Patience is a Virtue!

Life is not that hard because you did not get a lamp the day you wanted to get it, or get your hair and nails done when the budget says, “No”; but the ego says, “I want it!” Which one is more important?

God has told me in my heart, years ago, I was arrogant. I didn’t want to listen to advice, and I did what I wanted to do. I would get something in my head; and knowing the money wasn’t really there to purchase it, I would do it anyway (knowing I only had to wait maybe a month or two to get it)! A month or two is not that long, nor is 18 years if it’s not in God’s plan for me to have it. God has done a change in me over the years; and until I removed me out of the way, I was able to receive and accept the change! And what I mean by removing me out of the way is, stop being self centered, selfish, and “it’s all about me” attitude! Get over it and find someone to bless!

I can say, it did not take me long to understand it, when my checking account was continually overdrawn. Now, with God’s help, I have made some adjustments. I first pray about it, and then wait until God tells me the timing is right to have what it is I am wanting such as; an ongoing appointment at the hair salon, or lamps. I know numerous places you can get quality furniture at a very reasonable price – consignment shops, yard sales, and used furniture stores! Some of it will require some tweaking; however, you still come out better than buying new – and as mentioned above, 95% of it is of good quality! One other thing you probably didn’t think about either ~ you are recycling!

What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. James 4:2-3 NIV

Iron Sharpens Iron!

Football is not as complicated as many of us women think. I’ll give you some brief knowledge of how the team is formed. 

The offense is as follows:

Wide Receiver (WR) on the left, Wide Receiver (WR) on the right, Left tackle (LT), Left Guard (LG), Center (C), Right guard (RG), Right tackle (RT), Tight End (TE). Behind this line up is the Quarterback (Q) and behind him is the Full Back (FB) and Running back (RB)

The defense is as follows:

Cornerback (CB), Defensive End (DE), Defensive Tackle (DT), Defensive Tackle (DT), Defensive End (DE), and Cornerback (CB. These positions make up the front defensive line. Behind them are three Linebackers (LB) and behind the Linebackers are two Safety (S) players.

Basically the offense wants to score a touchdown and the defense’s job is to stop them. The way offense is positioned is to keep the defense away from the Quarterback, or create a hole for the running back to score. The defense is positioned to stop the quarterback passes, and keep the running back from gaining yardage. 

I’m going to relate being a football player to marriage. If the husband or wife is making sure they are performing as husband and wife ought to, then they are in sink with the finances, the housework, the parenting and encouraging one another in the Word – then Satan does not have any openings to attack!

If your spouse is caught in traffic, the phone has died, and you were expecting him/her to be home no later than 7 pm, Satan will attack your thoughts into worrying your spouse has wrecked, they are having an affair, or why haven’t they called to let you know they are on their way – an opening has occurred. He’s good at deceiving us of things that could go wrong; if we are not in the Word 
~ Our Defense!

Get in a huddle and get in the Word to keep all areas covered so that the next time he tries to break the defensive line, he can't penetrate it.

And one standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer; three is even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken. Ecclesiastes 4:12 TLB

If your defense is strong, you are not easily defeated! 

 Last of all I want to remind you that your strength must come from the Lord’s mighty power within you. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand safe against all strategies and tricks of Satan. For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against persons without bodies—the evil rulers of the unseen world, those mighty satanic beings and great evil princes of darkness who rule this world; and against huge numbers of wicked spirits in the spirit world. So use every piece of God’s armor to resist the enemy whenever he attacks, and when it is all over, you will still be standing up. But to do this, you will need the strong belt of truth and the breastplate of God’s approval. Wear shoes that are able to speed you on as you preach the Good News of peace with God. In every battle you will need faith as your shield to stop the fiery arrows aimed at you by Satan. And you will need the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit—which is the Word of God. Ephesians 6:10-17 TLB

To Lose is to Gain!

Job endured loss and suffering none of us could withstand (Job Chapters 1-5), yet in the midst of it all he said, “But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and that he will stand upon the earth at last. Job 19:25 TLB

There have been numerous hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis, and tornadoes that have taken loved ones, homes, and everything you valued in your home; yet the loss was still not as great as Job’s. He still had the one thing that was important and necessary. He goes on to say, “And I know that after this body has decayed, this body shall see God! Then he will be on my side! Yes, I shall see him, not as a stranger, but as a friend! What a glorious hope”! Job 19:26-27 TLB

Job did not lose his hope in God. “Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
But when desire is fulfilled, it is a tree of life”. Proverbs 13:12 AMP If you have read the book of Job, you know that God allowed Satan to afflict the losses and suffering of Job; however, Job, under all of the affliction, did not turn from trusting God; and God restored back double of what Job lost.

It’s a tragedy, to me, people idolize cars, houses, clothes, shoes, cell phones, etc. They are just things that can be replaced, but to idolize anything over God is sin! I know many of you reading this will say you don’t, but let someone hit your $100K Jaguar, or accidentally drop your $750 cell phone in the toilet, then tell me how you would react! NOT COOL!

God does bless us with things when He knows we are ready to appreciate and take good care of them more than we value them. We cannot take those things with us to Heaven, nor are they more valuable than life! We have become so enamored with wealth and wealthy people; we are falling fast, even to the point of having God’s wrath placed upon us~ if we don’t become a saved people and Repent!

When God blesses us with things, we are stewards of those things or I use the word caretakers, because they will not last to “Eternity”! So when you become a born again Christian; and some of you already are, remember this, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” Matthew 6:33 NKJV 

How Wayward Are You?

I know many of us have heard someone say, “If I knew you were coming, I would have cleaned my house”! No you would not have cleaned your house. The way your house looks when someone unexpected arrives is the way it looks all the time. This is how it’s going to be with many of us when Jesus returns~ unprepared!

Be prepared – all dressed and ready – for your Lord’s return from the wedding feast. Then you will be ready to open the door and let him in the moment he arrives and knocks. There will be great joy for those who are ready and waiting for his return. He himself will seat them and put on a waiter’s uniform and serve them as they sit and eat! He may come at nine o’clock at night – or even at midnight. But whenever he comes there will be joy for his servants who are ready! Everyone would be ready for him if they knew the exact hour of his return – just as they would be ready for a thief if they knew when he was coming. So be ready all the time. For I, the Messiah, will come when least expected.” Luke 12:35-40 TLB

We are not taking this seriously! Jesus is coming, and the signs are everywhere, yet we ignore them and allow injustice to take place. If many of you haven’t notice, we have eliminated prayer from the schools, took down the Ten Commandments out of the schools, eliminated God from our government and then wonder why schools are being shot up, same sex marriages are taking place, and our homes are severely dysfunctional! Wealth does not mean you are favored by God, nor does it mean you have power over another person to do to them as you will. Wealth and power does not please God, but righteous living and love for others does! IF GOD IS NOT THE HEAD OF ANYTHING, IT WILL NOT ENDURE!

Listen to Me, you “fat cows” of Bashan living in Samaria – you women who encourage your husbands to rob the poor and crush the needy – you who never have enough to drink! The Lord God has sworn by his holiness that the time will come when he will put hooks in your noses and lead you away like the cattle you are; they will drag the last of you away with fishhooks! You will be hauled from your beautiful homes and tossed out through the nearest breach in the wall. The Lord has said it.

Go ahead and sacrifice to idols at Bethel and Gilgal. Keep disobeying – your sins are mounting up. Sacrifice each morning and bring your tithes twice a week! Go through all your proper forms and give extra offerings. How you pride yourselves and crow about it everywhere!

“I sent the hunger,” says the Lord, “but it did no good; you still would not return to me. I ruined your crops by holding back the rain three months before the harvest. I sent rain on one city, but not another. While rain fell on one field, another was dry and withered. People from two or three cities would make their weary journey for a drink of water to a city that had rain, but there wasn’t ever enough. Yet you wouldn’t return to me”, says the Lord.

“I sent blight and mildew on your farms and your vineyards; the locust ate your figs and olive trees. And still you wouldn’t return to me,” says the Lord. “I sent you plagues like those of Egypt long ago. I killed your lads in war and drove away your horses. The stench of death was terrible to smell. And yet you refused to come. I destroyed some of your cities, as I did Sodom and Gomorrah; those left are like half-burned firebrands snatched away from fire. And still you won’t return to me,” says the Lord.

“Therefore I will bring upon you all these further evils I have spoken of. Prepare to meet your God in judgment, Israel. For you are dealing with the one who formed the mountains and made the winds, and knows every thought; he turns the morning to darkness and crushes down the mountains underneath his feet: Jehovah the Lord, the God of Hosts, is his name.”  Amos 4 TLB

Aim With Purpose!