NO! ME do it!

Anybody who has raised a toddler has heard this phrase when they try to tie shoes, to putting on a coat, to cutting their meat.  It is the first sign of independence.  When they are little, we are anxious to get a little relief from doing everything for them and we welcome the independence except when it turns into the “terrible two’s”.  From there it is a short span into the teenage years.  The “ME do it “ attitude just grows as we age.  We are the “me” generation.  I deserve to be happy!  I deserve to have that flat screen TV!  I deserve to have 4 weeks vacation!  I deserve those benefits!

A far cry from most of our parents! 

Most of our parents just wanted an opportunity to put three meals on the table, a roof over our heads and one car in the garage.  They were not of the mindset that they deserved anything!

This change in attitude originated in the 60’s and summed up in Frank Sinatra song, “I Did It My Way”.

And now, the end is near
And so I face the final curtain
My friend, I’ll say it clear
I’ll state my case, of which I’m certain

I’ve lived a life that’s full
I’ve traveled each and every highway
and more, much more than this
I did it my way

Regrets, I’ve had a few
But then again, too few to mention
I did what I had to do
and saw it through without exemption

I planned each charted course
each careful step along the byway
but more, much more than this
I did it my way

Yes, there were times, I’m sure you knew
When I bit off more than I could chew
But through it all, when there was doubt
I ate it up and spit it out
I faced it all and I stood tall
And did it my way

I’ve loved, I’ve laughed and cried
I’ve had my fill; my share of losing
and now, as tears subside
I find it all so amusing

To think I did all that
and may I say – not in a shy way
No, oh no not me
I did it my way

For what is a man, what has he got?
If not himself, then he has naught
to say the things he truly feels
and not the words of one who kneels
the record shows I took the blows
and did it my way!

  Contrast this to the words of Jesus:

“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. ¹ Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. Matthew 7:13-14

“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. John 14:6

Yesterday I related to you my desire that each of you reading this blog join me on this journey, which will re-unite us together in heaven.  The first step on this journey is to admit that I (we) can’t do it my (our) way.

It really is “His way” or “the highway”!

“Our way” is the highway that leads to an eternal living hell!  “His way” end/starts in eternal living in heaven with HIM!

Which will it be?

Family pics from home

 Eric, Kyle, Jared, Linda, Merle

 Brenda, Eric, Jade, Lachan

Kyle, Kaleb, Danielle, Gracie

 

 

 

 

We are back!.  Back in sunny Florida!  I have not blogged for a couple weeks; but I'm back in relax mode, so I will pick up where I left off tomorrow.  Just wanted to send a few pics of our family.  They are the reason I blog.  Everyone else is invited along for the ride.

They are our legacy!  They are what we leave behind when we leave this ball called "earth".  We will re-unite with them in heaven.  We want all of you to come with us! That is the sole reason for this blog!

Happy New Year!
Merle and Linda

Speechless

The last few blogs we have talked about spiritual warfare and specifically talking to Satan.  Many are thinking, I don’t know what I'd say if I ever did talk to him.  Well, let me tell you, you are talking to him everyday.  Now you may not be addressing him directly; but he or one of his demons are listening to and watching you.  Most of us don’t think about this; but, the author of Job tells us when God asked Satan, “What have you been up to?”  Satan answered God, “Going here and there, checking things out on earth.”

Most of us would acknowledge that God is watching us all the time, even if we don’t act like it; but never consider that Satan is also watching and listening.  Most of us have thought, at least once in our lifetime, “Is God listening to my prayers?”  God is listening to you even when you are not praying, why would He not hear you when you pray? 

“every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.”

Satan is also listening.  Since he is listening, why don’t you give him an earful?   You ask, “What do you mean?”   If he, Satan, is eaves dropping, give him something that he can not stand, THE WORD of GOD.  When you pray, pray the Word.

I can think of at least three good reasons to pray the Word:

1.    Satan cannot stand up to it, The Word wins every time! “The sower sows the word. And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts.”

2.    God’s Word is His will.  If you pray the Word, you will be praying according to God’s will.

3.    It is always effective. For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

When you can’t think of anything to say in that awkward time of silence, speak the Word!  When Satan attacks, speak the Word!  When you don’t know what to pray, pray the Word!  When you think Satan is listening, speak the Word!

In short, when is doubt, speak the Word!

Don’t stand there looking stupid, speak the Word!

You are now engaged in “spiritual warfare”!

We Don’t Do That In Our Church!

After my last blog, I’m sure many of you are saying or thinking, We Don’t Do That In Our Church!  We don’t talk to Satan or his demons.  Well, let me tell you something, you may not be talking to him, but he IS listening to you.  If you think that if you can just ignore him, you are dead wrong! 

Jesus could not ignore Satan.  What makes you think you can?

Satan talked to Jesus in the wilderness and said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”

What did Jesus do?

He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”

Three times Satan spoke and three times Jesus answered back.

Three times Jesus answered back with scripture.

In Matthew Jesus rebuked His disciples when they could not heal a little boy: “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me.”

After Jesus finished rebuking the disciples, He “rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour.”

Demons talked to Paul:

 “Now it happened, as we went to prayer, that a certain slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much profit by fortune-telling. ¹⁷This girl followed Paul and us, and cried out, saying, “These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation.” ¹⁸And this she did for many days.

AND

“Paul, greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And he came out that very hour.” (Act 16:16-18)

I don’t find any scriptural basis to think that Satan’s mode of operation has changed since then. AND, I know Jesus has not changed.

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and to-day, yea and for ever.” SO “be not carried away by divers and strange teachings”.

MAYBE,

It’s time you started imitating Jesus, like Paul did!

After all, We are His body!

Can You Hear Me Now?

Most of you recognize this phrase from the Verizon commercial in which the guy goes around with his cell phone, repeating this phrase checking if the parson on the other end can hear him.  The point of the commercial is that wherever he goes, he has cell phone reception with Verizon.  Most of us with cell phones have used this phrase since having our first cell phone, moving around the house or walking outside to get better reception while on the phone.

 Why do I bring this up?  We have been talking about putting on “the whole armor of God”.  Many of you may have been asking; OK, I’m a Christian; but how do I “put on the whole armor of God”.  My parents taught me how to tie my shoes, get them on the right foot, button my shirt, put on my jacket, tie a tie, all the things that go with getting dressed; but nobody has told me how to “put on the whole armor of God”.

I think we have, but it either it did not register with us or we were not observant enough to know what was going on.  I will definitely say that is not taught in many churches.  We were blessed to have been taught this years ago and I want to share it with you.

Part of the problem is that we do not recognize what things are the result of Satan.  If you have ever read through New Testament you have been taught how to “put on the whole armor of God”.   You may not have recognized it as such; but you were taught it.  Jesus and the apostles demonstrated the “putting on”, use, application and wearing of the armor, multiple time.  How, you ask.

Start by looking for times when Jesus or His disciples confronted or talked about: Satan, the devil, demons, or evil spirits.  Examine closely what they did and/or said.  (Reminder, you will never find something if you are never looking for it.)  Every time Jesus or His disciples confronted them, He spoke to them.  He also tells us to bind things on earth; and, then they will be bound in heaven.  What is there to bind, other than Satan and his cohorts?  They talked to, or at Satan and his cohorts. 

Obviously, part of wearing this armor involves the tongue.  Nowhere will you find that they did this by just “thinking” the command. 

God is omniscient, all knowing.  Satan is not.  God knows your thoughts.  I cannot find anywhere where Satan has the ability to read your mind.  He can put thoughts into your mind; but I cannot find support for his ability to read what you are thinking.  Satan, however, is very observant.  Look at the book of Job and you will see this.  Satan listens and watches.

To summarize, “putting on”, wearing, using and spiritual warfare requires recognizing how Satan operates, when he is operating, what events or things are caused or influenced by him and then speaking to him and/or his demons.  If you proclaim to be a follower of Christ, wanting to become more like Him and to carry on His work, you must be willing to operate like He did.  His disciples had to.  Are you any different?

“Put on the whole amour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. ¹²For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. ¹³Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”

You can try to do it some other way; BUT you will not STAND!

Stand up; stand up for Jesus, ye soldiers of the cross!

Satan has to obey when God speaks! 

Clue to “spiritual warfare”, SPEAK the WORD of God.

Satan can stand up to you; BUT he cannot stand up to the WORD!

CAN SATAN HEAR YOU NOW?

It’s All Greek To Me!

I’m not a Greek scholar; but, I did stay in a Holiday Inn last night. Naw! That’s not true either.  I do, however, know what a concordance and a Lexicon are.  And, I also find it fun and helpful to use them.  In doing today’s blog, I started by looking online to see what the definition of “whole” was according to Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster defines “whole” as:

         -Free of defect or impairment (intact)

         -Having all its proper parts or components (complete unmodified)        

         -All of the …..

         -Constituting an undivided unit (entire)

         -Total

         -Directed to one end (concentrated)

         -Very great in quantity, extent or scope.

I thought this very helpful when considering Paul’s instruction/command to the church of Ephesians:

“Put on the whole armour of God” (Ephesians 6:11).

Then it dawned on me, I wonder what the Greek word for “whole" meant.  I went to my trusty, http://www.biblestudytools.com.

I found that there were multiple words for “whole” used in the New Testament.  Strangely, none of them were found in Ephesians 6:11.  In fact only a single word, “Panoplioa” was translated into the English for the phrase “whole armor”.  (If there are any Greek scholars reading this, I welcome your input at this point).  According to my lexicon this single word refers to a full, complete armor, a suit of armor, if you will.

Again, as I mentioned in an earlier blog, most of the known world was ruled by the Romans, at the time this letter was written.  For the average person reading this letter, they comprehended what this meant; yet, the Holy Spirit deemed it necessary to elaborate on what was included in this suit.  You think, maybe He knew that 2000 years later, the average person reading Ephesians 6:11, would not have the slightest image of what this meant.  I think that is very possible, as well as probable.  Plus,since the suit of armor had many components, He did not want us to forget to put them all on.  Unless they are all “put on”, the suit is not complete, sort-of-like a tux without a cummerbund, only much more important.

I, for one am glad that the translators saw fit to add the word “whole”.

I need all the extra instructions that I can use!  When we are young, our parents dressed us and as we got older we took more of the responsibility.   By the time we became teenagers, we knew it all.  As we become senior citizens, we realize that one of the reasons God gave us spouses, is so that they can help us, sort-of-like substitute parents. If we live long enough to end up in a nursing home, someone else dresses us.  I can’t give a complete scriptural basis to think that God’s armor works the same way; but I do know that little children have a special value to God and that their angels are ever in the presence of God.  Jesus said:

“Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, that in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 18:10

I know this definitely refers to little children in age physically; but I tend to believe that babes in Christ are special.  God, however, never intended us to stay babies.  That is why Paul sets the stage for Ephesians 6 in Ephesians 1.  He makes it clear that he is talking to mature Christians.  Part of maturing is putting on the “whole armor of God”. 

 Get up!  Get dressed! “Put on the whole armor of God”!

YOU”RE NOT A BABY ANYMORE!

Your New Birthday Suit

Yesterday I talked about the “Emperor Has No Clothes”.  Today I want to talk about our birthday suit in relation to “the armor of God”.

The writer of Ecclesiastes, in bemoaning the futility of man’s wealth, writes:

“ He arrived naked from the womb of his mother;

   He’ll leave in the same condition—with nothing.”

I realize that the writer of Ecclesiastes, Solomon, was the wisest man that ever lived; but, most people, regardless of whether they have ever read Ecclesiastes 5:15, knows this fact; even though they may not live like they know it.  Everyone knows about his or her birthday suit, especially as we get older; we realize that it is not made out of Perma-press.  As we get older, we also become more aware of our mortality; and, whether we like it or not, this suit is wearing thin!

There is another birthday suit that all Christians are given when they are born again.  It is a full set of clothes than covers us completely.  It is not like the clothes that God clothed Adam and Eve with after they sinned. 

“God made leather clothing for Adam and his wife and dressed them. “

Those were a temporary covering, symbolically covering the nakedness as a result of their sin.

The clothes that God gives us at the time of our accepting His Son, Jesus, are permanent.  They are the garments of Salvation spoken of by the prophet in Isaiah 61:10:

       “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord,

        My soul shall be joyful in my God;

        For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation,

        He has covered me with the robe of righteousness.”

ALL Christians have on these clothes, regardless of whether they are aware of it or not.  IT IS automatic by virtue of their right standing with the Father.  This is completely different than the “armor of God” that we talked about in my last blog. 

As we continue talking about “armor of God”, it is important to distinguish the two.

If you are a Christian, you are not naked, you are clothed with the “garments of Salvation”.  This is our new birthday suit.  The “garments of Salvation” are sort-of-like the undergarments for the armor.  The “armor of God” must be put on over “the garments of Salvation”.

If you are reading this blog and have not accepted Christ as your Savior and Lord, the armor of God will not fit.  At this time of year, Christ in the manger, is in every nativity scene; but a Christ apart from the cross is meaningless.  The Christ of Bethlehem was born to die.  It is meaningless to celebrate Christmas without the cross!  It is meaningless to celebrate Christmas without the resurrection.  The birth of a baby was and is not unique.  The cross was not unique to Christ.  Many people died on crosses, only one person however arose from the dead!  Jesus, the Savior Christ, the Anointed one!

Celebrate the One who bought “the garments of Salvation” for us with His blood, the ultimate Christmas gift.  When we open gifts this Christmas, keep in mind the original Christmas present.  A Heavenly Father gave His Son to die, so He could give us a new birthday suit!