Featured

Like A Thief In The Night

One night a thief broke into a house he thought was abandoned. As he walked then the darkened house with a flashlight he heard a voice from the kitchen that said, “Jesus is watching you.’ He stopped and said, “who’s there?” There was no answer so he thought he must have imagined it. But after he took a few more steps, the voice said again, “Jesus is watching you.” He decided to walk toward the voice, just before he entered the kitchen, he heard it again, “Jesus is watching you.” He swung the flashlight up and saw a parrot talking in a cage. The parrot said, Jesus is watching you.” The their turned flipped on the kitchen light and said, “Why you’re just a dumb bird.” The he looked in the corner of the room and seen a huge Rottweiler couching. And the parrot said “Get him Jesus.”

You might think it’s strange that Jesus would compare Himself to a thief. Of course, Jesus isn’t identifying with the sin of stealing. But just a good thief (that’s a oxymoron).that tries to sneak in quickly and quietly and escape with His people. That’s an accurate description of how Jesus will rapture His church.

We should all be living as if Jesus was crucified yesterday; raised from the dead this morning, and is coming back this afternoon.

1 Thessalonians 5: 1-4 tells us, “But concerning the times and the seasons, you have no need that anything be written to you. For you yourselves know that the day of the Lord comes like a thief in the night. For when they are saying, “Peace and safety,” then sudden destruction will come to then, like birth pains on a pregnant woman; and they will in no way escape.

We should know these 4 things

1. Jesus will return, But we don’t know the exact day.

Can you imagine a thief sending you a text or email saying, “Just wanted to know that I’m coming to rob your house tonight.” Of course not. Thief’s don’t announce when they’re coming. They sneak in and out.

When I was growing up my Dad used to do military funerals when a soldier or veteran would pass away. My father would keep all the guns in his closet. One night when no one was home the house was broken into and all the M16 rifles were stolen. He was very upset because they trusted him with these rifles. For a long time there would be someone home, or a neighbor would be watching the house.

Jesus told us to keep watch, because you don’t know on what day the Lord will come. We need to understand, if the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and not let the house be broken into. So we must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you don’t expect him (Matthew 24:42-44),

There have been times throughout history when many people expected Jesus to return. We use the Gregorian calendar now, but when the Julian calendar turned from year 999 to the year 1000, people expected Jesus to come for a new millennium, the same was true in the year 2000. People were on their best behavior, In the year 1000 history says that worldly goods were sold and money was given to the poor. Prisoners were set free, and many traveled to Israel to wait for Jesus’s return,

In the second and third chapter of Revelation, Jesus gives messages to the 7 churches, which represent all churches of all time. When He wrote to the church at Philadelphia, He says, “Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I also will keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth” (Revelation3:10).

In Luke 17 Jesus compares His return to a couple of Old Testament events. “Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the dat Noah entered the ark. Then the flood cane and destroyed them all. It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating, drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and suffer rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. It will be just like this on the day the Son Of Man is revealed (Luke 17:26-30).

Are You Ready?

Which Relationship Has Taught Me The Most About Myself

Which relationship has taught you the most about yourself? One relationship that has taught me the most about myself is my relationship with Jesus. He hasn’t only taught me about myself, but also about my life and Himself.

What He has taught me about myself:
  1.  Grace is the hardest to give to myself.
  2. My failure, past, or accomplishments do not define me.
  3. I am a chronic overthinker. It only acts as a form of worry or anxiety and crowds out trusting God.
  4. Laughing at myself is necessary for my sanity.
  5. When people really upset me, I can be sarcastic to protect my vulnerabilities or create an emotional shield.

What He has taught me about life:

  1. Life can completely change in an instant.
  2. Nature is the most peaceful place to get your thoughts together 
  3. Life will present me with obstacles, and it’s up to me how I react, face, and navigate them.
  4. There is nothing wrong with taking a different path from those around you or one that veers from the original plans, as long as we are letting God guide our steps.
  5. My disagreements can be solved by stepping into the shoes of the other person.

What God has taught me about Himself:

  1. He can deliver beautiful blessings through even the hardest of situations.
  2. Even when everything else disappears, He always remains.
  3. Our strength in hardships depends on how much we trust God.
  4. God does not call people who are equipped, He equips those whom He calls.
  5. He is my best friend, listener, and counselor that I could ever find.
  6. He gives me more than I can handle so I can only rely on Him.
  7. When He is our number one priority, everything else seems to fall into place.

Emotional Destruction: Self Pity

Self pity is a dangerous and quiet trap that turns our focus inward instead of upward.

I used to be a the trap of self pity, focusing only on my pain, and it made me feel like a helpless victim. It wasn’t until I asked God for help that I began to break myself free.

A person stuck in self-pity just complains. It looks like sadness, but maybe it’s just a form of pride. It says that our life should be easier, but I don’t want to work at it to make it better.

I believe that Satan uses self-pity to weaken our faith and steal our joy. When we feel sorry for ourselves, we stop trusting God’s plan for our life.

It blinds us to the many gifts God has given us.

It makes us ungrateful and bitter.

It separates us from friends, family and community because we pull away from everything.

It reaches our actions, so we cannot do any good work.

It is a mindset that rots away our spiritual health. And traps us in a dark pit of our own making.

When we choose gratitude over pity. We can defeat self-pity by turning our eyes upward to God. It is a blessing that destroys Satan’s plan.

Look upward instead of inward.

Healthy Eating Habits

What are your best healthy eating habits? I don’t know if a doctor would call my eating habits healthy. But I can stay at a healthy weight and have energy. In the morning I have to rush out the door.  I usually have a protein coffee I make at home not store-bought. On other days, I make a vegetable omelette with toast. Lunch is something small like mozzarella cheese and pepperoni slices. Dinner is meat, vegetables, and a starch. Then a walk. After dinner, it’s intermittent fasting. 

Healing From The Inside Out

Jesus taught that it isn’t what is outside of us that contaminate us, but it is what’s in our hearts. If we are going to heal, it must begin with our hearts. We have to change from the inside out. And that’s the hardest thing to do because, sometimes we spend so much time trying to bury our hurts, that we get so used to covering things up that we forget about them.

Jeremiah 17:9 tells us, “The heart is deceitful above all things and it is exceedingly corrupt. Who can know it?

We cannot change ourselves. Only the Spirit of God can change us. He changes us from the inside out.

The problem is that we will always be tempted to focus on our behaviors, and the more we do, the less we will focus on Jesus. It is by looking at Jesus with deep respect, wonder, and awe that we become changed. This means that the stronger our relationship is with Jesus the more we can trust Him, and the more He will be able to work in our lives to transform us.

We need to realize that our own agenda for our lives isn’t necessarily Jesus’s agenda. So we have to be patient and realize it changed that Jesus wants to work in us doesn’t happen overnight.

This transformation in our lives is what happens when we accept the gospel of Jesus Christ. Our were having made right with God to the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, then he sends the Holy Spirit into our lives.

Paul wrote in the Bible about how the Holy Spirit brings changed from the inside out and his letter to the Galatians.

“ But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. Against such things there is no law” -Galatians 5:22-23

That is what Jesus wants our lives to be like, and a person who is a child of God will become more loving, more peaceful, and more joyful. We will reflect more and more the love of God, which is selfless, pure, and kind.

From the beginning, God gave human beings worth by making us in His own image. But as a human being who rejected God instructions, we fell into sin, and since then we have failed to perfectly reflect the image of God. But Jesus sacrificed Himself to forgive us so we can be born again (saved). When we trust that Jesus is Lord, we can repent and be forgiven by God. Through Jesus, we are changed from the inside out, to reflect the image of God.

The only way to change from the inside out is to invite Jesus into our lives. Jesus can give us a soul makeover. True change has to come from the inside out.

Trust Your Creativity

Trust your God given Creativity. Exodus 31:3 tells us “God has filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all kinds of workmanship.” The unique and quirky ideas that pop in our heads are sparks from our creator. I believe we should not judge the first ideas and we should try. God has given us a specific flavor of creativity.

Our God given creativity is a reflection of our creator, who made us in His image, and it is meant to be nurtured and use for good works. Developing our creativity can bring glory to God and for real the unique purpose He has for us.

Our creativity is a divine gift, reflecting the image of God, the Creator. This inherent ability is not just a personal expression that serves as a greater purpose in fulfilling God‘s plan.

Stepping into our creativity helps us acknowledge our gifts, gives us a chance to explore an experiment, gives us a way to overcome self doubt, and seek inspiration.

Embracing our creativity helps refill God’s purpose by allowing us to reflect His image and bring goodness and beauty into the world.

We should always be looking for ways to integrate faith I’m creative ways.

Simple Like Hacks

What are some life hacks that you practice? My hacks have been in the kitchen. Making my own cream-based soup mix, beef and chicken bouillon, I can make large quantities that can last forever without all the chemicals. Along with mayonnaise it’s an egg and olive or avocado oil and ketchup is tomato paste, water, and vinegar. It’s something everyone already has on hand already. Simple kitchen hacks if you use a lot of these things. Grocery stores have gotten so expensive on these few things I have decided not to engage in there standards. It only takes a few minutes and I get a far better product for less money.

Karma

Do you believe in karma? Is it Karma or “Reaping what you sow.”  Galatians 6:7 describes the natural, moral consequences of human choices within an earthly, life-and-internal framework. 

There are key differences between karma and reaping what you sow. Karma often spans multiple lifetimes through reincarnation. Reaping what you sow focuses on natural, moral outcomes in your current life or eternal spiritual results.

Karma is a cosmic, force, and reaping what you sow is moral order. Karma operates as a bookkeeping system where you balance out positive or negative consequences yourself. Reaping what you sow operates under a personal God who oversees natural consequences, while offering grace and forgiveness rather than a strict cosmic payback. 

Karma can imply that a person’s current suffering or illness is deserved due while “to pass actions. And” suggests reaping what you sow that good and bad things happen to all people in a fallen world, faith in God provides mercy rather than an unforgiving ledger of deeds. I personally believe in reaping what you sow.

“Don’t be deceived. God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap” -Galatians 6:7

The Seven Spirits Of God

Cape Royal – Arizona

The seven spirits of God are the multifaceted work and presence of the Holy Spirit. Is connected to the sevenfold description of the Spirit in Isaiah and the symbolic imagery in Revelation.

There are seven attributes that are mentioned in Isaiah 11:2:

  • The Spirit of the Lord
  • The Spirit of Wisdom
  • The Spirit of understanding
  • The Spirit of Counsel
  • The Spirit of Might (Power and strength)
  • The Spirit of Knowledge
  • The Spirit of the Fear of The Lord

This seven fold spirit of the Lord symbolizes, the Holy Spirit’s perfection, completeness, and multifaceted power rather than seven distinct individual spirit.

These appear in the Bible in the book of Revelation.

Revelation 1:4 – John greet the seven churches with grace and peace from God, the seven spirits before His throne, and Jesus.

“ John, to the seven assemblies that are in Asia: grace, to you and peace, from God, who is and who was and who is to come and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne.”

Revelation 3:1 – Jesus is described as having the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars.

“And to the angel of the assembly in Sardis write: ‘He who has the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars says these things:’ I know your works, that you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead.”

Revelation 4:5 – seven lamps of fire burn before God‘s throne, identified as the seven Spirits of God.

“ Out of the thrones proceed lightings, sounds, and thunders. There were seven lamps of fire burning before his throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.”

Revelation 5:6 – A slaughter (slain) Lamb has seven horns and seven eyes, representing the seven Spirits of God sent into all the earth.

“ One of the elders said to me, Don’t weep. Behold, the Lion who is the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome, He who opens the book and its seven seals.”

The seven Spirits were sent by God and they rested on Jesus all His life. Luke 4:18 tells us that Jesus is telling people,

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because He had anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to heal the broken hearted, to proclaim release to the captives, recovering of sight to the blind, to deliver those who are crushed, and to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”

Romans 8:12 connect the life-giving power of the Holy Spirit inside believers directly to the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

“And if the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, the one who raised Christ from the dead will also make your mortal bodies alive through His Spirit, who is dwelling in you.”

There is immeasurable greatness of God’s power towards believers, which was worked in Jesus when God raised Him from the dead and seated Him above all rule and authority.

Writing What People Want To Read

How do you write what people actually want to read? I think not everyone will want to read everything I have to say. People can choose whether to read what I am writing or not. It all comes down to freedom to choose. I don’t write to make money or to prove myself. I write because it’s something I like to do, and that’s how I learn. I read or study something I’m interested in and share it. 

View all responses

Walking By The Spirit

Chaco National Park -New Mexico

We know we are called to live by the spirit and not the flesh, but what does it actually mean, and do we actually do it?

Romans 8:1 tells us, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Messiah Yeshua who don’t walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.”

That is such a hopeful verse. There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Messiah Yeshua). But how many of us are truly walking as if Jesus lives inside of us? Or are we still in bondage to our flesh that we fight?

Romans goes on to say, “For those who are living, according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. To be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnally minded is enmity against God, it is not subject to the law of God, nor can it be. Those who are of the flesh cannot please God. But if you are not in the flesh, but in the spirit, the Spirit of God, dwells in you. If we do not have the Spirit of Jesus, we are not His” Romans 5-11 (paraphrased).

To live in the Spirit is life and peace. But so often we settle for less. We define what our flesh actually means we have to know what the deeds of the flesh are.

  1. Sinful Passions – “For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were through the law worked in our members to bring out fruit of death” -Romans 7:5.
  2. All of these things – “Now the deeds of the flesh are obvious, which are adultery, sexual immorality, uncleanliness, lustfulness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, strife, jealousies, outbursts of anger, rivalries, division, heresies, envy, murder, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, that those who practice such things will not inherit God’s Kingdom” -Galatians 5:19-21.
  3. The Opposite of the fruits of the Spirit – The works of the flesh represent ungodly, behavior driven by human selfish nature rather than the Holy Spirit. It’s love vs hatred and selfishness, joy vs bitterness, peace vs anxiety and conflict.
  4. Being Carnally Minded – letting our minds wander into worry, fear, and anxiety. It’s not staying focused on the kingdom of heaven, but rather on our own needs and desires.
  5. Selfishness – “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom that is from above is pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace” -James 3:13-18.

I don’t know about you, but I have a lot of “flesh stuff” to work on. Because I fall into multiple categories of giving in to my flesh over my spirit. Thankfully there is hope when we have Jesus. And He doesn’t leave us alone to fight our flesh.

Our spirits and flesh are at war. If we want to win the war, our spirits must be louder than our flesh and we must put to death, the deeds of the flesh. Galatians 5:16-18 tells us, “Walk by the Spirit, and you won’t fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh, and these are contrary to one another, that you may not do the things that you desire. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.”

Many times Satan will tempt us to give in to our fleshly desires. It is important that we submit to God and resist Satan then he will flee from us. Jesus is the only way to walk this life because of the peace He gives us.

Denying our flesh isn’t easy, but we must follow Jesus’s ways if we want to enter the kingdom of heaven. We cannot fight flesh with flesh. John 3:36 says, “The Spirit alone gives life, human effort accomplishes nothing.” Our flesh isn’t weak, so we must stay strong in the Spirit.

The evidence of the Spirit in our lives will be the fruit of our lives. Something that we as well as others will be able to see.

A Spontaneous Thing

What’s the most spontaneous thing you’ve ever done?  I have made calculated choices for years. But a few of them weren’t so calculated, like going zip lining on a weekend road trip or starting this blog. I classify myself as a perfectionist. I need a detailed blueprint before embarking on anything new. If you had asked me the day before I went zip lining I would’ve said “Nope” It’s too dangerous, flying through the air with a harness and a tether, is something I would ever thinking about. 

The same went for this blog; I thought I wouldn’t have anything to say that anyone would care about. I didn’t know how to get set up to even do this, and it needed to be polished to perfection. With my usual wall of overthinking, I crumbled and decided that if I could help one person I would be worth it. And if I let my mind overthink it, I would never do it. The decision was born from a desire to help someone not make the same mistakes I did in life. And putting my knowledge of how I  live for God there. Every day I am overwhelmed that people even read my blog. 

The Root Of Bitterness

Huntington Canyon -Utah

“Looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God, lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled” -Hebrews 12:15

Bitterness is known in the Bible as spiritual poison by which many are defiled. It is a source of countless spiritual and physical problems in millions of lives.

Bitterness can be tricky to recognize because it isn’t a symptom or visible on the surface like anger usually is. From personal experience, I suffered from it for over 20 years and never realized it had taken hold of me. I was diagnosed by doctors with many physical problems. Yet surprisingly after I chose to get rid of the bitterness I was healed. I began to heal my heart of years of anguish.

Bitterness is an underlying problem that doesn’t always manifest on the outside, but dwells in one’s head and heart.

Bitterness is a root.

A root is like a bubbling fountain that is lying under the surface. Roots do not directly manifest or make themselves known, but are a source of fuel for other elements that are on the surface. You don’t always see the plant showing off its roots because it wouldn’t survive. A root’s job is not to be seen on the surface, but it grows underground and fuels things where we cañnot see.

Bitterness shows up in a person’s soul. It’s a hidden element that lies deep inside of us and festers. It slowly gets us upset over things another person is doing around us. It waits to fuel something that is on the surface.

Countless people have bitterness about something. The trauma gets to them and leaves them in bondage because of hurts that were done to them many years ago. That’s how Satan gets a stronghold on us and begins to thrive.

Because bitterness is a root, it’s hard to identify and expose our surface issues. We will suffer until we choose to release it. If bitterness is left alone , it can grow and fester, as the ability to bring up many surface issues, such as irritability, anger, and hatred. People who have a root of bitterness will often find it easy to become upset or little things that go on around them. It becomes easy for them to look at their circumstances as the source of their problems, rather than seeing how they are handling those circumstances. Instead of letting go and forgiving, they let it devour them alive. Bitterness is a very common route by which Satan enters people today.

Due to the nature of bottle of feelings and emotions, bitterness is not always made noticeable on the surface.

Ephesians 5:13 tells us “But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, and everything that is illuminated becomes a light.” I think this verse emphasizes the importance of bringing hidden emotions into the light for healing and understanding. Every hidden emotion can lead to emotional healing and clarity.

If there is a root of bitterness in us it needs to be cut off and removed from our soul. We need to choose to release all the hurt and bottled-up feelings inside of us, and repent for holding that poison in us.

The root cause of bitterness is unresolved emotional pain, particularly when it’s tied to injustice, betrayal, or unmet expectations that one feels powerless to change.

Bitterness is a means of defilement and many sicknesses and diseases.