Truth....or is it Deception?

How do you know what is truth and what is deception?  Does it take the very wise?  The very learned?  Only those with great knowledge?  It does not.

Whenever Satan speaks it is based upon his character which is that of the "father of lies."  He cleverly holds forth great pleasures and withholds the consequences. The ultimate in false advertising.

Lies are a perversion of God's truth.  Promises never delivered.

We think we are oh so strong and can resist where others fail.  We won't fall into the same trap as others.  But we do.  We tiptoe into the lie thinking we will just wade a bit.  Next thing you know, we are fully drowning as the lie has become a weight we can't free ourselves from.

Freedom is more easily found than the enemy would have us believe.  1 Peter 4:7  "Serious and disciplined in prayer".  We are not strong enough to stand against his deceptions unless we're on our knees, staying instructed in what is actually true.

The lies are not so outrageous as to be scoffed at or pushed aside so easily.  Rather, the lies are fed by the insecurities that the world dishes out daily.  He lies about God's goodness, the Bible's trustworthiness, who you really are, and what is morally right and wrong.  He uses lies to puff you up in pride or condemn you to the depths of depression.  (italics mine)

You see, God did not promise us a leisurely stroll through golden sunshine streaming down upon a field of sunflowers.
God did promise that in this world you will have troubles.  (John 16:33) God knows that darkness hates the light and when His light lives in you, you will be hated for His sake.

But take heart!!  We are also promised that we will not be tempted beyond what we can endure and that God is faithful to provide a way of escape so that we may bear it. (1 Corinthians 10:13)

How easily I forget that!!!  I feel all alone, so beset upon, that no one could possibly know the depth of my hurt and anguish.  So silly of me.  Each of us is carrying a burden.  Each of us knows pain like a close friend.

So I have found myself vacillating between puffed up pride and the depths of depression.  A place that not only does God not desire for me but also never intended for me.  It is like an insidious little worm that makes its way into your heart to take your heart, your thoughts, and your commitment off of God and place it on self.

So forgive me Father for all the times I look at me, me, me and not keep my focus on You, the great author of Truth!

Let's join hands and get back on the path that God has called each of us to, let's lift each other when we stumble, keep our focus on the One True God, and praise Him as we walk along until we reach our home.

Much love for each of you my friends.....

Distractions or Destruction???

Just Breathe....       Johnny Diaz

"Alarm clock screaming bare feet hit the floor
It’s off to the races everybody out the door
I’m feeling like I’m falling behind, it’s a crazy life
Ninety miles an hour going fast as I can
Trying to push a little harder trying to get the upper hand
So much to do in so little time, it’s a crazy life
It’s ready, set, go it’s another wild day..."

Sad to say, this is typical of my day, your day, the day that most of us live.  Day in, day out, Monday through Sunday this has become our lives.

Not only has this become our lives but this lifestyle has been exalted.  To be "busy" has become equal to a status of success, power, prominence, and more. In other words, it is lauded as something to be achieved.

But is it really?  Is it really all that?  I say no!!  I am too busy for a chat with a friend.  Too busy to acknowledge a child.  Too busy to share a laugh.  Too busy to comfort another.  Business is not a sign of achievement but rather a fore-shadowing of destruction to come.

You see, there is nothing the enemy loves more than to have us so busy (even on good and worthwhile things) that we have nothing left to give anyone most especially our God, our church, our families.

Perhaps it is time to put on the brakes, remember that God designed all of humanity for relationship.  Relationship with Him and relationship with others.

So I will ask you the same question that was asked of me this week.....

   To whom or what are you giving the best of your energy and strength?  

The simple truth is that if I have no energy left to serve God, then I am not walking in the covenant relationship that I have been called to.  My first love.  My greatest love.

So as you enter the work place, start the day with your young children, minister to your family, or prepare to lead your church..... Take time to JUST BREATHE.  Remember that God loves you and chose you and that our best energy and strength belong to Him first.

Johnny Diaz...

When the stress is on the rise in my heart I feel You say just

(chorus)
Breathe, just breathe
Come and rest at My feet
And be, just be
Chaos calls but all you really need
Is to just breathe

So if you haven't listened to this wonderful song, grab YouTube and take a moment to be reminded of how God longs to breathe into our souls the words of life which prepare us for each step of every day.

Keep walking my friends and never forget that Faith wears Boots and walks the road that God has laid out.

much love...

Katrina

Poor Choices and Grace

I must enjoy the consequences that come from being hard headed and impatient.  :D  Said no one ever and least of all me!  But I have decided there must be truth in this as I am prone to stumbling more often than I care to in these two particular areas most of all.

In the not so distant past, I made a choice.  It turned out to be a poor choice.  (Don't you just hate those!)  The ensuing results were long and many and quite painful.

But you know what?  God is so very faithful that he doesn't leave me in such a place without doing two things.  Teaching me another lesson of what is missing in my growth in Him and as a person as well as giving me a great measure of grace to persevere to the end of that road.

The most recent lesson.  Well that lesson would be about how often I extend grace and mercy to those who have hurt or offended me.  I am just as guilty as the next person and I just love to put on those rose colored glasses when examining myself or my life but I have found that in the quiet moments of the morning, God does His best work when I lay the ugly out, acknowledge it, experience true heartbreak over the wrongness of it, and then turn and walk away never to return.

Those are the moments when God comes in with His grace, covers me with His blood, and as He holds me, shows me how I have not extended His mercy and grace to others.  The lesson isn't always pleasant but it ALWAYS is for my benefit and shows me once more how very much He cares for me. God doesn't always take away the consequences of our actions, but He does give us strength to endure, grace to share with others, and a way of escape with the time is come.

We are all going to do wrong yet still we are called to love others as God has loved us.  This must be forefront of my heart and mind when walking the road of life with those around me.  None of us are perfect, all of us are longing to be loved, and we all are in need of mercy and grace.

Happy travels my friend and try to take a lesson from me and steer clear of hard headed impatience!

:D

Your sister sojourner......

When You Can't See Jesus.....

Ever have someone make a statement in your presence and it haunts you for days after?  That would be a great synopsis of my week thus far.

I was in a study group listening to the leader and a statement was shared that a well known leader had said.  The words were so profound, I just sat in stunned silence. Yes, I realize the magnitude of that alone!

When you are speaking with others and a remark similar to this is made, "how do you believe in someone you can't see?" we should be able to respond "when you have seen me, you have seen Jesus."

Well I don't know about you, but those are the last words that would come out of my mouth!  You might wonder why.  It isn't because of a lack of belief, or love of my Savior, or lack of a desire to share His glories with others.  It is simply because I am fully aware that all to often it is not Jesus that comes flowing out of my mouth.

As I sat there and contemplated what it would take to be able to stand in front of another and make such a bold statement my mind immediately raced to good works, kind words, etc etc.  But do you know what God revealed to me?  It isn't those things.  It is daily humbling myself before the throne, being obedient to lay aside my will, and then to put on His robe of righteousness that is the gift He gives to all believers.

In other words, it is stopping up my ears so that I don't listen to the lies of all that I am not and instead, opening my heart and allowing all that God says I am to live and bloom in me.  The statement "if you have seen me you have seen Christ" is not a boast of any good that is in me but is instead the sharing of the profound abundance of mercy and grace that is ours through our relationship with Christ Jesus.

So as we start this day, let us all be reminded of just who we are in Christ, how He sees us, and then lets extend that grace and mercy to all those around us!

Have a great morning and be blessed my friends!