To the Sweet Young Girls in my Life

Good morning girls~

Yes, this post is just to the girls. Specifically to some young girlfriends of mine. I love you very much. I am constantly impressed by your kindness, your deep love for others, your caring example in looking to the needs of others, your desire to please the LORD. Your faithfulness in attending services. I LOVE YOU!!!

But you, like me, are not perfect. I have my struggles and you have yours. I know one of those struggles put upon all of us is the pressure to conform to the world. The pressure to buy into the foolish idea that you must win a fella by your outward beauty and by showing off your lovely young figures. Sweet friends of mine, please do not buy that lie Satan is trying to sell you. Please look to His word for His idea of modesty. Do a word study on articles of clothing. I assure you from my deep study, and the study of many other faithful men and women, it will conclude with the knowledge that God wants us covered from shoulder to knee. Please do not come to church again (or anywhere else) in short dresses or with ANY cleavage showing, with skin tight T~shirts stretched tightly across your chests. Wearing a see through lacy undershirt under your too low cut t~shirt does not make your outfit modest. It draws the eyes right to an area of your body that is CREATED to be seen by ONLY your husband. It's for your future husband's pleasure some day, and for nursing whatever sweet babies God may give you (if you chose to do so). It's not for my sons to view( unless one day they are your husband...which right now they AREN'T) It pleases that old liar the devil, and he couldn't be more happy that you have been caught in his trap. It saddens and angers our LORD, who continually warns us to be READY. To remain PURE. To stand fast always, to be watching for HIS return..

Your own dear mommas or grandmommas may not stop you. They may not have the Bible knowledge themselves. They may be thankful that you are improving in your dress, and be afraid to push you a bit farther to where you need to be. But sweet girls, Immodesty is a sin. Immodesty can not only cause you to be lost, but others to stumble as well. Other girls because they see YOU as a good Christian girl and think it's o.k. to dress like you are dressing, and boys because they can't help but stare...and imagine. They are not bad boys. I am a woman, and I can't help but see, and males are just more visually effected. That's how God created them. That's why it's COMMANDED that as women we adorn ourselves in modest apparel. There will be a time when you get to bare all. It will be right, good, pure, wonderful, complete happiness...in your Christian marriages. But for now, keep those beautiful, lovely bodies covered up. Keep it a mystery and just shine with your beautiful smiles, your beautiful actions, your beautiful modest clothing.

I LOVE YOU SO VERY MUCH!!! I look forward to spending more time on this earth with you. You light up a room just by your very presence. I look forward to spending eternity with you, sweet girls. Will you please think about these things? Will you please be willing to die to self, and follow the LORD and His will even though it's hard. Will you please try to have a humble heart and not be angered by this note to YOU? Will you please be brave and post this on your own page to encourage your own dear friends?

Have a super day my sweet young encouraging friends! Big warm hugs to all of you!

Love~
me

I wanna be like HIM

The LORD is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger,
and plenteous in mercy.

He will not always punish:
neither will He keep His anger for ever.

He hath not dealt with us after our sins;
nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.

For as the heaven is high above the earth,
so great is His mercy toward them that fear Him.

As far as the east is from the west,
so far hath He removed our transgressions from us.

Like as a a father pitieth his children,
so the LORD pitieth them that fear Him.

For He knoweth our frame;

He remembereth that we are dust.

Psalm 103:8~14

A matter of Perspective

Knowing where to start with this post is tricky,
because it seems like I might need to go far, far, back...
like farther than anyone living that knows my whole story,
except for one of my childhood friends...

But I also feel like I need to start with a disclaimer. For real. Like, "Don't read this if you are under eighteen, have too tender of a heart, or are easily prone to nightmares." I wish I was kidding, but I'm not.

Or I could start with, please let's all have an open heart.
This post is not about "I am better than You" or "You are better than me",
nor is it "I'm the stronger Christian and you are the weaker one"
or "You are the stronger Christian and I am the weaker one".

This post is really all about perspective.

Mine is probably different from yours and that's alright.

This is not a post about,
we're all entitled to our own interpretation of the scriptures...

We're not.

Again, it's really about perspective.

I will get to my three favorites too... Love, Mercy and Grace.

As I study God's word daily,
I just can't get away from how obedience to God
is completely wound up with these three.

The Bible has a lot to say about perspective.
It gives a lot of different people's perspective from all walks of life.
Godly people, forgiven prostitutes,
loving mothers and hypocrites.
Fishermen, rich and poor.
Angels, innocent children and even Satan, himself.

Some people have a wrong perspective, because of faulty reasoning.
That should go without saying.
Some should be listened to,
others ignored.

But too often we ignore what we don't understand.
Not necessarily because we are trying to discern from God's word
whether we should listen,
but simply because we disagree and discount there perspective,
just because it is not ours.

They weren't raised in a Godly Christian home, like us.

What could we possibly learn from them?

In our own heart of hearts we deem them "weaker Christians",
"lesser Christians",
though we wouldn't utter these words out loud.

Instead we give furtive looks to other "stronger" Christians
as the "weaker" share their perspective with us.

We exchange "knowing" glances with other "stronger Christians" as the "weaker" talk on.

I'm not talking here about someone who is a novice or new convert.
Nor am I talking about someone who is living in error,
though they have been a member of the church for years.
I'm not talking about immodesty issues,
or being off on the working of the Holy Spirit, or marriage, divorce and remarriage,
or those that will not put away sin they are involved in.

I'm talking about Christian's ignoring the perspective of other Christians.
I'm talking about being closed minded where God did NOT say to close our minds.
I am talking about having a little more love,
grace and mercy for our sisters and brothers in Christ.
I'm talking about compassion and understanding and
throwing the holier than thou attitude out the window.

I'm not talking about lowering our morals, our standards or our guidelines. God's word is immovable and not able to compromise.
I'm talking about not focusing or thinking that our way is the ONLY, BEST, RIGHT way,
And instead, remembering that it is GOD'S way that we are to follow.

The sin condemned over and over in the Bible is pride, not humility.
The pride of those that exalt themselves and their own works.
The pride of those that look down on the lowly in heart, simply because they can not read their hearts, and unjustly condemn those that God loves with tender mercy.

The pride that forgets that we are all filthy sinners that deserve to be lost.

The pride that will not look at or listen to another's perspective.

The pride that forgets that LOVE is the Greatest and Highest command and that the pure blood of Christ washes EVERY sin, and every soul, no mater how blackened by the darkest sin, whiter than snow upon their penitent confession and baptism.

God uses His word to teach us about perspective, but sometimes it seems either accidentally,
or sadly, on purpose,
we choose to ignore those lessons He would have us to learn.
We get caught up in tithing mint and cumin and forget the weightier matters of the law...
like the LOVE that goes with OBEDIENCE.

Sometimes when I read the verse "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit."Romans 8:1
I catch myself sighing, deep down in my heart, and thinking...

Only condemnation by other Christians.

You see, I have been labeled as that "weaker Christian" at times in my life.
I have sat in my own kitchen, or even in the house of family or friend,
and seen those knowing glances exchanged over my head.
Sadly, it was not imagined on my part.
I wish it were.
I will share my story shortly.
But first, can we not pause to consider that it takes all kinds,
of all walks to make up the church?

Can we not realize the suffering that some have had to endure,
or at least take it under consideration?

Can we not realize, that they may have something to give in the way of knowledge,
because of the battles they have fought and overcome?

Can we not realize that their souls are every bit as white as ours?

Can we not remember that unto whom much is forgiven, he loves much?

Can we not realize that Heaven will not be compartmentalized between "us" and "them"?

Here is a bit of my story.

Let me back up. This is not a plea based solely on emotions, but emotions are involved in this post. That's the nature of the beast. I will share a few things that some may feel is nothing but an attempt to appeal to your heart/emotions, rather than your heart/mind. However, hopefully most that read this will understand that sometimes in life, you simply can not separate the two. God is the creator of both. We can not be ruled by our emotions, but some life experience are so strong, so hurts so deep, you can not separate them.

Christ's foreknowledge of His crucifixion caused him to weep, and sweat as it were great drops of blood. That was powerful emotion coupled with an agony of thought...inseparable as He fulfilled the Father's will.

I wasn't raised in a Christian home.
A lot of people have worse stories than mine.
I don't doubt it.
Sadly, I know it to be true.
I have done my fair share of attempting to read some "self help"
"deal with your past" books...
I read enough to get just a whiff of some of the atrocities other victims of abuse have undergone, and had to put the book(s) down.
But you can't avoid it.
Before you can get the channel changed an abuse story comes on the news and your mind is flooded with images and words about the real live monsters that live in this world.

They don't hide under your bed as a child, but sometimes they creep into it.

I was raised by my mother until I was nine. My mom had me when she was seventeen. My biological father, her first husband, was forty four. They divorced after my first birthday and I only saw him a few times after that. Mom re-married four other times before I was five years old, all to much older men fitting the description of a "father figure" to her, a product of some of her own issues. Some of those men were abusive to me. All were abusive to her. We were threatened regularly, cussed out, slapped, punched, exposed to pornography multiple times, and once even shot at. Most of them, perhaps all, I don't know, were alcoholics.

I love my mom.
I am thankful for her.
I remember her as loving, funny,
willing to do anything for anybody,
and overwhelmed by life.

She did the best she could, I guess, for what she knew.
She had her own demons to battle,
and lost that last battle to suicide when I was nine years old.

From then on I was raised by my wonderful grandparents, and life was much more normal. No more moving every few months. No more strange, dirty hands groping for me in the middle of the night. No more waking up in the night, terrified by where I was, or who was there with me, or wondering if anyone was there at all.
But, the damage had been done.

The first time I was molested as a child I was probably three. I remember those first groping hands from the teenage girl that was "babysitting" me overnight for my mom. Hands that a few hours before had played with me and tucked me in.

And I wondered where my mom was, and if this was normal.

That was only the beginning. And really, is not the most horrid of my memories. I remember liking this "friend", but being so confused by things. That is the nature of the beast. It is part of the twisted, nasty world of child abuse. The child usually loves and trusts her abuser, which really compromises our adult minds when trying to sort out what is "real" love "pure" love "normal" love, and what is not.

Too many abusers, too may strange houses and strange people over those first five years of my life. Always friendly, always groping, always acting as if it were just a game. I really don't remember exactly how many their were. Sometimes my mind things six, sometimes, eight.

Maybe I might have gotten off NOT so messed up if it weren't for the last one, my step father. He was husband/daddy number five. I was to call him "Papa Glenn", but later as trust developed, I called him daddy. He was my worst nightmare,
truly the bane of my existence, my molester and tormentor.

The marriage was a record for my mom, who was determined to make a go of things this time. Five years. I feel certain to this day that she did not know of the abuse. He was quite deceptive and manipulative about it all. He became my daddy, and I couldn't have been more thrilled. Finally I had "normalcy" a real family. Five years is a long time in the life of a nine year old. The abuse did not occur the entire time. Not even most of the time. I think that is better, but I don't know. Because the first several years I was learning to trust, to think this was real, to have a daddy that would love and protect me from the chaotic childhood I was accustomed to.

Then one night while mom was at work he crept into my room and came and sat on the edge of my bunk bed. He did not turn on the light. I remember the panicky feeling that gripped me. I immediately felt frightened, terrified, sick to my stomach. Then it began.

I will go to my grave with that memory burned into my mind, and many more like it. I have prayed I could forget it, but to no avail. The sounds of his breathing, the smell of his aftershave. It still causes bile to rise in my throat.

All the details are not needed. But a few I will have to share, to help you understand. To hope you understand. The abuse lasted for months...maybe a year.
Up until the day my mom took her own life.

I had already witnessed a prior attempt at suicide with a prescription drug overdose, a time when my "dad" drug her naked body from the bedroom where he found her, to the bathroom and made her drink raw eggs until she vomited it all up. Many months later while my "dad" worked a night shift and I got to sleep in my mom's bed, I cried and wrapped my arms around her and I begged her to never do that again, to please, please, never do that again.
She assured me she would not.

Less than a year later, she pulled the trigger and broke that promise.

We're not on that subject, but it's all wound up with this one.

Not too many details.
They make me tense.
Tight.
Nervous.
Unsettled.
Sick to my stomach.
They don't need to be repeated.

An eight year old girl and a fifty something year old man who did not want to get caught with his sick habit. One who told me, threatened me, to never tell about our "little games" or momma would be angry with me, everyone would be angry with me.

I mentioned that he did not want to get caught, so there was only so much abuse he could inflict upon me without doing noticeable damage. Only so much abuse he could make me perform, without his dirty secret being out.

So he did the next best thing, this daddy of mine. This man that I came to love and trust and be THANKFUL for. He told me that he was too big for me then, and that I was too little, that he would hurt me, and he didn't want that to happen, because he loved me so much.
But he MADE ME TO SOLEMNLY PROMISE that he would be my first.

And that damage just could not be undone.

Months went by and then my mother died,
and I went to live with my grandparents.

I was safe from abuse from then on.
I had a very good life.
I was free from abuse, fighting, alcoholic fits,
though not free from alcoholism in the home.
No more moving from place to place and school to school.
I had stability.

But every day I lived with the repercussions of what had been done,
and my fate seemed sealed to me.

I know now that I had very normal reactions to very abnormal circumstances.

The term "hell bent" is vulgar and not one I would use under any normal conditions, but it best describes my emotional state at the time. I was determined that my stepfather, who still had occasional contact with me (no one knew, you see) would not be "my first" as he had extracted that promise. And so at the ripe old age of fourteen, I gave up my "alleged" virginity. It wasn't a hard decision to make at all. I really didn't think anyone could or would actually consider me a virgin. I didn't consider myself one. I was simply determined "dad" would NOT be the one,
anymore than he already had been.

I thought myself truly in love with the young man that I gave my tainted self to, and we were faithful to each other for a few years. He is the biological father of my precious oldest daughter. But, truth be told, we were not Christians. I was a recipe for disaster in any relationship, and though I wanted normalcy and life long commitment I had not a clue how to find it, and neither did he. By God's Providence, and my sweet Grandmother's influence, we did not marry.

Besides the blood of Christ, and my obedience to the gospel, the fact that we did not marry is the single most important fact that I am most thankful for in my life.

It humbles me every day, with every breath, to think what would have been if I had married, divorced and not been a candidate for marriage to my husband, David, the teacher of my soul, the one who shared the soul redeeming gospel with me.

I believe that God looked down from heaven often at points in my life and wept for all the suffering I had endured at the hands of others.
But now, I brought suffering on myself in the way of a sinful lifestyle.

Again, I now know that it is common for young victims of sexual abuse to be promiscuous. What boundaries do they have? What boundaries did I have? None.

But after a year of living a promiscuous and chaotic life, I had come to my end.
I had a precious child to take care of,
and I knew I needed to straighten up and NOT repeat my mother's mistakes.
I was done.
I wanted peace.
I wanted life free of chaos and sin.
My "whole" young life, I always wanted what I never had.

Normalcy.
A forever love me husband.
A forever love me daddy for my sweet daughter.
Safety.
A forever family.
A large family to love and take care of.
No divorce ever.
That was what my will said.
But I knew nothing of what it took to get or to live that life.

Thankfully, mercifully, God had plans for me, only His plans WOULD be fulfilled. And by what I believe with all my heart was His merciful Providence and great love, I met my husband, David.

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Once again, my post has blown up on me and grown too long. I will try to finish this another night this week. Please be patient with me...my point is coming.

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.

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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.

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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.

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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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