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Take the Spiritual Battle Seriously Don’t Become a Casualty!

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When my prayer warrior hubby, Dave, hears about a Christian going through a tough time, he always asks, “I wonder if they’re prayerfully putting on the armor of God everyday?”

Anyone who knows us well knows that Dave and I have prayed the armor of God found in Ephesians 6:10-18 daily since the beginning of our twenty-eight years of marriage. We know that spiritual warfare is real; it’s not a myth! It’s a reality that the Lord speaks of clearly and often in the Bible. Yet, many Christians don’t realize that not only is this spiritual battle going on in our world, it’s also going on in our personal lives. It’s the battle between good and evil, Jesus and Satan, which will continue until the time of Jesus’ return.

When we take that first step of faith as believers, we automatically enter into the battle raging in the heavenlies and become Satan’s target. Satan hates Christians and the influence we can have on the culture so he does everything in his power to neutralize our influence and the role we allow God to play in our lives.

I’ve said many times that Satan wants our children and grandchildren, and we’re watching how openly and aggressively he’s going after them in the schools today. He knows his time is short, but he can do a lot of damage during whatever time he has left if we don’t stand in his way!

We shouldn’t let him intimidate us. Don’t succumb to his crafty wiles. Never give up or give in! Instead we take up the spiritual weapons our Great God has provided and implores us to use in victory over the enemy. Yes, you and I have assignments in God’s battle plan!

Praying the Armor of God

In Ephesians 6:10-18, the apostle Paul penned a prayer of protection known as the armor of God. Dave and I pray these verses every morning, which by now we have memorized, because we know that as Christians the enemy is going to put obstacles in our way and try to take us down. You’ve surely experienced some of those obstacles yourself, but verses ten to eleven encourage us to “Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.” (NLT)

Ephesians 6:12 reminds us of something we often forget: “For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.” (NLT)

The good news for every believer is that we have access to a hedge of protection against Satan’s schemes, “Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” (Verse 17 NLT)

God assures us that we can trust him to fight the spiritual battle for and with us, we just need to engage and do our part and not be passive bystanders or victims.

Rather than trying to solve problems ourselves or find ways to combat what we might be experiencing in the earthly realm, our role is to call on God. “Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.” (Verse 18 NLT)

When we’re feeling fearful, worried, threatened, or stressed, we can prayerfully search the Scriptures to discover that God has already provided a safety hedge or shield of protection around those who trust and believe in him. It doesn’t mean the enemy won’t try to weasel into our life, but we know how to prevent his feeble attempts from penetrating our mind, heart, and soul.

Imagine yourself with a hedge of spiritual swords pointed up and surrounding you against any attempts of the enemy as you open your Bible to read God’s Word and pray each day.

Here are four hedge-of-protection prayers and sword-of-the-Spirit Scriptures to fend off and shield us from Satan’s schemes. Remember that verse 18 instructs us to “pray for all believers everywhere,” not just for ourselves.

1. A Prayer for a Hedge of Protection around Your Thoughts

Lord, you know how my mind wanders with what-ifs and should-ofs. These nagging thoughts keep me awake at night worrying and wondering about circumstances over which I have no control. I’m often angry and frustrated with world events and find myself brooding or depressed.

Father, please help me to focus on things that are lovely and beautiful. Let me see the good in people and not corrupt my mind with the discourse and divisive voices on social media or the news. Guard me against spiraling into the abyss of sinful harmful thoughts.

In your name, Lord Jesus, I prayerfully secure over my mind the “helmet of salvation” from Ephesians 6:17 and claim a hedge of protection against any lies, thoughts, and/or emotions inserted in me by Satan or his followers. Let me be exclusively open to your voice and available to do your will alone.

Guide me in seeking the mental hedge of protection from the Holy Spirit as he fills my mind with peace, joy, righteousness, compassion, and love. Amen

When doubts filled my mind, your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer. Psalm 94:19 NLT

Surely, Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield. Psalm 5:12

2. A Prayer for a Hedge of Protection around Your Actions

Oh Lord, I want my actions to be pleasing to you. My desire is to reflect the Holy Spirit residing in my heart. But I regret to admit that I don’t always think clearly and rationally before I act. When I rethink what I’ve done rashly, impetuously, or selfishly, I want a redo, but it’s too late. I can’t rewind or erase my actions.

I admit that my wrong actions are actually a sin against you Lord. I pray you will have mercy on me as you did on King David and teach me to walk in your ways so that I can say of you as David did in Psalm 62:6 (NLT), “He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will not be shaken.”

Lord, I pray that I would consider how my actions appear to others, especially the ones who look to me for direction and wisdom. Do they see you in me or is my pride and self-absorption more evident? I desperately want your light to shine through me. So Lord when I’m about to act in a way that is not loving or respectful, I beg you to give me a check in my spirit.

Protect me Father from temptation and falling into old patterns of behavior. Surround me with a hedge of caring people who will lovingly point out when I’m acting in a way unbecoming a Christian. Remind me that I am a new creation in Christ and place barriers to prohibit me from acting in a way that would grieve you. Amen

Oh, that my actions would consistently reflect your decrees! Psalm 119:5 NLT

The Lord himself watches over you! The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade. Psalm 121:5 NLT

3. A Prayer for a Hedge of Protection around Your Speech

Father, I want my words always to be pleasing to you, but I know when I speak impetuously or sharply you are not pleased. Oh, Lord, I need you to guard my tongue, even though James 3:8 (NLT) warns, “No one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison.”

I know what James says is true Father. I often seem to lack control over what comes out of my mouth. Only you can place a sentinel around my tongue to guard what I say and when I say it.

Lord, you gave me the gift of speech, which I watch brighten a face when I choose my words wisely, but I also see it bruise an unsuspecting victim when it cuts like a knife.

Your Word says that what comes out of my mouth, forms first in my heart so I need a hedge of protection to filter what’s allowed to take residence in my heart. Give me patience not to speak impetuously and wisdom to speak appropriately.

Weed out of my vocabulary ungodly words filled with poisonous vengeance, anger, meanness, harm, or pride. Fill me with grace, kindness, compassion, understanding, and love. Help me choose words and intonation worthy of being a Jesus-follower. Amen

Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. Avoid all perverse talk; stay away from corrupt speech. Proverbs 4:23-24 NLT

But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you. Psalm 5:11

4. A Prayer for a Hedge of Protection around Your Circumstances

Father, our universe is changing rapidly. Everyday circumstances subject us to what feels like an unstable insecure environment. We deal with issues we could’ve never imagined even six months ago. It seems like the world, and thus my life, is spiraling completely out of control. Each morning presents new calls for restrictions that would separate us from each other and the stability and freedoms we once knew.

Lord of Creation, I want to be brave and courageous, especially for those who depend on me to be strong and dependable, but I admit that I am fearful watching the norms I once took for granted crumble into chaos.

Help me find solace in turning each new day over to you. Remind me that nothing catches you by surprise. Just as your eye is on the sparrow, you watch over my loved ones and me. I know that you might not remove me from uncomfortable circumstances, but you will go through them with me. You promise to always be holding onto me with your righteous right hand and shielding me. Even as I walk through the darkest valley, your rod and your staff will protect and comfort me.

How fortunate I am to have a God who loves me beyond my expectations and imagination. Open my eyes Lord to visualize your spiritual hedge of protection like a solid wall surrounding me that Satan cannot penetrate or destroy in any situation or circumstance.

With you at my side and on my side, what can man do to me? Why should I fear? Thank you Lord for being my Rock, my Shield, my Refuge, my Hiding Place, my Fortress, my Protector, my Savior! Amen

The Lord himself watches over you! The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade. Psalm 121:5 NLT

The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety. Psalm 18:2 NLT

Be Not Afraid

God stands ready to protect us against what the Bible calls the world: a culture, way of thinking, and world system controlled by Satan. Since we must live in this world, we continually ask God to protect us from the way the world thinks, speaks, acts, and the ensuing circumstances of an evil culture.

It’s a continual process of separating God’s ways from the world’s way. We can never let down our guard or spiritual hedge, but when we trust omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent almighty God, he will lead, guide, and direct us. God stands ready with a spiritual hedge of protection to shield us from the world and to keep us from letting the world seep into our life.

How great is the goodness you have stored up for those who fear you. You lavish it on those who come to you for protection, blessing them before the watching world. Psalm 31:19 NLT

“May the Lord bless you and protect you. May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord show you his favor and give you his peace.” Numbers 6:24–26 NLT

For the Lord is our judge, our lawgiver, and our king. He will care for us and save us. Is. 33:22 NLT

Note: Dr. Charles Stanley wrote a daily prayer, Dressing in Your Spiritual Armor, you might want to print out and incorporate into your daily quiet time.

Portions of this blog appear in a Crosswalk.com article I wrote August 5, 2020 4 Powerful Ways to Pray for a Hedge of Protection

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August 9, 2021
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Do You Know the Difference Between Misinformation and Disinformation?

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Last week, we learned directly from the White House Press Secretary during her briefing on July 16, 2021, that the White House is colluding with Facebook to flag any posts the White House determines contains “problematic misinformation” and to reset their algorithms to eliminate comments and posts the White House doesn’t like! They want those people not only banned from Facebook, but from all social media outlets. Chilling! Something you might expect to hear from a Communist dictator-run country but not in America where the 1st Amendment protects our right to freedom of speech and differing ideas.

At least we’re supposed to have that right. But instead, the White House tells us that any conversation on social media they don’t like must be shut down, and they’re actually flagging “problematic posts” themselves! They want to take control of the free flow of information regarding Covid and shield the public from information they consider inaccurate.

Social media by its very definition and original intent was to be a public square of sharing ideas where free debate and differences of opinion could flow. We’ve known for a long time that hasn’t been the case as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Google have been censoring and flagging posts, even banning the sitting President of the United States, who said if they can do it to him, they can do it to you. And they are!

Facebook, as well as other social media outlets, are taking orders from the White House which determines what you can say and know. State censorship. Propaganda.

What’s the Difference Between Misinformation and Disinformation?

On Fox News Sunday, while Chris Wallace was interviewing the Surgeon General Vivek Murthy about Murthy’s telling Facebook they must do more aggressive censoring of Covid “misinformation,” the caption running below read “Facebook defends its efforts to remove vaccine disinformation.”

In the White House Briefing, Jen Psaki repeatedly interchanged the two words.

“Misinformation” and “disinformation” don’t mean the same thing. However, they’re both often the foundation and propagation of “fake news” and manipulation.

These two often mistakenly interchanged words are only differentiated by one letter, mis and dis. The distinction between the two words is intent.

Misinformation is wrong or false information. When weaponized it becomes disinformation.

The prefix mis means wrong, mistaken, or misunderstood.The prefix dis  means reversal or removal.

Here are interesting examples of disinformation from the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language:

Deliberately misleading information announced publicly or leaked by a government or especially by an intelligence agency in order to influence public opinion or the government in another nation.

Dissemination of such misleading information.

The dissemination of intentionally false information to deliberately confuse or mislead.

Who Determines What’s Considered Misinformation?

Every time I hear the words misinformation or disinformation tossed around and disseminated indiscriminately by news media, politicians, and now the White House, my husband can attest that I often say aloud: Who determines what’s misinformation? Misinformation according to who? What’s the source?

Have you noticed we’re seldom given that information? We’re supposed to accept that something is “misinformation” just because someone said it was even if they’re not an authority or provide any proof or evidence.

On social media, it’s the “fact-checkers,” whoever they are! Even as we’ve seen with Covid, experts often disagree, but one opinion is arbitrarily selected by those in control as the only acceptable source of information and any dissenting ideas are labeled misinformation. Other times, it’s determined by whoever will benefit from burying the truth or subverting questions. Anyone challenging the validity or wanting to discuss other opinions must be silenced.

Every opinion that challenges or disagrees with the liberal ruling establishment is classified as misinformation or disinformation. Even factual biological truths like there are only two genders. Marriage is between a man and a woman. Life begins at conception.

We’re Watching Our Freedoms Slip Away!

When I first saw China forcing everyone to wear masks, I thought that could never happen in America where we’re protected by the Constitution, a Bill of Rights, and freedom. Then masks were “mandated.”

We would never be forced to stay home! Then we were.

The government could never close our churches. Then they did.

Public schools would never be closed. Then they were.

The government cannot spy on citizens. Now they are.

Medical records are private and protected by Hippa. Now they’re not.

The government cannot force anyone to take medication. Now they’re trying.

Big Tech is being deputized to do what the government still can’t do legally . . . yet . . . spy on and censor American citizens.

How Can We Know the Truth?

I was recently asked on Facebook how we can know the truth in the midst of “the craziness of the world news and social media.” I gave the only answer I know and use myself. We go to the source of Truth: God and the Bible and we pray for wisdom and discernment.

My child, don’t lose sight of common sense and discernment. Hang on to them, 22 for they will refresh your soul. They are like jewels on a necklace. Pr. 3:21-22 NLT

Then you will show discernment, and your lips will express what you’ve learned. Pr. 5:2 NLT

Rich people may think they are wise, but a poor person with discernment can see right through them. Pr. 28:11 NLT

Jesus was assailed with people spreading and believing misinformation about Him. He was crucified by bad actors who seized on the opportunity to turn misinformation into disinformation, with the intent of stopping His ministry and taking His life.

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

The Unbelief of the People

37 But despite all the miraculous signs Jesus had done, most of the people still did not believe in him. 38 This is exactly what Isaiah the prophet had predicted:

“Lord, who has believed our message?
    To whom has the Lord revealed his powerful arm?”[a]

39 But the people couldn’t believe, for as Isaiah also said,

40 “The Lord has blinded their eyes
    and hardened their hearts—
so that their eyes cannot see,
    and their hearts cannot understand,
and they cannot turn to me
    and have me heal them. John 12:37-40 NLT

Many missed the Truth walking amongst them that Jesus was the Messiah and every word He said was true. Jesus was then and always will be our Only source of Truth in the midst of deception, manipulation, control, and evil diabolical disinformation.

Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. John 14:6 NLT

 In her controversial briefing on Friday, Jen Psaki was asked how the White House justifies this current infringement on public speech in light of the misinformation they’ve fueled in the past causing Facebook to ban people for sharing information the White House now admits was true. She defended, “Information is always changing and evolving,” which is true. That’s why it’s ludicrous for them to label something misinformation without allowing any dissent or discussion only to find out it’s actually correct information and always was.

Information and knowledge evolves from allowing open debate. Listening to and considering different points of view. Not relying on those who have political interests in the outcome.

We must do our research and not let the hyperbole on the news and social media influence us. Sadly, much of the misinformation out there is used to project disinformation to control and subjugate the American people and that’s wrong!

This latest state censorship by the White House can easily morph right into the political elections where political opponents will be silenced. We already saw social media doing that during the last election when they banned anyone from mentioning Biden’s family scandals and removed President Trump from Twitter and Facebook.

It’s NOT misinformation to say that conservatives are flagged, banned, and censored on social media while liberals are free to project lies and disinformation. That’s a proven fact.

“Every corrupt regime since the beginning of time has framed its silencing of citizens as being in the public good,” Erielle Davidson of the Jewish Institute for National Security of America.

I personally, have seen the traffic to my author page disappear. I have 1000 followers on that page, Janet Thompson/ Christian Author and Speaker | Facebook, but as of several months ago, the only person that seems to see it is my daughter. No longer are there likes or comments on anything I post there. When I post one of my blogs on my personal page, same thing. So if you agree with anything you read from me, please share the blog and comment on the website.

I’m obviously not deterred from writing the blogs, but I do know we’re not on a fair and free playing field. God knows where the words He gives me should go, and I won’t be silenced. I hope you won’t be either.

For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile. Romans 1:6 NLT

As I learn your righteous regulations, I will thank you by living as I should! Ps 119:7 NLT

Prophecy News Watch posted an interesting article The Road to Fascism? White House And Facebook Merge to Censor Problematic Posts

I also recommend the new book by Mark Levin American Marxism!

July 19, 2021
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Who’s Behind The War on Women?

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Over the years, it’s appeared outwardly that women are advancing in respect and career opportunities. Women are CEO’s, own businesses, hold political positions, host news programs, headline movies and TV programs, author books, own homes, are public speakers and the list goes on.

Until recently, we would’ve said that the culture was on the side of women achieving their goals. Or has it been?

What’s changed?

Who’s behind the devaluing of women and their safety?

Who’s behind the war on women?

I think the answer to those and even more questions originated in the Garden of Eden when the serpent, the Devil, chose to tempt Eve instead of Adam with the forbidden fruit. Sadly, she succumbed to the question so often used to justify sin today, “Did God really say?”

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?” Gen. 3:1 NLT

 The disgraced Satan has always been at war with God. He wants to be God and when that fails, he wants to be sure that God’s people do not multiply and fill the earth as God predestined.

Satan will try anything to stop God’s people from multiplying. Since God gave women reproductive anatomy, the Devil is the commander, plotter, originator, and perpetuator of the war on women.

Remember in Ephesians 6 that we’re told our battle isn’t against flesh and blood, aka the liberals, progressives, Democrats, atheists, imposters trying to be women. No, the battle is against the spiritual principalities of evil. Those flesh and blood people perpetuating the evil often don’t even realize that they’re being played by Satan. Used. Deceived. Weaponized as they do his dirty work.

But like Eve learned, there will be a price to pay for anyone manipulated by Satan and sadly his victims.

10 A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. 12 For we[a] are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Eph. 6:10-12 NLT

One of Satan’s most effective tactical weapons is the use of lies to create confusion. As with Eve, if he can create enough doubt and confusion, his evil battle rages on.

43 Why can’t you understand what I am saying? It’s because you can’t even hear me! 44 For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 So when I tell the truth, you just naturally don’t believe me! John 8:43-45 NLT

Let’s look at some of Satan’s strategies in the War on Women!

The Battleground of Abortion

Many women believe the lie that they’re not carrying a baby; it’s just tissue and cells they’re told. Even with the advent of seeing the baby via sonograms, hearing the heartbeat, and knowing that each cell contains the baby’s DNA, Satan uses semantics to confuse them. It’s just “ending or terminating a pregnancy.” “A woman’s choice.” “Women’s healthcare.” “My body, my choice.” “Reproductive rights.”

Women are deceived into believing their life will be better without the life of their baby. Instead, millions of women have a hole in their heart grieving the children they didn’t allow to be born. Only Jesus can help mend that hole and He will if asked and allowed.

When House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a mother of five and grandmother of nine, is asked about how she reconciles her Catholic faith with her undaunted support of abortion, she responds: “Let me just say that I’m a big supporter of Roe v. Wade . . . . I am a mother of five children in six years. I have some standing on this issue as to respecting a woman’s right to choose.”

I often wonder what her children think when they hear her repeated and relentless defense of abortion?

An author of an article in the Washington Examiner wrote:

“I am a mother” is really not an answer to whether abortion takes a human life. It is, in fact, a false appeal to authority. And it looks especially bad precisely because a mother, of all people, shouldn’t have a hard time answering the question.

Pelosi does have some “standing on the issue” on account of her having a large family. For her, this shouldn’t be a difficult question. But as the standard-bearer for a party with a fanatical devotion to keeping abortion legal and available through all nine months of pregnancy, she cannot even bring herself to say whether a 15-week-old unborn child is a human being.

Imagine how fanatically devoted to politics one must be to deny even one’s most life-affirming experiences.

What a missed opportunity to support life and encourage women! She’s had five children and still rose to the third highest political position in the country. She could wear her motherhood like a proud badge of honor encouraging all women that you can have the blessings of motherhood and still achieve your goals.

The Battleground of Genders

God was very specific when He created only two, genders: Male and female.

So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. Gen. 1:27 NLT

We also know that the woman Eve was created as a helpmate for the man Adam. Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.” Gen. 2:8

We’re told in God’s Word that men and women would marry and come together sexually to continue populating the earth. Any deviation from God’s plan was an abomination and a sin. Period.

When my grandson was nine-years-old, he pointed out that of course men were not supposed to have sex with men or women with women because then the world would end!! There would be no more babies. No more people. That’s a no brainer even for a nine-year-old!

Even the animals get that! Also take seven pairs of every kind of bird. There must be a male and a female in each pair to ensure that all life will survive on the earth after the flood. Gen. 7:3 NLT.

Only Satan could try to subvert God’s plan for humanity by causing what we now call “gender confusion.” Again, confusion does not come from God, it comes from Satan.

Confused men who think life would be better as a woman have demanded legal rights to pretend they’re women. They’re allowed to invade the private and public spaces of women in bathrooms, locker and dressing rooms, spas, beauty contests, and even competing in sports against biological women!

Logically and anatomically this is ludicrous and lewd, but instead of rationale people standing up for protecting women, the government is bending to social pressure from a fringe element.

A man is now “Miss Nevada!” A biological 43-year-old male who “identifies as a woman” from New Zealand will compete in women’s weightlifting at the Olympics.

How many biological women do you see trying to compete in men’s sports? Not many or maybe none.

We’re told it’s discrimination to not let confused men “identify” as women with all the privileges, but what about the rights of real women? Why isn’t this male invasion considered discrimination against women?

In a commentary by Joe Saunders in The Western Journal, Saunders wrote about comments from NFL quarterback Brett Favre.

 He was never more on target than when he nailed the issue of transgender “women” competing against true females on the biggest stages in sports. Liberals are going to hate it, but no sane, honest person — man or woman — could disagree.

“It’s a man competing as a woman,” Favre said with characteristic bluntness. “That’s unfair.”

Every human past puberty understands that there are basic physiological differences between men and women. It’s just that in the 21st century, liberals seem to have decided ideology trumps biology.

The Battleground of Motherhood

Last week, I wrote about this battleground and I’ll refer you to that blog “Never Poke a Mama Bear” where I point out that Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats are trying to eliminate Mother and replace with “birthing people.” Do you think Pelosi’s five kids call her their birthing person?

What’s a Woman to Do?

We must stay educated on the issues facing women today and consider them from God’s perspective. Educate our children and grandchildren to not become influenced or persuaded by the ways and sways of the world.

If you know someone influenced negatively by false teachings or ideologies, take the time to talk with them and pray for and with them. Share with them God’s purpose and plans for men and women and why He made us different and unique with specific life roles.

Get involved. Don’t be afraid to stand up against wrong. Like the woman who protested when a male came into the women and children’s area of a spa in California and exposed himself. One of her comments was that other women were afraid to come forward and confront the spa owners who were allowing such an atrocity. But she wasn’t afraid and good for her!

Silence in the face of wrong is wrong itself!

Our tendency often is to avoid adversity but Jesus never avoided sharing the truth even when it wasn’t welcomed or convenient.

The spiritual battle isn’t between Democrats vs Republicans or liberals vs conservatives. It’s between wrong vs right, evil vs good. Satan vs Jesus. The enemy vs the Savior!

It’s easy to say we know who wins in the end so let’s not get involved, but other people are hurt when we don’t engage. The Christian life isn’t about standing quietly on the sidelines; it’s about standing boldly on the Lord’s side of the spiritual battle.

What Satan means for evil, God will use for good! He’ll use those of us who are willing to join Him in the fight for right. I hope you’re in the Lord’s army. I am.

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For 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. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Eph. 6:10-13

The Lord has given me Joshua 1:9 not just once but several times today, so I leave you with a theme verse from my book Everyday Brave: Living Courageously as a Woman of Faith.

If you received this blog by email, please leave a comment here! Thank you. I answer every comment.

July 12, 2021
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Never Poke A Mama Bear

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I’m sure by now you’ve seen the video clips that went viral of moms and dads confronting local school boards protesting the mandatory teaching in schools of Marxist critical race theory where children are taught to judge each other by the color of their skin. If your skin is dark, you’re oppressed and if your skin is white, you’re the oppressor.

You can’t get more racist or Communist than to teach these radical untruths to children in school and foster their mistrust and animosity toward each other at an early age. This is the exact opposite of what our Constitution and God affirms that all men are created equal regardless of race, color, or creed.

So I say bravo to those brave and concerned parents, like my daughter Kim in the opening picture, who are not going to allow their children to be indoctrinated in Marxist/Communist theology and ideology.

The parents speaking up at these school council meetings are black, white, brown and some had escaped Communist and oppressive countries and were not about to let their children be raised in a country where the leadership and school boards are quickly shifting their values to resemble the countries they fled.

When an interviewer asked one of the mothers at a school board meeting, who just happened to be black, why she was speaking up against critical race theory she responded, “Never poke this mama bear.” I think every mother knows exactly what she meant. When you start messing with our kids, moms are always going to rise up to protect them. Or at least they should.

An article titled “Largest teachers union says critical race theory is ‘reasonable and appropriate’ for kids, outlines what these parents are up against. Here’s an excerpt:


The National Education Association has approved a plan to “publicize” critical race theory and dedicate a “team of staffers” to assist union members looking to “fight back against anti-CRT rhetoric.”

New Business Item 39 also declares that the union opposes bans on critical race theory and the New York Times’ controversial 1619 Project – which roughly half the U.S. states have already implemented.

Additionally, the resolution calls for the union to “join with Black Lives Matter at School and the Zinn Education Project to call for a rally this year on Oct. 14 — George Floyd’s birthday — as a national day of action to teach lessons about structural racism and oppression.”

Get Involved!

Do you remember during the 2016 election when Franklin Graham went to the Capitol in every state pleading with people to vote their values? My daughter and I took the three grandkids to hear him as he stood on the Boise Capitol steps and one of the points he made was for Christians to get involved with the governing of their cities and states. Run for office. Make sure Christian and Conservative values are represented and heard in local government and decision making issues. He specifically mentioned running for school boards because there’s nothing more important than guarding the education and minds of our children.

It almost seems like Franklin was prophetic as we watch the lunacy of liberal school boards. Not just in wanting to teach Communist indoctrination, but also in the pornographic immoral way many are presenting “sex education” starting in Kindergarten. Teaching gay and transgender lifestyles as normal options for children. Fostering gender confusion.

I heard former White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany say in an interview that she’s only going to send her little girl, who is now a toddler, to parochial schools because she knows she won’t have to worry about what her daughter is being taught. This mama bear is protecting her cub from danger.

The Devil always goes after the children because they’re the next generation who will influence the world for either good or evil. We’re watching the fallout of teachers who have gone through the liberal progressive school system themselves and are onboard with biased teaching. Any teachers who speak up or refuse to teach what they know is wrong are often fired.

No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God. 10 This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister. 1 John 3:9-11

But parents and grandparents, you can’t be fired! You can protest and refuse to let your sweet innocent children be taught what you know is wrong.

You have a voice. You have a vote. You have a choice.

Masks and Vaccinations for Children

Another area you’re going to face in the fall as schools open up is school districts who want to enforce mandatory masks and vaccinations for your children to attend school. There are numerous studies showing how unsafe both of these practices can be for children.

Do your own investigation. Be informed. Pray about it. Make an educated decision and then take a firm vocal stand for what you know is right for your child!

In Communist countries, the government has more control over children than the parents do. Don’t let this happen in America. Don’t surrender your rights as a parent.

You might think I’m being a bit dramatic, but the way Satan gets a foothold is to subtly and slyly slither into normal life and before you know it, evil has become the norm.

I’ll be writing next week about the War On Women! One of the liberal’s sly strategies is to devalue and demean the role of mothers by referring to them as merely “birthing people.” Cancel motherhood! We can laugh at how ridiculous this is but the Democrats actually wrote that insidious term into the infrastructure bill so they weren’t laughing. They were serious.

Black Lives Matter’s manifesto is to eliminate the nuclear family and have BLM take over that role. As BLM infiltrates Democrat government and teachers unions, we’re seeing their influence and ideologies seep into language and legislature.

One of the first things the Democrat house majority ruled in January 2021 was to eliminate the use of gender identity including mother, father, husband, and wife. As reported in the Washington Examiner . . .
“The proposed rule package seeks to “honor all gender identities” by striking words including “seaman,” “chairman,” “father,” “mother,” “sister,” “husband,” and “wife” from use and replacing them with gender-neutral terms including “seafarer,” “chair,” “parent,” “child,” and “sibling.”

“Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi praised the “visionary rules package,” saying in a statement the package “reflects the views and values of the full range of our historically diverse House Democratic Majority.”

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy mocked the proposed changes, calling them “stupid,” while Representative-elect Marjorie Taylor Green called the measures a “blatant denial of truth” and an “attack on families.”

Why would Nancy Pelosi, a wife, mother, and grandmother, now praise eliminating those endearing ageless family terms? Since she admits that this “reflects the views and values of the full range of our historically diverse House Democratic Majority,” you know the left’s views and values have become sinister and dangerous.

Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. Is. 5:20

So Mama Bears, you’re being poked from all directions.

Pick your battles.

Pray for guidance.

Protect your children and family.

Publically make a difference.

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8

The father of a righteous child has great joy;
    a man who fathers a wise son rejoices in him.
25 May your father and mother rejoice;
    may she who gave you birth be joyful. Pr. 23:24-26

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Political cartoon is by editorial cartoonist A.F.Branco A.F. Branco Cartoon – You Know, the Thing – Comically Incorrect.

Picture of the parents is from the article cited in the blog.
Opening picture is my daughter Kim Mancini taken on Mother’s Day!

July 5, 2021
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The 4th of July Has New Significance This Year!

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Did you ever think we would be living in a time when love of country, respect for the American Flag, and standing for the National Anthem would become controversial? Patriotism booed and considered deplorable. Athletes representing the USA abroad disgracing our country and themselves. Our government attempting to divide Americans into identity groups and pit them against each other. Children taught in school to judge each other by the color of their skin.

Have we become a country of race-baiting, ungrateful, unpatriotic citizens? Or are these just the people who yell the loudest and the media covers incessantly with glee.

I love the song “God Bless the USA” by Lee Greenwood, and I sing along with him, especially the lines, “I’m proud to be an American where at least I know I’m free.”

I am proud to be an American, but I’m not proud of all Americans.

It appears that the Administration in the White House and the Democrat party is not proud to be American! They continually denounce us as a racist country and claim half the population, at least those who are conservative, white, drive pickups, and wave American flags, are a threat to our country?!

The current Administration is trying to see how far to the Socialist, Communist, Marxist, tribal, racist, liberal left they can take America. They’re turning us into a country our forefathers would never recognize as the free country so many of all colors gave their lives to defend.

If you’re saying don’t make the 4th of July political—Independence Day marked the initiation of politics!

A 4th of July Pop Quiz

Have you watched a man-on-the-street interview asking people if they know facts about our country’s history? It’s embarrassing. I wonder how many could answer questions about the 4th of July and why it’s a National holiday?

“What does July 4th stand for?”

  • From what country did America fight to win their freedom?
  • Why is July 4th Independence Day?
  • What year was the Declaration of Independence signed and adopted?
  • What is the significance of 13 stripes and 50 stars?
  • Why are our patriotic colors red, white, and blue?
  • What does a national flag represent?
  • Why are caskets of fallen soldiers wrapped in the American flag?
  • Why do we have fireworks on the 4th of July?

How about asking these questions and offering a prize to the one who knows the most answers at your 4th of July gathering. Here’s a website with a succinct overview: History of the Fourth of July – Brief History & Early Celebrations – HISTORY

So many more facts are lost in a culture that has forgotten our roots and trying to rewrite our history.

Liberal left politicians want to erase our heritage as if it never happened and turn a Democracy of freedoms into a country of government Socialistic/Marxist control of the people. They make it sound like the freedom of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness isn’t as valuable as the carrots they dangle of free healthcare, free college, free immigration free… free…which the naïve lap up without realizing nothing is free. Americans will pay the price with the loss of sovereignty and personal freedoms that so many brave soldiers gave their life to grant each of us. It will cost us dearly in taxes, independence, and quality of life.

For example, under socialism people will soon discover that “free” healthcare doesn’t mean the best medical treatment you need when you need it. The government will decide who, when, and to what extent you’re worthy of the healthcare they deem you can have or even whether they’ll let you have tests to receive a diagnosis. They’re even suggesting that the color of your skin or your heritage will determine who gets treatment first.

You won’t just call and make a doctor’s appointment. You’ll go through legal red tape, waiting lines, and a faceless worker in Washington deciding whether your life is worth healing or saving.

Since Biden wants to give illegal immigrants free Medicaid health insurance, he’ll need to put more than a 70% increase on our taxes to pay for it. And how good do you think that healthcare is going to be when it’s stretched to the limits with no money to back it and millions of extra people getting it for “free.” That’s why he hasn’t given specifics of how he would achieve this.

Some “progressive” politicians have argued that we’re the only major country without socialized healthcare. What Americans need to remember is that the entire point of July 4th is that we didn’t want to be like other nations. Other nations come to America for medical treatment. People are not migrating to other countries; they want to come to America because we aren’t like other nations. They come to America for a better life. And Biden/Harris have put out the welcome mat for illegal immigration at the expense and threat to American citizens.

No other country was founded on Judeo Christian values, where our Presidents end their speeches with “God Bless America,” or at least they use too. I haven’t heard that from Biden or Harris recently.

As hard as the liberal left is trying to move our country away from God, Christians need to stand in the gap and keep America a blessed nation under God. Where our currency still says “In God We Trust” not “In the government we trust.”

The 4th of July celebrates winning the battle for freedom to be different from other countries. A Democracy of the people, by the people, and for the people. Where the government works for us NOT controls us.

As you plan your festivities—parades, BBQs, fireworks, pool parties, trips to the beach—how about starting those events with the Pledge of Allegiance, singing the National Anthem, and a prayer to God who has allowed us to live in this great country.

Remind the children at the gatherings why you’re celebrating this holiday. Our generation must pass down to the next generation our country’s history and why we don’t want to repeat past mistakes.

If anyone who refuses to stand for the National Anthem, say the Pledge of Allegiance, respectfully represent the USA abroad and at home, dares to celebrate the 4th of July . . . might I say they are hypocrites who either have no idea what July 4th represents or they have no idea what they’re even protesting.

God has allowed each American to live in the greatest nation in the world. Have you ever opened your eyes in the morning and said thank you God I’m an American? If we allow them to take God and patriotism out of America, we won’t be able to say that anymore.

Have you noticed how both sides of the political arena are always saying, “The American people want to know.” “The American people deserve to know.”

Let’s show them what the American people really want and deserve:

A country that honors God, honors our flag, honors those who have gone before us and fought for our freedoms, and honors the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights, and the Constitution of the United States of America!

May God bless America and may America be worthy of His blessing!

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June 28, 2021
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How “God Winks” Can Help Us Through Difficult Times

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When I said in my last blog that I’d be taking a break for my husband’s knee replacement surgery, I didn’t expect to be MIA for six weeks. We heard stories of people having this surgery as outpatient or at best coming home the next day. I had no idea the journey that lay before us and we’re still venturing on, but God did. My husband continuously says he doesn’t know how anyone goes through this without God!

Praise God, He was our constant companion, even though I must admit I had a few meltdowns along the way!!!

For those of you who prayed for us, we’re grateful. Please keep praying! If you didn’t know about what we were going through, I’m sure you know someone having a difficult time right now and I encourage you to stop reading for a moment and pray for them. They’ll feel your prayers. They need your prayers.

Back to our story . . .

Dave got off to a rocky start when he had a bad reaction to the meds and anesthesia used during surgery. While he was in the hospital for five days, his oldest daughter Michelle and I were with him all day and evening. Michelle had flown out from Chicago to help us with his transition home.

Then to my shock, the doctors determined he wasn’t home ready and needed to go to a rehab facility where he would be placed in COVID quarantine. We could no longer see him! He had a negative COVID test right before they moved him, and we were all vaccinated, but those were “the rules.”

We walked with him as they wheeled him down the sidewalk to the rehab facility, but when the elevator doors shut, I was shut out of his life. Half of my heart ripped away!

“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, 8 and the two will become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. 9 Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” Mark 2:7-9

I’d been his advocate in the hospital and now I was standing on the outside. I couldn’t stop crying. I’m crying now just remembering. I was one of those people you read about kept from their suffering loved ones. It’s reality to me now. It’s cruel.

I came home alone and Michelle flew home. Our family’s only visible communication with Dave, doctors, therapists, and nurses was FaceTime. Dave was there for eight days where he received physical, occupational, and recreational therapy and excellent care, but this was so beyond what we had anticipated.

I stared blankly when people asked, “Why?” Every time I heard that question, or about people who came home the next day, it only made me feel worse. Sad. Heartsick. Despondent.

There’s a lesson for us all. When someone is going through a traumatic experience, hearing how someone else sailed through it only impounds the hurt and trauma. All I wanted was a hug or a prayer. Compassion.

My worst nightmare became reality when 5’5” 122 lb. me, who had recently had surgery, would be bringing home by myself 6’4” 230 lb. hubby who could barely stand up and move by himself, even with a walker. He would have to stay in our basement “Man Cave.” It would be a long time before he could navigate stairs up to our living level.

And so the journey began even though I felt completely inadequate for what God was asking me to do on my own to successfully help this man I love so much recover well and safely. It seemed overwhelming. It was overwhelming.

But of course, I wasn’t completely alone. That’s when the God Winks started!

God Winks Don’t Miss Them!

Dave and I had prayed before his surgery and during his recovery that we would be a witness and light for God’s goodness to everyone we met, and that they would see Jesus in us, no matter what. Maybe that prayer set us on this trajectory because God wanted to use us for His glory. I can’t say I always represented Him well. My emotions at times overtook me when I couldn’t stop crying or heard myself having an unkind outburst, but there were also some amazing experiences where God’s glory shown through in spite of us.

God Wink #1

I thought daughter Michelle came to help after we got home, but it turned out God wanted to use her to support me while Dave was in the hospital and through the experience of sending him off to rehab. Michelle was my rock, a calm and steady voice, gentle pat on my back, and hug that guided me through the crisis and chaos. When I was too upset to eat, she located a smoothie shop nearby that’s now become my favorite!

We live 1 ½ hours from the hospital and rehab. So our daughter Kim, who lives closer, welcomed Michelle and me to stay as long as we needed, which meant my two granddaughters gave up their bedrooms and slept on the couch. No complaining. That’s what love does.

While I was away from home, neighbors Joni and Mike, who are also part of our Couples Bible Study Group, watered our plants and mowed our lawn. Mike takes our trash to the dump when he’s home. (We live in the rural mountains, no trash service.)

God Wink #2

One of the male nurses in the hospital stopped in Dave’s room, even though Dave wasn’t his patient that day, and said he had looked up my books on my website! He was a Christian too.

When Dave was in rehab, I brought some of his favorite juice to help him get more fluids since his BP kept dropping. The nurse that came to the door began comforting me about not being able to see him and I noticed the cross around her neck. Turns out, she’s a Christian also and Dave was her patient for the day. I knew he was in God’s hands.

She assured me that rehab was right where he needed to be. He wasn’t capable of coming home yet, but they would work to get him ready. Rehab was actually a God-Wink blessing.

God Wink #3

Several days before I brought Dave home, three men from church came over and helped prepare the Man Cave by taking off doors, moving furniture, making repairs, and taking Dave’s recliner downstairs.

God Wink #4

Leanna, a dear friend from our Couple’s Bible Study Group, got up early to leave at 6:30 am to drive down to Boise with me to pick up Dave from rehab. I don’t function well early morning, but with Leanna in the car and Jesus at the wheel, it was a beautiful morning even though it had been a rainstorm the day before.

God Wink #5

Dave’s second night home he had cramps in his calf and shooting pains down his leg. He was wreathing and crying in pain. Hot compresses helped but he couldn’t stand up. Leanna, who called me every day, had said call us no matter what time of night. So I did. She and her husband Bob and muscular son Ty came right over and the men got Dave up out of the chair and into bed. Ty gave me his number to text if I needed him in the middle of the night or next day.

God Wink #6

Friends Cynthia and Tom, who were dropping off food they had bought for us at COSTCO, were here when the doctor’s office called about Dave’s leg cramps and shooting pains. We needed to bring him to ER (1 ½ hours away) for an ultrasound to rule out blood clots. When we got off the phone, Tom said he would drive us and Cynthia said she would sit at our house and wait for UPS to drop off medication that needed a signature.

This was the Friday of Memorial Day Weekend, a heavily traveled day in our area and I had been up all night with Dave. This couple was having a family reunion at their home in a few days, but Cynthia said that taking time to help us was confirmation to her that God had the reunion under control! Praise God there were no blood clots.

God Wink #6

The following day, the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, daughter Kim and hubby Toby came up to plant our garden, mow our lawn and do other things on my “to-do” list.

God Wink #7

Memorial Day, Barb from our Couple’s Group stopped by to ask where I needed help. She folded all my laundry and vacuumed my whole house! Amazing timing since around 4:30 pm I got a text from long-time friends from Arizona, Debbie and Jerry, that they were about an hour away and what did I need at the store?! I thought they were coming the next day, but thanks to Barb, my house was ready and I had food to feed them because Gene, another friend from church, had brought over a tray of her famous enchiladas the day before!

Debbie and Jerry had planned this trip to visit us before we knew Dave was having surgery and they said they would only still come if they could be of help. I said, “Oh yes! Please come. I need help!”

They were visiting angels as Jerry is an amazing “handyman” and Debbie just pitched in and saw the many things that needed doing while I was tending to Dave downstairs. Together they cut down on the thousands of steps I was taking up and down the stairs. Debbie went with me to Boise to grocery shop and go to a doctor’s appointment with me to take notes when my brain was exhausted.

I was sad to see them go, but we all were aware of God’s timing in bringing them to “visit” when I needed them most. I finally felt a little rested and ready to tackle Dave’s recovery on our own.

God Wink #8

Now for the over-the-top presence of the Lord showing His face in an act of kindness of two strangers, Scott and Donna May. Physical therapy recommended we get a recumbent bike for Dave. I put a request on our local community Facebook page and began getting messages about bikes for sale. One in particular looked perfect but it was pricey even used. Then there appeared a message from a gentleman who said he had one he could loan us that they only use in the winter and he could deliver it?!

I asked for a picture and it was the exact one I had considered buying. I messaged back thanking him for his generosity and he responded, “Christians help Christians!” I wondered how he knew I was a Christian, but I certainly told him he was an answer to prayer.

When Scott and Donna May brought the bike over the next day, I asked how he knew I was a Christian. Scott laughingly admitted he had looked at my profile and website to be sure I was someone he could trust to return the bike LOL!

Donna May said she refers to these serendipity experiences as “God Winks.” I assured them that God had definitely been winking at us.

And He still continues. Neighbors Bob and Theresa, also in our Couples Group, called and said they’d noticed our lawn getting pretty long again. Could they come over the next morning and mow and spray for mosquitoes. Bob also stops by and picks up our bags of trash to take to the dump.

A physical therapist we’ve been working with in town was concerned about Dave using our shower if we moved him upstairs and offered to come over to our house after work and check it out! He did a survey of our home while he was here to give us tips on moving Dave back upstairs, which we did several days later.

What’s the Take Away from Our God Winks?

1. Ask for Help!

Don’t try to go things on your own. Let people know where and when you need help! We also asked for prayer and I know our church was praying for us and for God to watch over us.

Many times people will just say, “Let us know when you need help.” But then we don’t because we don’t know what kind of help they’re prepared to give and we don’t want to be an imposition.

2. Receive Help

It’s a blessing for others to bless you! Let them. Yes, it’s humbling and maybe even embarrassing, but the Bible tells us that “Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. 10 If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble.” Ecc. 4:9-10 NLT

3. Join or Form a Bible Study Group

Our Couples Bible Study Group have been through many things together and as one woman in church put it, “Your group is really tight.” We’re there for each other to celebrate the good times, help each other through the difficult times, pray and learn more together how God wants us to navigate the world through the wisdom in His Word.

4. Be Alert to Who Needs a God Wink

Because people are reticent to ask for help, or impose, let’s try and notice when and where someone needs help and then just do it. I’m sure there’s someone in your life who needs a “God Wink” right now!

Note: There are many issues in the world today that I want to write about, but I’ve been so consumed with our issues that I didn’t have the energy or brain-power to tackle them. For several nights after I returned home alone, I couldn’t even turn on the news to hear the world’s troubles because I was living through troubles in my own little world. It all seemed like more than I could process.

I told a friend that I’ll know when the Lord frees my mind to write again, and today was the first day I’ve actually sat down at the computer to write. I’m not sure how consistent, but I’ll try to be back on Mondays. We’ll find out this week when Dave will have his other knee done. Yes, we’re doing this again in the near future, but I know God’s winking at me right now and assuring me He’ll be right there seeing us through it.

All praise to the God and Father of our Master, Jesus the Messiah! Father of all mercy! God of all healing counsel! He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, he brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us. 2 Cor. 1:3-4 The Message

Photo by Saad Chaundhry @saadchdhry

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June 21, 2021
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What Does It Say When the Leader of the Free World Won’t Say “God”?

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President Regan used to describe the Soviet Union as a godless Communist State. What would he think today watching America become exactly that with an Administration that wants people to worship government, not God. Socialism and critical race theory have become their religion.

By now you’ve probably heard or read that on the National Day of Prayer’s 70th Anniversary, Biden spoke of social justice, global warming, and racial reckoning in his socialist speech, never mentioning the One and Only God to which we pray?! He was the first President in 70 years to omit the Holy name of God! What he didn’t say that day speaks volumes not only about him, but also about his entire Administration and the Democrat party.

They deliberately left out God, even though God is the recipient of our prayers. At the Democrat Convention in 2012, they voted to entirely remove God from any of their platforms so why should we be surprised they omitted Him on the National Day of Prayer?!

God is an entity they can’t control and they refuse to acknowledge that He is the Creator of our environment and mankind. They cannot harness God, censor God, cancel God, emulate God, or vote God out as Ruler of the Universe, so they try to ignore and dismiss Him, as if anyone ever could.

My question is why more people didn’t notice their godlessness not only at the time of that 2012 Convention, but also during this last presidential campaign when Biden was trying to woo Evangelicals. Why did so many Catholics, Christians, clergy, and Christian leaders support Biden? Was it just because they thought Trump was crude, but they didn’t care that Biden would represent a godless party? Did they overlook that Biden would claim to be a “faithful” Catholic while supporting and endorsing the murdering of millions of innocent souls in abortion?

Putting in a word for Trump right here, I often pointed out during his tenure as President that he was the first President in my lifetime to repeatedly speak of Jesus and the Gospel openly and unashamedly in numerous speeches, especially at Christmas and Easter, but not limited to those Christian holidays!

I have to wonder what all those Evangelicals and Catholics who voted for Biden think about him now and the downward spiral he’s taking our country into Socialism, Marxism, and Communism?! Was it worth it to turn your back on your own faith just because you didn’t like President Trump’s style?

Maybe you didn’t like some of the words he used. Have you heard Biden? He can cuss with the best of them and he’s a pathological liar. Real lies, not just media trumped up lies.

I’m reminded of the Book of Judges when a good Judge who listened to God was followed by a corrupt Judge, until in the end “everyone did whatever he wanted” (Judges 21:25 HCSB). But we don’t have to go down the dark path of the current Administration. We have a choice of whether to surrender to evil or stand up for good and keep America the land of the free. A country whose motto is “In God We Trust!”

Never Be Afraid to Say the Name Above all Names, God!

If Biden won’t say God, we need to say the name of God and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ every chance we get!

No one has ever rejected us when Dave and I tell everyone we meet, from the grocery store clerk, to the restaurant server, to the doctor or healthcare professional, or anyone we’re having a conversation with, “God bless you and you have a blessed day.” Sometimes they’re a little surprised, but seem truly blessed and often say back to us, “You too.” Or “Thank you.” Or “Bless you too!”

I’ve asked in church for prayer for our doctors and then let him or her know others are praying to God for them. We hear, “Thank you!” or “Good!” Or even, “I believe in the power of prayer!”

When Dave explains the pain he’s having in his hand to a doctor he’ll say, “When I go to hold my wife’s hand while we’re praying in church, my hand starts tingling in pain.” A subtle witness.

Describing the pain in his knees, he’ll give the example, “It’s really bad when I’m standing, like when I’m singing in the worship team at church.”

There are so many ways to open the conversation or infuse the conversation with God. To let others know you’re a believer and you’re proud of our Great God!

Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. Col. 4:5-6 NLT

If we don’t keep God at the forefront of our lives, our conversation, our social media comments . . . and we don’t profess our disdain at a government that is trying to remove God from the conversation . . . we will soon find God is no longer relevant or revered in our country. I will go so far to say it will be our own fault! We’ll be held accountable for what we say and what we don’t say.

Joe Biden and the Democrats will be held accountable to God someday when He asks them: What did you do with the life and position I gave you? They’ll be responsible for everything they did or said, or didn’t say and do, and so will we.

Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out. Pr. 10:9

“Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” Rev. 22:12-13 NLT

Don’t be discouraged by the current godless Administration. Keep praying! Actually, pray for many in the Democrat party, especially Biden who has strayed from his Catholic faith, to be guided by God! Keep saying the Name of God, the Name above all names, not just in church but every chance you get!

Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor
    and gave him the name above all other names,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
    in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord,
    to the glory of God the Father. Phil. 2:9-11 NLT

Note: Dave is having knee replacement surgery on May 11 so we cherish your prayers for all to go well with the surgery and recovery. I will be his chief caregiver and we’re blessed that our oldest daughter is coming from Illinois to help. I’m not sure when I’ll be back with my Monday Morning blogs, but until then . . . May our Great God bless you with courage, boldness, and opportunities to share His Name and His love wherever you go.

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Cartoon is by A.F. Branco used with permission. Welcome to the Club – A.F. Branco Cartoon – Conservative Daily News

May 10, 2021
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Do You Know the Truth? It Will Set You Free!

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Dave and I were watching an action-packed program we enjoy on television recently and one of the main “good guys” was about to be captured by the enemy. He took off his wedding ring and gave it to his friend (who was escaping) with instructions to give the ring to his wife.

The friend assumed this was a sign of defeat and that the captured man wasn’t planning to ever return home. But when he visited with the wife and gave her the ring, her face lit up as she took off her ring to show the matching inscriptions. Hers said, “You will know the truth.” His said, “The truth will set you free.” The wife knew this was a message to her that her husband would eventually be freed when the truth was revealed.

This is not a faith-based program so I was impressed that the scriptwriter must have known John 8:32 and wove it into the plot.

“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:32

A few days later, I saw a headline from The Blaze that caught my attention, “Glenn Beck opens up about family tragedy, shares powerful message: ‘STOP saying that there’s nothing we can do.’” Let me preface that I don’t listen regularly to Glenn Beck’s program. I enjoy hearing him occasionally being interviewed but this was the first time I’d ever “tuned in.” There was a live clip of his radio program in the article.

I give you this backstory for a reason.

I’ve said many times as I ponder and pray about what to write in my weekly blogs that the Lord starts giving me clues leading me to the topic and when I pay attention to the Lord’s nudges, the article takes on a life of its own.

When I hit “play” to hear Glenn Beck, his first words got my attention: “We don’t love truth anymore. We don’t even know what truth is!” He went on to say, “We’re losing truth to trust that something better is going to happen.”

Wow!!! There it was again, truth.

Beck pointed out that sometimes you have to accept the truth even though it’s not the truth you want. I laughed when I looked up to see how truth was defined in dictionaries and not one of the sources gave an absolute definition of “truth.”

John McArthur has an article What Is Truth? exploring this very concept of trying to define absolute truth apart from God, which is impossible. Here is his summary:

“Truth is not subjective, it is not a consensual cultural construct, and it is not an invalid, outdated, irrelevant concept. It’s not what you want it to be. Truth is the self-expression of God. Truth is thus theological; it is the reality God has created and defined, and over which He rules. Truth is therefore a moral issue for every human being.

How each person responds to the truth God has revealed is an issue of eternal significance. To reject and rebel against the truth of God results in darkness, folly, sin, judgment, and the never-ending wrath of God. To accept and submit to the truth of God is to see clearly, to know with certainty, and to find life everlasting.”

In other words, only God’s truth is absolute!

When we don’t trust God’s truth as the glue in our lives, when it looks like the world is coming unglued, it’s so easy to fall into despair, the opposite of joy and hope. I understand that and I’m sure you do too. Without reading my Bible and devotional everyday, meeting with our church Couple’s small group, spending time with family and friends, praying, and trusting God to guide my life, the enemy can rob my joy!

Sadly, the focus of Glenn Beck’s program was grappling with the tragic suicide of his brother-in-law on Easter night. Somehow, he had fallen into despair and lost hope in living in today’s world. He’s not alone. There are 130 suicides a day and it’s the 10th leading cause of death.

The world has lost its firm foundation, God. It’s lost a moral compass, God. America specifically is choosing an atheistic platform that thinks that man can control the world that God created and faith is a fairy tale. When in reality, that’s living a lie founded by Satan. The faster America moves away from God, the faster we move towards destruction and the truth is . . . it will happen. The Bible is clear that a devastating tribulation will take over the world someday.

Jesus Is Truth! Satan is the Father of Lies!

When a group of Jews and Pharisees were arguing with Jesus, he told them where their false thinking originated. Insert any lying or dishonest person’s name into these verses.

43 Why can’t you understand what I am saying? It’s because you can’t even hear me! 44 For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 So when I tell the truth, you just naturally don’t believe me! John 8:43-45 NLT

We hear lies and propaganda today from the mainstream media, news pundits, the government, politicians, and woke cancel culture who either are so deceived and blinded by Satan that they no longer know the truth, or they’re so consumed with a thirst for power they dismiss, devalue, distort, and dispose of the truth.

The goal is to mislead the public, you and me. They don’t care if they’re instilling fear into people; fearful people are easier to manipulate.

Eventually, the perpetuators of lies believe their own lies. Truth has no value or relevance to them.

When they lie, just as it says in John 8:43-45, the lies become consistent with their character . . . the character of evil. They’ve succumbed to their father, the father of lies, the devil. Today, we’re watching the results of Satan’s attempt to destroy America through corrupt hunger and thirst for power and lies.

The only reason Bible-believing Christians recognize lies is because our Father is the Father of Truth. I’m sad that I have to qualify Christians but there are many who are buying into the lie of “progressive or liberal Christianity” which is of the world, not the Kingdom. As frustrating as this all is, praise God we know the Truth. Can you imagine living under the cloak of Satan’s lies?!

But so many people like Glenn Beck’s brother-in-law have lost their will to live. What we know as truth is that even though it looks right now like Satan is winning, he’s not! But we also know this means that we could be very close to the return of Jesus. I love how Glenn Beck closed out his program: “Stop saying there’s nothing you can do. Stop living a lie. I’m not going to participate in a lie. Some don’t know the truth, but we do!”

I’ve said that same thing so many times myself in these blogs. Maybe you can’t save the world but you can let God work through you to help save your corner of the world. We need to stop wringing our hands in despair that the election didn’t turn out the way we wanted. We need to face the truth that the Liberal atheistic Democrats are now in control . . . for now.

Peter and the other disciples were discouraged when it looked like evil was winning after the crucifixion of Jesus. Disappointed yes, but not defeated. It didn’t stop them and apostles like Paul from sharing the Truth that Jesus is alive and offers salvation with whoever would listen.

When you hear the lies of the world, let it motivate you to tell God’s Truth. We don’t have to engage in political rhetoric, we just need to share the Gospel, live the Gospel, and help set as many captives free as we can. Even those who are the worse liars can still be saved. Our God is the God of the impossible. I hope you believe that! Pray for everyone you know who is under Satan’s yoke.

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matt. 19:26

A Sweet Story!

Dave and I were having lunch with some friends and Dave asked the teenage waitress if they had Diet Pepsi, not Diet Coke. The young waitress asked us why not Diet Coke? I replied that we didn’t want to support Coca- Cola’s recent woke flip-flop on the new fair and legal voting laws in Georgia. She nodded knowingly, “Yes, they called it racist.” I pointed out that Coke was for the laws until the liberal left started calling the laws racist along with Delta and the MLB. She agreed.

When she brought our meals to the table and our friend said, “Let’s pray,” the young waitress asked if she could pray with us and put out her hands to hold hands with us! That’s what I’m talking about!

14 But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened.”[b] 15 But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, 16 keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. 1 Peter 3:14

Hal Lindsey wrote in his newsletter last week that we very well could be approaching the end times. How bad does it have to get before that happens? Only God knows, but we need to live prepared that it could be any day now.
“We live in increasingly perilous times. In fact, the world seems poised on the precipice of the worst period of tribulation ever seen — tribulation vividly described in the books of Daniel and Revelation. But before that terrible period begins, God will snatch away His people like a government removing its ambassadors before the onset of war. These are days to stay close to God, close to His word, and close to His people.”

The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God. 1 Cor. 1:18 NLT

Cleave faithfully to the Truth! It will set you free! And that’s the truth!

PS: I had this blog written and posted when Dave and I sat down to watch The Benny Report on NEWSMAX. I marveled yet again how God confirms what He wants me to share in my blogs when Benny Johnson’s theme on April 17, 2021 was about the “lies” being told to the American people as he reiterated that our rights and freedoms are granted by God not the government. I hope you’ll take a moment to watch.

If you received this article by email, please leave a comment here. I appreciate hearing your thoughts.

April 19, 2021
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Have We Forgotten How to Disagree Amicably?

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Last week, I posted this comment on Facebook on a smiley face background,

I did it!! Walked into Walmart w/o a mask. Only person who said anything was a woman w/o a mask too who said “Nice to see your face!”

After a year of wearing masks, I must admit, I did feel a bit emboldened as I went to the pharmacy to pick up my prescription.

Even as you read my Facebook post, some of you might have thought, “You go girl!” While others are thinking, “You’re endangering fellow shoppers.”

As a side note, the county I was in had lifted the mask mandate weeks ago but private and corporate stores like Walmart and COSTCO still had their signs up requiring masks. I’ve also had COVID and the vaccine (another controversial topic) so I wasn’t a threat to anyone. I was just smiling and breathing freely as we’ve been doing at our church for months. It was invigorating, a flashback to “normal.”

I honestly wasn’t prepared for the tremendous response this post would receive. I should’ve been ready for it though since masks have become the latest source of division and disagreement among Americans, including Christians.

We just experienced a divisive election with controversial consequences and there’s no end of things to disagree about with COVID. Anyone spending time on social media knows that people say things to each other they probably would never say face-to-face.

So I braced myself as I saw the comments on this post flooding across the screen and even speculated if I should delete it. But then, something so inspiring happened. A dear friend who has suffered severely from Covid posted her perspective and with love and tears, we both kindly shared our experiences and perspectives while maintaining and confirming our sweet friendship and vowing to continue praying for each other.

Relieved that we made it through as two Christians who care about each other and appreciate the other’s opinion, I noticed that another friend who read our discourse wrote this comment . . . “I appreciate your ability to discuss this hot topic with respect and civility and both of your points of view are valid.”

Wow! To everyone reading the comment trail on my post, my friend and I had unknowingly been an example of how to present our opposing sides amicably because we cared about each other. Shouldn’t that be how all Christians communicate when they disagree?

The answer of course is yes, but do we? Why don’t we always remain civil even when we don’t know the other person we’re communicating or disagreeing with? Can’t we still be amicable and show respect? What a witness that would be to a watching world!

My daughter is very good at presenting an opposing position, often using humor. I’ve never seen her attack another person for their beliefs, even when she vehemently disagrees with them. She’s actually much more tactful than I am and I applaud her because that’s a gift.

If It’s In Your Heart, It’s Probably Going to Come Out of Your Mouth!

Jesus warns, “For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matt. 12:34). So whatever you say is residing in your heart. Even when we try to take back a comment or claim we really didn’t mean it . . . Jesus says we did mean it. It was in our heart all along. We can apologize for saying it, but we can’t take it back.

It’s especially important that the body of Christ learn how to disagree without being disagreeable. God wants Christians to be of one accord in all our relationships, both personal and spiritual. He gave us numerous guidelines in the Bible because He knew that as humans filled with pride, ego, differences, and opinions, we’re going to disagree.

That’s also the beauty of unique personalities. Often seeing things through someone else’s view gives us a new perspective. But what the world needs to see from us as believers is that we live in peace with one another, whatever it takes to achieve it. A house divided cannot stand, and with all the division in our world today, the church must stand together firm in the belief that our God reigns and His Word determines how we navigate our relationships.

I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Ps. 119:11

Five Ways to Disagree Amicably!

1. State your opinion, but don’t force it on the other person.

Friendships should be a safe place to disagree. If you have a variety of friends, you’re going to have a variety of differing opinions. You can learn from each other.

In our couples small group, we get into some heavy exchanges of opinions, but we always know at the end of group we’ll pray, have dessert and coffee together, and leave as friends. After one evening of especially heated discussion, one person prayed that they were grateful we respected each other enough that we could express our thoughts openly, but still maintain our friendships.

We’re still brothers and sisters in Christ, even though we don’t agree about everything.

May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. Ps. 19:14

2. Don’t devalue the other person.

Don’t attack their character. Remain humble.

Use “I” statements; avoid “You” attacks. State the benefits of your position rather than the hazards or negatives of their beliefs.

No name-calling allowed.

I think we would all agree, say it to my face, not behind my back. If we’re not willing to confront someone, then we shouldn’t say it at all.

Respect must be extended for it to be received.

Respect everyone, and love the family of believers. 1 Peter 2:17 NLT

3. Consider your motives.

We get into disagreements because we want the other person to acknowledge we’re right. Sometimes we care more about being right than “our truth” helping the other person.

When one of my granddaughters was in third grade, she was sharing Jesus with two classmates of a different faith and they ended up in a disagreement. I asked my granddaughter whether her motivation was compassion for her friends’ salvation or wanting to be right.

If it was their salvation, she should share about why she loves Jesus and He loves her. If she just wanted to be right, she probably focused more on how wrong their faith was and that made them mad. She agreed she would be far more effective showing them Jesus’s love than trying to win an argument.

People will know the love of Jesus through the love we show them.

Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. Rom. 13:8

4. Establish that your relationship is more important than the disagreement.

When you see a conversation turning into a disagreement, stop! Establish between the two of you that your relationship means more to you both than the issue at hand. If you both agree that continuing on would be harmful, then change the subject.

No disagreement is worth losing a friend, acquaintance, or a family member.

Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. 2 Tim. 2:23

5. Let it go and pray!

Often a disagreement drags on because one of us won’t give up, or we take the bait to engage instead of letting it pass.

We want the other person to come around to our way of thinking because we’re sure our way is the only correct way and we have a great argument to support it. Tempers and voices rise or dash across the screen, usually with extra !!! We say things we wish we hadn’t. Relationships fall apart.

It takes discipline to let the other person have the last word and then let the issue go.

Set a guard over my mouth, Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips. Psalm 141:3

Dear Lord, Satan is trying with all his might to divide your house and your people. We pray Lord with all our might that we would not let that happen. We would remember that a house divided cannot stand. Help us to be the peacemaker in our communication with relationships, friendships, and families, without bending or compromising on the Truth. And Lord, if it must be that there are those who choose to no longer be our friends or in a relationship with us, guard us against a bitter heart. In Jesus name, we pray. Amen

“Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.” 1 Cor. 3:11

If you received this blog by email, please leave a comment here.

PS There won’t be a Monday Morning Blog for the next 2 weeks but hope to be back April 12th.
You might enjoy reading my article 5 Refreshing Ways to Welcome Renewal Beyond Easter. Happy Resurrection Easter to everyone!

March 22, 2021
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Trust In God, Not the Government

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It doesn’t matter which party is in power or who is in government positions, we should always place our trust and hope in God, not the government or politicians. That’s why it still says on our money and in the House Chamber, “In God We Trust,” which became our nation’s official motto on July 30, 1956, when Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the bill proclaiming it the law of the land!

I think many lawmakers walking the halls of Congress and many voters forget that God is the only One who is trustworthy, regardless of how many politicians try to put themselves in His place.

Last week, as Biden gave his first public address to the nation, he painted a “dark” picture of our country and tried to tell us that our only hope of living free again in the land of the free was in his words as he leaned into the camera, “trust the government and science.” A government that wants to tell us when we can hug grandma and grandpa and maybe have a backyard BBQ on the 4th of July if we obey and follow the government’s ever changing “science-based” rules and guidelines for living everyday life.

What he grossly omitted from his lecture to America was mentioning the Only source of hope out of any darkness or trouble: Celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ together in our churches on Easter Sunday next month!

For a child is born to us,
    a son is given to us.
The government will rest on his shoulders.
    And he will be called:
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 His government and its peace
    will never end.
He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David
    for all eternity.
The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies
    will make this happen! Isaiah 9:6-7 NLT

Discernment and Rational Thinking Seem to Be Masked

During the election, a group of prominent Pastors and Christian leaders who called themselves, “Pro-Life Evangelicals for Biden,” baffled me. It seemed an oxymoron. They wanted to believe that Biden’s campaign would honor a verbal agreement to check with them before making any abortion legislation, so they supported him and tried to get others onboard.

Yet, with only a little investigation and discernment while listening to his campaign points directed to his core liberal constituency, they would have easily deducted that he actually would . . .

  • Reverse the Hyde Amendment, which he once supported but now Democrats call racist
  • Make himself the champion of a “woman’s right to choose” and call it “healthcare”
  • Force taxpayers to pay for abortion up and through the point of birth
  • Reopen the case against the Little Sisters of the Poor and reinstate the policy that every organization had to pay for abortifacient contraceptives
  • Reverse the Mexico City Policy, which prevents taxpayers from funding abortion overseas
  • If SCOTUS overturned Roe V Wade, he’d go to Congress and make it the law of the land
  • Oh and BTW, his running mate was a liberal advocates for abortion.

They would know that the head of the U.S. Catholic Bishops wrote a public scathing rebuke of Catholic Biden’s radical support of abortion and redefinition of gender.

You had to be completely oblivious or in denial not to know that the Biden/Harris administration was going to not only support and liberally promote abortion, but also radical gender identity issues.

Yet still the Pro-Life Evangelicals for Biden are now publically outraged and feel betrayed?!

“We are very disappointed about the COVID-19 relief package’s exclusion of the Hyde Amendment, a longstanding bipartisan policy that prevents taxpayer funding for abortion. We’re even more upset that the Biden administration is supporting this bill,” the group declared in a recent statement.

“As pro-life leaders in the evangelical community, we publicly supported President Biden’s candidacy with the understanding that there would be engagement [with] us on the issue of abortion and particularly the Hyde Amendment,” the group said. “The Biden team wanted to talk to us during the campaign to gain our support, and we gave it on the condition there would be active dialogue and common ground solutions on the issue of abortion. There has been no dialogue since the campaign.”

How could any Christian be so deceived? How did they think they would find common ground with the Biden liberal agenda even if they had been consulted? They weren’t betrayed; they were used. He’s doing just what he said he would do. Joe Biden is being Joe Biden.

Wouldn’t you think that Pro-life Evangelicals, and even Catholics who voted for him, could’ve seen through his political two-sided facade?

What made Joe renege his Catholic faith beliefs and reverse position on many policies he once championed like the Hyde Ammendment? Power. It seems that the temptation to compromise became too great. Becoming President overshadowed his once core beliefs.

It’s so important as citizens and Christians that we diligently do our homework and persistently pray for wisdom and discernment. Look at facts and details with clear unbiased eyes. We don’t want to become jaded with cynicism, but we do want to be realistic and pursue all avenues before making final decisions or placing our support behind a person or issue.

Often Christians are characterized as naïve and gullible, and honestly, the Pro-Life Evangelicals for Biden being so easily manipulated and duped, only reinforces this misconception. But it’s the opposite of who we are! We know the Author of Truth who is just a prayer away.

We are naïve and gullible when we trust those who do not have the same values and beliefs that we do. If we have doubts or concerns, then we do our own research and don’t rely on political rhetoric.

Give discernment to me, your servant; then I will understand your laws. Psalm 119:125 NLT

My child, don’t lose sight of common sense and discernment. Hang on to them. Pr. 3:21 NLT

Rich people may think they are wise, but a poor person with discernment can see right through them. Pr. 28:11 NLT

Let those who are wise understand these things. Let those with discernment listen carefully. The paths of the Lord are true and right, and righteous people live by walking in them. But in those paths sinners stumble and fall. Hosea 14:9 NLT

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8

Science Continually Changes, God Never Does

What so many people forget is that science and faith are not mutually exclusive. God created science and gave man the potential to explore and study it. God created the world; only He knows when it will end. God created and controls the weather and the climate. God created gender, male and female.

Covid was man-made by scientists and yet we’re continually told to trust the science as government uses the pandemic to control us.

God knows what we should do in all circumstances. Who we should trust and who has evil motives. We just need to take our concerns and questions to Him. Then listen for His answer!

Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe. Pr. 29:25

 Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. Ps. 20:7

It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in humans. Ps. 118:8

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea. Ps. 46:1-2

What Does God Want Us to Learn About Placing Our Trust in the Wrong Places?

When we pray about decisions, God gives us a confirming peace or a check in our spirit that something isn’t quite right. If you’re experiencing unrest right now, pray and ask God to fill you with discernment and wisdom then trust that the peace you feel moving forward is coming from the Lord.

Dave and I often pray about big and little decisions on our own and then together. Then we wait until we’re both in agreement that we’re doing the right thing. It might take a while and each of us might need to change some preconceived ideas or do more research, but God will speak to us in unity through our prayers and reading our Bibles. Often one of us will say to the other one, “I was thinking the same thing.” Then we know we’re close to a decision.

If you’re not married find a prayer partner that you feel comfortable and confident sharing with each other.

We’re not going to find the way God wants us to go by relying solely on outside input like the culture, media, or social media. We’re children of God, not children of the world.

“Every Kingdom citizen is called to be a conformist toward God and a nonconformist toward the world’s systems. Let the Spirit change the environment within you; then trust the power within you to change the world around you.” Chris Tiegreen

If you now regret decisions that you’ve made in the past, join the club. We’ve all been there, but we can learn from our mistakes and with God’s help, choose a better way next time. He’ll never make us go it alone.

I hope that as you pray over the Scriptures I’ve included in this article that you’ll feel a peace come over you, like I did. We do our part to further the Kingdom, but we do it out of a sense of peace and not stress or fear. Shalom!

“Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The LORD, the LORD himself, is my strength and my defense ; he has become my salvation.” Is. 12:2

You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD himself, is the Rock eternal. Is. 26:3-4

Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life. Ps 143:8

When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise— in God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me? Ps. 56:3-4

Surely the righteous will never be shaken; they will be remembered forever. They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the LORD. Ps. 112:6-7

If you received this article by email, please leave a comment here. I read and reply to all of them.

The quotes from the Pro-Life Evangelicals for Biden came from an article by Mike Huckabee and also a link he shares, but they were readily published in the media. As I read their comments, I sensed that they still didn’t understand where they went wrong as many said they would still vote Democrat even knowing the liberals support everything they don’t support? Voters’ Remorse – Latest News – Mike Huckabee

March 15, 2021
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