Fed Up

Good morning my sweet family and friends!
(er afternoon~eveningish...this post took a long time to write)

I wanted to tell you thank you for all of your encouraging and uplifting comments, messages and emails. It's one thing to be reprimanded when you are being a stinker and unkind, but it's another thing to get that when you are really trying to do your best for your family, for your friends and for the LORD.

In my sweet Sugarbears words "That weally thtinkth!" (that really stinks)

No biggie.
Not trying to whine...
o.k....maybe a little...
I DID get the wind knocked out of me for a bit.
But that's o.k.
God is sooo good and here HE gave us a brand new day on this side of eternity to enjoy and glorify HIM!

You all know that Our sweet Shauna left us this year (No, I still can't say died) .
I had cancer this year.
I don't feel a little focused on Heaven.
I feel a LOT focused on Heaven.
Again, I'm not "ALL that".
Yikes, I have so far to go.
But I LOVE MY LORD, HIS WORD and MY FRIENDS.
I know my goal, and I am so thankful that my sweet Savior knows ME,
knows my heart,
knows my intentions.

So, I was a little fed up.

I admit it.

You see, my family is stuck with me.
My dear LORD and Heavenly Father are stuck with me.

That leaves you, my friends.

You, lucky folk that you are , are not stuck with me!
You can "unfriend" me if you want to.
Just take me right off of your friends list if I offend you.
It will NOT offend ME or hurt my feelings.
It's o.k.

I would rather you did so, as a matter of fact, rather than you leave ugly and unkind comments on my page. I do not put ugly or unkind comments on my page directed towards you, nor do I post them on your wall. I have a very strict rule for myself to try to only leave uplifting and honest comments for others. If I have something to say that might be construed as confrontational, no matter how carefully I say it, then I will send it to you in a private message.

That is my Biblical understanding of addressing a matter of disagreement in the church. If you believe me to be sinning, please be so kind as to call me, message me, email me and let me know. I am open to discussion. You are on my friends list, because I think you are my friend.

But anyway, onward and upward...

Before even opening a facebook account we had a lot of family discussions. We discussed getting ad blocker first, to avoid the often pornographic ads that pop up on the side bar of facebook, which we did. We discussed family rules on what would and would not be appropriate content on our pages and on our friend's pages. (We have sometimes had to talk to our children about comments they have left and what some might construe from them and had to remove them. We have open access to each other's passwords and pages)

So after much discussion and thought, I finally opened a facebook account, this social networking venue, to reach out to my friends and family and share God's word with them. Our family uses facebook to grow spiritually ourselves ( I read tons of Bible articles on here), and to try to uplift and edify others.

Sometimes that means I have to s-t-r-e-t-c-h and grow a bit.

Sometimes I might be trying to encourage you to s-t-r-e-t-c-h and grow a bit. Sometimes I get my heart pricked and realize there is an area I need to do better in. Sometimes I try to pass that on to others, because surely I am not the only Christian that has some maturing to do.

So, see, I am going to continue to study and write Biblical articles. That's the point of my life. To grow and do what I can in my little corner of the world for my Father.

If you are on my friends list, I'll be writing to you, too.
Like anyone that writes Biblical articles,
I spend a lot of time in study and prayer each time I write.
I try to go over everything with a fine tooth comb.
I won't say it all perfectly but I will do my best.
Yes, there are others with more knowledge than me.
I think that just about everyone can say that.
I don't claim to be spiritually mature (or think I am, ahem, not a nice dig by the way).
But I'm not a babe in Christ.
I do have years of study under my belt.
I have sat at the feet of a lot of Faithful, sound, Godly men and women and taken their sound teaching to heart.
Some of you guys as a matter of fact!

It just doesn't make sense to me to do all of the study, prayer and preparation in writing and then to say, "Don't worry, I'm not talking about you, or to you, just ignore this article!"

That would give you a free pass to NOT do some self examination, which is the whole point of a biblical article. How much good would it do me if, before I read an article, the author gave me a disclaimer, "Debbie Heck, don't worry this article is not about YOU, to YOU or for YOU. Keep on the path you're on and don't examine yourself!"

Now onto the comments as to the need for patience, grace, mercy, humility towards others...

Any of my friends that read what I write on a regular basis knows that is my "battle cry" so to speak.

I try so very hard to encourage others to show the great love,
mercy
and patience
that Christ has shown to us, to others.

However, along with that undeniable and necessary attitude of agape love, we must be aware that some sins cause others to stumble NOW.

Some sins must be stopped NOW.

We can't keep on fornicating, or raping, murdering, looking at pornography, molesting children, stealing, lying, etc. These sins hurt and effect others.

So does the sin of immodesty.

You have no idea how many men are involved with pornography in the congregation you attend.

You have no idea how many hurting couples have come to us and complained about the way Christian daughters and mommas are dressed and the temptation it puts before their sons and husbands. The problem is church/world wide and epidemic.

You don't know how many private messages I got from Godly, good men that were grateful this issue of immodesty in the church was addressed because they can't hardly serve on the LORD's table as they pass the plate over exposed thighs and cleavage.

I am tired of the cry, "Men need to not look...they are just bad, dirty men. " Of course they need to look away. They are trying. Hopefully you won't be the one with grape juice spilled down your chest as they close their eyes over you while they are passing the fruit of the vine.

They're not bad or dirty.
They're men.
They are your husbands, sons, brothers and daddies, trying their best to get to Heaven pure,
and one of their biggest stumbling blocks is often their sisters in Christ.
What a shame that is.

While discussing this subject with my Dear Father in law, he said "God made men this way. They are visually wired, and it effects both young and old.
I don't know at what age men aren't effected by it."
They have to work hard all day every day every where to guard themselves. It is not right to have to do it in the Lord's worship service as well. It should be the one haven of safety that they are afforded.

ONE sin can forever alter the course of your life. One act of fornication. One time to purchase pornography or take that first drink. Sin is HORRIBLE and it's consequences are NOT to be taken lightly. We get so calloused to the idea of one little sin, one little area of sin in my life that I need to improve on, that' I'll get to eventually. Yikes.

If you want to be angry about something, well, to be frank, don't be angry someone is asking you to cover up your boobs. Be angry about sin.

So, from this long blog you can see that I have been "fed up".

I chuckled to myself
(now)
as I typed that.

Because I thought and prayed almost all night long.
I cried, a lot. Eek, you should have seen my puffy eyes this morning.
It weren't pretty.
I vacillated between down right boiling mad, to indignant and sorry.

I felt fed up.

Then I asked myself, as I often do, to examine my every emotion, and who/where/why it was coming from.
God or Satan.
It's a frequent family discussion at the Heck household.
Who are we trying to please, which one?
Why are we really aggravated?
And I reasoned in my little old head that anger would only be pleasing to that old liar the devil. I was feeling fed up? Well, maybe I should get "FED" up to the full with God's word.

So, you see, initially I felt "fed up" with people being defensive and angry.
Some of my friends were "fed up" with my Biblical articles and evidently with me.

Many of my friends were "fed up" with those friends comments. (Which I have to say, I did appreciate your love and support...what can I say...I'm human.)

But, with a lot of prayer and study I'm thinking we should just all be "fed up" with God's word.
As in "fill yourselves us with His word and His will.
Eat up His word, not each other.
Hide His word in your heart,
not anger.

Let's all be FED UP TO THE FULL in our Bible hearts/minds with His goodness and humility and don't be bent out of shape with each other, or even for each other. (Ahem...but did I mention that I appreciated, and NEEDED the support you gave to me my sweet and tender friends!)

God is SOOOO Good.
Sin is soooo bad.

Let's all be on the same team guys. It's a hard road ahead.

But, if you're still aggravated with me, hit "unfriend".

It's o.k.

My Father's got big enough shoulders for the both of us.

I love you all!
I hope your day is super duper!
~m

Lessons learned...and being learned in marriage...

At the end of the day when I lay my head down on my pillow,
my mind is often spinning with words.

Words of prayers for so many mixed up and hurting friends,
torn up families and splintering marriages.

Words of comfort,

encouragement,

hope...

and sometimes even rebuke
that I feel almost pressed upon to share with others...

Not because I am "all that",
but because I...we,
have been through some of the same struggles,
battled some of the same battles,
had the same fights and fears,
went about things the same wrong way...
and needed help,
love,
patience,
encouragement,
and hope
to get to where we needed to be.

Marriage is hard work.

AND,

every now and then

Marriage is easy.

When it is good and right and we are following His blueprint,
it is Heaven on earth.
Things just seem to roll smoothly.
When wedded life is good, the world is just a better place.
The birds are singing.
The sun shines brighter.
Most days
:)
We find it much easier to count our blessings.
We really can tackle any of life's troubles because we stand side by side and arm in arm
with His word guiding us.
We are united and we are strong.
There are hard times.
(more than you might expect)
Really rough, knock the breath out of you times...
But, nothing TOO hard that we can't handle, TOGETHER.

When it is bad, and we really are NOT doing it God's way,
it feels like a living Hell.
I don't say that lightly or flippantly.
I've seen illness, death, depression, cancer decimating bodies, abuse.
But nothing is worse than a failing marriage.
(except, perhaps in my estimation, a failing marriage with alcoholism involved)

I believe that God created marriage to be the closest thing to Heaven on earth.
Doesn't it make sense to say a failing marriage is as miserable emotionally and spiritually as we can become? We are ostracized from our spouses, and often from our Father as well.
We are discouraged, weak, angry, afraid.
Despairing we may spend a life time living miserably in constant turmoil.
We wonder how it got this way because we are Christians after all!
Then pile hard times on top of that, and we are knocked down.
Maybe for the count.
We wonder if any other Christian marriages struggle like ours?
How do we fix it,
or if it's that bad...
it just can't be fixed.

And then some give up.
They walk away.
They walk out.
They give up
or they give in.
And Satan gleefully watches another Christian home go down in flames...literally.

Our Holy Father is the designer, planner and promoter of marriage.
He wants and expects us to do it His way.
As in any other Biblical matter, His way is good, right, pure, light and full of joy.

When we deviate from His way, it brings heart ache, on ourselves and on others.
When we are prideful, immature, fleshly, selfish,
when we throw agape love out the window,
and we throw our intended roles out the window
it is not,
and it will never be,
pretty, or easy, happy or peaceful.

Too often of late we have found that a lot of "apparently" good marriages are really falling apart.
Too many men proclaiming to be Christians are involved in sexual sins
from pornography to adultery.
Too many wives are discontent and unhappy,
seeming to think they are missing out on something, perhaps keeping their gaze on the world, rather than the world.
Longing for...what...
Romance?
Fulfillment?

Too much selfishness.
Too little Agape love.
Too much immaturity.

Too much entering into marriage allegedly prepared,
but really without clear ideas of what AGAPE love in marriage means or what God's roles for husbands and wives really are.

Whatever the reason, the troubles, struggles and sins hurting both husbands and wives are real.

If you are married, you may be struggling yourself.
If not, you may know someone who is.
If you're not married yet, likely some day you will be.

I know there is no easy answer.
Well, maybe I am saying that wrong.
The answer is easy.
It's the application, the laying aside bad habits, that is so hard.
But we just have to. Too much is at stake. And Satan is just sooo good at deceiving.
My prayer is that we will all look within first,
but also I hope we can reach out to others with love and patience and gently help guide them into a better way...God's way.
I pray we can unmask lies that Satan has fed us concerning marriage.
Maybe to ourself.
Maybe to a friend or loved one.
NOT with a holier than thou attitude.
But for LOVE'S sake.

We will study a few points and ponder a few ideas that if applied to humble hearts,
can better our marriages.
How do I know?
Because God never lies, and these ideas aren't mine.

They're HIS.

The points we will cover:

1) You need to be the perfect help meet for your husband, NO MATTER what anyone else says.
I did not say PERFECT person, but perfectly suited for your fella in particular.

2) You can't change anyone, but you can influence them. And you should be influencing your dear hubby for the good...not for your good.

3) If you are busy serving, you don't have time to worry about if you are being served. Self explanatory, but we will dig deeper.

4) Eternity is real, and no matter how bad you think your life is, it's a drop in the bucket compared to where you will some day take up permanent residency.

5) You are NOT the only one having struggles! Seeking Godly advice has saved many a marriage. However ONLY seek godly advice!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Points to follow soon!

So many of you have encouraged us in our marital walk,
and we are so grateful!
I continue to pray for all of us to have humble hearts as we strive to please our LORD and truly have the marriages God intends for us to have.

Much love dear friends!
~m

Sage Advice

Finally, be ye all of one mind,
having compassion one of another,
love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous:
Not rendering evil for evil,
or railing for railing:
but contrariwise blessing;
knowing that ye are thereunto called,
that ye should inherit a blessing.
For he that will love life,
and see good days,
let him refrain his tongue from evil,
and his lips that they speak no guile;
Let him eschew evil, and do good;
let him seek peace, and ensue it;
For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous,
and His ears are open unto their prayers;
but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.
1 Peter 3:8~12
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Another one of my favorite passages.
:)
~~~~~~~~
Have a wonderful day sweet friends!
I'm off for a mammogram.
Barf.
But then the zoo with my kiddos.
Woot!

Cross words and other things...

"Cross Words" is a little poem that I keep in my Bible,
with many other wise sayings and treasures,
~~~
Like the last anniversary card my grandma gave me that says
"And they lived happily ever after." because she believed we would.
It may seem silly that it helps me to believe it too, but it does.
~~~
A dear card from my bestie, telling me how much she loves me.
Yep. I am that insecure to love that re-assurance.
~~~
A list of things women can do to serve from another of my dearest friends,
to help me remember the work God has for me to do.
It is all too easy to forget.
~~~
My prayer list.
(Self explanatory.)
~~~
All of these things are special,
comforting,
inspiring
and they help me to be a better Christian.
When I remember to read them.
That "when" thing is really kicking my hiney.

I struggle with my tongue and cross words.
No excuses, but plain truth.
It is made worse by hormone fluctuation during certain times of the month.
Again, no excuse, but true.
If I don't constantly work on trying to do better,
guess what...I don't.

It seems I (and others) of course struggle the most
(with whatever our particular struggle is)
when life is tougher than tough.
Prayer and Bible study are not what they ought to be.
Have not been what they ought to be.
I used to pray constantly and study daily.
Now I am struggling.

Lack of prayer and Bible study is a vicious cycle.
The less you do, the more you suffer for it and need to get back to it.
It is especially the case for someone like me.
Someone with a naturally harsh tongue who is too black and white,
who teaches the need to show grace and mercy to others,
but often forgets to exhibit those very qualities.
Not pretty. I know.

Today is a new day.
Even a fresh new month.

I am trying to shake off the fog of these last few months.
The last few years.
To focus and live purposefully.
To spend the time in prayer and study that I should be spending.
To talk to God and to believe He is listening.
You may be tired of reading my posts like this one.
I am tired of writing them.
But it is what it is, and right now it's hard.

I don't write for sympathy, or to discourage others.
I am sorry if I am discouraging.

I write because I KNOW I am not the only one struggling right now.
I intellectually "know" I am not the first Christian to have these struggles,
but emotionally and spiritually, it is debilitating.
It makes you feel weak.
At the worst of times, it makes you question your own salvation,
because you are discouraged and discouraged with yourself for being discouraged,
if that makes any sense.
It makes you wish you were dead.
Not taking your own life dead,
just "Please take me now LORD" Elisha's kind of wishing dead,
too discouraged to go on, too overwhelmed to keep up the fight.


I know the answer has to be re-focusing, re-purposing, re-dedicating my life to God.
I know others are struggling and stumbling along with a face plastered on outwardly that it is all o.k....but none of us are feeling that it really is, on the inside.
We are weary, sad and discouraged.
Stumbling, frustrated, feeling unsure of so much.

I know we need to take one day at a time.

So, I continue to ask our Christian friends to pray for our family,
our loved ones,
as we struggle to go on without Shauna,
for so many struggling marriages,
for so many diagnosed with cancer,
for our faith to be strong again,
for our hope to feel secure again,
for the wisdom to handle these struggles in God's way,
for strength to pick our selves up and immerse ourselves in His word,
and the humility to fall down on our knees in prayer,
and for the peace to KNOW He hears us.

And for us to just remember to have love,
kindness and patience with each other as our resources and coping skills are not just low,
but seem to be (temporarily) gone.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Cross Word

The cross word never made a friend,
It never earned a cent,
It never made a house a home,
It never bought content.

It never made a poor man laugh,
Nor mad a rich man grin;
It never caused an honest act,
Nor kept a soul from sin.

It never made a baby coo,
Nor made a sick child smile,
It never pleased the virtuous,
It never pleased the vile.

In fact, the cross word is about
The one thing on this earth
That we can get along without
Because it has no worth!

~anonymous~

"Let your speech be always with grace,
seasoned with salt,
that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man."
Colossians 4:6

love to you all,
~m

Ladies Study on Being Rooted and Grounded in Love: Part 1A

A continuation of our study on being rooted and grounded in love, I shall not be moved.

May God bless us with humble hearts as we study His word.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I. The KEY to not being moved is to not be moved from our study/knowledge of the scriptures.

You will see us return to this point again and again. All roads lead back to this one. It is a true statement to say that we will be able to overcome and cope with every burden, trial or temptation that comes our way in this old world by turning to God and His word. The apostle Paul writes “As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.” Colossians 2:6-7

Sadly, on the flip side, we will fail, and end uprooted from our Christianity, if we turn from His word. As the prophet Hosea tells us in Hosea 4:6 “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou has rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.”

Lack of Bible study is a vicious cycle. It’s like any other habit; like trying to eat right, or starting to exercise. The longer you do it, the easier it becomes. The less you study, the less you want to study. It’s called apathy and it’s straight from the devil. Thankfully the more you study the more you want to study and your zeal will be contagious to others. Let's look at some devices the devil uses to dissuade us from study.

A. Satan is the great deceiver and he will tell you at every turn, you don’t have time to study. You are just too busy.

He knows the scriptures, and he is fully aware of the strength we will gain from them. Satan, himself spoke the words “It is written” to Christ in Matthew 4:6 He knows every verse of the Bible inside and out. 2 Timothy 3:15-17 says “And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”

This scripture is one we are all familiar with…so is the devil.

What about 1 Peter 2:1-3? “Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, as newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby if so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.” Yes, Satan knows that one too. Do any of you have any trouble with malice, or deceit, or have you ever struggled with hypocrisy, or know someone who has? Do you always keep your speech pure and kind? God says His word is the cure-all for all of the above. The devil knows you will overcome those nasty little habits if you spend time in God's word.

2Corinthians 4:1-4 spells his plan out very clearly to us. Paul warns, “Therefore seeing we have this ministry as we have received mercy, we faint not; But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: in whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.”

What about Matthew 13:19 where we are told “When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart.” Do you see why he wants you to feel too busy? He knows what's at stake. However God says, “See then that ye walk circumspectly, NOT as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil, wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.” Ephesians 5:15-17 God knows what's at stake too…and it's our souls.

Do you know Psalm 119? You can be sure Satan has that chapter committed to heart, and I have no doubt that it fires him up, no pun intended. Just looking at a few verses we can see why.

Vs 2: “Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart.”

Vs 11 “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. Blessed art thou, O LORD, teach me thy statutes.”

Vs 15 “I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways.”

Vs. 18 “Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.”

Just the beginnings of verses 119:33-38 “ Teach me, O LORD, the way of thy statutes…Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law…Make me to go in the path of thy commandment;…Incline my heart unto thy testimonies…stablish thy word unto thy servant…”

The very words that helped to inspire this lesson “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.” Psalm 1:1-3. The key to our success as a Christian is studying and meditating upon his word. We need to remember that all too often being too B.U.S.Y. for God's word, is really us Being Under Satan’s Yoke.

Many of you may already know these scriptures well. You may feel "studied up enough". So let's move on to the next pitfall the devil has dug.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Point 1B to follow soon. Love to you all!

~m.

Ladies Study on Being Rooted and Grounded in Love: Introduction

Hello friends and loved ones.

This is the first of a multi-part lesson on being rooted and grounded in love taught for a Ladies Day last summer. I had planned on editing it, but time has gotten away from me, so I am just presenting it as is, intro and everything. I did not know at the time of this writing that Satan would have more in store for our family. God is His Divine wisdom certainly knows best to not reveal to us our future struggles. It was a needed study for me at the time, and continues to be one for me now.

Though you were not sitting in the audience that day, I left it as if you were. May God bless us all in our endeavors to study His word and grow ever closer to Him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I know that all of us are busy with ever so many things, and I certainly appreciate your desire to come and study from God’s Holy word when you could have chosen a dozen or more other things to do today. I truly don’t say that lightly. I am thankful for each and every one of you that has come to dig into God’s Word. I hope you brought your bibles, but if not grab one off the pew. I plan on using a lot of my favorite scriptures, and Sharleen would tell you, that's most of the Bible. We have a lot to study, and not much time.

When the two people that know me best in life heard that my topic was Rooted and Grounded in Love: I shall not be moved, they both immediately laughed. The joke was not lost on me either. David has always said that if I had a theme song, it would be Tom Petty’s “I won’t Back Down”.

Nice.

But all kidding aside, this study was just what I needed.

Since the time I was assigned this lesson, I have prayed, studied and pondered how God could use me to edify and encourage all of you. I have honestly felt somewhat inadequate and beaten down with all that Satan has been accomplishing lately. Between illness and so many struggling marriages and breaking hearts both in and out of the church, I have felt my faith at times to be too weak to get through, let alone to really reach out to others as I should be doing.

It has been rough.

But God's word and Christian friends have strengthened me. And, in the very midst of feeling overwhelmed and even somewhat despairing with my head hanging down, I was assigned a lesson on not being moved from HIM, my God, my Savior and Redeemer. When I turned inward to muster strength for this lesson, frankly, I didn’t find much in my reserves.

So, I got busy and dug into the Word…And my eyes shifted back up to where they should have been all the time.

Possibly through God’s good Providence, or maybe just some clever planning on the part of our elder’s wives, God continues to teach me and refine me in His Holy Word, those things that I need to strengthen and improve upon in my own life, that I might strengthen others. “Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble…” 2 Corinthians 1 : 3-4

So, lucky us, you don’t have to hear a lesson relying on my wisdom or knowledge, and I didn’t have to write one based on what’s in my little brain. To God be the glory! His Word is all sufficient to keep us on track…or get us back on track when Satan is trying to derail and uproot us. And I needed back on track. Maybe some of you do too.

This study has been a tremendous faith builder for me and I pray that you will be encouraged as well to lift up your heads and hearts, lift up your eyes and focus back on Christ, our Savior and Redeemer and His Holy Word. Let Him give you the strength you need to keep going. Bring your focus back to our great Redeemer and Friend. He has given us all the answers we will ever need, IF ONLY we will spend the time and effort studying His Holy Word, His light will come shining forth to lift our burdens, and to help our roots grow down deep into the spiritual water of His Word. “Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not fear when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.” Jeremiah 17:7-8

Roots form a network for a tree or plant that give balance, and hold the tree firmly in place. They keep it upright and prevent it from crashing to the ground when the storms of life prevail. Roots grow deep to bring nourishment to every cell, leaf and twig. They are life to the tree. If a disease affects the roots of a plant, or you chop through a trees root system, it will soon die.

The spiritual application is crystal clear. Without roots growing down into God's word we will end up spiritually uprooted and lost. The only way to grow our spiritual roots is to study. Obviously our spiritual roots will stop growing and stop providing us nourishment when we stop studying the Word of God. They can also become diseased by discouragement and sin. Lift up your eyes and look around. Brothers and Sisters in Christ are growing weaker daily, some are even dying in the garden of Christianity because they don’t have deep roots reaching the water of His word. Instead of spiritual redwoods, they’re spiritual tumbleweeds blown by the wind in every direction. Why?

I believe it’s because it takes work to stay rooted and grounded in love. Christianity is not a passive, cater-to-me lifestyle. It takes study, thought, prayer and work to remain faithful and encourage others to remain faithful as well. Psalm 16:8-9 says “I have set the LORD always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope.” Christianity doesn’t just happen. It’s about selflessness and discipline.

Some of us may have to work at staying rooted and grounded harder than others simply because we all have our own personalities and life experiences that have molded us, for good or bad, over the years. I don't like the terms "high-strung" or "high-maintenance". I'll let you gues why. :) I prefer to look at people in varying degrees of "passionate to laid-backness".

Maybe for some of us our tongue is harder to control; maybe another struggles with the temptation to dress immodestly as they did before they became a Christian. Another may struggle with self confidence in teaching God's word; or struggle with controlling their temper. No matter the temptation, the trial, the person or the personality type, God has the same solution for all of us. He is infinite in His wisdom. He is the designer of each and every one of us and HE KNOWS HIS CREATION. Sometimes we despair in our differences. Do we think God did not design us?

His solution for standing firm can only be found in His word. That's the "magic pill" so to speak, and nothing else. It won't make worries and problems disappear, but I guarantee that it will make us able to cope, and not just to cope, but to overcome; to have courage and stand firm. The KEY is in our hands. We will be studying three points to aid us in our Christian walk, but the first is, no doubt, the most important.

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Shwew, that was a long winded introduction!

The first point will follow soon.

Have a wonderful day friends!

Much love,

~Debbie

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