Beauty in your life- change your thoughts for a positive outlook
What foods would you like to make?
Foods that I like to make are things like steak sandwiches, stir-fried meals, and tacos, and I love a good chili with form bread.
But I really enjoy baking the most. I have friends who call me and ask me to bake cookies or make them fudge for them. Most people stress during the holidays about all the baking they have to do. But that’s my favorite part. It’s something that helps me de-stress.
What’s happened to the fear of God, so many are living as if there is no God, so what happens when the fear of God is missing?
The fear of God is not completely understood by those outside the church. The fear of God is not a fear of being struck down by God when you sin or having the dread of hell hanging over your head, although that is a real fear for nonbelievers, but rather, the fear of God is a deep, holy, reverential respect and awe of God, for God’s Word, and for obeying God’s commands. Believers don’t obey God out of fear, but out of love, the fear of God is living in obedience to God. Solomon wrote,
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, fools despise wisdom and instruction” -Proverbs 1:7
Fearing God is hating sin, as Solomon writes,
“The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and prevented speech I hate“ -Proverbs 8 13
Believers should not be living in fear of God’s judgment because they have their sins paid for by Jesus. The wrath of God that was our due has been placed on Jesus instead of us. This means there is no more fear of God’s wrath if you believe.
In John 4:18 John wrote,
“There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear had to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love”
Someone who follows Jesus should not fear God’s punishment because Jesus has taken it upon Himself as our punishment for sin.
“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” – Romans 8:1
So, what is there to fear? As for nonbelievers, Paul wrote,
“There is no fear of God before their eyes” -Romans 3:18
And what happens when there is no fear of God in the land? Paul writes,
“Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive. The poison of vipers is under their lips. Their mouth is full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood. Destruction and misery are in their ways. The way of peace, they haven’t known” -Romans 3:13-17
Doesn’t that sound like the world we are living in today?
When sin increases, it is because there’s no fear of God in the land or people’s hearts, and where there is no fear of God, there is no limit to evil. In Noah’s days, the earth had grown so wicked that God had to begin again, with Noah and his family since,
“The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of man’s heart was continually only evil” -Genesis 6:5
In other words they spent all their time inventing new ways to sin, so it’s no wonder that,
“The earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence. And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on earth” -Genesis 6:11-12
There was no fear of God at all. They rejected Noah’s preaching and as a result, they all perished. Jesus told the crowd in Luke 13:3 “Unless you repent, you will likewise perish.” Where there ifear of God is, no good is to be expected.
In Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 Solomon’s summary of the whole book says,
3”The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every work into judgment, with every hidden thing, whether it is good, or whether it is evil.”
Fearing man is a stumbling block, but fearing God is the wisest thing you could do. Jesus tells us who to fear and said,
“Do not fear those who kill the body but can not kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell“ –Matthew 10:28
And scripture tells us in Hebrews 10:31,
“It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”
If we trust in Jesus, we never have to worry about fear again.
If we look at the world we can see there is no shortage of sin. If people do not fear God, than its anything goes.
“Because sentence against evil work in not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons (and daughters) of men is fully set in them to do evil“ -Ecclesiastes 8:11
The world my children know is very different from the world I grew up in. There is no denying that American has become a highly sexualized culture that permeates everything. Greed, selfishness, and self indulgence also run rampant.
It seems that everywhere we look in society morals and values have shifted dramatically away from God’s standards. Almost every day there’s another story in the news that demonstrates an ongoing clash between the world’s values and God’s standard.
Sometimes it is easier for me to live by God’s standards if I remove myself from the influence of the world. But I know there is one big problem with that. In doing so, I also remove the influence of Christ from the world. Jesus calls believers to go out into the world and take the gospel with them, and not hunker down in a holy bunker. Jesus said,
“I have given them Your Word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world. I do not pray that You take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by your truth. Your Word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world” -John 17:14-18
The hardest road to walk is living by God’s standard out in the world. But God promised that through His divine powers. He has given us everything we need for life and godliness.
“Seeing that His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and virtue” -1 Peter 1:3
With discipline intentionally and constantly depending on the Holy Spirit we can live lives that please God, and honor Jesus.
There are always those believers that simply throw up their hands without even trying to live by God’s standards, and straddle the fence.
At times we all compromise and think God’s ways are “too hard” or “too boring” or just “too weird” compared to the world.
Why do followers of Jesus sometimes follow the world, the simplest answer is because we are human. But I believe there are a few reasons,
1. It’s easy to indulge our own desires. We have sinful desires and sometimes we give in to them.
2. We have ignorance of God’s Word. Sometimes believers live like the world in one or more areas simply because they don’t know God’s standard. God calls believers to,
“Not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance, but be holy in all we do“ -1Peter 1:13-15
Thankfully we can learn since we have full access to His Word. God’s truth always trumps culture every time.
3. Fear of being labeled is another reason we compromise. Sometimes believers worry more about what the world will think of them, than what God thinks of them. They don’t want to be considered a “bigot” or “self-righteous. They don’t want to stand out in a crowd. So they compromise to fit in.
Dogs or cats?
I can truly tell you o have never met an animal that I didn’t like. Dogs, cats, birds, lizards, rats -the list goes on and on. I love animals. the only thing I really don’t care for at spiders. But, I’ve been known to get a spider and take it outside and let it go, knowing that it might work itself back in my house.
In a book I read, “Highly Sensitive Person,” it said that sensitive people have a spiritual connection to connect deeply with other life forms. Animals are pure souls.
I was attacked by a dog about 3 years ago, I almost destroyed to top of my hand, before I could get away. I didn’t think ill of the dog, but the owner who had no control over his dog scared me.
A child of God has two marks about them. He is known for his inward warfare and inward peace -Warfare and peace. They are children in God’s home and a soldier in their Savior’s war.
When I was saved by God, I had no idea I was walking into war. At first, I felt like I was on top of the world. Finally, my battle was over, I was awakened to Jesus, safe from sin, and headed to heaven. But soon I was in a fight I wasn’t ready for.
With a conflict within me, I never felt such inner division. My soul was at peace yet because of my flesh my body became a field of war. The battle lines were drawn. And the more I tried to kill sin, the more I seemed to discover hidden pockets of sin, sin that was subtle and camouflaged crawling to the surface. It felt like my peace was under siege.
The same gospel that brings peace with God brings war with sin.
Something must be wrong, I thought. Surely a Christian wouldn’t face darkness this black, or division this deep. I struggled for a long time with my dark thoughts and sin. Trying to get rid of the ones I had embraced for years was no easy task. Every day was an up hill battle. I felt as if satan had taken over my body. I cried and felt hopeless a lot. I also repented a lot. Every sin, every temptation that came to the surface I asked for God to forgive me.
One day I told satan he was not going to win the fight. What was going on inside of me proved with arresting intensity was what true Christianity is. I realized that there is no holiness without warfare. Saved souls will always be found to have fought a fight.
The same gospel that brings peace with God brings war with sin. As to say, Jesus is Lord and sin is not. To follow Jesus is to walk in high-handed rebellion against satan. The same Spirit who wraps us with heavenly comfort also clads us with the armor of God.
For four years I felt like a civilian who had somehow walked into a battle, then I felt like a soldier deployed. My war was a normal war and a good one at that.
“For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, that you may not do the things that you desire.“ – Galatians 5:17
What could be more normal than for Christians to feel divided, split, and torn in our inner being? It’s a feeling of having two principles within us, contending for mastery. As long as we carry both Spirit and flesh, war will be normal.
I believe this is why we find in us such a strong pull not to pray when we know we need to pray. Or an aching longing to satisfy some craving, for food, drink, sex and entertainment that we know that we know we should refuse. There’s always a driving compulsion to lean on our own understanding rather than the Word of God.
“The presence of inner division and opposition does not mean we’ve lost, it means the war has begun” -J.C. Ryle
We should not be surprised in these moments, any more than an army should be surprised by an enemy attack. Instead, we should take courage, that we are not friends of satan.
The Christian fight is not just any ear, but the best war the world has ever known. We must settle in our minds that this is a good fight. While the battles sometimes beat us and we can feel tempted to despair. It is still a good fight that we will win in the end, because with God there is always victory.
In Micah 7:1 God assures us that He will tread down our foes. He has promised to strengthen us in the thickest parts of the battle.
“Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be dismissed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. Yes, I will help you. Yes, I will uphold you with the right hand of My righteousness“ – Isaiah 41:10
This battle we are in restores rather than ruins our humanity and,
“Puts to death therefore which are on the earth: sexual immorality, uncleanness, depraved passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry; for which things sake the wrath of God comes on the children of disobedience“ – Colossians 3:5-6
Its a good fight because we fight under, with and for Jesus. He is our great Captain and fellow Soldier who won us for Himself by dying for us, and who vows to never leave our side.
“…Behold I am with you always, even to the end of the age, Amen” – Matthew 28:20
Anyone who lives the life of a Christian soldier, Let him abide in Christ, get closer to Christ, and tighten their hold on Christ every day they live.
We must match forth under the banner “Christ is better,” unsurprised and undaunted by battle, swords drawn, against everything within us. And look to the day when the two great marks of the Christian become one, and the war gives way to Jesus’s endless peace.
Which activities make you lose track of time?
Writing makes me lose track of time. On numerous occasions, I have been waiting for my husband will come home from work and I realize I haven’t started supper for Him. He will laugh and shame his head. And tell me that he’s not on a time schedule. I know that be it’s important for me to have supper ready for him after he’s put in a long day at work.
I also lose track of time when I’m reading God’s Word. Learning what He has to teach me through Him and His Word.
I lose track of time when I get to spend time with my children. They are so precious to me, even though they are adults. Life is short and I know that when the good Lord calls your number your time is up. I never take those precious times for granted.
What bothers you and why?
There are some people who think their beliefs as 100% right. Which is fine. I believe that everyone has a right to believe whatever they want. But what bothers me the most is people trying to shove their beliefs down my throat.
If you don’t believe what you believe they call you names or tell you that you’re ignorant. Why can’t they accept that not everyone will accept their beliefs as truth? Why do they resort to name-calling and condemning and some times violence?
I think it comes down to a matter of trying to validate their own beliefs to themselves. It’s a mindset of “It’s not so much as I need other people to think I’m right, as I need other people to think I’m right.”
We live in a world today, where if you don’t believe what others believe, hate and violence ensue. Where unfortunately it seems a lot of people feel the need to validate their beliefs by getting others to believe them, and they can’t simply accept that others may have differing opinions.
We’ve probably heard about the Walls of Jericho and the Israelites. For Joshua and Israelite soldiers it seemed Jericho was impenetrable and impossible to overcome. However, Joshua led the soldiers to do what God had instructed. According to God’s promises and the Israelites being obedient. After 7 days of marching around Jericho the walls fell. I sure the people who lived in Jericho thought they were crazy. But Jericho fell in what led to an amazing victory for the Israelites by the power of God.
What lessons can we learn about Joshua the walls of Jericho, here are a few.
The walls of Jericho should have been impenetrable. What Joshua and the Israelites were up against may have seemed impossible. But they followed God anyway with full trust and hope in His promise and faithfulness that He would indeed fight for them to claim the land that was promised to them. We can rest assured that even if the path seems impossible, or is not what we expected when we prayerfully follow God’s plan for us, it will be worth every step of the way.
It’s crucial to leans on God and put your trust in Him, because that is when the impossible can happen.
God spoke to Joshua and Joshua listened. Because Joshua took the time to listen to God and seek His direction, he heard clearly from God what steps to take.
Today believers who spend time with God can use a valuable lesson about the importance of making the space to hear from God. When we stop and take time to listen, read scripture, spend time in prayer, be still, worship, and journal what we hear, we may hear from God and discern how the Holy Spirit guides our steps.
God did not instruct Joshua and his soldiers to storm the city upon arrival. He had meticulous steps for them to achieve that outcome of victory. God was very specific and purposeful in how He orchestrated the walls of Jericho falling, if God has done this for Joshua and the Israelites then we should have confidence that God makes purposeful plans for our lives.
The ups and downs of life may feel unexpected and catch us off guard, but God knows what’s coming and will make good out of all circumstances for those who love Him (Romans 8:28).
Joshua and his soldiers were not given permission by God to simply storm the city. The people of Jericho were fierce fighters God knew if they did that they would die. They had to wait 7 days. They marched, camped, and waited for God to move. Some were undeniably wondering if this was the best way to win the city when they had a proven military strategy. We may find ourselves thinking similar thoughts when it comes to waiting on God,
The answer comes to us in Isaiah 40:31, “Those who wait in the Lord will renew their strengths.” waiting on God deepens our faith, and increases our trust in Him, and while we wait with faith, God will certainly transform and renew us.
An example of this is. About 2 weeks ago I had some medical tests done. The doctor wanted to put me on a medication that had a lot of side effects. I told him I would let him know, and that I needed to think about it. I have prayed over this and didn’t feel like God was answering. So I kept asking about this in my prayers, yesterday I felt God speak to me and told me not to take the medicine.
The Israelites could have marched around the walls of Jericho a million times, they could have blown a thousand shofars, and they could have shouted until they lost their voices, but without God’s power, the walls of Jericho never would have fallen. We are no self-sufficient; we truly need God. We need God to win our battles, to empower us to love others, to overcome obstacles, and make a lasting impact on the world. We need God in our marriages, friendships, careers, and families.
If the Israelites had resisted the instructions given by God to Joshua, the walls of Jericho would have not come down. The Israelites would have lost and been forced out of the promised land. Their obedience to God mattered. This is still true today. Living according to God’s ways rather than our own ways, make a difference. We find encouragement from the narrative to be obedient to God and the assurance that obedience will result in blessing (Luke 11:28).
God promised the Israelites this land. The fall of the walls of Jericho is a great reminder that God fulfills what He promises. A lot of time passed between when God initially promised the land to the Israelites, and when they actually came to enter and claim that land. Regardless of how much time passes, God will always make good on His promises. We can trust that God is faithful to His promises and be at peace while we wait for a promise to come to pass.
I have been praying for God to make a way for me to see my son. Last week I was able to spend 3 days with him. We had not seen in other in 5 years.
Whatever your situation, let the fallen walls of Jericho remind you of God’s power and faithfulness that you can believe in and put your hope in.
List 10 things you know to be absolutely certain.
Sometimes we deliberately choose to ignore certain facts because they are difficult to accept. But there are some things we can’t run away from. Here are a few.
1. We are always replacable.
2. We all grow with time.
3. There is something higher than us.
4. We all experience feelings of frustration, disappointment, and sadness.
5. We can all change if we set our minds to it.
6. All human beings have something they’re passionate about,
7. Actions speak louder than words
8. Life has it’s own time wheel.
9. Love always conquers hate.
10. We are all interconnected
When was the last time you looked in a mirror? We probably look in one every day. Why do we look in a mirror? We use it to evaluate ourselves and then we do something about what we see. Such as comb or hair are straightening our clothes.
The Bible says that God’s Word is like a mirror,
“Anyone who listens to the Word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like” – James 1:23-24; Jacob 1-23-24 (MES)
Just as a mirror reflects what we look like on the outside, God’s Word reflects what we’re like on the inside.
“For the Word of God is living advice and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow and is able to discern the thoughts and intentions of the heart” – Hebrews 4:12
I think that’s why many people won’t read the Bible. They are afraid to look into the mirror of God’s Word and see themselves as they are.
But if you are ready to use God’s Word to build a relationship with Him the book of James gives 3 practical ways to do this. A relationship with God is what gets us into heaven, not man-made religion.
First, don’t read it casually, read it carefully. Be someone who looks intently into the perfect law (James 1:25). Don’t be like someone who has just glanced into a mirror, walked quickly away, and forgotten the details of what they’ve seen. God wants us to spend time gazing into the mirror of His Word.
Second, James tells us not to just look once into God’s Word, but to continue to do so. Go to His Word. Look at it over and over. Jesus told His disciples,
“If you abide in My word, My teachings and live in accordance with them, you are truly My disciples. And you will know the truth and the truth will set you free“ – John 8:31
Finally, James 1:25 talks about people who, after reading God’s Word, remember what they have read. Nothing will do more for your spiritual life than developing the habit of memorizing scripture.
Psalm 119:11 says,
“I have hidden your Word in my heart, that I might not sin against you”
A way to remember God’s Word is writing down what God teaches you. Hebrews 2:1 tells us,
“Therefore, we ought to pay greater attention to the things that were heard, lest perhaps we drift away.”
Next time God teaches you something during a sermon or your personal God time, write it down. Give it “earnest heed” so that it doesn’t slip away.
Be the person who gazes on God’s Word by reading, reviewing, and remembering it.
From Pity to Praise