect of God’s love for us is the fact that He gives us choices. We are not His puppets . . . . He loves you so much that He allows you to make choices in life. While most of the choices are small, some have the potential to be life-altering.” It’s those life-altering choices that keep us on our knees for our children and grandchildren.

They are His creation, made in His image, but he will not force then to remember that or to make choices according to His will or His commandments. That’s the hardest part in letting go. Some choices could change the trajectory of their life and that’s what scares us, but Janet Denison wrote in an article in Christian Parenting, Push the Basket from the Shore, the following wise advice for every parent and grandparent: “Put the basket in the water—then push!”

“Congratulations to all of you who had to put your babies in a basket for the first time and especially for that last time. Pray that they will row in God’s directions instead of anyone else’s—even yours. Pray that they will serve God and become who he has called them to be. Look forward to watching them achieve their [Jeremiah] 29:11 life.”

“How did Moses’ mom ever place her baby in that basket and shove it in the direction of Pharaoh’s house? It was impossibly difficult, but she wanted her boy to live.

You will bless your kids if you follow her example. And, chances are, they will bless you in return. The baby Moses grew to become the man God used to save the children of Israel from slavery. Weave the baskets, put them in the water, and equip them for their journey. Then give them your blessing as they shove off from the shore. It’s not easy, but it’s the right thing—actually, the ‘God-thing—to do.”

I would add though that we as parents and grandparents must continue the battle to bring God back into our schools and actively do our part in preventing Satan from using public schools to indoctrinate our children. I read a great meme “It’s not about who is right and who is wrong. It’s about what is right!” We should all be fighting for God’s definition of right to prevail against opposition from those who are trying to turn our culture into Sodom and Gomorrah. It didn’t turn out well then and it won’t now either.

Please leave a comment here. I appreciate your thoughts and always reply.

*Portions of this blog were excerpts from Everyday Brave: Living Courageously as a Woman of Faith.

August 21, 2023

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4 Prayers for When You’re Hurting, Mad, or Sad!

It’s hard listening to the lies, corruption, and political injustice coming out of Washington D.C. without feeling angry, betrayed, or maybe even hopeless about the fate of our beautiful country. We’re watching the destruction of moral values and biblical principles our country was founded on and that helped us flourish as the world leader now seemingly being destroyed by our Marxist tyrannical government. It reinforces how important Christian and Conservatives’ votes are because if we didn’t have a majority in Congress all the corruption and lies would’ve never been exposed.

If you’ve seen the movie Sound of Freedom, you know our country has the highest rate in the world of child trafficking with cartels controlling our borders. You feel sick, sad, mad, helpless, and depressed wondering as we all said when we walked out of the theater, “What can we do to stop this?” We beg God to please help these children who our government is turning a blind eye to as they allow illegals and bad people to flood our borders using the “back door” instead of the “front door” into our country.

The President and Democrats show no compassion for children as they try to indoctrinate them into perverse sexual practices in the classroom, codify killing babies in the womb, and ignore child trafficking. I can say with certainty people condoning this evil will never see heaven but will spend eternity in hell. I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.” Luke 18:17

Jesus said, “⁴Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. ⁵And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me. If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.” Matt. 18:4-6

If you’ve read 1^st and 2^nd Kings, which I referred to in last week’s blog, Loving God and America is “Dangerous” in 2023, there was always a bad king, then a good king, then a bad king who undid and overturned all the good of the previous king, which in some cases was his father.

Can a corrupt throne be allied with you—a throne that brings on misery by its decrees? ²¹The wicked band together against the righteous and condemn the innocent to death. ²²But the Lord has become my fortress, and my God the rock in whom I take refuge. ²³He will repay them for their sins and destroy them for their wickedness; the Lord our God will destroy them. Ps. 94:20-23

Sin motivates depravity motivated by power, money, pride, self-indulgence, disregard for others, convenience, acquisition, greed . . . me, myself, and I doing what feels good. Men and women wanting to be their own gods just like we saw in the tower of Babel. Do you feel sometimes like you just want to give up?

Well Habakkuk felt like that too, but I encourage you to read Chapter 2 in the Book of Habakkuk. Here’s the link to The Message translation where God so clearly describes a world like we’re living in today. Habakkuk prayed, “What’s God going to say to my questions? I’m braced for the worst. I’ll climb to the lookout tower and scan the horizon. I’ll wait to see what God says, how he’ll answer my complaint.” (2:1)

Praise God, Habakkuk didn’t give up and as long as the Lord gives us breath, we can’t give up either. We pray and wait as Habakkuk did. For me, I pray for God to use my writings and life for His glory, but you don’t have to be a writer to share God’s truths in our current depraved culture. You can pray and live a righteous life for others to emulate until the Lord returns!

And then God answered: “Write this.
    Write what you see.
Write it out in big block letters
    so that it can be read on the run.
This vision-message is a witness
    pointing to what’s coming.
It aches for the coming—it can hardly wait!
    And it doesn’t lie.
If it seems slow in coming, wait.
    It’s on its way. It will come right on time. (Hab. 2:2-3)

Many of you experience hurts beyond world events, or maybe brought on by current events and our detestable culture. Your own private world might seem under attack. I want to use the rest of this blog to pray for and with you. I hope you’ll feel comfort and inspiration from the Lord as you wait, pray, and listen.

4 Prayers for Difficult Times

In Dear God, They Say It’s Cancer and Praying for Your Prodigal Daughter: Hope, Help & Encouragement for Hurting Parents, I encourage the reader to personalize Scripture as if God wrote it just for them. We can do the same when we pray for someone hurting or for ourselves. We don’t always need to come up with the perfect words because God already has. You, Lord, hear the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry. (Ps. 10:17)

People don’t need us to fix things. When they’re hurting, they want a shoulder to cry on, an arm around their shoulder, and company in the darkness of their soul. There might be a time later when we can sit down over a cup of coffee and help them work through details of their situation, but for the moment, they just need to feel God’s closeness and comfort in and through us.

Here are 4 prayers to help guide you in praying with people for specific situations, or if you’re in this situation, please personalize and pray for yourself.

Prayer for Those Grieving

Father, we pray for those suffering the loss of a loved one or someone close to their heart or even a beloved animal. The hurt runs so deep and grief so all encompassing, their mourning is palpable. They’re inconsolable: “You have taken away my companions and loved ones. Darkness is my closest friend.” (Ps. 88:18 NLT)

While they celebrate a life that’s hopefully now in Your loving arms, they’re left alone wondering how their life can go on without this precious person. Only You Lord can bring light back into their life and wipe away the tears. “You light a lamp for me. The Lord, my God, lights up my darkness.” (Ps. 18:28 NLT)

You promise someday mourning will turn to dancing and we’ll dance together before Your thrown. Lord, only You can fill the void left in a broken heart. Only You understand the depth of grief and pain. Only You can help the grieving ever smile again. Father, please flood their mind and heart with sweet memories when thoughts wander into hopelessness and the pain seems overwhelming, especially on birthdays and holidays.

Remind the grief-stricken that Psalm 116:15 (NLT) assures, “The Lord cares deeply when his loved ones die.” You, Lord, care deeply when we’re sad. “You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle You have recorded each one in your book.” (Ps. 56:8 NLT)

Help those with immeasurable sorrow to hold onto the truth that after a little while, those who know You as Savior will be united again. Until then, hold each one close in Your loving arms. “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his faithful servants.” (Ps. 116:15) Amen

Prayer for When Disaster Hits

Heavenly Father, You promise “The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.” (Ps. 9:9) You know the trouble that surrounds anyone experiencing a disaster when everything seems bleak. Help them trust that You will show a way out of this dark hole when there seems to be no visible way. Guide the many decisions, show the paths to take in moving forward when they just want to sit down in despair and cry.

You knew hard times would come and You will use this disaster to accomplish Your perfect will in their life. Give them courage not to fear the future with You by their side. Help them remember, “God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea. Let the oceans roar and foam, let the mountains tremble as the waters surge!” (Ps. 46:1-3 NLT)

Bring those to their side to help by showing Your love in tangible ways that express, “My heart is torn within me, and my compassion overflows.” (Hosea 11:8 NLT) Amen

Prayer for Health or Mental Illness

Dear Lord, let our hearts hurt and cringe with those who have received a harsh diagnosis or are in the throes of a painful illness. Remove platitudes and trite comments from our mouth and give us an ear to hear and feel their pain. Father, even if we’ve had a similar illness, we can’t fully understand their experience. Give us a kind, caring, and loving presence to let them pour out their heart.

Father, You promise in Joshua 1:5 that You will never leave or forsake us, so we pray Your presence surrounds anyone with an illness whether in the doctor’s office, the hospital, or the sick bed at home. Provide friends or family to hear their cries of pain and soothe their trembling body from fear or symptoms.

We pray Lord for the physicians and medical professionals they encounter in their journey who are a healing balm for this time of sorrow and pain. We thank You in advance for providing the human comfort and the Holy Spirit’s constant soothing for physical, emotional, and spiritual pain. You, Lord, are the Great Healer, the Great Jehovah Rapha. Only You can ease pain. Healing comes from Your power working through doctors, treatments, and medication, but we pray You won’t give anyone more than they can bear.

Provide those who are suffering with constant comfort and peace knowing, “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.” (Is. 41:10 NLT) Amen

Prayer for Loss of a Job or Provision

Lord, it’s devastating not being able to provide financially for family or loves ones. Fear of the unknown of what to do next to find a new job is overwhelming. Many are in this position today. It’s paralyzing and depressing.

Father, we pray for doors to open. This loss might be a time to pursue new opportunities. Please provide wisdom, direction, courage, and humbleness to reach out for help in the interim and let others be responsive. “If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?” (1 John 3:17)

You tell us to be aware of those in need, that the body of Christ is benevolent and ready to help our fellow brother and sisters, so please surround those in economic loss with others who have extra to share. “If you help the poor, you are lending to the Lord—and he will repay you!” (Pr. 19:17 NLT)

Guide everyone in this situation to seek help. It’s humbling, but You love when we’re humble. “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.” (James 4:10 NLT) Provide employment, replace lost possessions, and help families pull together not be pulled apart. “Lord, you know the hopes of the helpless. Surely you will hear their cries and comfort them.” (Ps. 10:17 NLT)

Please Heal Our Country!

The promises of God are far more powerful than the sins of people. So, Lord, we humbly claim Your promises and pray in unison as Your people that we would do our part to heal our land. ¹⁴If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. ¹⁵Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place. (2 Chronicles 7:14-15) Amen

We all need prayers, and when we see those prayers answered, God wants us to reach back and help others who are going through something similar. Today, we pray for those who are hurting and someday we hope that others will pray for us. It’s God’s way and plan for His people.

All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. ⁴He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. (2 Cor. 1:3-4 NLT)

We never know if God is going to heal our hurts and problems here or in our heavenly home, but He does promise for all who believe in Him as their Lord and Savior that . . .

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ⁴‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” Rev. 21:3-4

Finally, all of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other. Love each other as brothers and sisters^] Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude. 1 Peter 3:8 NLT

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed. Ps. 34:18 NLT

“But oh! God is in his holy Temple! Quiet everyone—a holy silence. Listen!” Habakkuk 2:20 The Message

Portions of the above prayers appeared in my Crosswalk article 4 Comforting Sympathy Prayers for Those Who Are Hurting, May 13, 2021

Please leave a comment here. I reply to all comments and enjoy reading your thoughts.

August 14, 2023

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Loving God and America is “Dangerous” in 2023!

People come and go over the generations, but demons remain the same from the days of Noah, Elijah, Ahab, Jezebel, and Jesus until today.

Satan is real and his army of demons are continually at war with God’s people. Jesus dealt with demons that understood His true identity and obeyed His command. He cast out demons from a man with an impure spirit – “My name is Legion; for we are many” – into a herd of pigs that rushed over a steep bank into a lake and drowned (Mark 5:1-13).

Author, Lit. Col. Robert Maginnis (ret.) writes in an opinion article, “Today, Satan’s demonic army is very active. They manifest themselves through various practices such as divination, witchcraft, channeling and wizardry (Deuteronomy 18:10-12). They deceive, attack the human mind with the intent of control, and they leverage power to take captive people, especially the prominent.” The Scripture Maginnis refers to here also says in verse 10, “never sacrifice your son or daughter”!

Hal Lindsey reminds us that, “Like it or not, we live in a war zone. Bombs of deceit, violence, and rage explode all around us. This spiritual war is not hypothetical, and it is not a metaphor. It is a real war with real casualties and real collateral damage. But a spiritual war is not to be fought with guns, fists, or missiles.”

⁴The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. ⁵We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:4-5

Just like Jesus doesn’t change, neither does Satan. That’s hard to hear and accept, but it’s true. Satan’s goal is the same as it’s always been to tempt, deceive, and destroy God’s created people with sinful and evil practices and choices.

I encourage you to listen to a podcast with Charlie Kirk and Pastor Mark Driscoll. Pastor Driscoll’s recent book New Days, Old Demons: Ancient Paganism Masquerading as Progressive Christianity, describes how the entire apparatus of modern wokeness—transgenderism, child mutilation, abortion, even drag queens—is simply a repeat of themes from the Old Testament starting with Ahab and his evil immoral wife Jezebel, whose evil ways passed down from Genesis to current times.

There was never anyone like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil in the eyes of the Lord, urged on by Jezebel his wife. 1 Kings 21:25

In the podcast, Driscoll explains that the Bible doesn’t just retell what happened in the past, but forecasts what will always happen in the future. The same political and cultural issues chronicled in 1^st and 2^nd Kings are the evil issues we see in our culture and politics today. Progressive, woke, soft-woke Christianity / pastors are rooted in the same demonic realm.

If we tolerate evil demonic forces, they will dominate! Jesus told the Church in Thyatira in Revelations 2:20-21, “But I have this complaint against you. You are permitting that woman—that Jezebel who calls herself a prophet—to lead my servants astray. She teaches them to commit sexual sin and to eat food offered to idols. ²¹I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. Rev. 2:20-21

Praise God there are spiritual warriors amongst us today who aren’t afraid of the demonic principalities coming against them because these men and women of faith allow the Holy Spirit to guide and lead them. I want to highlight two mighty warriors for God who understand that Satan and his demons work through men and women blinded by evil who want to replace God with government. These men of valor are saying not on our watch!

I hope you stand with them and me in agreement. Even though we don’t have the platforms of these two courageous Christians, and many others, we can support them in prayer, encouragement, and however the Lord leads you.

Two Modern-Day Spiritual Warriors

The first Christian warrior I’m going to discuss is Sean Feucht because he made national news right here in my home state of Idaho when he brought his Kingdom to the Capitol tour to Boise and received demonic pushback. This isn’t the first time it’s happened to Sean, but it became big news because Idaho is considered a red, conservative, Republican-dominated state. Beware: that position isn’t guaranteed nor is it one we can rely upon complacently as evidenced to what happened to Feucht here in my beloved Idaho where Sean was called “dangerous” by the local newspaper, The Statesmen, for daring to bring God and worship to the steps of the Capitol.

You can read the entire news coverage with details here “Christian singer mocks Idaho newspaper calling worship gathering ‘dangerous.’ ‘Good news is that God wins’. But a synopsis is that ahead of his scheduled stop in Boise, the Idaho Statesman’s editorial board wrote an opinion article attacking Feucht and his allies as “dangerous activists” and “charlatans” “who want to inject their brand of Christianity into government.” The Idaho Statesman’s article spewed the following hate propaganda . . .

“Feucht and his group are playing on the same, tired, worn-out, BS, far-right ‘fears’ that evildoers on the Left are coming for your children, through the schools, through the libraries, at Pride festivals and drag shows,” the opinion piece read. While conceding that his “hate speech” was protected under the First Amendment, the editorial board warned it was still “dangerous.” “The danger comes when these groups impose their religious views on others and inject church into the state through the power of government, as we’ve already seen in Idaho through the most restrictive abortion ban in the country, attempts to put a bounty on libraries and bans on gender-affirming care for transgender youth. No one is telling these groups to abandon their religious beliefs. We’re just telling them to keep their religion in their church and out of our government.”

The Statesman doesn’t think using the power of government to kill innocent babies in the womb, sexually mutilate and castrate children, and allow the teaching of perverse sex in schools is “dangerous,” only biblical principles are “dangerous.”

If you read the full hit job in the Statesman titled “Keep Your religions out of our government. Dangerous activists coming to Idaho Capitol,” you’ll see that a group of “faith leaders” in the Northwest (Feucht went to Olympia WA and Salem OR Capitols before coming to Boise) sent a letter to legislative leaders to denounce “the appearance of these faith peddlers, whose views are full of hate.” Here’s an excerpt from these so-called “faith leaders” who must’ve all gone woke to protest Christian worship at Capitols and reject biblical principles!

Here’s an excerpt from the letter: “As faith leaders in the cities of Salem, Olympia and Boise, we are writing to inform you of an anti-LGBTQ+ speaker coming to each of our state capital cities this week and ask you to speak out against anti-LGBTQ+ bigotry,” the faith leaders wrote in a letter to state legislative leaders. The letter from the ‘faith leaders’ continued: “Sean Feucht has spent the past year capitalizing on anti-LGBTQ+ sentiments by railing against Pride Month, even embracing the exclusionary label of ‘Christian nationalist,’ and declaring that people with his narrow view of Christian theology should make all laws in the United States. “We reject these attempts to cloak bigotry in religious language, and we ask you to do the same.”

Sean Feucht’s response:

“It’s all part of the King coming back,” Feucht said at an event in Tulsa, Oklahoma. “That’s what we’re practicing for. That’s why hell hates that we’re worshiping at every Capitol across America. That’s why we get called, ‘Well, you’re Christian nationalists.’”

Feucht understands why his Christian beliefs cause friction. “When you’re doing something BIG for the kingdom of God, the opposition is LITERALLY Satan. The good news is that GOD WINS,” he wrote on Twitter, after Satanist counter-protesters showed up to the Boise event.

“I don’t begrudge the Statesman for what they wrote—they are well within their Constitutional right. We both exercised our rights under the same amendment. What they wrote is not so much a critique of the Let Us Worship Movement as it was a shameless plug for the LGBTQ agenda. To stand on the Bible is dangerous in the year 2023, especially when that truth conflicts with the LGTBQ agenda,” he wrote.

He also tweeted: More than 12,000 “dangerous” God-fearing, America loving worshippers flooded the capitols in Washington, Oregon & Idaho! Thank every one of you for TAKING A STAND for Jesus in your state!

In another satirical tweet mocking the media article and protesters, Sean wrote: “Beware! Kids singing with flags! Hurry up and ban flag waving DANGEROUS Christian kids from the capitol before someone gets hurt!”

On a Facebook post he wrote: “’He who sits in the heavens laughs.’ Sometimes you gotta just laugh at the enemies pathetic attempts to stop the spread of an unstoppable kingdom. He’s weak. He’s lost. He’s got no new tricks. PRO TIP FOR 2023: Laugh your way through victorious living.”

Sean mocked those trying to mock God! He uses humor to combat their vicious attacks and he always prays that some of the Satanists, abortion-rights protesters, LGBQT mafia, and media find salvation at his worship events. He’s reported that many have come to accept the Jesus they initially came to denounce. Still, he concedes, “To stand on the Bible is dangerous in the year 2023.”

As protestors and satanists yelled profanities the entire two hours the Boise Capitol allowed the worship event, Sean’s team passed out individual communion packets. The entire worshipping crowd took communion together with Sean on his knees in front of the Capitol declaring the blood of Jesus over the building and the city. The worshippers did a joy dance around the Boise Capitol and Sean rang the Freedom Bell he said was the first one he’d seen accessible at a Capitol. Then he sang a song about freedom. “I can hear those Liberty Bells rattling rattling the gates of hell. I can hear those Liberty Bells ringing ringing. It’s the sound of freedom. The gates of hell will not prevail!”

The only way to fight satanic demonic spirits is with the Spirit of the Lord, which Sean and many of us “dangerous Christians” fully understand. For more information about Sean’s Let Us Worship Ministry go to his website and learn when he’s coming to your Capitol or city.

The second Christian activist I want to highlight is actor/author Kirk Cameron who has several faith-based children’s books published by Brave Books. Cameron has been trying to host faith-based story readings for children at libraries to counter drag queen story readings and receiving pushback initially having 50 libraries prevent him from coming. He sent them all letters asking them to reconsider and many did, but he’s also had to contend with drag queens, Satanists, and trans people showing up to harass him and the audience of parents and children.

In spite of the attacks, Cameron pushed forward and declared August 5 to be a See You at The Library national event with over 300 libraries across the country booked by everyday patriotic people to read books to children that cherish family, faith, and patriotism. Kirk says he’s “passing the baton to the people.”

But two days before Kirk and Riley Gaines were to read books to children and families on August 5th in another so-called red state at the Huntsville Alabama Library coordinated by Moms for Liberty, the Huntsville-Madison County Public Library System said it would no longer accommodate the book-reading event “due to concerns about logistics and security” as popularity for the event grew.

Cameron and Brave Books used law firm First Liberty Institute to send a letter saying it was “prepared to vindicate this violation of our client’s civil rights in court,” as a discrimination against religious groups. The library reversed course and allowed the book reading limited to 225 attendees and the police restrained 100 protestors outside.

“We must stand our ground and fight for our public institutions,” Brave Books CEO Trent Talbot said. “The foe we fail to meet at the gate in our own generation is the foe we let into the city for the next.”

Cameron said, “I believe this reconciliation between us and the Madison Public Library is a testimony to the strength and power of moms and dads gathering in prayer for the blessing of their community. Both sides rose to a higher ethic than we often see in today’s polarized society.” He also said, “By seeking the common good and love for our neighbor, we found a solution … See you at the library!”

Gaines said, “We’ve seen this before. The library has come up with an excuse to prevent us from sharing wholesome messages to children and their families because they don’t want to be associated with it.” She added, “The people have shown they want to attend this event and to support the mission of Brave Books. Situations like this embolden activists and ANTIFA. She also said, “I’m happy to say the event now a go again, and we will continue forward with full force! It’s times like this where we must stand our ground as conservatives but more importantly as Christians.”

Here’s an alarming fact. Brave Books uncovered a video discussed in an interview with Cameron where the federally funded American Library Association headquartered in Chicago teaches librarians specifically how to stop Kirk Cameron from coming to their library! The methods included permitting rooms to be booked only by local library cardholders as well as offering “alternative,” diverse programming on Saturday at the same time as the “See You at the Library” events. An ALA executive, in a live-streamed presentation suggested that members hold a “library-sponsored Pride festival the same day and fill the library with rainbows” to share messages of “inclusion and diversity.”

Yet the ALA has no problem with drag men reading to and sexually gyrating in front of children in their libraries. That’s demonic!

Be Dangerous for Jesus!

It’s true that the Bible, Christians, and Christianity are dangerous to Satan, demons, and all forms of evil! That’s why the Lord tells us “¹²For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Eph. 6:12

Just like God created earth with a physical and spiritual realm, He created humans with an earthly body, soul, and spirit. We take great care of our physical bodies but can neglect that we have a choice as to the spirit that resides inside us. Either the Holy Spirit or a demonic spirit will take residence in our heart. THERE’S NO OTHER CHOICES. NO NEUTRAL.

We see the spiritual forces of evil manifested in our culture, government, laws, schools, libraries, medicine, and people who consider God dangerous. What they’re saying is that to them Satan is safe.

Lord, help the deceived understand that heaven and hell are as real as God and Satan.

The teaching of your word gives light, so even the simple can understand. Ps. 119:113 NLT

If you haven’t seen my July newsletter, I encourage you to read the opening article 4 Prayers Asking God for a Hedge of Protection. Here’s the link.

I love to read your thoughts. Please leave a comment on the website blog and I’ll reply.

*The opening picture is of Sean Feucht’s worship team and the worshippers in front of the Boise Capitol on July 30, 2023. I hope it wasn’t too big, but I wanted you to get the full effect.

August 7, 2023

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Don’t Be Silent as Our Country Surrenders to Evil!

Throughout the 1930s and 1940s, Germany was devastated by the brutality of the Nazi regime. Though there was evidence of the Nazi’s cruelty early on, the German church believed its best course of action was to avoid politics and remain silent.

Unfortunately, that decision had disastrous consequences. Before they knew it, the Nazi’s controlled every facet of society, including the church. Eric Metaxas, author of Bonhoeffer written in 2010 describing the downfall of Germany, now says he could sense remnants of a similar evil tyranny starting in America as he was writing, but never thought he would see the American church traveling the same path as the Germans like it is today.

That’s why he wrote his new book, Letter to the American Church, to wake up pastors and churches to the tragedy awaiting America if we remain silent.

“The Germans said, ‘We’re the country of Martin Luther. We are the center of Protestantism in the world, we’re fine. We’re saved by faith. We don’t have to worry about what we do too much.’ That’s what set them up for the kill. That’s what allowed evil to triumph, and that is exactly where we are in the American church today.” – Eric Metaxas

Awareness brings responsibility but many people today would rather ignore the evil infiltrating not only our country, our schools, our communities, but also our churches! Because if we admit we have a problem, then the Bible calls on us to do something about it.

Ignorance is not bliss. It’s blasphemy against the Word of God that tells us to reject evil and share the Good News wherever and whenever we have the opportunity if we truly believe that even the worst sinner can be saved!

¹⁶For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes. Romans 1:16 NLT

Because . . . Anyone who believes in God’s Son has eternal life. Anyone who doesn’t obey the Son will never experience eternal life but remains under God’s angry judgment.” John 3:36: NLT

Silence is Compliance

We know abortion is murder! Why don’t we hear that in every church?

Have you seen the movie Sound of Freedom? We know America is now the biggest consumer of child trafficking, especially through our open borders. Does it sicken you? Why don’t we hear in the church how to be aware of it and help stop it?

We know the gay, trans, drag agenda is trying to normalize sex with children. Horrific pedophilia! Does that turn your stomach? Why isn’t the church speaking out forcefully against it?

Are we afraid to say what is so obvious that the White House is corrupt? Democrats and liberals support and lobby for everything I just mentioned. If you vote Democrat, you’re endorsing evil.

Our country is in a downward spiral because of the liberal progressive left agenda to oust God and the Judeo-Christian foundation and Constitution of our country. Think about that when you vote in any election. Or if you don’t vote, you’re voting for the other side. Yes, we are now in a situation of political good and evil and it can’t be denied!

Sen. James Lankford, a former pastor for 22 years and Oklahoma’s senior senator, is making religious liberty a pillar of his political agenda and claims the White House is failing to enforce basic protections on the issue and made these remarks in an interview with the Daily Wire. “Faith is not the freedom of worship. You have the freedom to be able to worship as you choose,” said Lankford. “It’s the freedom of religion. It’s the freedom to have a faith and live that faith. And so that’s been dear to me.” The senator went on to assert that President Biden’s administration has abandoned even basic legal protections for religious belief.

Sadly, we’re not only in a political and social battle, we’re in a spiritual battle, and political candidates are choosing their sides between good and evil, with many calling evil good and good evil! Why don’t we hear about this in our churches?

What sorrow for those who say that evil is good and good is evil, that dark is light and light is dark, that bitter is sweet and sweet is bitter. Is. 5:20

I’ll make this one political statement for you to consider. Whether or not you “like” President Trump, he promised to appoint Constitutionalist Supreme Court Judges and he did that times three! We’ve seen Roe v Wade overturned, which many had given up hope. We just saw three judgements denying Biden’s attempt to cancel college debt, honoring religious rights of a Christian web designer, and eliminating race-based affirmative action. The liberals went ballistic over each of those judgments.

Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and moved the embassy there (which many previous Presidents promised but never did), closed the border, and created the best economy in years, just to name a few things! Consider before you vote what the candidates stand for and then vote your faith and your freedom.

Every Church Should Preach: We don’t deny Christ; we denounce Satan!

Paul encouraged the church of believers at Phillip:

²⁷Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ. Then, whether I come and see you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing together with one spirit and one purpose, fighting together for the faith, which is the Good News. ²⁸Don’t be intimidated in any way by your enemies. This will be a sign to them that they are going to be destroyed, but that you are going to be saved, even by God himself. Phil. 27-28 NLT

Righteousness exalts a nation. Sin destroys a nation. We are being destroyed from the inside. You have to wonder if there were 10 righteous people in Sodom and Gomorrah if God would’ve saved the city. Do we have enough righteous people, saved by faith, in America to save our country? I pray we do, otherwise we’re on a fast track to destruction. Silent churches and silent Christians are fueling the disaster!

Metaxas describes it as a “spiral of silence.” You don’t hear evil talked about in church so you don’t talk about it. When you don’t talk about it, your friends, family, children, grandchildren don’t talk about it, while evil blatantly floods the airways, entertainment, media, government, America, and the church does nothing, just like in Germany.

Jesus was not afraid of being canceled, unsubscribed, or disliked. He unashamedly called out sin, untruths, and unjust rulers and politicians. Christians must do the same. He didn’t go to the Cross so we could continue sinning. He gave His life to offer a chance at repentance and forgiveness from sin with the opportunity of a new changed righteous life. That’s also our message and witness!

This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! 2 Cor. 5:17 NLT

Courage Begets Courage! Cowardice Begets Cowards!

Christians are good at being good people, but we’re not always good at connecting our goodness to God. Dutch Sheets reminds us that, “Truth must be shared and when it is, it becomes a weapon.”

Luke 12:12 (NLT) assures that the Holy Spirit will give us a holy boldness:“For the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what needs to be said.”

God has equipped each of us to speak truth in all circumstances, and we can do all things through Him who gives us strength and courage.

Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. 1 Cor. 7:12 NKJV

We are people who love God more than evil, so we must commit to God whatever it takes. Whatever He calls us to do, we do it with a “Yes, Lord, use me” mentality whether we’re in church ministry or in our own family ministry. Yes, we should look at our home as a ministry ready and willing to serve Christ. If the next generation is raised in Christian homes, we will see a turnaround in our country.

For me, it’s praying and pouring into our children and grandchildren. Not all of them appreciate it or even acknowledge it, but we can’t let that intimidate or discourage us from doing the right thing, or worse yet, stop us from living overtly for Christ.

I heard a pastor say, “Freedom and blessings don’t begin at the White House, but in our house!” I would add, in our churches.

Each generation is blessed or cursed by the previous generation and what we’re watching now is definitely a curse to those coming after us. Everything evil in our culture is NOT acceptable in the Bible. In fact, the Bible tells us how to combat it. We’re not to be silent, but to speak out and stand up for righteousness.

We have all the promises of God and the future at our fingertips in the Scriptures, but how often are Bibles open and read in our homes? I hope that you would respond often, but if not, why not?

Just because we’re saved doesn’t mean we stop learning from and listening to God. Every day, as I read my Bible and devotionals, I hear Him giving me marching orders for the day or for my writing.

Producing a weekly blog, monthly newsletter, writing for Crosswalk and books takes a large chunk of my time and I’m often asked, “How do you do it?” My response, “Only God!”

Then I’m asked, “Is it worth it?” I heard a great response to that question from a man who helped organize the evacuation of 17,000 people out of Afghanistan after the horrible debacle of America pulling out and leaving not only Americans behind, but Afghani civilians who had worked with our military. When asked if it was worth it, he said, “It doesn’t have to be worth it to do the right thing. You do it because God calls you to do the right things.”

Just this morning, after hearing that answer last night, my devotional started out with 2 Kings 7:9 NKJV, Then they said to one another, “We are not doing right. This day is a day of good news, and we remain silent.”

Don’t remain silent. Share and live the Gospel and do not fear speaking out against the evil engulfing our world and our children. It’s our job to raise the next generation to know and love the Lord and protect them from the evil that so easily surrounds them. We can’t pretend that they’re not exposed to it, so we must prepare them to resist it.

Let each generation tell its children of your mighty acts; let them proclaim your power. Ps. 145:4 NLT

Let Psalm 34:1-3 describe you! Replace “I” with your name. It will change you.
I will praise the Lord at all times.
    I will constantly speak his praises.
²I will boast only in the Lord;
    let all who are helpless take heart.
³Come, let us tell of the Lord’s greatness;
    let us exalt his name together.

In her book, Journey to Confidence, Kimberly Sowell suggests we BOW before God and pray, asking Him to make us His witnesses. She suggests using the word BOW as a reminder to plead for: Boldness, Opportunity, and Words of Wisdom. Wisdom is actually my word for 2023!

Kimberly Sowell asks, “Would you be so adventurous as to not only be open to witness for Christ, but to petition Almighty God to grant you witnessing opportunities?”

“When God tells you to do something, you do not hesitate.” – Sound of Freedom

I bow before your holy Temple as I worship. I praise your name for your unfailing love and faithfulness; for your promises are backed by all the honor of your name. Ps. 138:2 NLT

Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen. Eph. 3:20-21 NLT

PS: The opening picture is depicting the armor of God found in Ephesians 6:10-18. My husband and I pray those verses EVERY morning.

Please leave a comment here. I reply to each one.

July 10, 2023

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Truth is Love! Not Sharing Truth is Hate!

Christians know that God and His Word is our ultimate source of truth, victory, justice, and freedom! When we remain close to Him, we operate out of each of those realms, but when we distance ourselves from God, even as Christians, we falter.

Sadly, we’re living in a country with a culture that is determined to distance actions, accountability, laws, behavior, and morals as far away from God’s Truth as possible causing us all to suffer the consequences, even in the church.

To silence Christians, Satan is using the tactic of calling the speaking of truth hate speech and yet sharing the Truth of the Gospel is the most loving thing anyone can do to help someone experience eternal life and not eternal hell.

Sadly, many pastors today are afraid of the truth and so avoid even talking about the downfall of our culture that is being imposed on congregants as well as innocent children. They’ve forgotten that their role is to speak truth to power and protect their congregation from falling into the trap of accepting sinful lifestyles as normal. Speaking the truth is not hate, it’s love and every pastor’s assignment from God.

¹¹So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, ¹²to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up ¹³until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Eph. 4:11-13

I find it interesting and a little disconcerting that some politicians and grassroots activists’ groups are more willing to speak the truth than many pastors.

Kirk Cameron, actor and Christian children’s book author, spoke the truth that what the transgender activists did at the White House is not brave — in contrast to the words of the President, who characterized it as such. “That’s an abomination,” said Cameron, and a “disservice and disrespectful to the brave men and women [who fought] on the beaches of Normandy [June 6, 1944,]” he added, including his own grandfather — who was a Navy corpsman during World War II. “Bravery is a call to courage to do the right thing, not to violate morality and undermine the very foundations of America.”

Following are others who spoke out against the pornographic display of promiscuity and sexual perversion entertained by the President at the White House during a “Pride” event last week where the gay flag was displayed prominently, in breach of the US Flag Code, between two American flags and Biden said that men dressing up as women were the bravest people he’s ever known?! The military, police officers, fire fighters, first responders, and even his own Secret Service aren’t the bravest people he knows. No, in his deceived mind and soul he gives that distinction to depraved men sexually cavorting and flashing on the White House lawn.

“I’m livid and incensed by this White House, not only for the kids present at this event, but the message this sends to children across the country. Biden’s disregard for commonsense and protocol is deeply troubling. This obscenity is never acceptable, let alone at the White House that belongs to the people.” Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C.

“This is yet another example of the radical left shoving trans propaganda in the face of the American people. In our schools, at the White House, where does it end? The fact that this happened on White House grounds makes Biden look like the real boob.” Conservative radio host and former California gubernatorial candidate Larry Elder

Following is one of my favorite quotes because it states the truth so clearly and lovingly!

“When someone says they’re trans, it usually means something else is badly wrong in their life. Confirming the confusion isn’t compassion, it’s cruelty. Joe Biden is celebrating that cruelty. Let’s abandon the farce that the ‘humane’ thing to do is to affirm their confusion, rather than to actually help. It’s inhumane.” Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, Republican Presidential candidate

After the White House agreed that topless trans activists were “inappropriate and disrespectful” and would not be invited back to the White House, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis also asked why anyone would want to have that kind of curriculum “jammed into a second-grader’s classroom?”

Quotes above are from GOP candidates condemn Biden for illicit mishap during White House Pride event: ‘Very revealing’

Here’s What Parents’ Rights Groups are Saying!

“I agree with Gov. DeSantis in his analogy to his parental rights bill,” Sheri Few, president and founder of United States Parents Involved in Education said. “If it is inappropriate for adults, why then is it OK for children? The same can be said for the pornographic and vulgar books in government schools that are being objected to by parents across the country. I believe Pride celebrations, with their lascivious and drunken displays, are a true reflection of the mental health issues that accompany this often promiscuous lifestyle. Attempting to make ‘LGBTQ Pride’ palatable for children is merely another way to indoctrinate children with the Leftist agenda.”

Parents’ Rights In Education Executive Director Suzanne Gallagher said, “Public display of nudity at the national capital, and elsewhere by extreme far left LGBTQAI+ activists is an extension of their larger agenda. It is the goal of the far left to change the culture, by removing all sexual moral stigma. They are doing so by using public schools and mandating K-12 comprehensive – every child, every grade, every subject – sexuality education.”

“The nationwide response we are receiving regarding this trend, promoting and demanding acceptance of all sexual behaviors at any age with anyone, is negative,” Gallagher added. “Most people want higher, not lower, moral standards for themselves and their kids.”

“Parents and allies are tired of seeing and hearing it everywhere, every day,” she added. “Students are done with it in their schools, too. Polls show the net effect is less, rather than more, respect for those demanding it.”

CEO of American Family Association Action, Walker Wildmon said, “Our nation was built on a respect for biblical morality and decency with immoral behavior discouraged and even outlawed in many cases. It is sad that what was once deemed indecent behavior that brought about shame is now being flaunted by the president and other leaders in our government. Our nation must return to a biblical ethic of family where we promote that which is truly good and acceptable.”

Amen!

Quotes above are from Parents’ rights groups slam WH over topless trans activists at Pride event: ‘I agree with Gov. DeSantis’ The White House acknowledged topless transgender activists at the Pride event were ‘inappropriate’

What Are You Hearing in Your Churches?

Did you hear any of the above condemnations of the “Pride” or left agenda from the pulpit on Sunday? I hope so because weak pulpits create weak Christians who allow and maybe even justify elicit behavior from our White House to our classrooms. I’m here to tell you that is NOT what God wants or Jesus would tolerate. That is NOT love!

I know your grief when family or friends are influenced by this, or any, evil agenda. But just because they’re our loved ones doesn’t make their sinful confused choices or skewed definition of truth or love acceptable or any less sinful.

Love doesn’t affirm lies or deprecate truth.

Love doesn’t compromise the truth because sin destroys. Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. 1 Peter 3:15 NLT

Love corrects. For the Lord corrects those he loves, just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights. Pr. 3:12 NLT

Maybe you’ve heard the argument, like I did, of using Matthew 19:12 to justify gay or trans lifestyles. “For there are eunuchs who were born that way,” insinuating I guess that some are born as gay or trans. But eunuch here refers to being born impotent, not sexual preference.

It’s important to look at the rest of the verse as we can never take Scripture out of context, “and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others . . .” Sadly, that’s the evil happening today with children being castrated either with drugs or surgery.

Eunuchs were often male servants castrated in biblical times by those in power over them, so the men couldn’t have sex with the women in their household or royal entourage. It didn’t mean it was a good or justified mutilation just because it’s in the Bible. The Bible exposes many evil practices.

The remainder of the verse continues, “and there are those who choose to live like eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it.” That meant those choosing to live in celibacy, maybe like Catholic priests and nuns today, or even those who are tempted to be gay but stay celibate and don’t give in to their sinful lustful temptations.

Interestingly, Jesus’s timing right after Matthew 19:12 are the following verses titled “The Little Children and Jesus.” ¹³Then people brought little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked them. Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” ¹⁵When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there. Matt. 19:13-15

Here’s my point: Just because someone we love is living a sinful lifestyle doesn’t make it right. Believe me, I understand because I’ve been there. My daughter and I wrote about this in Praying for Your Prodigal Daughter; Hope, Help & Encouragement for Hurting Parents. Because we love our child, relative, or friend, we pray their eyes will open to the truth and they’ll no longer be blinded by Satan’s lies. Gay or trans was not the issue I prayed daily from Scripture for my daughter, although there are stories in the book of other mother’s praying against that sinful lifestyle.

I loved my daughter enough to NOT want her spending eternity in hell but instead to be in heaven with me someday. I wanted her to know Jesus personally and how He wanted her to live. So, I loved her unconditionally, but never condoned her living with her boyfriend. Today, that would seem like a minor sin, but as we know, there’s no minor sins. Even though living together unmarried has become normalized by culture, and even some churches, it’s still a sin in God’s eyes.

We’ve watched how far culture has fallen as to what’s ‘acceptable.’ Now we’re all exposed to a federally imposed month dedicated to celebrating perverted sexual sin from the streets, schools, and the Peoples’ House, the White House. Children are literally taught about sexual perversion as early as kindergarten!!

I said last week in Why The Serpent Is Still Going After Women, that Satan knows NO boundaries. God is giving us a glimpse of what the tribulation will look like after the rapture. He continues to provide more time for the church and Christians to care and love enough to share the Truth with everyone we know who has not committed their entire life to Jesus or is living in willful sin. Because as bad as it is now, it will be like this on steroids during the tribulation and who would want a loved one living through that hell on earth?!

Who do you love enough to share the Truth with today? Don’t wait for your pastor to give you the marching orders, Jesus already has. Remember: Truth is Love; Not Sharing the Truth is Hate.

²²And you must show mercy to those whose faith is wavering. ²³Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. Show mercy to still others, but do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives. Jude 22-23 NLT

³¹Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. ³²And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31-32 NLT

But Romans 1:18-32 plainly states the fate of those who will encounter God’s wrath if they continue living a perverted sexual or sinful lifestyle. “²⁴So 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. ²⁵They traded the truth about God for a lie.”

Do you love someone enough to pray daily for them to avoid this fate? I hope so. I’m so glad I never stopped praying for my daughter, and she’s glad too!

PS: After I had already written this blog, a friend sent me the link to a sermon by Pastor Gary Hamrick of Cornerstone Chapel, Leesburg, VA, titled “A Biblical Response to the ‘Transing of America–Romans 1:18-28.” Pastor Hamrick boldly, bravely, and lovingly says so much of what I wrote above and in previous blogs. This is a pastor not afraid to share the truth with his flock! I hope you’ll listen to Pastor Hamrick, who tells a very interesting and revealing story of a trans man visiting his church.

“It is not loving to affirm a lie.” Pastor Gary Hamrick

If you received this blog by email, please leave a comment on the website here. I reply to all comments. While scrolling Facebook, I saw this meme that summarizes everything I just said in this blog pretty well.

June 19, 2023

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Why The Serpent is Still Going After Women!

Have you wondered, like I have, why after all the years of fighting and voting for women’s rights and equal treatment with men that suddenly and slyly those rights are disappearing?

I’m not talking about the false claim that women have a right to kill their unborn babies because as you’ll see in this article, calling that a “right” is straight from Satan and not the Constitution.

No, I’m talking about things like a Supreme Court Justice who can’t even define a woman and she herself is a woman! A college student receiving an F from a female professor because she used the “unacceptable” term “biological woman” in her article. The former Democrat Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, trying to force rules to prohibit in Congress the use of terms like mother, grandmother, daughter, sister, woman, female, even though she herself is all of those. Oh, yes that brings up trying to eliminate pronouns signifying ‘she’ or ‘her.’

Matt Walsh traveling all over the United States asking “What is a Woman?” and only receiving an answer in a remote village in Nairobe and from his own wife. If you haven’t seen this excellent documentary, I highly recommend it and Elon Musk has made it free on Twitter. You should be able to access it on the link I provided above or at this one.

Democrat and progressive liberal legislatures and school boards voting to allow men to participate in women’s sports, use women’s locker rooms and bathrooms even in schools.

Men wanting to pretend they’re women by dressing in women’s clothes claiming they are now a woman just because they “identify” as one, even though they are biological males with all their male parts. But as one crazy professor told Walsh and many who are deceived believe, “Sex is how you’re born; gender is how you identify!” Wrong!!

I could go on, but you’ve seen the trend yourselves. Why the sudden war on women while encouraging men to become more feminine and using terms like male toxicity if a man acts like a man?

The blatant attempt from the political left to blur the lines between male and female, even with the propaganda that children or anyone can change their gender, is rampant in medicine, politics, government, education, and sadly even invading the church!

Would it surprise you to know that none of this is new? It all actually started back in the first book of the Bible, Genesis, with the first humans God created, Adam and Eve, and will probably continue to escalate until the book of Revelations is fulfilled with the rapture of the church and the tribulation of those left behind.

You’ve heard me and others say repeatedly that this is all satanic. Satan is behind every effort to eliminate genders and thus the human race!

It All Began in Genesis 3!

Sin entered the world in Genesis 3 where God clearly says what the ongoing repercussions of rebellion will be for the woman Eve, the man Adam, and the serpent the Devil.

We know that Satan first approached the woman Eve with the same question he asks many today about whether God really said you should follow His Words and His ways.

“The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the Lord God had made. One day he asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?” (3:1)

At first, the woman stood by her beliefs and faith in what God told them, but the serpent planted doubt in her mind.

²“Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” the woman replied. ³“It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’”

⁴“You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman. ⁵“God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.”

Satan challenged Eve with a lie that she wouldn’t die and she fell for the temptation to achieve the same power as God. But what Eve overlooked was that the serpent introduced a word she hadn’t even heard of before “evil.” It seemed like a benign concept to her. What’s so bad about evil anyway?

⁶The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too. ⁷At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves.

When Eve gave into the temptation to have equal power with God and ate the fruit of the tree and shared some with Adam, both immediately felt something new to them, shame. They had disobeyed God and experienced the remorse of sinning.

The verses go on explaining how God met them in the cool of the night and spoke to them. Not only did they experience evil, shame, and sin, they now experienced fear and thought they could hide their sin from God. But God sought them out asking “Where are you?” (v. 9)

Adam replied why they were hiding. “I was afraid because I was naked.” (v. 10)

God asked them if they’d eaten from the forbidden tree and Adam blamed it on Eve. So God addressed Eve directly, “What have you done?” (v. 13)

Then Eve realized another previously unknown evil, deception!

“The serpent deceived me,” she replied. “That’s why I ate it.” (v. 13)

The Lord pronounced the punishment for the serpent Satan, the woman Eve, and her husband Adam that would last through all generations until He provided a cure for repentance from sin through Jesus Christ.

¹⁴Then the Lord God said to the serpent,

“Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all animals, domestic and wild. You will crawl on your belly, groveling in the dust as long as you live.¹⁵And I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike^[^b^] your head, and you will strike his heel.”

¹⁶Then he said to the woman,

“I will sharpen the pain of your pregnancy, and in pain you will give birth. And you will desire to control your husband, but he will rule over you.^[^c^]”

¹⁷And to the man he said,

“Since you listened to your wife and ate from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat,
the ground is cursed because of you. All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it.

I want to focus on verse 15 as we watch the current satanic attack on women.

¹⁵And I will cause hostility between you the [serpent] and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike^[^b^] your head, and you will strike his heel.”

Satan had taken the form of a serpent to deceive the woman, Eve. In Revelation 12:9, he’s a dragon. The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.

The website Got Questions explains what has transpired ever since between Satan and women. As part of the curse, enmity—mutual hatred and ill will—will exist between the woman and the serpent. Later, the same enmity will continue between the serpent’s seed and the woman’s seed or offspring—mankind as Eve is the “mother of all living,” Genesis 3:20. Woman’s offspring will remain enemies with Satan throughout all generations. The serpent’s offspring are demonic forces and also those people who follow the devil and accomplish his will.

Jesus called the Pharisees a “brood of vipers” in Matthew 12:34 and said they belonged to their “father, the devil” in John 8:44. In short, God says that Satan will always be the enemy of mankind. It follows that people who side with Satan will be at perpetual war with God’s elect and that we are engaged in a very real battle between good and evil (Ephesians 6:12).

We also see Messianic Prophecies in Genesis 3:15 “you will strike his heel.” That is, the serpent will bite the heel of “the woman’s seed.” This passage points to the promise of Jesus’ birth, His redemption, and His victory over Satan. The woman’s offspring is Jesus, literally the offspring of a human woman. Being the Son of Man, Jesus is the perfect representative of humankind. The devil’s offspring were the evil men and demonic forces who like a snake, lay in wait for the Savior and struck at Him. Their venomous conspiracy condemned Jesus to be crucified.

But we know the serpent’s strike was not the end of mankind—offspring of the woman—because Jesus rose on the third day overcoming death and offering permanent victory for those who believe in Him.

The striking of the Messiah’s heel was a picture of the wounding and death of Jesus on the cross. Satan bruised Jesus’ “heel,” but Jesus showed complete dominance over Satan by bruising his “head.”

Satan Has Not Conceded Defeat

Satan through his demons has never given up the fight with the woman to try and prevent her from producing more generations, especially those who would follow Christ. Here are some of the ways he continues to deceive women and accomplish his goal of preventing proliferation of humans and counter God’s command to Adam and Eve in Genesis 1:28 Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it.

Abortion—Satan deceives women the same way he did Eve with fear, doubt, and lies that she has power over her own body and she’s not really carrying a human baby, God’s creation, in her womb. Did God really say abortion isn’t okay to kill my baby? Every abortion chocks up another success for Satan to stop mankind from reproducing.
Gay agenda and gay marriage—two people of the same gender cannot sexually reproduce.
Gender Confusion—women trying to become men and vice versa may surgically destroy their reproductive capability by chemical or surgical castration, puberty blockers, opposite sex hormones, or gynecological surgery. Sterilizing children and adults.
Trans—Men pretending they’re women, mocking womanhood by being culturally accepted for “identifying” as a woman and competing in areas which should remain exclusive to women, i.e. sports, bathrooms, locker and dressing rooms, women’s contests, and not sexually performing as a man to reproduce.
Confusing children about their gender or lying to them that they can change their gender and convincing schools and teachers to promote these lies has now turned schools into Satan’s playground.

God told Adam and Eve to be fruitful. Gay’s often say it will be the end of the world if their way of life isn’t tolerated, but indeed, it will be the actual end because two males or two women cannot reproduce. My grandson understood that biological truth when he was only nine.

Anyone who doesn’t understand that this is all satanic does not know the Bible and has given into the same lie that Satan uses over and over “Did God really say . . .?” Even Satan knows and misuses the Bible when he convinces pastors and Christians to just love everyone now living in their sin and not make any attempt to share the Gospel truth with them. Those are cowardly churches and cowardly Christians.

No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him. 1 John 3:6

Satan has succeeded at convincing culture to just let everyone live however they want and anyone who objects to evil being forced on us is called names and may be punished by losing jobs, arrested, shunned, ostracized, . . . Satan’s most effective tools against truth are deception, fear, self-preservation, and apathy.

As I wrote last week, Why Did It Take Beer to Motivate Conservatives and Christians to Boycott Woke? it’s encouraging to watch people finally pushing back because Satan knows no limits or boundaries. He’s coming for our children because they would be the next generation women produce and he’s not waiting until they’re of age to go after them. He’s got his target on them from birth. Satan temporarily lost some power over killing babies in the womb, so he’ll go for them as soon as they can walk and talk, or even as infants if you saw some of the ‘pride” products at Target.

What I don’t understand is why more parents aren’t waking up to Satan’s evil strategy, especially moms?! Who would take their children to drag shows or library readings, gay “pride” parades or events? It’s so obviously focused on perverted sex. I asked the question recently on social media, “Would you take your child to a strip club?” Yet, just this past week there was a gay “pride” show advertised as family friendly where one of the “performers” stripped and you could hear the audience gasping and laughing. Were there children in that audience? If so, Satan is cheering the loudest of all!

“You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.” Matt. 7:13-14 NLT

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June 12, 2023

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My Recent Getting Involved Experience

Applause and Assaulted

Where Can We Find ‘Give Us This Day’ in the Bible?

What Does It Mean When We Ask God to Give Us This Day?

4 Ways to Pray Asking God to “Give Us This Day“

Pray Like Today Is Your Forever Day!

Why Share Our Testimony?

Here’s Some of My Breakups and the Whys

What Does a Breakup Accomplish?

Living Everyday Brave!

Our Children and Grandchildren Need to be Prepared to Make Brave Choices

4 Prayers for Difficult Times

Please Heal Our Country!

Two Modern-Day Spiritual Warriors

Be Dangerous for Jesus!

Silence is Compliance

Every Church Should Preach: We don’t deny Christ; we denounce Satan!

Courage Begets Courage! Cowardice Begets Cowards!

Here’s What Parents’ Rights Groups are Saying!

What Are You Hearing in Your Churches?

It All Began in Genesis 3!

Satan Has Not Conceded Defeat

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