What’s Your Part in the Everyday?

Today I’ve invited my friend and fellow author Cheri Swalwell to share a guest post with you. I know you’ll enjoy it as she asks, “What’s Your Part in the Everyday?” Here’s Cheri . . .

I love the account of Esther in the Bible. Seven chapters weaving a story of faith, courage, and ultimately God’s display of His justice for the Jewish people. People, even nonbelievers, know how Esther was born for such a time as this, (Esther 4:14b). While that is one-hundred percent true, she wasn’t the only hero of the story. Readers remember her bravery and courage to step in front of the king, knowing she could be put to death if he didn’t extend his gold scepter to her, but I believe that act of bravery was birthed in the years beforehand.

The Bible doesn’t go into detail about her childhood except that Mordecai, her cousin, “had taken her as his own daughter when her father and mother died.” (Esther 2:7). Throughout the seven chapters of Esther, we see Esther listening to and obeying Mordecai’s wisdom, (Esther 2:10 and 2:20) as well as Mordecai staying close “to find out how Esther was and what was happening to her.” (Esther 2:11). The Bible paints a picture of a loving adoptive father and an obedient adopted daughter.

We’re also told of a time when Mordecai was sitting outside the king’s gate, keeping a protective ear out for Esther, and he uncovers an assassination attempt on the king’s life. “But Mordecai found out about the plot and told Queen Esther, who in turn reported it to the king, giving credit to Mordecai.” (Esther 2:22).

When Mordecai reaches out a second time to Esther, this time to reveal Haman’s plot to destroy the Jews, Esther reminds her uncle that if she approaches the king without being summoned, it could be her death sentence. Mordecai’s answer is one many readers are familiar with: “Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:13-14).

Esther then tells Mordecai to pray and fast for three days while she and her attendants do the same. The story ends with Esther setting a trap in front of the king to uncover Haman’s wickedness. But before her trap could be completed, God reminded the king of when Mordecai saved his life. He was so grateful he chose to celebrate Mordecai’s good deed. The final scenes include the Jews being allowed to fight back against the attack set in place by Haman’s wickedness, resulting in Haman and his ten sons ultimately being impaled on the pole Haman originally built to impale Mordecai.

We all remember Esther being born “for such a time as this.” However, let’s not forget Mordecai’s wisdom, love, and dedication to Esther, the king’s desire to honor those who rescued him, as well as the king’s humility to revise the edict he issued under false pretenses. I truly believe that without everyone choosing to do their part, Esther’s moment in history would have been much harder to fulfill.

Obedience in the Little Moments Strengthens our Faith

In December 2019, I received a prayer jar from my Sister-in-Christ for Christmas. I was excited to begin using it at the start of the new year, but felt God was calling me to “pray with a twist.” Instead of simply saying, “God, I need help with …” or “God, please fix …,” I started each prayer request with “Thank You, God, You’re going to heal …” or “Thank You, God, You know the answer to this toughie …”

Fast forward three months and we started the now infamous lockdown. When the general atmosphere of the world turned anxious, I turned to God. Not knowing at that time how long the shutdown would actually last, I felt God telling me to put my “Thank You, God” prayers to the side and change the prayer jar to a blessings jar. I knew God was using this avenue to help my family collect the blessings we saw during this season in history instead of focusing on all they were missing out on or the fear spiraling around us.

I also began to notice various ways people were stepping up and out of their comfort zones. Church members were volunteering at food banks, teachers were riding on school buses to hand deliver food to students who wouldn’t otherwise have a meal, while other strangers started fundraisers to help those in need.

I was still working full time from home, surrounded by my kids in various stages of online learning, and we were taking care of my in-laws, which meant trying to keep germ exposure to a minimum. However, it’s not in my DNA to sit idly by while others serve. My prayer became one of “What part do You, Lord, want me to play in this season of our lives?’ And then I waited.

It Started with a Song and a Prayer

January 2020, I had a close group of friends, all teachers from the same school. The month before the shutdown, a mutual friend and I invited a group of those teachers to our church for a women’s breakfast – a time of eating and fellowshipping together. It was the first time we did that, and we weren’t sure if anyone would show up. We were pleasantly surprised that not only the ones we invited came, but they brought others along as well. We filled two full tables at the event.

It was so much fun! We added another friend to our group that morning, a young mom who was new to the area. When we moved to the sanctuary to begin the service, she happened to sit in the row that had been taken over by all my teacher friends. The best part? She fit right in.

When I asked God above what my part was to play during the lockdown, His answer came quickly. He told me to text a worship song and prayer every weekday morning to each of my friends, including the new mom I had met a month earlier. Even though we couldn’t be together in person, we could still start our day “together” focusing on God’s promises, instead of life’s problems. We could be encouraged to see God in our everyday moments instead of saving Him for special occasions or once a week.

Days turned into weeks; weeks turned into months. The lockdown ended, people reentered the work force and life looked a semblance like it used to. Monday through Friday, I continued to text my group of friends as a way for us to keep growing our relationship with God through praise and worship and prayer. The list grew from ten, to twenty, and beyond.

I chose to text them individually versus a group text, so that if they had specific prayer requests that might be more personal, they didn’t have to worry about the whole group reading about their struggles. The group grew from my teacher friends to include old childhood friends and new friends I acquired through normal interactions. After faithfully texting people each weekday, one ordinary day God took my heartfelt prayer, “What’s is my part?” to the next level.

What started as a way to stay connected during the lockdown soon became a monthly membership to help others experience that same growth in their relationship with God. Every week we read and apply God’s Word (the Bible), sing praise and worship to God, spend time in prayer, and learn about relevant topics from a biblical viewpoint. Altogether, it keeps our focus on the ways He blesses us throughout each and every day, filling our lives as described in John 10:10: “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” (NKJV)

In June 2021, JESUS in the EVERYDAY was born. The heart of the membership is to help people recognize Jesus hugs (blessings) throughout their day, celebrating the blessings of God instead of zeroing in on what went wrong. It gives people a chance to grow their relationship with God at their own pace, enjoying the journey instead of rushing through as though it’s a race. It’s a way to arm ourselves with God’s promises and truth before stepping out into the world. It helps prepare us with biblical answers to tough questions to help point our friends and family to the truth.

God’s heart is for His children. He desires that we all accept Jesus into our hearts, surrendering our lives to Him, and be forever together with Him in heaven. “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9).

Some people think the salvation prayer is a “one and done prayer,” but that one prayer is only the beginning. The most important mission we have on earth is to follow Jesus’ example found in Luke 4:43: “But he said, “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.”

What’s Your Part?

Thankfully, the lockdowns are behind us; however, there are even more people who are lost, broken, and hurting than ever before. They desperately need to hear the truth of God’s message of hope and salvation. I want to encourage all of us to ask God in our quiet time “What’s my part?” in helping those who are lost and desperately need to know how much You, God, love them.

I get excited when I think of the endless possibilities of how God will use you to share His good news to this hurting world! Like Esther and Mordecai, everyone remembers Esther and the famous words: “For such a time as this,” but Mordecai’s role in the story was equally important. Ask God to show you what you’ve already been doing to help further His kingdom. You might be surprised at His answer. Maybe it’s the little things you do daily that He is pleased with the most.

I continually ask God, “What’s my part?” in pointing people to Him during each changing season of our culture. Is that a question you’re willing to ask, and then step out in obedience, when He answers?

Come join the monthly membership and our community as we each seek to grow closer to our Heavenly Father. We’re excited for you to become part of our family as we celebrate seeing JESUS in our lives, everyday!

Bio:

Cheri Swalwell is a Christ follower, writer of Christian fiction and nonfiction, Cheer UP Podcast co-host, JESUS in the EVERYDAY YouTuber, and JESUS in the EVERYDAY monthly membership hostess. Visit www.cheriswalwell.com to learn more about the ministry and for encouragement to see JESUS in your everyday life.

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What Is Your Easter Looking Like This Year?

As Easter approaches each year, our family has the usual conversations about who’s going to host the brunch or dinner and what church service we’ll attend. Who’s up for sunrise service and who wants to sleep in later? You probably have similar discussions.

Our Easter will look different then in the past since hubby is having spinal fusion surgery four days before and might even still be in the hospital on Easter. If not, he’ll be in recovery mode and I’ll be in caretaker mode, but it doesn’t matter where we are or what’s happening in our life physically on Easter because spiritually Jesus is with us everywhere we go. We can worship and celebrate Him anywhere, anytime.

It’s easy to become preoccupied with our traditions: performances, cantatas, pageants, new clothes, family gatherings, decorating the house, egg hunts, and Easter baskets. All good things. Soon one of the holiest days of the year is over. We probably went to church, said a prayer before meals, maybe even read some Bible passages about the Last Supper, Gethsemane, the Crucifixion, and the Resurrection.

But did we take time to praise God for the painful sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ, and consider how it changed our life? Last week, I wrote a very important blog The Bible Is Offensive to Those Who Tolerate Sin. In the article, and when I posted it on social media, I asked how many of your pastors even talk about sin, which is the whole reason Jesus went to the horrific Cross. Only two people responded that their pastor speaks about sin boldly and courageously. That was disappointing and disheartening to me that so many pastors may say Jesus wants us to turn from our sins but never define sin.  They may venture into talking about salvation this Easter but never mention what we’re saved from.

A Holy Spirit inspired pastor knows exactly how to speak the Gospel truth, especially on Easter when many worldly sinners who need to hear the truth will be attending to appease family members or out of tradition. It might be their only opportunity to be convicted and convinced that living a godly life forgiven of their sins is superior to living a carnal sinful life.

Easter commemorates the foundation of our Christian faith. The Gospel! The Good News! Without Easter, there would be no hope. Easter is the reason we have forgiveness for our sins and the assurance of eternal life. As the Apostle Paul reminded the Corinthians:

Let me now remind you, dear brothers and sisters of the Good News I preached to you before. You welcomed it then, and you still stand firm in it. It is this Good News that saves you if you continue to believe the message I told you—unless, of course, you believed something that was never true in the first place. I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. 1 Corinthians 15:1-4

Many pastors might read the above passage this Easter while glossing right over the definition of sin. Many people listening might consider themselves “good people,” but never consider that they’re living the sins delineated in Galatians 5:18-21, which would be a great transition for pastors.

When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, 21 envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. Gal. 5:18-21 NLT

Congregants and guests need to hear that when we ask Jesus into our heart and receive the merciful forgiveness of our sins that nailed Him to the cross, we experience a spiritual rebirth. Hallelujah! Then, as we grow in our faith, we need a daily empty-tomb reawakening, not just annually at Easter.

Jesus lives within the heart of every Christian and He wants us to live as if we believe it!

The life of Bible-believing Holy Spirit filled Christians is one of evolving renewal! It’s not once and done when we become a Christian.

We continually cast off old patterns of sinful thinking and behavior as we transition into a richer more fulfilling faith.

But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him. Colossians 3:8-10

5 Ways to Experience Spiritual Renewal This Easter

1. Renew Your Mind

What we let enter into our mind—positive or negative—controls our emotions, actions, and beliefs. What is bothering you right now? What is seeping into your psyche that keeps you up at night or troubles you during the day? Can you identify it? The news. Politics. Television. Social media. Stock market. Family crises or dysfunction.

Whatever is stressing you, try a mental fast! Free your mind from everything that furrows your brow. You may never want to let those things have dominion over your thoughts again. Admittedly, it could be your job. You can’t just walk away, but maybe you could initiate a plan to find another job more suitable for you. God will guide if you let Him.

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2

Personal Renewal: God wants us to rid our mind of worldly ways and saturate our mind with His wisdom. Proverbs is God’s Book of Wisdom, so try reading a proverb every day and write it on an index card. When your thoughts begin to drift to things of this world, recite the day’s proverb. If you’re ambitious, read an entire chapter in Proverbs daily and in thirty-one days you’ll have read the entire Book of Proverbs. When you finish, start back at Proverbs 1:1. You can never be too wise!

The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge, for the ears of the wise seek it out.—Proverbs 18:15

2. Renew Your Heart

God created us uniquely with our mind, heart, and spirit intertwined. A renewal of one, affects the other two. A mind change touches our heart and our spirit nudges us to act according to our mind and heart. If our heart fills with compassion for a situation, our mind follows suit and again our spirit reminds us of how God wants us to act.

We are to have the mind of Christ and what breaks His heart should break our heart too.

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. Ezekiel 36:26

Personal Renewal: Who could you invite to Easter services? Maybe you’ve asked them to join you at church before and they’ve declined or it’s someone you’re sure would say no. Perhaps your heart has become a bit hardened toward their spiritual future. Ask God for the courage to ask them anyway. This could be the Easter their life changes forever.

If they say no, then commit to pray for them to say yes to God someday soon. We never know when Jesus will come for His people.

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Psalm 51:10

3. Renew Your Commitments

A commitment is a sacred vow, a promise, to honor your word. Commitment often involves a sacrifice of putting others’ needs before your own needs, even when it’s inconvenient or painful.

Our Christian faith hinges on a commitment we make to Christ to follow Him and adhere to His Word, whether easy or difficult. At Easter, we remember the ultimate cost Christ paid on the cross to fulfill His commitment to save a lost world. Now he expects us to honor our commitments to Him and to others.

Don’t let your mouth make you sin. And don’t defend yourself by telling the Temple messenger that the promise you made was a mistake. That would make God angry, and he might wipe out everything you have achieved. Ecclesiastes 5:6 NLT

Practical Renewal: Have you committed to something you wish you hadn’t? We’ve all been there. Learn from it and pray next time before you make a decision; but this time, follow through on your commitment. Backing out of a promise damages the credibility of your Christian witness.

All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one. Matthew 5:37

4. Renew Your Testimony

There is no greater witness to God’s goodness than sharing what He has done in your life. No one can question your testimony because it’s your personal experience. The Great Commission (Matt. 28:18-20) isn’t just for disciples and pastors; it’s for every follower and believer of Jesus Christ. You don’t have to be an evangelist to share your story.

As we mature and evolve spiritually, we retell our testimony to benefit others. You and I are Christians today because twelve disciples obediently followed Jesus’ command to tell the world the Good News. They shared their personal gospel experience with anyone who would listen and with many who didn’t listen.

When we become Christians, our charge is to tell the world why we love Jesus!

Your story becomes your testimony when the focus is on God, not on you. This would be a great Easter verse for a pastor to gently discuss sin and how grace sets us free.

At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. Titus 3:3-7

Personal Renewal: When you give God the glory for something in your life, you testify to God’s goodness. Your salvation testimony shares your life before Jesus. How He changed your heart and spiritually, maybe literally, saved your life.

God has given you a story to share, so seize every opportunity to tell it. Sometimes God redeems your testimony by surrounding you with people who need to hear your past so it doesn’t become their future.

Who needs to hear this Easter what Christ has done for you?

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

5. Renew Your Soul

Easter is springtime in our souls! God is calling His people into a closer relationship with Him so that we can share Jesus with others who need more of Him in their life . . . or don’t yet know Him. The world is full of unsaved people stumbling in spiritual darkness. God calls every Christian to help those lost in darkness to find their way to the redeeming Light.

When Jesus spoke . . . he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12

We need to refresh, renew, and refuel our body, mind, and soul so the illuminating joy of Christ radiates from us!

Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:30-31

Personal Renewal: Let the songs you sing on Easter, and the messages you hear, revive your spirit and speak directly to your soul. Bask in the glow that Jesus is alive!

If you’re ready to arise and be God’s messenger, start praying now for those divine appointments where God will use you in a hurting and lonely world.

I pray this Easter season finds you refreshed and renewed in your relationship with Christ and the purpose He has given each of us to keep the memory of Easter alive and vibrant, every day in our hearts, speech, and actions. Let us never forget:

You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. Colossians 2:13-14 (NLT)

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 2 Corinthians 4:16

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The Bible Is Offensive to Those Who Tolerate Sin

Have you ever been in church and felt like the pastor was talking just to you? You wonder how he knew what you were going through or what sin you were wrestling with in your life. Probably he didn’t know, but God knew. He breathed out the words of the Bible to guide, counsel, encourage, scold, convict, and offer help to those who hear or read it. Hopefully, your pastor was preaching accurately from a passage that spoke to your situation.

16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Tim. 3:15-17

The Bible wasn’t written to condone our actions, but to teach us right from wrong and how to lead a holy and righteous life. Since we were all born with a propensity to sin, only the Holy Spirit living in our hearts can help us overcome sin and choose God’s good in our life. Many people are good, but God wants redeemed people, not just good people. I’ll say it again, without God, you can’t be or do good as God defines good. That statement might offend some of you right now so let’s look at what the Bible says.

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast.” Eph. 2:8-9

“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” 1 John 1:8

Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. Rom. 5:7-9

So you may be wondering if I’m saying that anyone who hasn’t accepted Jesus and received the Holy Spirit will lead a sin-filled life? Yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying and that’s going to be offensive to every nonbeliever. Without God, there’s no plumb line of God’s expectations for His people and their spiritual alignment with His Word. That’s why it’s so important when you read the Bible to know the context and whether it’s directed to the believer or unbeliever.

So God’s rest is there for people to enter, but those who first heard this good news failed to enter because they disobeyed God. So God set another time for entering his rest, and that time is today. God announced this through David much later in the words already quoted: “Today when you hear his voice, don’t harden your hearts.” Heb. 4:5-7 NLT

The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right; his ears are open to their cries for help. 16 But the Lord turns his face against those who do evil; he will erase their memory from the earth. Ps. 34:15-16

Pastors’ Challenge

Today, many pastors acquiesce to the secular culture’s demands to be “inclusive.” In an attempt to not be offensive, they avoid preaching on biblical sin. The Bible calls that a false teacher. A pastor’s godly commission is to counter cultures’ lies with biblical truth. The righteous pastor tells the truth in love. If he doesn’t share the truth, he isn’t loving his congregation.

A pastor who avoids boldly covering the hard offensive places in the Bible is looking for the congregation’s affirmation not God’s confirmation. You can’t teach the Bible without offending someone. The Bible is clear on what is sinful and why we should strive to not sin. Believers don’t expect our sinful choices to be excused or legalized but instead confessed and forgiven. Unbelievers who might be in the congregation need to hear that Good News and believers need to live by it.

God is not “inclusive.” He’s actually very exclusive. All are welcome to spend eternal life with Him and His Son Jesus Christ, but there’s a qualifier. Only those who believe Jesus Christ died on the cross, rose again three days later, as we will celebrate on Easter, and confess their sins, ask for forgiveness, and turn from their wicked ways will be saved.  (John 3:16)

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

 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Rom. 6:23

For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. 24 Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. 25 For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. Rom. 3:23-25 NLT

The entire concept of salvation is confessing and repenting of our sins and accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. The word “sin” is used 1,364 times in the NIV Bible translation, but when’s the last time you heard a pastor preach about sin, even though forgiveness of our sins through Jesus Christ is the foundation of our faith? Think about it. Paul understood the importance of us recognizing our sins.

When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, 21 envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. Gal. 5:18-21 NLT

 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. . . Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. 27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error. . . 29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31 they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. Rom. 1: 24-27, 29-30

We also know that the law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, 10 for the sexually immoral, for those practicing homosexuality, for slave traders and liars and perjurers—and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine 11 that conforms to the gospel concerning the glory of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me. 1 Tim. 1:9-11 NLT

Jesus talked about sin.

He [Jesus] went on: “What comes out of a person is what defiles them. 21 For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, 22 adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. 23 All these evils come from inside and defile a person.” Mark 7:20-23 NLT

Satan is using the secular left to legalize and champion sinful lifestyles and intimidate and silence the church on the one thing Satan uses to destroy God’s civilization—sin. I grew up going to church and I knew from a very young age what was sinful versus what was pleasing to God. In my backsliding days, while I might’ve been resentful of anyone calling out my sin, I knew I was breaking God’s heart because in my heart I knew I was sinning. How many people are sitting in woke churches today living under the lie that if culture says it’s okay and my pastor doesn’t call it wrong, it can’t be all that bad.

Have you heard a message in your church lately on why abortion, the murder of unborn babies, is sinful and wrong? Pastors often don’t teach on the sin of abortion because it might offend someone, so they skip over the Old Testament sacrificing of children to Baal and Moloch. Today, babies are burned or dismembered before they’re even born. With 1 out of 5 pregnancies ending in abortion, there probably will be a family touched by abortion in the congregation, but what if that pastor had been speaking all along about the sanctity of life and why God wants every baby He creates to receive the gift of life. Pastors could be saving babies’ lives. And for those women suffering with the guilt of killing their own child, the pastor could help them find comfort and forgiveness from Jesus. When pastors are afraid to touch that sinful painful subject, babies keep dying and women keep suffering.

Or has your pastor approached the subject in a sermon of why men should not be competing in women’s sports because no man can ever be a woman? Has he talked about what the Bible says about homosexuality, perverse sexual lifestyles, and exposing young children in school to this sin? No, you say. Well, why not? The Bible has a ton to say about it and because pastors don’t discuss it, the number of children experimenting with the rainbow mafia has skyrocketed. Children believe the devil’s lie that they can change their sex surgically or medically, when girls’ genetic XX chromosomes and boys’ XY chromosomes will NEVER change. These children will become patients for life instead of receiving help from Bible-believing pastors, psychologists, and counselors.

Or what about the mutilation and sterilization of children. Has your pastor talked about the deception of parents allowing young children to make such life altering permanent changes to their body that will NEVER change their God-given sex? Someone is probably dealing with this right now in your church.

God’s church can’t and shouldn’t avoid difficult issues. It’s a sin!

I know it sounds like I’m putting the onus for much of the culture’s woes on the church and actually that’s exactly what I’m doing. No one should leave a church sermon with a warm fuzzy feeling that nothing needs to change in their life. That’s a milk toast church. Pastors should be teaching what the Bible says about evil and sin. While it might be offensive to some, God’s Word is the ONLY way to eternal life with Him.

 In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! 13 Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. 14 But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. Heb. 5:12-14

Many people wrongfully think that politics and spirituality should stay separate and that’s a lie straight from the enemy. Politics has invaded the church by normalizing or even legalizing what we all know is sin. Gay marriage. Abortion. Sexual perversion. Child mutilation. The war against women.

No one is perfect. We see many pastors falling in their personal lives. They’re tempted by sin like any of us. Maybe if they were studying the Scriptures and preaching accurately about overcoming sin, they too would be convicted to live by all of God’s Word. Pastor Jack Hibbs advises pastors, “You don’t avoid the difficult Scriptures, you look for Jesus in them!” The Apostle Paul gave a commission to every pastor.
 I declare today that I have been faithful. If anyone suffers eternal death, it’s not my fault, 27 for I didn’t shrink from declaring all that God wants you to know. 28 “So guard yourselves and God’s people. Feed and shepherd God’s flock—his church, purchased with his own blood—over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as leaders. Acts 20:27-28 NLT

The Lord appears to every believer through His Word, the Holy Bible, and unbelievers can meet Jesus there. Don’t rely on your pastor; rely on your Savior.  You might be offended by what you read, but God loves you enough to tell you the Truth.

This morning in church, we heard a message on 1 Samuel 3 and we sang in church the old hymn “It Is Well With My Soul.” I’m closing with 1 Samuel 3:21 and a stanza from the song.

The Lord continued to appear at Shiloh, and there he revealed himself to Samuel through his word. 1 Sam. 3:21

“My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!”

Please let us know if your pastor helps your church family in overcoming the sins of this world, even when it’s offensive. Leave a reply here.

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‘Maybe’ Is Not In God’s Vocabulary!

I was praying last week with the Jack Hibbs LIFT daily morning prayer, which I’ve mentioned in blogs before, when he said something that caught my attention. He said you won’t find “maybe” used in the Bible. Actually, it’s in there but only three times, and never used by God or Jesus. Twice ‘maybe’ is used as a taunt to deny that God exists in 1 Kings 18:27 and Jonah 1:6, and another time in 1 Kings 18:5 by Ahab saying maybe they can find grass for the horses and mules. That’s it!

So think about that. God is never indecisive, wondering if maybe we should do one thing or another. His Word, the Bible, is always specific, confident, instructive, definitive, and direct. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Tim. 3:15-17

We’re the ones that interject maybes into the Scriptures and question the intent of what God is actually saying. Sometimes we want to give the benefit of the doubt or question His intent, but God says I tell you the Truth and you should absolutely follow it in your life. Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31-32

You might question that many people interpret the Bible differently. That’s true. The Bible might speak to each of us differently in our individual situation. But if we rely on the Holy Spirit’s guidance in exegesis of Scripture in context, and not on what we want the Bible to mean, Christians will usually agree on the interpretation.

A good example of misinterpreting Scripture is people saying that God is the God of love, so you need to love everything everyone does because God loves them. That’s what someone wants the Bible to mean, not what God actually says.

If you counter and ask, “Where does God say, ‘maybe’ it’s okay to sin in this area because I love you?” Of course, they can’t find anywhere it says this because God hates sin. Sin destroys the ones He loves. What God does say is that He loves us all so much, He sent His only begotten Son to die on a cross for those of us who ask for forgiveness for our sins, repent, and become followers of Jesus for eternity. (John 3:16)

When you look at all the red-letter words of Jesus in the Gospels, you won’t find Jesus ever using “maybe.” His words when he preached and taught are full of unqualified, unambiguous, unquestionable, and unwavering wisdom, lessons, and truth to live by.

Jesus didn’t say ‘maybe’ He was the only way to heaven and there could be other beliefs or ways. Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6 No maybes.

Jesus didn’t say ‘maybe’ if you follow me, you might be saved. He said you will be saved. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.” (John. 10:9)

Jesus didn’t say you should ‘maybe’ repent and turn from your wicked ways. He said you must repent to be His follower. “I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent.” Luke 5:32

Jesus didn’t say ‘maybe’ that one sin will be okay because overall you’re a good person. He said go and sin no more. Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.” John 8:11

We’re the ones that try to soften the Gospel and Jesus’ own words by interjecting doubt or suggesting that ‘maybe’ Jesus didn’t really mean what He said.

Sadly, many pastors today want to make their congregations feel good about their sinful lives, insinuating that maybe it’s not all that bad if it makes you happy or it’s not hurting anyone. That’s a false gospel by a false teacher.

God is much more concerned with our holiness than our happiness.

Maybe In Our Vocabulary!

Maybe’ is noncommittal, non-decisive, and reluctant. Maybe we’ll come to your party. Maybe I’ll read the Bible. Maybe I’ll follow most of what the Bible says. Maybe we’ll go to church this weekend. Maybe we’ll come visit.

The Christian life is committed, decisive, and never reluctant. The antithesis of ‘maybe.’

God is looking for bold Christians who are fully committed and fully decisive in their spiritual and personal life. No maybes about it!

Our family rule at the Thompsons is let your yes be yes, and your no be no. All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one. Matthew 5:37 

‘Maybe’ and ‘try’ are ways to keep all your options open without making a full commitment. Maybe you will, maybe you won’t. Or other times you don’t want to tell the person no, so you use ‘try’ or ‘maybe’. When I hear those two words, it means the person isn’t reliable. They’re not being forthright. I can’t count on them.

 When you ask someone about anything that has a yes or no answer and they answer with “Maybe,” or “I’ll try,” they most likely mean no. They’re just afraid to give the honest answer, “No.”

If someone says for example, “I’ll try to be on time.” I’ll counter with “That doesn’t sound very committed. Are you going to be on time or should I not expect you?” I want an answer I can depend on, knowing that circumstances can change but they’re going to make an effort. Just tell me yes or tell me no, but don’t say try or maybe.

A favorite stall of some is I need to check my calendar, but since most people today have a calendar on their phone, that’s pretty easy to check. I would prefer to hear, “We won’t be able to make it, but thanks for thinking of us.” Then they can always call later if their plans change and that’s always pleasant news.

There are certain situations where we want to pray before committing. That’s often advisable. In fact, many of us can think of a time we wish we had taken time to pray before saying yes. If that’s the case, then give a timeframe where the other person can expect you to respond. Stick to that time commitment.

Do you think that’s too strict or not flexible enough? Well, God is strict in His commands to us knowing that if we follow them with commitment, perseverance, and diligence, we’re going to be a better witness to others and live a fuller life in Christ.

How many of us who are married would’ve answered, “I’ll try” or “Maybe” when the pastor asked if we would love, honor, and cherish our spouse? If we want the ceremony to continue and the marriage to last, we say, “Yes” loudly, boldly, and committed.

Sometimes we say “maybe” because we’re really not sure what we want. It can mean numerous things, from “I’m not sure I want to do this,” to “I want to do that, but I’m not sure if I can” to “this doesn’t sound like how I want to spend my time” to any number of combinations that make us unsure.

Many times, kids that have lived with divorce and are trying to please both parents find themselves saying maybe or I’ll try because they don’t want to hurt either parent by saying no. Or even worse say “I’ll try” or “maybe” to both parents knowing they can’t be at both places. They live with that worry and angst hanging over them because eventually one of the parents is going to be disappointed when they don’t show up. It would’ve been better to tell one parent no but let’s make other plans to get together. That’s a hard lesson to learn.

If we can learn to say no when it’s not a sure yes, there’s clarity for everyone and actually much less stressful.

Like me, most people are looking for truth they can depend on. If we want to be good witnesses for Christ, we need to be the kind of people others can depend on to live by our words. Sometimes, we’re so uncomfortable saying no, we think we need to give long explanations to justify our reasons. That can lead to lying or making up a story. Not necessary. Not godly. Leviticus 19:11 commands “Do not lie. Do not deceive one another.”

When you know your maybe really means no, you’re essentially lying to the other person. That’s why “maybe” and “try” are not in God’s vocabulary, but “yes” and “no” are. God never vacillates in the way He wants us to live. He sets boundaries and guidelines for us. We need to go and do likewise.

Freedom isn’t the ability to say maybe. It’s the ability to say no or yes and own it.

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Where God is Barred, That Place is Cursed!

I can’t pinpoint exactly when profanity and cursing escaped from battlefields and pool halls to slither into the halls of Washington D.C. where Democrat Senators and Congress members are swearing like sailors. How did everyday discourse and debate become coarse and vulgar?

I can still remember when potty mouth was pretty much only uttered by men and never in front of women or children. If someone let a curse word slip out in a mixed group, someone else would reprimand, “Not in front of the ladies.” Or “Not in front of the kids.”

Today, profanity peppers men’s, women’s, and even tragically children’s everyday language. Sadly, not many people seem as shocked or offended as I am. Call me old fashioned, call me a prude, but don’t curse around me. I don’t tolerate cursing. I’m not afraid to ask someone at the gym or anywhere to please stop with the profanity. A request like that at one time would’ve been honored with an apology but not anymore, especially on social media where people are rude, crude, vulgar, and godless. Yet, under the Biden Administration, any mention of God, Jesus, or Scripture was often censored.

We have a neighborhood community Facebook page where a neighbor I don’t know used the F-bomb in a comment. I politely replied, “Please watch language on this community page.” To which he responded, “No.” Unapologetic. Belligerent. Entitled. That’s usually the temperament and personality of someone who thinks public cursing is freedom of speech. Or maybe they don’t have a wide enough vocabulary to come up with inoffensive descriptive words. Cursing is lazy brain.

That “F” word is slander for fornication and NEVER appropriate anywhere by anyone! Yet, it’s become so normalized that people use it freely and feel entitled and unashamed. It’s not just men. I recently saw a woman use it on Facebook to describe our President. If you listen to on-the-street interviews or podcasts on television, it’s a series of bleeps because for now anyway, public television and radio decency standards prohibit cursing.

Why do so many young people curse? Because they hear it everywhere, maybe even from parents at home.

So is it any wonder that the Democrats, men and women, in a wild desperate attempt to be relevant to everyday Americans have tried singing, screaming, dancing, and cursing. First, they stood in front of the Capitol and took turns unintelligently screaming the F-bomb. A woman senator from Oregon even said she didn’t use that word and then blurted it out like a badge of honor, while saying don’t tell my children (who are college age). Like they’re not going to hear about their mother swearing the F bomb into the TV camera?!

Then Democrats did a mosaic video all in their zoom boxes saying the exact same script with the mandatory curse word printed in capitals with ** between the first and last letter. I doubt many people found that relatable or convincing, even though they might speak like that themselves. We used to expect a certain amount of decorum and respectability from government officials, but not anymore. The Democrats seem to be seeing how low in the slimy gutter they can go while acting and sounding like crude thugs or children throwing a temper tantrum.

The left has no policies popular with the majority of the American public so they think that using profanity will make them more relevant, “faux edgy authentic.” Sen. Schumer in an interview on television called Republicans, “Bastards.” Sen. Mark Kelly (AZ) called Elon Musk on television “A** hole.” Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) spews the F-bomb regularly. Cringe! Crude! Crass!

Democrat leadership is actually hiring influencers telling them they need to use profanity. Do anything. Say anything. They hired “comedienne” (I use the term loosely) Suzanne Lambert as a consultant to tutor them on how to keep it real. Her advice was “Be meaner.”

So, at the President’s Joint Session of Congress Speech, not standing or clapping for mothers whose daughters were killed by illegal aliens, a young man whose policeman father was killed, a young woman injured by a trans man invading women’s sports, and widows of fallen policemen wasn’t mean enough. They sat on their hands for a child with brain cancer then later offered the child’s dad money to stop supporting President Trump. DJ and his family also became the targets of harassing phone calls using venomous language and online attacks.

Cold-hearted. Beyond mean. Wicked. Evil.

A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. Luke 6:45
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. Eph. 4:29

The Bible even calls listening to vulgar language a sin. A wicked person listens to deceitful lips; a liar pays attention to a destructive tongue. Pr. 17:4

James is saying this to believers. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. James 3:10

But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. Eph. 5:3-4

What does all this liberal left evil demonic foul venomous language and meanness lead to? More evil. Bullying. Violence. Destruction. I fear even death as we watched two failed attempts at President Trump’s life and Elon Musk has received numerous death threats.

Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. Rom. 1:28

When godless words are full of hate, profanity, and vulgarity, the next expression is more of the same until they act out their rage through violence. The Democrats have already resorted to violence.

  • Calling it “healthcare” when innocent babies are violently torn apart, poisoned, and murdered.
  • Abandoning 300,000 lost children who came unaccompanied across the open border.
  • Offering sanctuary to violent illegal criminals.
  • Leaving the homeless, drug addicted, and veterans on the street.
  • Championing children to be violently sterilized and mutilated with a false lie they could do the impossible and change their gender.
  • Defending crossdressing men impersonating women and abusively hurting and competing in women’s sports.
  • Weaponizing the Justice Department against their political opponent.
  • Paying violent activists to wear identical shirts, hold professional signs, and hand out flyers promoting terrorists and antisemitism.
  • Encouraging violent destruction of Tesla dealerships and burning charging stations. Hypocritically, during the previous Democrat administration, they insisted everyone switch to Tesla for the “environment” until Elon Musk started revealing corruption and paybacks in government. Now, they curse him. The Democrats are denouncing their own purchase of a Tesla and not one of them has denounced the terrorism and violent assaults against Tesla dealerships, Tesla owners, and death threats to Elon Musk.
  • Swatting Conservative influencers by falsely telling police there’s a crime at the influencer’s home in hopes the police will mistakenly shoot the influencer and his family dead.
  • Paying protesters at Republican townhalls to yell, scream, and protest creating a dangerous environment. It wasn’t that long ago that a crazed Bernie Sander’s follower tried to kill Republican Congressmen and Senators at a baseball practice.
  • Bernie Sanders recently held a rally that opened with a crossdresser singing a profane song blaspheming Jesus. It’s difficult to get more evil than that!

Yes, a godless political party does evil very well.

The world can’t hate you, but it does hate me because I [Jesus] accuse it of doing evil. John 7:7

One sin leads to another sin leads to another sin as we watch the demise and curse of the Democrat Party that has barred God from their platform. Americans clearly said in the last election that we don’t want a country governed by hateful, crude, mean, yelling, screaming, violent, corrupt, godless bureaucrats. We want the America many of us grew up in where people understood “In God We Trust!”

How Did It Get This Bad and What’s Our Role as Christians in a Culture Barring God?

The title of this blog, “Where God is Barred, That Place is Cursed,” came from a comment I heard from Pastor John Amanchukwu on Flashpoint. It’s applicable to the Democrat party now and might’ve been the demise of America if the Dems stayed in power. Power is their god.

I encourage you to follow Pastor Amanchukwu at IKnowGod.us. He’s been going to school board meetings around the nation speaking against the obscene sexually perverted books in schools. He also has a video 22 WordsFilm.com tracking our culture since God, prayer, and the Bible were barred from schools in 1962. Those rulings have contributed to a decline in societal values, marked by rising divorce rates, teenage pregnancy, suicide, violent crime, the growing acceptance of pornographic content and LGBTQIA+ agendas in schools.

Today, we see the godless Democrat party overtaken with meanness, profanity, and violence. And I’m not saying the Republican Party is above reproach either, but for the most part they haven’t resorted to unscrupulous behavior and many of them strive to honor God. Those who don’t, we should primary out. Both parties allowed our country and thus our schools to go from . . .

  • Prayer to porn
  • Prayer to trans
  • Prayer to racism
  • Prayer to critical race theory
  • Prayer to cursing
  • Prayer to corruption
  • Prayer to hate
  • Prayer to violence

Just this morning, I was praying with Pastor Jack Hibbs on his daily Facebook Scripture prayer group and the verse we prayed was 2 Timothy 3:1-5.

But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.

After we prayed, Pastor Hibbs pointed out that Christians have the blessing of looking at the culture with discernment and not deception. We see the darkness and we’re not consumed by it. We know that we’re the light. Although it is distressful watching so many people buying into the enemy’s lies. It’s usually not productive to reason with them because just like the screaming cursing Democrats, they will defend and deny. But what we can do is pray for them and get involved however God leads, whether it’s at school board or council meetings, speaking out in church or your community, and voting for biblical values.

Romans 12:1-2 The Message tells us what we must do personally.

God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. This is why it is said: “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” Eph. 5:8-14

Pray For President Trump

President Trump, who does on occasion use profanity, has been working hard to omit it from his speaking after Rev. Franklin Graham complimented him on his rallies but said they would be so much better if he didn’t curse. President Trump has humbly admitted this conversation with Franklin and even said recently that the First Lady had asked him to stop. He’s said that sometimes there’s just not another word to express what he’s trying to convey, but he’s an intelligent man and he’s doing well in cleaning up his language. He’s a forgiven sinner like all of us so pray for him.

President Trump also wants to make America great again, but the key to making it great is to recognize that God makes and breaks nations. I think President Trump realizes this as he’s said he knows God spared his life to make America great again. So, we can pray that he’s listening to God and the advice of godly people. God blesses or curses nations as they protect and promote His Gospel and the church.

For the nation or kingdom that will not serve you will perish; it will be utterly ruined. Is. 60:12

“Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people he chose for his inheritance.” Ps. 33:12

For dominion belongs to the LORD and he rules over the nations. Ps. 22:28

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Did You Even Know March is Women’s History Month?

I have to admit, until I was asked by Crosswalk to write an article on 4 Ways Christians Can Celebrate Women’s International Day on Saturday March 8, I had never heard of Women’s History Month. The media and liberals make a big deal about Black History Month in February, but why don’t we hear anything about Women’s History Month in March? Maybe that’s because it conflicts with “Bisexual Health Awareness Month” also in March. We do need to stop and pray for women all over the world especially right now in the Democratic Republic of Congo described as “hell on earth” with killing and raping of women and killing of Christians.

Women are vulnerable in all countries. Yes, even in America. While we have more freedom and rights than women in Afghanistan or the Congo do, we’re rapidly losing some of those freedoms. However, thankfully President Trump is aware of this loss and recognized Women’s History Month by signing an Executive Order proclamation declaring March 2025 as Women’s History Month! President Trump has many capable and highly qualified women in his Administration. As he signed the EO he said, “This is an honor.”

Most people have forgotten that Women’s History Month began in 1987, but it hasn’t been recognized or acknowledged during the left’s current war on women until President Trump! Thank you, Mr. President.

Women have a history of fighting for equality and constitutional rights in our country. Suffragists fought for women’s right to vote, and a constant battle continues for women to be treated fairly and equally in jobs and careers. But who would’ve ever imagined that in the 21st Century women would be fighting to defend and protect our very existence and definition of a woman?! Or maintaining Title IX to keep women’s sports exclusive to women? We’re going backward in history instead of forward.

The Biden administration promoted and favored a tiny fraction of men suffering from gender dysphoria, or have a perverted fetish, or are so mentally ill they want to use their body to abuse women in sports. We now live in a world where President Trump had to write another executive order “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government,” to demolish the left’s obsession with perversion of God’s creation.

President Trump legally mandated that the Federal Government only recognizes what God biblically mandated at creation: there are only two sexes–male and female. The executive order also explicitly states, “sex is not a synonym for and does not include the concept of ‘gender ideology.’” 

What we’ve all known and lived by for years that gender is not fluid has been satanically distorted by diabolical political ideology from Democrats and their propaganda arm of the mainstream media. CNN hosts say about the executive orders that, “unnamed scientists, critics oppose ‘new definitions’ of male, female.” They aren’t new definitions; they’re God’s definitions since the beginning of time. He created them male and female, and he blessed them and called them “human.” Gen. 5:2

Then at President Trump’s Speech to Joint Session of Congress, we saw the Democrats, including the women and crossdresser Tim McBride (D-Del) dressed in pink, set on their hands with stone faces when President Trump honored Payton McNabb. Payton was a member of the Hiwassee Dam High School girls’ volleyball team in Cherokee County, NC, until a male crossdresser playing for Highlands High School cut her dreams down in September 2022. The male Highlands player, who towered over his female opponents at 5’11,” spiked the ball into McNabb’s face, leaving the then 17-year-old unconscious with a brain bleed, concussion, and permanent whiplash. Payton has brain damage, vision issues, and paralysis on her right side—injuries that prevented her from pursuing her dream of securing a volleyball college scholarship.

Payton has turned a terrible tragedy into a purpose by working hard in recent years to ensure that other women and girls don’t have their dreams similarly stolen and smashed by opportunistic men emboldened by Democrat-championed policies.

After explaining Payton’s harrowing life changing experience by a male, President Trump told McNabb, “From now on, schools will kick the men off the girls’ team, or they will lose all federal funding.” He added that the inclusion of men in women’s sports is “demeaning for women, and it’s very bad for our country. We’re not going to put up with it any longer.”

Yet, the very day before President Trump’s speech, EVERY Democrat Senator voted against moving forward a bill that would codify President Trump’s Executive Order “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports.” It had already passed the House with all Republicans voting for it and all but two Democrats voting against it, even though a supermajority of all Americans—Democrat and Republican—want men out of women’s sports. Yet, a number of Democrat governors, even women governors, are defying President Trump’s executive order and continue to let vulnerable girls be abused by men in women’s sports.

Not only is keeping women’s sports exclusively for women common sense, it’s moral, ethical, and biblical to protect women from this invasion of cowardly, sick, and pathetic men into women’s sports, locker rooms, and private spaces.

God made men stronger with prowess to protect women, not abuse them. Everyone knows a man is physically and biologically stronger, faster, and can physically outperform a woman. Every man that cross-dresses knows that too, and so should every Congress man/woman, Senator, Governor, State Legislator, School Superintendent, Coach, parents, and doctors!

The Democrats, including pink ladies, not only didn’t stand for Payton McNabb, but they also didn’t stand for Laken Riley or Jocelyn Nungaray, both tortured, raped, and killed by illegal alien men the Biden administration and Democrats let into our country!

A Note to Parents

Parents I feel for you. Kids going through puberty do and say crazy things. We all went through it. As hard as it is, parents need to be parents. Kids have learned through TikTok and other social media that all they have to say is that they’re going to kill themselves to get their scared parents to comply. Sadly, kids during puberty are confused and try experimental things. They may start drinking, smoking, cutting, or even turn to drugs. Many times, they want to do shocking things to get attention. Gender ideology has become so prevalent in the past few years because it’s promoted in schools, on social media, the culture, in politics, the media, and peer pressure. It’s become a fad.

It used to be that drag shows were not allowed in public and those who participated were considered what they are, perverted. But suddenly a self-described gay activist Marxist is head of the National Library Association and drag story hour is offered to small impressionable children whose parents take them?!

The gay/trans population is small, but they have a large vocal activist lobby in D.C. and they’re going after the children. Successfully, I might add. Romans 1:10-32, 1 Cor. 6:9-10, and 1 Tim. 1:9-11 provide God’s view of this perversion. Parents’ job is to protect their children from it! The only anecdote is Jesus in their lives. Attempting to do the impossible, change your gender, is NOT normal, mentally or physically healthy, or productive. What the children need is a change of heart and mind.

Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it. Pr. 22:6

Sadly, unethical doctors have learned how to do sexual mutilation surgeries and give castrating drugs that make them lots of money. Once you start a precious child down that road, they’ll be a patient for life. Just the words “Puberty Blocker” is a red flag. Our bodies were created to go through puberty. It’s a physical maturing process for both men and women. Trying to stop it plays havoc on a child’s body, emotions, and brain.

They’re not happier after this unethical medical intervention. Look at the numbers of trans who have shot up schools and got themselves killed. The Biden Administration and the media tried to hide this to the detriment of children and parents. Kids aren’t experimentation projects. No one knows the long-term effects of the drugs and doctors downplay the immediate effects. But we do know they have side effects of aggression, anger, depression, violence, and self-destruction.

No mentally healthy male wants to put on girls’ clothes and pretend he’s a girl or vice versa with girls wanting to be boys. These kids need Christian psychological and pastoral help not the indoctrination they’re getting in schools and on social media. Usually, something traumatic has happened in their life and they’re acting out in a way that has now become socially acceptable and even tragically encouraged. We’re seeing a generation of confused children not happy in their own body, and it’s being culturally motivated and promoted by Satan. It’s a demonic lie that you can change gender. You can’t.

If a child says he or she wants to be a horse and run in a horse race, we wouldn’t take them to a veterinarian to start turning them into a horse and enter them into races. That isn’t any more ridiculous than letting boys/men cross-dress and enter into girls’ /women’s sports. In both scenarios, they need to go to a well-researched child psychologist or treatment center, preferably a Christian one. Some of these boys didn’t do well when they participated in men’s sports, so they decide to “identify” as women to play in women’s sports where they take away dreams, trophies, scholarships, and even cause great harm to girls. It’s wrong on every level!

Just like you wouldn’t encourage kids that are on drugs to become addicted for life, trying to change their identity is just another addiction and needs the same kind of therapy and treatment. I don’t know why more people aren’t speaking out about this. Maybe fear. Listen to a detransition interview or whistleblower Dr. Ethan Haim who almost went to prison under the Biden Administration for exposing transgender surgeries at Texas Children’s Hospital after they claimed to have stopped. (Trump’s DOJ dropped all charges against Haim in January 2025).

The detransitioned children say doctors didn’t give their parents any other option but drugs and/or surgeries to try and do the impossible of changing gender when all it does is castrate and sterilize them for life. The doctors didn’t offer counseling or psychological help to work through the issues. They instead scare parents with threats their child will commit suicide, but sadly many who go the attempted “transition” route tragically do just that.

Statistics show higher suicide numbers for kids and adults given puberty blockers or mutilation surgery to try to achieve a biological lie that they can change their gender. Trans surgeries increase risk of mental health conditions, suicidal ideations study | Fox News

What Can We Do to Help Women?

I believe the left’s obsession with favoring crossdressing men invading girls’ sports is because they’ve abandoned a biblical worldview. They’ve abandoned God. They’ve embraced the lie of the enemy and ruler of this worldly culture, Satan. The only hope for them is to repent and run to Jesus for forgiveness and turn away from the lobbyists, doctors, drug companies, organizations, activists, and any wealth they may be receiving from this insanity.

We need to vote the Democrats out of office because their lack of respect for women isn’t their only demon. They want to kill baby boys and girls up through and after birth. They want illegals to roam free in our communities and rob, pillage, rape, and kill girls and women.

It’s the party that’s obsessed with hate for President Donald Trump. Hate causes hearts to turn stone cold. Look at their faces during Donald Trump’s speech and I’m sure you’ll agree they’ve lost their minds and their hearts to the evil one. They’re an embarrassment to everything America stands for and they’ve abandoned women.

Run for office if God leads you. Write articles in your local paper. Speak up for women! Whatever you do, don’t sit quietly by and let them get control again of our beautiful America. Pray for God’s wisdom and guidance of what He wants for you to do in your family and your country.

I hope you’ll also read my article “God Knows What a Woman Is!”

And my blog Who’s Behind the War on Women?

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What Should Christians Do In The ‘Golden Age’?

At the start of President Trump’s Inaugural address on January 20, 2025, he promised, “The Golden Age of America begins right now!”

The nation would be safe, secure, and prosperous again. Trump also vowed to eliminate DEI and that “Almighty God” would again be honored in America. He has since established a White House Faith Office and created a task force under Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate “targeting of Christians and eradicate anti-Christian bias. At the National Prayer Breakfast in D.C. President Trump said, “Without God, we are isolated and alone, but with God, the Scriptures tell us, all things are possible.”

Trump’s diplomatic goal for our country is restoring an era of American exceptionalism in which the U.S. is an economic powerhouse, common sense the rule, and traditional values centered on God, family, and freedom are celebrated. The Golden Age.

Origins of Golden Age

Golden Age is a term used to describe a period in history where a culture, society, or nation experiences a period of prosperity, peace, and advancements. This era is characterized by significant achievements, significant contributions, and a collective sense of prosperity and unity. Major advances in science, technology, art, and literature often mark golden ages.

Wikipedia describes ‘Golden Age’ as a metaphor for a time considered as a peak in the history of a country or people when the greatest achievements were made. The term originated from early Greek mythology and Roman poets who used it to refer to a time when mankind lived in a better time.

Characteristics of a Golden Age

While there is no strict definition of a Golden Age, it typically exhibits certain characteristics:

• Profound economic prosperity: The era is marked by stable economic growth, trade flourishing, and widespread wealth creation.
• Cultural achievements: Art, literature, music, and science experience significant advancements, contributing to the development of civilization.
• Peaceful relations: There is little conflict or war, with nations and groups coexisting harmoniously.
• Innovative spirit: New ideas, inventions, and discoveries drive progress, pushing the boundaries of what is possible.

Historical Golden Ages

  • Hellenistic Golden Age (323–31 BCE)
  • European Renaissance (14th-17th century)
  • Age of Exploration (15th-17th century)
  • Golden Age of Islam (8th-13th century)

Recent Golden Ages

  • Digital Age (late 20th century-present)
  • Biotechnology and genomics (late 20th century-present)
  • Space Age (20th century)
  • The American Century, the period since the middle of the 20th century has been largely dominated by the United States in political, economic, and cultural terms and may be taken to represent a golden age of global cultural influence and political hegemony.

To many of us, the last four years under the Biden Administration was a demonic dark age.

  • Our national debt close to bankruptcy.
  • DEI and evil woke policies reigned throughout government and businesses.
  • Murdering babies from conception through birth considered a “right.”
  • Perverted decrepit sexual practices normalized and taught to young children in schools.
  • Lines blurred between biological and biblical definitions of men and women.
  • Children sterilized and castrated with drugs and surgical mutilation.
  • A war on women with men invading women’s and girls’ sports and private spaces.
  • A “new green deal” climate hoax forced on Americans.
  • Government censorship.
  • A lack of diplomacy, military readiness, or supremacy on the global stage.
  • People forced to take an experimental vaccination to keep their jobs or children to attend school.
  • Businesses, churches, schools closed by the government.
  • Terrorists funded, including Iran a country that hates America.
  • Our closest ally Israel snubbed and defunded during their horrific crisis.
  • Our border invaded by illegals, terrorists, and criminals.

I could go on, but you and I both lived through the insanity and tyranny. Certainly NOT a Golden Age. It was a dark, demonic, evil age and anyone who spoke or acted against complying with it was threatened, silenced, censored, or even imprisoned. This and so much more is what the American people voted against on November 5, 2024.

So yes, as we watch all of President Trump’s Executive Orders coming out of the Oval Office reversing the evil of the past administration, it does certainly feel like the dawning of a Golden Age. Many of us wake up every morning celebrating the return to sanity and common sense in America as corruption, fraud, and abuse is discovered and eliminated by DOGE.

Last week, we watched the first Cabinet Meeting begin in a beautiful prayer given by HUD Secretary Scott Turner where he prayed, “Father the Bible says, ‘Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord’” and he ended with, “In Jesus Name, Amen.”

What a blessing. What hope. What grace and mercy the Lord is granting America.

In today’s Golden Age, spiritually correct is politically correct. Hallelujah!

But we must remember that as good as this feels, our current Golden Age isn’t God’s future Golden Age. It’s like saying heaven on earth, knowing that as good as it might get here, this isn’t eternal Heaven. 

God’s Golden Age

When I told my husband I was writing on the Golden Age, he said he had just bought a book by Dr. David Jeremiah titled, you guessed it, The Coming Golden Age: 31 Ways To Be Kingdom Ready. Wow, what timing! Notice the word “coming” in the title. While we might be living in America’s earthly Golden Age, and let’s pray it continues, the Lord’s Golden Age is in the future. Dr. Jeremiah’s book is prophetically timed because it was published in October 2024 before Trump’s Golden Age for America inaugural speech.

You won’t find the term “Golden Age” in your Bible, but you will find it inferred prophetically. Let me share a few quotes from the Introduction to Dr. Jeremiah’s book.

“Recently I’ve been digging them up—hundreds of verses about the coming Golden Age, the impending thousand-year reign of Jesus Christ on this planet. Some commentators say it is the single most mentioned subject in all of God’s Word. Ten centuries when the world will be peaceful, prosperous, and under the power and authority of Jesus Christ! This Millennium of time is ahead of us. It’s the epoch between our Lord’s return to this planet and the onset of the new heaven and new earth of the eternal age.”

“If you belong to Jesus Christ, you’re included in the future He’s designed. There is a coming Golden Age, and it gets even better after that!”

Dr. Jeremiah describes the timeline before the Millennium starting with the Rapture of the church in 1 Thess. 4:13-18. This could happen at any minute. Maybe even before I finish writing this blog! “The vanishing of millions or billions of people will traumatize the nations, leading to a global power shift and worldwide war (Rev. 6:1-8). A cunning one-world ruler [Antichrist] will emerge, triggering seven years of Tribulation on our planet (Dan. 9:27; Rev. 6-18).”

Revelations 15:1 and Zech. 14:2 describes what Jesus called “great tribulations, such as not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be” (Matt. 24:21 NKJV). This will climax in the battle of Armageddon (Rev. 16:16.) “Just when Israel appears on the verge of annihilations, Jesus Christ will appear in the sky and destroy the hostile forces of the Antichrist (Zech. 14:2; Rev. 19:11-16). Our Lord will literally speak the victory, and He will deliver His people.”

Those already raptured will be with Jesus and see Him descend onto the Mount of Olives (Zech. 14:4; Acts 1:11) as He gloriously enters Jerusalem and assumes the reins of world government for one thousand years (Rev. 20:4-6). The Millennium. God’s coming Golden Age.

As Dr. Jeremiah explains, “It’s the kingdom to come, the fulfillment of all the promises God made to Israel in the Old Testament. It’s also the bridge of time that will take us into the eternal enclaves of the new heaven, the new earth, and the everlasting capital of New Jerusalem.”

The Christian Golden Opportunity

The earthly Golden Age for Christians should mean more to us then an easier life where we feel less threatened and more supported. We should take every opportunity to proclaim the name of Jesus to anyone and everyone who will listen, and even those who won’t!

“The time has come,” he [Jesus] said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” Mark 1:15

I recently heard a pastor pray asking God that we wouldn’t just experience the next four years of President Trump’s Golden Age, but we would have a Golden Age for the next four generations. I’m not sure why he limited it to four generations, except maybe it synced with four years. Many of us pray the Rapture comes before that.

I agree with those who believe God has granted a reprieve with President Trump. Christianity will be celebrated and not berated or silenced so that reformation and revival can occur publicly and profusely.

God wants as many people as possible saved before they die or the Rapture, whichever comes first. Today, we clearly see many blatantly endorsing and choosing evil. A denial of God. Yet, God wants them saved too. However, if they continue to rebel against Him, He will leave them to their own demise (Romans 1:18-32).

Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done . . . They not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them. Rom. 1:28, 32

The earthly national Golden Age is our Golden Opportunity as Christians to share the Gospel to as many people as possible. Look at unbelievers in your family, friends, neighbors, fellow workers, or acquaintances with a new conviction to spare them from eternity in Hell when they die or experiencing a time when God’s wrath will pour out on the world during the tribulation for anyone left behind after the Rapture.

The thought of this fate is what kept me on my knees praying daily for six years for my daughter, which I describe in Praying for Your Prodigal Daughter. I love her so much. I couldn’t, and wouldn’t, settle for her going through the terrible tribulation, or if she died before the Rapture, going straight to Hell.

There is no second chance to change your mind after death. No in between. No reprieve. People can become believers during the Tribulation, but they’ll be tortured and probably killed by the Antichrist for not accepting the Mark of the Beast. Even today, we hear of Christians in the Congo beheaded for their Christian faith.

You’re probably thinking how did we go from opening this blog with a joyous Golden Age era and ending up talking about Hell?! Because Hell is as real as Heaven. Don’t be fooled thinking everyone who dies goes to Heaven. Only those who have accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior here on earth will be with Jesus in eternity.

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

Sharing the truth of the Gospel is our job as Christians during this relief from governmental persecution of faith. Now is the time to unashamedly tell your testimony that Jesus saves! So never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord. 2 Tim. 1:8 NLT

It’s no coincidence you and I are living during this earthly Golden Age. God wants us to take advantage of the freedom to spread Christianity. There’s no guarantee it’s going to last four generations as that pastor prayed or even four years. Jesus doesn’t tell us the hour or the day when God says He has had enough. People have had a chance to make their decision and it’s time to take His people home. I’ve given you a lot to consider and pray about. Jesus doesn’t want anyone lost. Let it be said the same of us.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. John 6:39

If you don’t receive my weekly newsletter, you can read the opening article in the February issue, “God Knows What A Woman Is!” here. Also, signup for the newsletter on my website.

Have you read my latest blogs? Make America and You Healthy Again! Or Making America Godly Again!

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Make America And You Healthy Again!

I’ve been rooting and praying for all of President Trump’s cabinet picks, but one I especially was excited to see pass all the Senate scrutiny and interrogation and eventually be confirmed was Robert F. Kennedy Jr. also known as RFK Jr. Even when he was running for president as a Democrat, I enjoyed hearing him talk about his goal of researching the cause of chronic illnesses, especially in children, and his stumping for eating real food, avoiding processed food, and investigating the additives in our food. The Democrats tried to prevent him from being on the ballot, denied him Secret Service protection, and were so mean to one of their own, I knew he must have some good qualities if they were that against him.

RFK Jr. ended his presidential campaign and is now the head of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. While I don’t agree with some of his political views, I’m completely onboard with him joining President Trump’s team to Make America Healthy Again, otherwise known as MAHA.

My MAHA Story!

First, a little of my history and explanation of why I’m so excited to be a “MAHA Mom.” Actually, I was a MAHA Mom, MAHA Wife, and now MAHA Grammie, long before there was MAHA!

My first career out of college was as a hospital clinical Registered Dietitian. I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Food Administration, a one-year internship at the Santa Monica VA Hospital and UCLA, passed a grueling registration test, and maintained a continuing education requirement for many years.

I was naive when I entered the nutrition field back in the early 70’s. I was going to be the Florence Nightingale of Dietetics, so sure that R.D.s would have the respect of M.D.s after all the education it took to become a Registered Dietitian. Doctors would surely treat me as a peer in the medical treatment process. Patients would be eager to learn how they could overcome or even prevent many of their illnesses by simply eating healthy.

My lofty aspirations of people wanting to help themselves by eating healthy turned out to be the most disappointing, degrading, deflating and unfulfilling career I’ve ever experienced. It’s even easier being an evangelist now helping people turn to Jesus to save their spiritual souls than it was back then trying to help people save their physical bodies.

Both doctors and patients it seemed would prefer depending on pills, shots, surgeries, and repeated hospitalizations rather than including a healthy diet in their treatment plan. Patients accused me of taking away their favorite foods thus their reason for living! Often, I got to know patients well because it was like a revolving door of them returning back to the hospital worse than when I last saw them.

I would counsel wives that they were loving their husband to death by feeding him unhealthy food and not following the prescribed diet. I was shocked when most of the wives just looked at me with eyes that conveyed, I’m going to feed him whatever he likes because it’s his love language. I pleaded, “Even if it kills him?”

Doctors didn’t respect R.D.s and patients resented us. After several years of this career abuse, I realized I couldn’t do this for the rest of my life. After dipping my toe into sales, I discovered I was good at it, so I became a manufacturer’s rep for dietetic products and my customers were those poor berated R.D.’s in hospitals.

But once a dietitian always a dietitian as my family will attest to in how I feed them! Times have changed and nutrition has become more popular, yet still Americans are the most overweight and unhealthy people in the world?! When RFK Jr. abandoned his presidential aspirations and teamed up with Trump and I heard their joint goal was to Make America Healthy Again, I bought the MAHA trucker’s hat and started cheering for RFK Jr. to be successful.  I wasn’t alone.

I wore my Make America Healthy Again hat everywhere during the election campaign, especially when we went shopping. Now, I wear it victoriously. People often stop me to say, “I love your hat!” Or even, “I’m praying for them.” Sometimes it’s just a knowing smile or nod. When I wore it on vacation, I even had a radiologist tell me how happy he was that soon government officials would be taking steps to eliminate additives and unhealthy ingredients in our food, especially processed foods. I was thrilled to hear a doctor onboard with MAHA!

I’ve always been a huge proponent of reading all food labels. If there’s more than five ingredients, dyes, sugar, or ingredients you don’t recognize, don’t buy it or eat it. Especially, don’t give it to your growing children. Fresh is always best.

I now write a Nutrition Nook column in the bi-monthly Idaho Christian Living Magazine. It’s fun to still share my nutritional knowledge and passion. Maybe in the future, I’ll post some of those columns in this Monday Morning Blog.

Who is Robert F. Kennedy Jr. And What is His Spiritual Testimony?

I watched the swearing in of RFK Jr. as the next HHS Secretary by Justice Neil Gorsuch in the Oval Office and President Trump signed an executive order establishing the Make America Healthy Again Commission, which will be led by Kennedy. I was super impressed to hear Kennedy give God the glory in his remarks, “For twenty years I’ve been on my knees every morning praying that I could end the childhood disease epidemic and God gave me President Trump.”

The night of his swearing in, Kennedy was interviewed on the Laura Ingraham program. You can watch the interview @ RFK: We’re In A Spiritual Crisis; “People Feel Disconnected, And That’s Fueling Depression, Addiction & Chronic Disease” | Video | RealClearPolitics. Here’s a snippet of the opening.

INGRAHAM: Before we get into the priorities on day one, you talked about prayer today in the Oval Office with all of those paintings from Reagan to Andrew Jackson to Abraham Lincoln, Washington all around you. Why did you go to that moment?

KENNEDY JR.: Well, you know, I think it’s relevant because we’re not just in a health crisis, but we’re in a spiritual crisis and those things are connected. And you know, so many times during my campaign, traveling across the country, I sense that that people are feeling disconnected.

You have a whole generation of kids that feel alienated, dispossessed. They are in an existential crisis, not only because their health is, you know, 77 percent of our kids can’t qualify for military service. There is no purpose in their lives and no sense of usefulness or effectiveness or connectedness to their communities. And that drives also the chronic disease epidemic, and the epidemics we’re seeing of depression, of suicide, of alcoholism, of drug addiction. I think we have to address all of those things at the same time. We can’t just say we’re going to make you physically healthy.

INGRAHAM: That’s a tall order.

KENNEDY JR.: Yes, well, I think, you know, we all have to learn. You know, we need to get up in the morning and not think about, what am I going to do to make myself happy today? We have to get up and say, what am I going to do to make myself useful today, to be useful to my friends, to my family, to my community and that paradoxically is ultimately the path to happiness connected to this, you get from doing, you know, from doing good things, from being of service to others.

In the interview, Kennedy told Laura that he’s been a recovering addict for 42 years and goes to meetings every day. His references to God both during his swearing in and this interview made me want to delve a little deeper. Here’s what I found in an article in the Western Journal “RFK Jr. Talks About His 14-Year Battle with Addiction and How He Overcame It Through Faith in God.” The author Richard Bledsoe wrote the following words July 11, 2023, while RFK was still running for president himself.

“Politicians often evoke God for cynical reasons. They may be trying to appear pious, claim divine approval for some policy proposal, or fit in with the priorities of their constituents. However, when it’s a personal story of how God impacted a life, and the visible evidence supports that claim, it’s possible even a politician can bear witness to God’s love.”

The addiction RFK Jr. struggled with began when he was 15, a year after his father was assassinated in 1968, although on the Ingraham Angle he made the statement he always felt he was born with a propensity to an addiction.

In a podcast interview with MIT research scientist Lex Fridman, Kennedy spoke about his addiction and recovery. “When you’re an addict, you’re living against conscience,” he said. “I was always trying to get off of drugs, never able to. But I never felt good about what I was doing.”

The addiction grew despite Kennedy’s religious upbringing. He had to find his way back to God before he could beat it. After learning that addicts who believe in God have better recovery rates, Kennedy chose to behave as if he were a believer, even though at first it was a pretense. “I just started pretending there was a God watching me all the time,” he said.

Kennedy said then God accomplished the impossible for him.

“I had a spiritual awakening and my desire for drugs and alcohol was lifted miraculously,” he said. “And to me, it was as much a miracle as if I’d been able to walk on water because I had tried everything earnestly, sincerely, and honestly for a decade to try to stop and I could not do it under my own power.

“And then all of a sudden, it was lifted effortlessly. So I saw that early evidence of God in my life … and I see it now every day of my life.”

I agree with Bledsoe who wrote, “Opening up about the role of faith in his life, and not being afraid to discuss his flaws, makes Kennedy seem more real than other politicians.”

After hearing more about Kennedy’s faith journey, his humble surrender and dependence on God, and his willingness to talk openly about his past addiction, I do believe RFK Jr. is sincere about wanting to Make America Healthy Again. Especially to discover why children and adults have so many more chronic illnesses and shorter lives than the rest of the world even though we’re one of the wealthiest countries.

What Are the Goals of MAHA?

If you would like to read more, I would encourage you to read RFK Jr.’s Top Health and Wellness Priorities As Doctors Share Input. The goal categories are Reforming Food Policy, Improving Healthcare Access, More Accountability for Pharma Companies, Restoring Medical Freedoms, Advocating for Physical Activity, Promoting Personal Accountability.

Here’s a little more from the Ingraham Angle Interview:

Kennedy: “I believe in freedom of choice. If you want to eat Twinkies, you ought to be able to eat them. But you ought to know what’s in them. So, a lot of what I’m going to do is about being transparent—radical transparency. What I’m about is I want people to understand and empower them to know that if you eat that, it may seem cheap, but it’s gonna cost you in the long run. You might get diabetes etc.”

We have 10,000 additives in our food. Europeans have 400. Many of our additives are illegal in Europe.

Ingraham asked if we were going to become a “nanny state.” She brought up that Pres. Trump likes Big Macs. “You’re not going to take those away, are you?” she asked him.

Kennedy: “McDonalds ought to be incentivized to use beef tallow fat when it’s cooking its Big Mac so that they’re good for people. Rather than using seed oils or some other cooking oils that are actually probably going to make you sicker. So, we want to do a number of things but not take away choice from people.”

“The one place where I would say that we need to really change programs is SNAP [Supplemenal Nutrition Assistance Program], food stamps, and school lunches because they are federal programs and, in many cases, we’re paying for it, and we shouldn’t be subsidizing people to eat poison!”

Kennedy’s message resonates with me. The young enthusiastic altruistic “Florence Nightingale R.D.” who became so disillusioned all those years ago, still has the burning desire to help people nutritionally fuel their body, God’s holy temple. As Kennedy says, and I echo, “For too long, we’ve been stuck in a passive disease management system that treats symptoms instead of addressing the root causes of illness.” 

Kennedy’s, and my, message is the same as it’s been since God created our bodies, “Your health is your responsibility. The government won’t fix it. Your doctor won’t fix it. Big pharma certainly won’t fix it. It’s on you.”

God will help anyone who is willing to help themselves. “The Bible is like food for the inner person. It is milk (1 Peter 2:2), solid food (Hebrews 5:11-14), bread (Matthew 4:4), and honey (Psalm 19:9-10).” Warren Wiersbe

“I think one’s feelings waste themselves in words; they ought all to be distilled into actions which bring results.” Florence Nightingale

Why do you spend your money on junk food, your hard-earned cash on cotton candy? Listen to me, listen well: Eat only the best, fill yourself with only the finest. Pay attention, come close now, listen carefully to my life-giving, life-nourishing words. Is. 55:2-3 The Message

Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. 1 Cor. 6:10-20

PS If you want to learn more about MAHA Moms here’s an interesting article. The ‘MAHA Moms’ Behind Kennedy – The Kennedy Beacon

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Making America Godly Again!

“Every saint has a past and every sinner has a future.” Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana

President Trump, along with every Christian and man or woman of faith in the Bible, has a sinful past because we’re all born sinners (Romans 3:23). That’s why confession, repentance, forgiveness, and redemption is the Good News of the Gospel. This past Thursday, President Trump spoke at two National Prayer Breakfasts in Washington D.C. If you didn’t hear his remarks, I’m going to share a few comments here and you can watch the entire speech at the US Capitol at this link.

As the Lord would have it, Trump made these remarks the day before he signed an executive order to establish a White House Faith Office and have the Justice Department create a task force led by Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate “targeting” of Christians and “eradicate anti-Christian bias.” The office will be housed under the Domestic Policy Council and will consult with experts in the faith community on policy changes to “better align with American values.” Let’s pray those “experts” are biblically sound and let’s praise the Lord! 

Trump said the task force would be directed to “immediately halt all forms of anti-Christian targeting and discrimination within the federal government, including at the DOJ, which was absolutely terrible, the IRS, the FBI — terrible — and other agencies.” President Trump assigned Bondi to “fully prosecute anti-Christian violence and vandalism in our society and to move heaven and earth to defend the rights of Christians and religious believers nationwide.” In addition to the task force, Trump is forming a commission on religious liberty. He criticized the Biden administration for “persecution” of believers and for prosecuting anti-abortion advocates.

At this link, you can read more about the task force and hear President Trump speak at a second National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C.  Apparently, they have two prayer breakfasts now, one for government officials and a second larger private event.

President Trump’s Testimony

During the Capitol prayer breakfast, President Trump recalled something I’ve heard him say before. He remembers well his father taking him many times as a young boy to Billy Graham revivals at Yankee Stadium. He said he remembers the revivals more than the games he watched there. Like many of us, God was planting the seed of faith in his heart at an early age. It’s hard to imagine anyone not becoming a believer at those revivals. The first time I went to one as a teenager, it was in Los Angeles and even though I was already a Christian, I found myself going down to the stadium floor just to be prayed over by the Reverend Billy Graham.

But like President Trump, I had my straying backsliding years until another revival in my forties with Pastor Greg Laurie at a Harvest Crusade where I rededicated my life to the Lord. I believe President Trump has been steadily making his way back to the Lord also. Only he and God know when his faith began, but by his own testimony, something changed in his heart and his faith with his miraculous protection from two assassination attempts.

Trump led into his own personal faith testimony at the prayer breakfast by speaking about the tragic airline and helicopter crash in D.C. I tried to write quickly so my quotes may not be exact, but I would encourage you to listen for yourself to the entire speech. Here’s part of it.

“None of us knows when our time on earth will be over. A truth I confronted a few months ago when there was an incident that wasn’t fun. It wasn’t a good thing. My sons who are accomplished riflemen said the chances of me being here was like missing a one-foot golf putt. Don went up in religion. He gained 25% and if you know Don that’s pretty good. Don said there had to be someone who saved you and then he looked up. And I said, ‘Whoa Don, you’ve come a long way.’”

Trump went on to talk about how the bullet missed the target of his head and grazed his ear as he turned towards the now famous immigration chart. “God did that, it had to be! It was God that saved me. That chart is never on my right, it’s always on my left and it’s usually at the end of my speech not at the beginning. . . It changed something in me. I feel, I feel even stronger. I believed in God, but I feel much more strongly about it now. Something happened in me.”

We know what “happened” in him and he’s still trying to put it into words that instead of a ‘religion,’ he now has a relationship. However, in Latin the word religion means Re=again and ligion=connect, unite. We’re estranged from God apart from being connected or united with Christ. Religion in the Greek means piety or level of interest.  Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. James 1:27

Maybe President Trump’s use of the biblical word ‘religion’ is actually more prophetic than he realized, as he continued . . .

“That event, like the airline tragedy last week, reminds us we must make the most of every single day that we have! . . . We have to make religion a much more important factor. It brings people together. . . It’s the thing that makes our nation great and makes other nations great. When you don’t have it, you don’t see great nations. Without God, we are isolated and alone, but with God, the Scripture tells us, all things are possible.”

He went on to say how he could remember also as a kid how Democrats and Republicans would eat lunch or dinner together. In fact, he began his talk at the Capitol looking out at the government officials from both parties and commented on what great things they could do if they would only work together.  “But today,” he said, “It’s shocking. We all know what’s right and what’s wrong. If possible, we have to unify. But it’s hard to have a middle ground.”

He emphasized, “The happiest people in every element are people of religion who are going to be happy again. I really believe you can’t be happy without religion. Without that belief. I really believe it. So, let’s bring religion back. Let’s bring God back into our lives!”

Earlier in his talk he mentioned previous president’s faith, and then he quoted, the “apostle Paul in Galatians 6:9 “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” He added, “Look at me. I never gave up or I wouldn’t be here. Never grow weary and always do good.”

What great advice from Paul and President Trump. When God puts a call on our heart to do good, we must not give up even when there’s disappointment and even when it’s hard. There’s no doubt in anyone’s mind now that as hard as it was for President Trump and for all of us to live through the last four years, God can make good out of every set back. Trump even mentioned that God will bring good out of the horrific plane and helicopter crash, and He will. It was a call for immediate change. A new aviation system is needed to replace the archaic patched up one we have now, which would probably lead to even more tragedies if it isn’t updated.

In an interview with Pierce Morgan, President Trump’s friend Dana White said he has told Trump so many times to stop. You have such a good life. Why? But then White added, “He believes in God. He believes that to his core. He believes that God has spared his life to be President for the next four years.”

President Trump Is Trying to Give Our Country Back to Us!

We have watched in shock, horror, and yes, anger at the unjust, corrupt, and evil use of our taxpayer dollars by USAID being revealed by DOGE. It’s as if the left was trying to indoctrinate the globe with woke trans and queer ideologies that they couldn’t get enough traction with here in the United States, so they used our money to market this perversity to other countries. You’ve seen the lists, I’m sure. Even sending money that ended up in terrorist’s coffers and contributing to the creation of COVID.

You ask yourself what and who could possibly dream up this absurdity and, of course, it’s Satan. Satan wants to wipeout God’s creation of humans and what better way than to convince people that they can change their sex by castrating them, making them infertile, or having same-sex relations. In fact, 6.3 million of our money was sent to South Africa for “men who have sex with other men!” You can’t make this stuff up. It would actually seem too crazy even in a sci fi novel, yet it is our reality. USAID was the Democrat’s social justice slush fund for years and now it’s being disbanded for investigation of any residual good that can be reassigned to the State Department under Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Those who are screaming the loudest about this sanitizing of the swamp are the swamp creatures themselves who either are getting kickbacks or are demonically deranged.

Promises Made Promises Kept

On a happier note, I hope you’ve been praising God as I have that something we’ve been interceding for diligently is President Trump’s executive order “No Men in Women’s Sports!!! Following are some of President Trump’s comments when signing this order while surrounded by young girls in their sports uniforms and the women who have fought so long and hard for this. Again, I was writing quickly to capture as much as I could, but here’s a link to watch if you didn’t see it live.

“We won’t allow men to beat up and cheat against women any longer. We’re getting woke lunacy militant transgender ideology out of women’s sports. Men have had 3500 victories and entered into 11,000 women’s competitions. The war on women’s sports is over!

“If a school doesn’t comply, they’ll be investigated and lose federal funding.”

When the Olympics come to LA in 2028, we will reject trans in sports. My administration won’t stand by and let men badger women in sports. We speak with authority. We will also deny all men trying to get into the US to play in women’s sports. We’ve rescinded taxpayer money from any organization allowing transgenders in women’s sports. We’ve also banned sex changes in children.”

What a victory for women and girls!

Some blue states like California and Minnesota plan to continue the war on women and their federal funding must be stopped until they comply with this fair and common sense right of women to only compete with women in sports. Period. No exceptions. Even the NCAA’s Board of Governors after President Trump’s executive order voted to update the association’s policy for transgender student athletes, restricting the women’s category to females only.

“We strongly believe that clear, consistent, and uniform eligibility standards would best serve today’s student-athletes instead of a patchwork of conflicting state laws and court decisions,” NCAA President Charlie Baker said in a statement. “To that end, President Trump’s order provides a clear, national standard.” Too bad it took an executive order for them to protect women and girls.
The new policy limits competition in women’s sports to student-athletes assigned female at birth only. The policy permits student-athletes assigned male at birth to practice with women’s teams and receive benefits such as medical care while practicing. 

Personally, I don’t like the term, “assigned at birth” because only God makes that “assignment” at conception, and I don’t understand letting men still practice with women because that can be dangerous too. Hopefully they’ll come around completely, but it’s a great start.

How Can We Help Make America Godly Again?

President Trump has many Christians around him now on his staff and cabinet, so we must be praying for all of them and for the Christians in the Congress and Senate to govern by a biblical worldview.

In our own sphere of influence, we need to ask God how He wants to use us for His glory. We all have different gifts. Yes, every one of us has a spiritual gift that could be used to further God’s kingdom here on earth. When we hear God’s marching orders, we need to be willing to step up and enlist in God’s army. We can’t sit at home and expect President Trump and his team to do all the heavy lifting. I’d love to hear in the comments how you feel God is using you to Make America Godly Again.

Now, dear brothers and sisters, regarding your question about the special abilities the Spirit gives us. I don’t want you to misunderstand this. You know that when you were still pagans, you were led astray and swept along in worshiping speechless idols. So I want you to know that no one speaking by the Spirit of God will curse Jesus, and no one can say Jesus is Lord, except by the Holy Spirit. 1 Cor. 12:1-3

So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Gal. 6:9 NLT
Watch Live: President Trump Speaks At “National Prayer Breakfast” | Video | RealClearPolitics

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We Need to Outsmart and Out Pray the Devil!

Today’s Monday Morning Blog will be briefer than usual even though this has been another packed week of events and emotions in our country, I’ve been sick all week. The kind of sick where my hubby willingly had to scrounge up his own dinner while I moan and blow my nose on the couch. I know many of you understand since there are bugs going around that have many of you commiserating with me. And yes, I take a slew of vitamins and elderberry daily and have been doing the iodine nasal spray when I’m around crowds and sick people, but my body was recovering from a skin cancer surgery on my face and I think it was just my time.

So, if you’re sick too or have been recently, you know the drill where you wake up every morning praying that you’re going to feel better and then you don’t. This too will pass. But being sick has allowed me to watch the coverage of many of the Trump cabinet Senate committee “interrogations” in real time and not just clips.

I’ve absolutely been appalled at the anger, yelling, rudeness, attacking, interrupting, lies, taking quotes out of context, projection, hypocrisy, and disrespect spewed from the Democrat Senators against the qualified candidates that President Trump has chosen to work with him in eliminating the atrocities inflicted on our country by the last administration. And here’s the rub. Those screaming Democrat Senators are railing against common sense values and policies that the majority of Americans voted for while voting against the Dem’s unjust woke policies.

Fear is motivating the Democrats hateful unprofessional accusations and verbal assaults. Fear that they’ll be found out for their own actions and personal gain while shamelessly destroying our country. Fear that whatever God is doing in our country will jeopardize their stranglehold on the government. Watching their contorted faces, they looked and sounded demonically possessed. As if they’ve sold their soul to the devil for power, prestige, and position with no real concern for the life of everyday American citizens. I couldn’t help but wonder what type of person votes for these people?

If you watch any of the senate committee sessions, I often refer to as hearings or interrogations, you’ll notice the Democrats were united in their disgusting vile attacks. They had prepared and planned and were unified in belligerent bullying. They’ll also be unified in partisan voting against every qualified Republican candidate who wants to restore power to the people. It was amazing to watch the cabinet candidates for the most part remaining calm and respectful while being verbally assaulted and insulted

The Bible says in Proverbs 29:11-12 NLT “Fools vent their anger, but the wise quietly hold it back. 12 If a ruler pays attention to liars, all his advisers will be wicked.”

Angry lying fools and advisers is exactly what these Democrat Senators portray. Their godless way of dealing with temperament is rooted in pride. The Democrat Senators who can see their grip on power slipping from their grasp weren’t yelling for the benefit of America, but for self-preservation of their party and more important to them, their own personal power. They’ve learned nothing from their loss and what the American people said they wanted in this last election.

The Democrat minority leader Hakeem Jeffries called for violence at a press conference saying that, “everyday Americans are under assault by an extreme MAGA Republican agenda. We are going to fight it legislatively. We are going to fight it in the courts. And we’re gonna fight it in the streets.” Is he trying to emulate President Trump’s iconic, “Fight, fight, fight”? If so, it fell flat. Now they’re going to take to the streets in violence?! How exactly is that going to benefit them or the American people? Another example of “fools venting their anger.”

The new Democrat party leader Ken Martin’s first priority is to set up a “war room” to message against Trump, who he once called a “traitor,” and his posture will be “aggressive against Trump and leading Republicans.

We need to stay wise and vigilant because we’ve seen that the left does not play fair. These are the same people who mercilessly and unjustly jailed peaceful J6ers. They jailed peaceful pro-life advocates for praying while the Democrat party supports and receives funding from Planned Parenthood that calls “praying violence” and condemns Trump’s pardons of Pro-Life Americans.

The Democrats can’t accept that the MAGA agenda is exactly what millions of “everyday Americans” voted for! Instead, they’re trying to inflict a coordinated systemic attack to block Trump’s nominees to the detriment of the country. They want to delay the government for the people by the people from being able to function. Since the Democrats are in the minority, they’re using rules of the Senate to try to stymie Trump’s agenda. They’re playing a vicious and diabolical game with our government.

A Reoccurring Theme!

The Democrat agenda isn’t about how they can do a better job for our country, but rather what can they do to take down Trump and his supporters. Even Robert Kennedy Jr. in his confirmation hearing pointed to all the Democrat Senators and said, you were all my friends before I supported Trump. Now you’re all against me because you’re against anything Trump does.

They’re blinded by this singular focus as was evidenced with their attempts to take President Trump down before the election. But God spared him from every assault including an assassin’s bullet and Trump knows he was saved for such a time as this. So should we know this as we pray for his protection and godly guidance daily. If God is for him, pity the person who is against him.

As I prayed and pondered about all of this, I realized I was watching the spiritual battle occurring in the heavenlies playing out before my eyes in real time. Satan wants to destroy everything good that God has created from mankind to government to the world. The devil is using lost souls to do his dirty work. All the tragedies we’re watching in shock daily from devastation in North Carolina to apocalyptic fires in California to the horrific plane crashes in DC and Philadelphia to the daily murder of innocent babies have the stamp of the devil written across them.

Sadly, the devil is smarter than most Christians are, even though we know he prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Many Christians, including pastors, have actually joined the culture instead of taking the culture back for God. They’ve gone along with tolerating sexual perversion as a person’s “right” while thousands of young children are being groomed on social media like TikTok and even in our schools and surgically mutilated and castrated by “doctors.” If a male decides he’s a female, we let him invade women’s sports, locker rooms, and private spaces and even call him by his pseudo woman’s name and pronoun. We’ve tolerated gay marriage, an abomination to God.

We’ve cried over babies being murdered in the womb but haven’t been willing to join the fight to protect them. In some cases, the Biden government’s DEI programs have demanded compliance and even prosecuted brave people for objecting to evil wokeness.

How Do We Know What to Speak Out Against and Reject?

Answer: Anything that hurts God’s heart! Period.

We need to be as united in truth as the other side is united in lies and deception. We don’t agree with the devil, ever. If and when we do, we give the devil license to unleash his evil decadence and chaos here on earth as we’ve watched our culture deteriorate. Now we have a chance to take America back not only for common sense conservative values and laws, but more importantly, for God’s biblical values and laws. The left is terrified of this, but God is on our side.

There is power in unity, both for evil and good. It’s time Christians stop fearmongering and stand up for their faith. Anyone who is standing with the Democrats who want to go back to the Biden era are like the Israelites who wanted to go back to Egypt where they were slaves after God set them free! We need to stay involved, stay united, serve where we feel led, and pray for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Rom. 12:21

Note: I chose the opening picture because it’s snowing as I write.

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