Christianity Today

Is the Church Dead? Is America Lost?

2010-07-07T09:00:00.000-07:00

No to both questions.

We humans have a tendency to take things for granted. It's our nature. If the ground has been there all along, we expect it to be there tomorrow.

We tend to do the same with our Church activities. From the outside, it would seem the church is dying.

Just as in family. We may squabble among ourselves but let an outsider try to harm one member and watch the whole family stand up.

The same thing happens in our churches. We become lazy, skip a few Sundays, let life make us too busy. Something happens on the outside, to make us feel threatened in any way and we come flooding back into the flock.

I'm watching the same thing happen to my country. We sat back and let those hard working left wingers take our country right down the sewer before the hair finally stood up on the back of our necks. You will see the true America in action, over the next few years, as we stand up and defend what is ours.

Poor left wingers. They always think they've won, when in actuality they've simply shown their colors loud enough to get our attention.

I don't think I'll worry too much that the church is dying or that our country is lost. It's just like in the world at large, while the minority will make the most noise, telling us Christians amount to maybe 2% of the population, we actually make up about half. The same in politics. They will make noise about how they are victorious. The more they slide down the scale the more noise you will hear.

Clouds all around me

2010-06-15T08:43:00.000-07:00

It may seem, sometimes, that the Lord is not answering your prayers. When this happens, just hang tight.

Really hard to do, I understand that. I've been through it myself. If home is where the ill feelings are then who is bringing that into the household? If you already know and don't see a way out, lean hard on the Lord and wait on His perfect timing. It will come.

Sometimes you just aren't sure what the problem is. Is it him/her? Is it me? Until all truth is lying out on the table for all to see, you won't find out what the real problem is. This is when you lean even harder and ask the Lord to open your eyes and ears and to give you discernment in the matter.

Eventually that egg will crack and out will come the truth, exposing the underlying sickness that is poisoning your very existence. This is what you want - truth. Without it, you wander in darkness with no real answers and no direction.

Sometimes you're amazed at what the truth really was. Sometimes that truth hurts but better to react to the real thing, than to your own imagination.

Walk in truth and you will walk in the light. Refuse to live in a house with untruth, as that kills. Nothing is worth living in such darkness.

What Is This Thing Called Authority

2010-06-14T08:48:00.000-07:00

f you follow Jesus, and I don’t mean just a confession of Him, I mean falling in love.

Before I get into the meat of the subject, I better stop and explain the relationship of a disciple. Jesus’ disciples were deeply in love with Jesus. That’s why they followed Him, regardless of the situation. Why else would a body just up and desert their own families, their daily duties, their entire lives? That’s what a person does, when they are ‘in love’.

Think back to when you were first in love with someone. Did they not occupy your every thought? Did you change your daily habits, just because of that person? Were you consumed with a desire to be with that person?

The same can happen with you and Jesus. He loves you in that way and when you return that love, wonderful things can happen. If you felt like you were floating on air, when first ‘in love’ with another human being, then what would it be like when you fall in love with Jesus. Talk about floating on air, it has been known to actually happen.

This is the relationship, I talk about when I say disciple. His friends are your friends, His enemies are you enemies, what He loves you also love, simply because you are with Him all the way regardless of the price.

It was to His disciples, Jesus spoke about faith and how it operates. Something happens to a person, when they become a disciple of Jesus. It’s as though their brain gets rearranged.

God created Adam and gave him all authority. That meant ALL authority. God created the animals and plant life but left the naming up to Adam, because the authority lied with Adam.

This was the first marriage. All of mankind and the design of their lives, evolved around that first marriage. In other words, that’s the reason for man and woman and the reuniting of them into a form called ‘one’. It’s all representation of the first marriage and God’s relationship with mankind. Hopefully that helps you to understand this thing God has for man, this thing that never seems to die, this thing called love.

When Adam sinned, it was the sin of adultery. The curses that came as a result, are the same as any marriage – a ripping apart of a marriage. Adam separated from God, God didn’t separate from Adam.

By sinning against God, Adam had turned over his authority to the serpent. Kind of like a contract being signed over. Adam’s loyalty, whether he liked it or not, had turned to the serpent, thereby transferring his authority to him. Just as happens when one partner is disloyal to the other. Doesn’t the hurt party see the union between what was once his partner and this newly chosen partner?

This is the reason God had to become man, in order to retrieve that authority. On the cross, Jesus paid the ultimate price for the return of His own property. By defeating death, overcoming what belonged to satan (death), Jesus took back that authority.

So imagine Jesus handing over that same authority to His disciples. He did, you know. “I give to you my authority, which is in my name.”

He was speaking to His disciples, that’s true, but today you and I can also be a disciple. Sold out, blind faith, head over heals in love, abandoning the physical life, disciples.

Now what did He mean, ‘in my name’? His name is above all others, it is apart from this earth. His name is like a badge, when we wear it. The badge represents His authority, which He has given to us, His disciples.

I’ll bring this down to a true story. At a time when I was flat broke, physically weakened and separated from the nearest humanity by 20 miles, I had a problem. The car was old and barely functioning and the tires were falling apart. I had a flat tire and needed to go to town. There were no men around to help and I was ‘on my own’. The lug nuts were practically welded on and would not budge.

I tried everything. I jumped on the lug wrench, trying to shock the nut loose. Didn’t work. I tried a big hammer, hoping again to shock it loose. Nothing. It wouldn’t budge. Without thinking, just a knee jerk reaction, I lost my patience and uttered the words out loud, “In Jesus name!”, while trying with the lug wrench again. It felt like the lug nut had turned to butter, it came loose so quickly.

First, I had to get over my surprise at what had just happened but then I collected myself and tried the same thing with the next nut and sure enough, “In Jesus name!’, each one came off like they were nothing but butter.

Boy! Did I learn something that day. You know, a week later I came upon a very elderly man, trying to do exactly the same thing? He was struggling with a lug nut and had stood up to stretch his back. He was in pain. I offered to help and he just laughed at me and said, “If I can’t get it loose, what makes you think you can”? Ha

I told him I already knew I couldn’t but that I knew a trick. After a few more tries, he stepped back and told me, “Ok, you try it!” I stepped up to the lug wrench, grabbed hold of it, and as I began to twist I shouted out, “In Jesus name!” and the darn thing slipped off like butter. I turned around to see the old man’s eyes wide and his mouth gaping. He said, “Why didn’t I think of that.” We had a good laugh and talked about the Lord for awhile.

Funny thing though, years later when the car wouldn’t start, that didn’t work. Do you suppose it had something to do with the state of my mind? Believe me, I locked in on that thought and pondered it for many days. I think it’s possible I understand now.

Even we know when it’s an absolute desperation and no possible help. We can see the difference.

So what is this thing called authority? It’s the same thing God created this world with. It’s like the difference between you speaking alone, and you speaking in unison with the Holy Spirit. When you speak together, in unison, of the same mind, mountains move before your eyes.

Authority. A policeman has the authority of the government entity enforcing. He speaks, it happens. Your boss has authority. He speaks and if he has worthy employees, it happens.

Jesus speaks and the clouds part. We speak in the name of Jesus and people rise from the dead.

It’s not the words that get action. It’s speaking God’s will and all angels are created to carry out God’s will. When it is spoken, using the authority, angels dispatch and it happens.

So having this authority over all the earth, doesn’t that require us to be careful what we speak? Oh yes it does. That’s the idle words, God spoke of. Your very words can set the heavens on fire so be careful when you say things against another.

An idle word can also be someone speaking, when they are not a disciple. Those words hit the wall and go nowhere. It’s just like in marriage. If you have that marriage certificate, you can speak for the other. If not, you’re an individual and cannot speak for the other.

My answer to the question of who has this authority? Fall in love.

What To Do When Some People Listen but Do Not Hear

2010-06-12T08:35:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wondered about some people who seem to never get past the pablum stage? As though they will never come to that day when they are ready to take on 'strong meat'.

You can spend hours explaining something to them, it seems they've understood and yet when you tell them it's time to take this to the Lord, they don't take the initiative and go to the source, they want to hang onto you, getting you to discuss it further, from different angles, go over it again and coming back to you with something like, ' I understand. If only *** would act differently or treat me better or or or....'

You're trying to get this person to see their own relationship with the Lord, how to deal with a problem, how to give it over to the Lord. You spend so much time, detailing for them, what their next move should be only to hear them come back with pointing a finger at 'the enemy' instead of actually grasping what you're trying to tell them.

I've personally run into this just recently and with a family member. This person continually came to me for advice and I continually pointed them to the Lord. After hours of detailing why it was so important to lay this at the feet of Jesus while asking the Lord to examine him, expose to this person the problems within instead of without, and after hours of deep conversation, it always ended the same way - this person wanting to go over and over again, the faults of another.

It wasn't until I finally discovered that this person had played me financially, for all it was worth, did I also come to the conclusion that this person never really wanted true advice to begin with. It was just some game this person plays on every human being that comes into his life. He exists by playing the 'forever Pablum boy', letting others tend to him in every possible way.

I'm sharing this for one reason and that is to help others realize, there really are people out there that 'suckle' the church and take advantage of the Christian heart. They know just enough about Christianity to know how to play a Christian. These people will never own up to truth, will constantly give the impression he/she needs help spiritually and desires it.

The truth is anything but. The truth is, this person just likes the attention, wants their way regardless of the cost and will never face themselves.

What I've learned is how easy it is to cast pearls before swine. The swine can be as close as a family member.

I'm sharing these thoughts to let others know, there is really a time when it's ok to shake off the dust from your feet. You have to. To allow a person to consume your time and thoughts for no good reason, when there is a world out there waiting for the truth, is a sin.

Helping a babe in Christ, grow in the Lord, is one thing. Spending an eternity wasting time on someone who is pretending, is quite another.

Omnipresent - What Does That Mean?

2010-06-11T08:31:00.000-07:00

For those who know me, they've heard this story before but now, I will finish the story. You can read my entire life walk with God in my book "He Lives". For this writing, I'll skim over the beginning of this story.

I was barely 8 years old, when the Lord called me in a loud voice. It happened to be in a tiny insignificant Baptist church in a tiny insignificant town in the very southern tip of Texas.

Hardly a mega-church and hardly a congregation of thousands. This was truly a tiny church for a tiny town and I, at the age of 7 was a part of its beginnings.

The scene was a typical, annual revival set up in a small tent, not 50' away from the church building itself. Thank the Lord it was still spring time or we would have been eaten up by mosquitoes, every night.

Every night for a week, we met in that tiny tent, with wooden folded chairs and sawdust for a floor.

Now, I referred to us as 'good Baptist' because we sat on the very last occupied row. Since my brother and I were the terror of the church, we were separated. My brother on the left side of the aisle with my parents, and myself on the right side with my grand-parents.

Children, in our church were seen and not heard. We were to learn obedience, hold the communion platter for our elders, bow our heads when anyone was praying - and we were to remain quiet. Our people also believed in the age of accountability. In other words, we were not allowed to accept Jesus until age 12 and then of course, expected to immediately do so. Rules were strict with children.

Five nights in a row, we showed up in the tent. Five nights in a row, I brought a small pad and pencil, to keep me occupied.

It wasn't until Friday night, the last night of the revival, that something changed. As usual, at the end of the sermon, the organ began to softly play while the pastor delivered the benediction prayer. It was always expected that when the pastor finished his prayer, anyone wanting to accept the Lord, came down front then.

To further set the scene, my grandfather sat on the aisle seat, my grand-mother next and then me. There was no-one to my right. The same in the row ahead of us.

As the pastor delivered the benediction prayer, instead of me bowing my head and closing my eyes, my head was bowed alright but because I was drawing pictures.

Suddenly there was the loudest voice I had ever heard in my short life. Loud enough that if it had been mortal, the tent would be blown away. Loud and yet gentle. A voice more familiar than my own. It only said, "Judy!"

Something caused my body to react without my knowledge. I stood bolt upright and it happened so suddenly, I was dazed and trying to figure out what had just happened.

I was still standing when my grand-mother became annoyed with me and gave a little jerk to the hem of my skirt, which brought be back to earth. I sat down, thinking that God was mad at me for not being obedient. I have no idea where the pen and pad went, I never saw it again. I squeezed my eyes shut, so tightly I saw stars. I was still confused as to what had just happened.

I no more than sat down and squeezed my eyes when the voice came again. This time it said, "Judy! Come Forth!" I was suddenly standing bolt upright again and just standing in a daze, when my grand-mother showed her disdain by jerking even harder on my skirt.

"Come Forth"?, what did that mean? The only 'come forth' I knew about was what I saw the big people do at the end of a service. I was too young. Everyone would get mad at me. I made my choice to do all I could to obey Him, regardless. I'd rather be in trouble with these people than with God.

So my first action after having just been called out by the Lord, was to tell a lie. I whispered to grand-mother that I had to go to the bathroom. I had to get out in that aisle, regardless of the cost.

Once out in the aisle, I didn't know what to do. The pastor was still praying, the organ playing softly and I froze where I stood, waiting for the next shoe to drop. Everyone said 'Amen', all heads went up and then straight to the aisle, where a child was standing frozen. All eyes were on me.

I looked up at the pastor and he was looking back at me and I started walking. All the way up the aisle, I tried to think of something to say. What was it the big people said?

When I arrived right in front of the pastor, I still hadn't decided so I blurted out,"I tried to be nice to my brother all day but I just couldn't". :)

As though the pastor knew something I didn't, he turned me around and announced, "This is the only one coming, tonight". To this day, I wonder if he knew.

There's more to this story but the important point, is the calling and what the Lord said out loud to me.

As the years past, I continually came back to that memory and drilled the Lord for an answer. What did 'come forth' mean? What was it He wanted me to do. No answers.

Skip forward 50 plus years and you find me driving an 18 wheeler, all over the country. I had been working steadily for 3 years with only 3 days a year at home. I was working to pull a small family out of a financial pit and when I go to work, I go to work.

Driving 10 hours a shift, sleeping for 5 or 6 and pushing on. Back and forth, up and down, across the U.S., that's all I did. I didn't take time off. I didn't want to.

Something strange began to happen. It started when one night, I laid down to sleep and woke up 2 hours later, drowning. That's the only way I can explain it. I could breathe but I wasn't getting oxygen. I practically hung myself upside down to help the congestion out of my lungs and while I choked and coughed and slowly began to move all that fluid out, I gripped at the bedding in panic. It's the same feeling as when you've found yourself too deep in the water and fighting to the surface, running out of air and your lungs begin to burn.

This turned into a nightly scene until I was afraid to lay down at night. After about 2 weeks, I managed to get into a clinic and they gave me antibiotics and a breathing medication. Oh what a relief. I thought I had found the solution.

A week later, the symptoms came back and worse than before. Being out on the road, it's hard to get to a doctor. I simply had to suffer through until I got my chance, again. This time a different clinic in Salt Lake City. This time I was diagnosed with emphysema and a lung infection. Again, different antibiotics and different breathing medication.

I began to feel so much better and was just happy to work but then after a couple months, yet another breathing problem began. I had, what is called, callouses on my vocal chords. They had been there and growing for years but I was always too busy to do anything about it. Now something strange was happening and they grew so big, one on each side, that to breathe I had to bend over and let gravity pull the flaps of tissue out of the way. Breathing in, sucked those two flaps of tissue across my wind pipe, blocking off the air.

I wound up going into day surgery to have them removed. Afterward, I couldn't talk for about 6 weeks but boy could I breathe. It was just pure joy to suck in air, anytime I wanted.

Two weeks after the surgery, I had stopped for the night, was sitting on the edge of the bunk with the little desk drawer pulled out and was using my laptop on the internet. Pressure began building in my chest. You know that pain, when you swallow a potato chip that isn't chewed? That hurts. That was the pain. It was annoying but I tried to ignore it. I only had a few minutes to unwind and get to bed.

The pain intensified until I gave up and closed the laptop to lay down. I thought to myself, "What the heck did you swallow?" then it dawned on me that I had eaten soup for dinner. Uh-oh. No good reason for this pain. Pretty soon it was crushing me and I laid down for relief. It subsided, when I laid down so I decided it was time for sleep.

I woke up a couple hours later, lying on my right side and with excruciating pain all through the upper left quarter of my torso. I rolled over on my back seeking relief but it didn't help. I rolled over onto my left side and it seemed to ease up and I fell asleep.

For the next 3 days, I favored that portion of my body because it felt like a horse had kicked me. It was so sore. I came to the realization that it was my heart and could only apologize to it, saying, "I'm sorry. I understand." After months of struggling for breath and pushing myself to do the job regardless, then I went under anesthesia which is also hard on the heart. No wonder my heart was suffering. I vowed to take better care of it but didn't have time to run to any doctor. I was alive and had work to do.

For a few weeks, I thought I was home free but the original breathing problem came back again. I managed to get into the pulmonary clinic in Denver and they put me through all sorts of breathing tests. I was informed that for someone with emphysema I was still in pretty good shape. I just had to get on a regimen of medications. I could keep working.

One day I was having a particular problem with the breathing and coming out of Denver, headed toward L.A. on I-70, I began to whine at the Lord. This is how that conversation went, "Lord, you KNOW me. I'm the baby that banged her head on the crib because an earache wouldn't let me sleep. I'm the teenager that sat up in the night and fisted my toe after having 10 stitches and it wouldn't stop aching. It's me. Judy! Your brat! Father, You know I will never drag around oxygen at the grocery store. It just will not happen. Father! This is a horrible way to die! I'm asking You for just one favor. Let me know when it's my last day. If there's anything I've learned in the last few weeks, it's how to put an end to this misery. Just let me know, Father. I'll run until it's done."

That's where my head was. Actually, still is. I'm too bull headed to be frail. I'm just not cut out for that. I'd rather not exist at all. When the day comes and I can't climb a tree, give me a loaded gun. That's how much of a brat I am.

I was still wailing at the Lord, when I crossed the border into Utah. I needed a good hard talk with my Father. I pulled off into one of those scenic parking areas, pulled down the on ramp and then onto the shoulder. I got out, locked up the truck and walked down into a ravine, where I couldn't hear the idling truck or the reefer running or the traffic going by. I wanted peace and time with the Lord.

As I walked, the tears began to fall. All I knew was that I was headed for a long, drawn out, miserable way to die and I didn't want to go through that. I wanted to live as long as I could but only as long as I could be strong. Not a weakling, not a vegetable. Not me!

I was blubbering away when all of a sudden one word was whispered into my left ear -"Lazarus!" My knee jerk reaction was to bellow, "Oh yeah?! Maybe that worked for him but You never told me......." Oh wait.....Oh, my God! "You DID!"

My mind was exploding with the news. I began to put 2 and 2 together and realized that, yes, He DID! My tears immediately stopped when I realized that what He was telling me was that He DID call me out of my grave. He just did it years before I'd even know I'd need it. As a matter of fact He WAS talking to the 60 year old Judy but it was the 8 year old Judy that heard it.

It took 3 days for me to stop continually blurting out to the air, "You DID! You DID!"

Then the real mind explosions began. Seeing me through God's eyes. Realizing that when I was conceived, He saw all of me - the 3 year old me, the 8 year old me, the 60 year old me, all at the same time. The beginning, the middle and the end were already in His sight.

Oh wow! And then the realization of how much He loved me. He loved me when I cursed him when I was suffering with grief over a death. He loved me when I married a true son-of-a-bitch. He loved me when I picked up a cigarette. He loved me when I drank a beer. He loved me when I sat on the toilet. He loved me when I danced for Him and He loved me when I was destroying my body. He loved me when I loved Him back and He loved me when I ignored Him.

He LOVES me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He loves me the way I love my own daughter, and much farther and wider and deeper than I can fathom.

And because He knew when I was born, that I would need to be called out of my grave, He went ahead and did it.

I am alive. Against all odds. The devil has tried to kill me in every possible way, all through my life and I am alive!

So why, I ask you, are you sitting there reading this instead of jumping for joy and yelling out praises?

He loves YOU!!

Church - Where Did It Go?

2010-06-09T08:19:00.000-07:00

Some of us are fortunate enough to be a part of a church body that is nourishing and traditional. How many of us are still searching for that perfect church?

I've told my children for years, and now I will tell you that church is in your shoes.We are not to look for comfort, we are to provide it.

When we first come to know the Lord, there are elders to lend a hand and help you to grow in the right way. Where will we be when those elders die off and we have not picked up the reigns?

Everywhere you search in the new testament you find nudges to grow up, not to remain babies. The truth is, you are the church.

Some of us yearn for the old days, for the congregation that was not afraid to openly worship. Where did those old days go? If you have memories of them, then it means they are in you. Try raising your hands and worshiping the Lord of Lords and you will instantly discover the old days.

Have we been taught to wait for the next evangelist to revive us? Are we told to hold on for the next tent meeting or revival to nourish us? No, we are taught to stir it up in ourselves.

It's our responsibility to 'stir it up', keep 'it' alive, keep oil in our lamps. We are to learn what it is to walk in the light, to obey our savior, to listen to His Words and to be the church.

Stop looking to others to feed your spirit and start looking to the Holy Spirit. He's quite capable and waiting. You can have church alone in your bedroom, alone in the garage, alone on a hill side. If you miss the joy of worship then stir it up and lead, not follow.

Remember always that church is you - church walks in your shoes where ever you go.

Want to Learn How to Be a Soldier of Christ?

2010-06-08T08:42:00.001-07:00

Listen to Him. People don't listen to the Lord. They can read the gospels and never come out with the impact they should.

Jesus was no wimp. He taught His disciples as fast as He could, with the time He had to work with.

Note His reaction when the man brought his son to Jesus, because of fits, saying that His disciples tried to heal him with no results. Did Jesus immediately heal the boy? Not until He admonished His disciples and saying 'Vile of faithless generation' and 'how long shall I tarry with you'. That doesn't sound like much patience to me. It sounds like One who was running out of time and trying so hard, to get something across to them.

And what were His last Words on this earth? "Go ye therefore...." That, my friends, was a command from our leader and Master.

So how can you learn to follow Jesus, the way that He expected? Read the gospels and then read them again. When you are finished, start over and read it again and again and again until at last, your brain opens up and you see your Master for Who and what He truly is. You will know when it happens. Something changes inside you and you begin to view His teachings in a whole other light.

Then, you will begin to obey.

You've heard it said and it's written in the Word, "faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God". It's true. When you read the Word, read it again and again. As you read over and over, the Holy Spirit begins to move and when that happens, your faith builds. Try it. See if I'm not telling you true.

Let Go and Let God

2010-06-08T08:39:00.001-07:00

One never knows where the next trial will come but come they must and do, and we have to be prepared.

Prepared? Yes, you can prepare. You've heard it over and over and you're about to hear it again. Gird yourself up with the armor of God. There's that and building faith.

Remember how to build faith? It's no joke, folks, that faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.

Anybody ever give much thought to the way that's worded? "Hearing by the Word of God" doesn't exactly give you the idea that means reading the Word, although that's the way it's interpreted. It gives you the idea that it's all up to us, that reading is where the hearing happens but I see it in a whole other light.

Why 'and hearing, by the Word of God' ? It wasn't a mistake in terms and it wasn't terminology of the times, it really meant 'BY the Word of God'.

The Word of God is a living word. Hard to fathom but what I mean is that when you pick up the Word with every intent of loving it, listening and learning from it, the Word actually comes alive by the Holy Spirit and begins to feed you. It truly is a 2 way street. You're not alone.

'Faith cometh by hearing', in this instance it means listening, taking it in, allowing something outside yourself to come in and change you. And where does this 'hearing' come from? It comes from a living Spirit. You do the reading, of course but you don't have the understanding without the Holy Spirit. Therefore, as you read, the Holy Spirit speaks, so you are 'hearing'.

When your earthly father speaks, it confirms in you constantly, that he exists and is real. It's part of our make up to absorb from all senses, to know what is real around us.

When your heavenly Father speaks, it confirms in you constantly, that He exists and is real.

God lives in us through Jesus. God's Holy Spirit lives in God's Word, which is written down for us. That's not to say that that book is God's Word. That's to say that God's Word lives in that book.

So what it boils down to is this - gird yourself with God's armor and read...read...read....

Be there IN the Word, unite with the Holy Spirit OVER the Word and let faith build. You're not building faith, the Holy Spirit is through the Word.

Daily devotions are not devotions to the Lord, they are devotions to yourself, keeping the Spirit alive and refreshed daily - Ready.

By staying constantly filled up, you stay constantly in the light and thereby ready for every trial.

Not knowing where and how the next trial will come, it helps to have the Holy Spirit doing battle with you, all the way. The pain may be the same, the anger may feel just as strong but just as having a strong immune system helps you to come through sickness faster, being built up daily will carry you through the trial faster and easier.

Goliath was still Goliath and David was still David but the outcome was swift and victorious because of David's faith. God did not remove Goliath just so that David wouldn't have to face him.

God does not own this earth. He gave it to Satan but then He gave us the authority over it, and although Adam gave away that authority, Jesus bought it back and gave it back to man. So the fact is this earth is still what it always was before our time - Satan's world but we are victorious over him, in that we have the authority over him. So sickness and disease, heart ache and fury, will not go away. We simply have been given the tools to come through the trials with victory.

I have just come through one trial which has left me angry. As a result of seeing the end of that trial, I am thrown into yet another. The fact is, in my life, the trials have never stopped but I come through them, one by one and stronger than before.

You don't have to be the strong one, your strength is in the Lord. Forgive yourself for crying, you are the human, He is the God. You can cry because it hurts but that doesn't mean you've given in to defeat.

When anger wells up, realize what you're angry with-it just might be your own decisions you're angry over. If you've made a wrong decision it most likely means you weren't listening to the Lord. Although the damage is hurting you and not Jesus, ask Jesus to forgive the stumble and go on with life. There are more battles to be fought and won.

They Say God Speaks to Us

2010-06-08T08:28:00.001-07:00

How many times have you tried to explain to folks, what it is you mean when you say 'God speaks'.

Here's a true story from some years ago. Actually, 1987.

I was going through an especially trying time. Ok, a confession, I was facing divorce. My body was still recovering after a still birth and the doctors had me on medication for high blood pressure.

I saw the writing on the wall, trouble was coming my way and there was nothing I could do to stop it. This divorce was necessary for the safety of both myself and my 14 year old daughter. The problem was, we were living out in the sticks, 15 miles from the nearest town and 20 miles from the city where jobs might be possible.

I wasn't up to this physically, and knowing I was left with an old car that may or may not make it through the next 100 miles and worn out tires, didn't do a thing to comfort me. Of course, I had been a housewife, not having a job and jobs were scarce where we happened to live.

I was worried and daily begging the Lord for answers. For about a week, a tune kept rolling through my head. It was so constant, it was driving me nuts but I couldn't seem to replace it with another tune.

I kept catching myself humming that tune outloud, while I washed dishes. It even rolled through my head while trying to watch TV. It was a constant, that wouldn't stop. Day after day, I woke up with that tune and carried it with me through the entire day.

I could not, for the life of me, remember what the song was. Numerous times, I stopped to dwell on it, hum it, go over and over the tune, trying to drag out a few lines to remind myself. It was such a familiar tune, I knew that I knew what it was and just couldn't pull it out.

Worries and daily grind took precedence so the problem of that tune got pushed back. I even hummed a few bars for my daughter but she too, couldn't think of what song it was.

I happened to be raising a large flock of chickens and was out early one morning, getting their feed and as usual, praying for answers to the problems and along came that song again, butting into my very thoughts.

This time, I began to hum the tune and suddenly burst out with the words, "Seek ye first, the kingdom of God...." Bam! there is was! The tune that had been driving me crazy, ever since I had started whining at the Lord about the coming stressful things and not knowing what to do.

As I was praying, the Lord was giving the answer but I wasn't listening. I finished with the feed and ran all the way back to the house, screaming at my daughter, "I've got it! I've got it!" Then I explained to my daughter about the tune and what it meant.

Don't you know my snotty little daughter had a come back, "Well, are you going to do it or just talk about it?"

Tell me, the Lord doesn't have a sense of humor or that He doesn't talk to us.

God Speaks: Stories For Teens

Marching head long into the final days

2010-06-08T08:19:00.000-07:00

Anybody out there feeling the way I am? After waiting for a lifetime, to see the events unfold that have now come to fruition, I get excited to know the Lord's coming is so near.

At the same time, I'm furious. I don't know, living in America, for some reason I always had the feeling those things were going to happen 'over there'. It still just amazes me to know that our very own government is also pushing us toward that eventful day.

The new world order was something we tagged back in the 60's and waited to see how it would happen. Now, not only is it happening, everybody is using the same term we used so long ago, for what was coming in the future. It makes me mad. As an American citizen, of course it infuriates me to know that our leaders are selling us out. At the same time, I realize this is something foretold.

Now, in the name of geo-engineering, jets are dumping tons of poison on us, almost every day. That pretty much leaves me in a state of fury. How dare they? What's more, they hide behind closed doors and tried to keep it a big secret for so many years. I'm dumb founded at how many people have no idea what I'm talking about. I have to describe the sky of yesterday, to my grandson.

Then I look at it from a different point of view. We always wondered how people could be so gullible as to accept a mark in the right hand or forehead, in allegiance to some guy they are to worship. It's beginning to clear for me. We're already sick from all the poison from our sky. We're breathing aluminum and barium and just think, it's all over our food. We're eating it too.

Our immune systems are just about shot and now I'm hearing rumors that these materials could also be responsible for early onset of Alzheimer's. That would explain a lot of dumbing down. If people aren't thinking straight, how easy it will be to convince them of just about anything. When you spend years not feeling well, you're not thinking straight. So, yeah, this is going to be a snap.

I watch as our world turns upside down. It's ok to talk about and even teach the Muslim religion in our schools, but just think about carrying a Bible and you'll be shot down and loudly. Everything that was standard practice in the U.S. is now against the law. Yes, it makes me mad. At the same time, I'm looking up.

While all bad, for the Christian it's all good signs. So while we walk steadily through this valley of the shadow of death, look up. Our redemption draweth nigh.

Beware the User

2010-04-11T10:56:00.000-07:00

Warning. You may not want to read this. There may be harsh words, you don't want polluting your ears.

This comes out of my own recent experience that I felt compelled to share with my brethren. This is about a man who seemingly desires the Lord, seemingly reads the Bible, spends lots of time conferencing with the pastor as though seeking personal advice and yet....he is not.

I have said for years, that it seems we have among us some who are not quite altogether human at all. This recent experience has me pondering those thoughts again.

This is one of those posts I can't take to my site at Calvary Corner blog, on that site, I want to minister to the lost not pollute and confuse. On this blog, I expect there are Christians reading and so I will write about things that takes discernment to understand and learn.

This involves a son in law. You don't know my family so I feel I can tell the story without bringing harm to any one particular person. We all belong to the Lord

I'm ashamed, now, to say that I put a lot of money into the marriage situation of my daughter. If it had not been for the fact that she felt she could love and trust this man, I would have run the other direction. But for the sake of family, I helped.

I have a huge tendency to look for the good in all people. I see them through God's eyes and uplift. This also makes me a prime target for cons, manipulators and conniving thieves. I say target but that doesn't mean I fall for every little trick. I thought I was better, or should I say wiser, at pinpointing the liar. In this particular circumstance, I'd have to say the surrounding situation influenced my thoughts.

I've been with my daughter, helping to raise a son, since he was 6 months old. Why? Because I knew my daughter(divorced) and I knew she couldn't make it on her own. Of course, my original intent was to stick it out with her until she found her own feet and stood on her own. I was with her when she met this man and we happened to be living 3 states away from our home town and were miserable in this place.

I struggled for years with the decision to simply run away from the situation, only to realize all over again that my daughter would fall through the cracks if I did and I stayed. There was a child involved and I cared that much about him.

My daughter was miserable and wanted to move back home. I had a choice- I could stay with my present job, knocking down $1000 a week or give up the job and move with the family. The new couple had no money to move and I was well aware of that.

This new son in law most definitely raised my eyebrow, the more I learned about him, but went along with the plans because my daughter seemed determined to be with him. Before they were married, I had asked what he did for a living and the answer I got simply tilted my head. He was 40 years old and going to a college to study graphic designing. He was working in a little ice cream shop that his own sister owned. Don't you know I questioned why a 40 year old man still was fishing around, looking for a direction in his life. This made no sense to me.

It was my daughter who suggested working for Schwann's.Something he had never considered and he did go to work for them. How easy it was for him to simply switch directions in mid-stream. It had seemed to my daughter that this man whom she wanted marriage with, had been held back in life by a manipulative sister and she wanted to help him to find a better world. All seemed very appreciated by my new son in law and he loved his new job. I was still pondering him and his situation, which made no sense to me.

I'm the one that had the money in the bank for a move. When we first moved to this state, we only took essentials because we weren't too sure if this would become a permanent move. Our things were in storage back home, awaiting the next decision. Those things we added to the home didn't amount to the cost of moving it and would make sense to simply sell or get rid of those things. Now, though, there was an addition to the family who had a trailer load of his own. So I was facing moving his belongings and of course, the cost.

I had no intentions of hiring a truck for the move. There just wasn't that much to be moved. There was no way to attach a trailer to my car, so while I worked on the road, I had my daughter seek out a used pickup that could make the trip. At the very least, I would have a vehicle for the money instead of turning it in at some rental.

About that time, my son in law's old car gave out and wasn't worth the money to fix. That of course, pushed up the plans for me to buy a pickup so that he would be driving that to work instead of my daughter making 2 round trips across town, every day, taking him to work.

To boil it down, I footed the bill for a move, purchased a used vehicle to tow a trailer, footed the bill for a trailer to haul his things, not ours. Then, out of necessity, put down a deposit on a rented home and paid the first months rent.

The expenditures didn't stop there. Since I was now stuck with living with the family, as I had no job and was going through my savings, I stayed and put in more than my share each month, on the expenses.

With my dollars, I put in a garden, rented a tiller, bought the seed and spent hundreds of hours tending the garden. So that summer, the entire family ate very well off my efforts.

Over the course of that first year, things began to happen. More than once, my son in law came to me in private to tell me that my daughter had sent him to talk to me about my putting in more money into the family expenses. Each time I replied with something like "$400 wasn't enough?" That plus the $200 per month I was putting into groceries. He would act as though my daughter hadn't told him about that and he was sorry to have to talk to me about this.

It took over a year for the truth to come out on the table and when it was out there for the whole world to see, I was reeling over the fact that my son in law had played me, like nobody else in my lifetime. In fact, I've never known a human being like this one. How he can call himself Christian is beyond me.

You see, I was in a separate building on the property, had created myself a little living space in the corner of a huge garage. I didn't want to become that interfering mother in law and what's more, as far as I knew I would be going back out on the road and seldom see home. So at the time, it seemed to me to be a perfect solution. For that reason, I was not within ear shot of most of the things said in the house.

How was I to know that while this man was eating my food, sitting at the table my money paid for, driving my vehicle to work and using my clothes washer, was threatening to not set a place at the table for me, because he thought I was mooching off him and should be gone?

It was also revealed that every time he came to me in private to talk about more money from me, my daughter knew nothing about it. One particular time, he had told me that if I just at least give my daughter $125 a month that it would help, I told him if that's all she wanted then that's all I would give her. He went to her and told her, 'mom said she would only put in $125 a month from now on'. Of course, this puzzled my daughter because she knew where half the money was coming from all along and wondered why I would say such a thing.

I now realize this was a game this man played. This is how he lives his life. He takes other peoples money, using all sorts of strange whining games. He manipulates.

He was coming to me as though my daughter was asking me for more money and she was not. He was going to her and telling her that her mother didn't want to help out with the expenses. All the while causing all sorts of hard feelings within the family, turning daughter against mother and it worked!

Before long, I was hearing outbursts from my daughter, things like 'living rent free' (in my direction) and then out right 'moocher', as though she had completely forgotten all the things I had done for her and the child, through the years.

At this point, I was trapped. It was my daughter that convinced me to go on disability. Oh yes, definitely but I'm bull headed and would not face the fact that I was suffering from a breathing problem and some horrible name for some arthritis something, in my back. I was a cripple but wouldn't stop. I was pushing myself beyond my capabilities, taxing my heart to the max and most mornings could hardly move. So because of her pushing me toward it, I applied for and immediately was approved for disability. I hate to tell you what that monthly income is but certainly not enough to house a dog, much less a human.

So here I was, trapped with living with the family now that I had spent my savings on them and had no other means of supporting myself, except to continue to help out with the monthly expenses. All I wanted to do was run, go back out on the road driving truck but all these blocks were in my way.

The situation grew and became so intolerable, I was eying my guns and disappointed that I only had a shot gun and a .22 pistol. Neither one, a sure kill and I certainly didn't want to be more of a cripple than I was already and not able to run.

Depression hit its bottom. I couldn't understand why my own daughter could turn against me in this way. Not only had I sacrificed my entire existence for her for the past 14 years, we were Christians!

The truth was finally exposed and healing began in the family, despite what this man wanted and tried and that was his dooms day. I'd have to say that my daughter and I exploded on this man, using text messages while he was working. We bombarded him with the truths we were exposing, sharing little secrets with one another that neither of us knew about. We had come to realize what a manipulative, conniving, s.o.b. he really was.

Now I understood that while he was coming to me for advice, and I pointing him to Jesus all the way, just never seemed to get it through his head - never seemed to change - never seemed to follow any advice. He didn't want to. It was all a game.

As an example of his game playing, this was one story that came out, when my daughter and I began to reveal all his little secrets. He had come to me one day and told me that he and my daughter thought it would be nice is I bought him a cell phone and put his on my service. Since I was already paying for my own service and had put my daughter on mine, it seemed a simple request to add one more.

Now my daughter was telling me her side of the story. He had come to her and told her, "Your mom wants to buy me a cell phone. Isn't that nice?" It turns out that the reason he caught me away from the rest of the family was so that he could lie about my daughters intentions. It was a manipulation.

This game, he took all the way to our pastor, whining at him and thinking he was getting the pastor to agree with him. This game he carried on and on until even the pastor gave up on him. It seemed that no matter how many times you repeated the same message, this guy just didn't have the capacity to understand. Odd things that you would expect a Christian to hear and obey. It just wasn't taking root.

After having been bombarded with the truth from both my daughter and me, via text messages, he just didn't come home that night,nor the next day, which was Saturday. We never told him he wasn't welcome in his own home. I imagine he finally got it through his head that he had been exposed and was afraid to face us.

So somehow, even on a Saturday, or did he do it yesterday, he had a lawyer freeze my daughter's bank account. He had called his sister who is now footing the bill to support him and a lawyer. Presumably now, there is a coming subpoena to retrieve his personal things. Evidently his game has carried over to his sister now, as he can come get his things any time he wants and he knows that but instead, he's acting as though we've thrown him out of the house and barred the doors. That's not true.

As I see it now, this guy is going to come out smelling like a rose, through this situation. He will, and evidently already has, gotten more money out of yet another person so that he can play his games and live like a king while pointing an accusing finger at his wife. Now he's back to soaking his own sister.

If you have delicate ears, you need to stop reading right now.

I'm pretty sure that the reason he didn't come home and is afraid to face me, is the fact that I let him know in no uncertain terms, that my daughter finally told me why she had refused to share a bed with him ever again. He was demanding and getting sodomy and was hurting my daughter and telling her that if she didn't she was going against God. Somehow, I just have a feeling that was the final blow, for him to hear it coming from me.

He's the one that got me involved in the marriage problems, so he has nobody to kick but himself. While he thought he was gaining a cheering team, he was actually going too far with his constantly coming to me for so-called advice. Our family had become so twisted with some evil spirit in the house, that my daughter thought I was siding with her husband and did not share with me, the whole story. Now it was out.

I confess I'm furious with myself. What I could have done with $15000 for myself, so that I could support myself instead of this trap. Instead, I invested in what I thought was a family. Yes, I realize what a fool I was and that I had been played big time.

Now, why am I sharing this story? Simply because if I could be taken in by such an evil spirit, so can anyone else. It seems the enemy is wiser every day. He can wear such a sweet, Christian face while brutalizing, lying, conniving and stealing. It's hard to explain to others that they can be so taken in by such a twisted monster, even while believing they have enough discernment to keep themselves from such harm.

The only symptom, I can offer up, is that of a person who seems to hunger for truth and yet acts as though they didn't understand a word you said and continues down a path that no Christian will follow. They will lean into your words, listen intently, seem to be repentant, then walk away still the same as they were before.

It gets grueling, when they come back again and again for the same advice and you give the same advice over and over and it still doesn't 'take'. This, until you're weary with repeating yourself.

The fact is, this evil spirit is accomplishing exactly what it wants. For you to waste your time on him, and not have time for anyone else. The point, I believe, is to keep your attention on them, so that you can't see something happening just beyond your site. Something like that. This same spirit will use you to get what they want out of someone else.

It's tricky, I know. Boy do I know. But I'm telling you that we are living in a world with this sort. My advice? If it makes you uncomfortable - run. If something invades your home that is causing hard feelings among family members, get rid of it. What ever it is, it's not there for your, it's there to destroy you. There are times when instead of you ministering, you need to protect those around you instead.

Signs and warnings mean something. We tend to overlook them, in favor of seeing the good. Be aware that the devil is on a rampage. His time is running out and he will destroy in any way he can.

Deuteronomy 2:24

2010-02-08T16:30:00.000-08:00

Many years ago, when I returned to the Lord and was born again, I had a nagging problem. Some years before that, I had an abortion and it was hanging over my head, causing all sorts of guilt.

As time went by and I learned more and more about the workings of the Holy Spirit, I was continually held back from fully experiencing and feeling free, due to that old guilt.

One night, I broke down on the alter. My heart was broken and I couldn't seem to get passed that old sin and guilt. I knew the Lord had forgiven me but I couldn't forgive myself. I kept visualizing the age the child would have been and agonizing over it.

That same night, I came home from church and after getting my daughter to bed, I sat down with the Bible. I searched and searched for some story similar to mine. Something like the prostitute and Jesus forgiving her. Something that would put my heart at ease. I was searching for justification.

As I sat on the couch, I finally closed the Bible, leaned my head back and cried out to the Lord. I confessed what I was doing, "Lord I'm searching for justification and I know that's wrong but...." As I wailed away at the Lord, 3 times my thoughts were interrupted. Each time, it was as though a spirit swooped into my face with the message "Deut. 2:24" and each time, I dismissed it, going back to the subject at hand.

The 3rd time it happened, I gave up, stopped praying and said out loud, "Ok, already. I'll look up Deut. 2:24!"

I opened the Bible and read about the Israelites crossing over into the promised land. The message that stood out to me was 'contend with the enemy in battle for I have given you the victory'. It dawned on me that the devil had been playing with my mind. I stood up and bellowed, "Satan! Get your filthy lying hands off my mind!"

Immediately, it was as though a warm blanket covered me, started from my head and all the way to my toes. I was free. I had crossed over and contended with the enemy.

Over the next few days, more and more meaning came out of that one verse and grew until it became the substance of my life.

Translated into terms, we would understand today, God was telling His children to stand up and act like His children. Pull yourself up by the bootstraps, so to speak. Whether we feel like it or not, we are to stand up and act like His kids.

As His children, we have the world by the tail. Until we come to realize this (crossing the river) and until we come to realize that the battle is already won (contend with for I have given), we reach for an impossible goal of ' salvation'. Impossible in our minds but not in reality.

Just like the Israelites. Some were fearful and so were left to wander in the desert. Some were victorious and saw the plenty, instead of the giants. It really is a perspective and it's up to us to change our minds and become what God wants us to be - victorious.

There is no amount of study, no amount of faith, no amount of growing that can bring us to the state of mind, God wants. We have to simply DO it!

The Dream - Black Void

2010-02-08T16:26:00.001-08:00

A few years ago, my niece had this dream from the Lord. In the dream, she saw nothing more than a patch of grass, a tree and bench. She sat on the bench.

Jesus came and sat with her and asked her what she could see behind her. She looked over her shoulder to see nothing, absolutely nothing but a black void. The Jesus told her, that's what her sins are like. When forgiven, they are gone - no longer a part of the picture - nothing but a void.

There was a great lesson in this dream and I hope you get the point. Laboring over an old sin that you've brought to the Lord and repented of, is so far off the charts, even Jesus doesn't know what you're talking about. It's as much a sin to feel guilt over that old sin, as it was to commit the sin in the first place.

It's gone! A black void. Nothingness. Not even a lingering shadow. No print left behind to tell you it was ever there. So why do you keep bringing it up?

You've accepted Jesus. Now what?

2010-01-30T11:25:00.000-08:00

I was saved at the age of 8 but not born again until age 30. Why is that? How could that happen?

We teach others how to come to the Lord but we leave out one huge step and that is how to give ourselves to Him. How many times are we told that we are the Bride of Christ and yet we don't understand that it's a two way street, just as in any relationship.

We are told God loves us and we even say it all the time, yet we don't know what that really means. We have to understand that our Lord Jesus feels the same way toward us, as any groom to be.

Just imagine a young man winning the hand of a young lady, only to watch her pay attention to anything and everyone except him. Does that sound like a two way relationship?

We set goals, we work toward tomorrows riches, we buy things and even polish those things, we adorn ourselves and most times, we are too busy doing these other things to consider our precious Jesus. How loved, do you suppose He feels?

You see, the love Jesus feels for you is so adoring, so deep and so everlasting, we cannot conceive of it. It's a love far more encompassing and far more unselfish than anything we will ever experience for feel. The love you have for your very own existence can't compare to that of Jesus for you.

Born again. What is it and when does it happen? It happens the day your realize you too, have to enter into the relationship and become His other half. It happens the day you come to understand the depth of His love for you and learn to cherish it.

What is it? I can only describe in mortal terms. When you were young and in love for the first time, didn't you want to be with that person? Didn't you love what they loved and hated what they hated, merely because of your love? Didn't that other person consume your every thought? Didn't that person affect the way you lived?

When this happens between you and Jesus, you change. You become all the things your true love desires and you want nothing to do with anything He hates. You are born again.

Keeping You Up To Date

2010-01-19T11:27:00.001-08:00

Although it seems I'm not around much these days, the fact is I'm very busy online. Most of my writing is at the Crafter'sCorner the Home Site Blog the Trucking blog and my Christian site blog

This in a addition to Squidoo pages and on Facebook

I haven't deserted this blog, just been so busy with others.

Give It Up

2009-12-03T09:39:00.000-08:00

Give It Up

I have walked in that dark cloud where it seems all your life is just heaviness. Strife, struggle, confusion and unrest crams the mind of so many, in this world.

I know what it is to worry and fear from sun up to sun down and then all through the night. I know what it is to suffer in pain and not have the means to see a doctor, not have the time to rest. I know what it is to feel like nobody cares, that you are all alone in this world. I know what it is that causes you to feel unworthy to look the cashier, at the grocery store, squarely in the eyes.

I was on the run from an abusive ex-husband, having been robbed of everything valuable, stripped of all possibility to grasp my own world in order to survive. I know how that feels. I know how it feels to be grateful for the $11 in your pocket, so that you too can go to the grocery store. I know what it is to fear the unknown.

I know what would drive a young mother to thoughts of suicide just for relief from the fatigue due to the struggle. I know how it feels to know you don't have money for Christmas presents for your little one.

I know the implosion one feels in their brain, when the gas has run out, the old car might not start again and fancy suits drive past you while you push the old car up a hill, with your baby inside.

It doesn't feel good. It's tiring and wearing on the body. It makes an old woman out of you. I know what it is to forget how to have fun.

I've been there. Are you hurting? Are you down? Are you crying every night? Do you pray and pray and pray and it seems your words hit the ceiling and go no farther?

Do you want a friend? Do you want help? Would you accept it? Are you ready for it? Do you want to see green in the trees again? Do you want to sleep again? Do you want to be able to appreciate the crisp morning air again? Do you want peaceful thoughts in your head, again? You want the rope? You want off the merry-go-round?

I know the answer sounds so very simple but the fact is, it is the answer. It will put you on your feet again, make you feel human again, make you feel possibility again, make you dream of tomorrow again. You ready?

Speak His name. You know His name, just speak it. Give up. Give up. He's waiting for you to give up.

There's something very important you need to know. Just because you know about Jesus, doesn't mean you've stepped into His light. You see, it's a two way street. Accept Jesus into your heart but also remember to give yourself to Him. Sell out. It sure doesn't hurt.

Once you've given up and spilled it all out before Him, the Holy Spirit comes immediately to cleanse, cloak and to comfort. This is a real thing. I mean real as in, you will feel it, you will know it. It happens immediately. You will sleep again, like a baby in mothers arms.

Then the next morning, after you've had some rest, here's what you do. You take those concerns, those bills, those needs and you lay them out on the floor. Seriously, lay that gas bill on the floor. Lay out notes, listing your immediate needs, right there on the floor. Then point to them and tell the Father, "There is it. I can't fix this. You can. Fix it, Father. I need Your help". And then you walk away from those pieces of paper, laying out there before the Lord where He can acknowledge them.

From this point on, you do what you can and don't ask another thing from yourself. You are not the God, He is.

Five years from now, you won't be able to remember how those needs were met, you will just remember that somehow they were tended to. That's the point, it wasn't any of your business and so you don't remember.

Break before the Lord. Don't go whining to Him about your situation, look to Him for a solution. Recognize that you may not know the perfect answer. Rely on Him for that.

You will begin a whole new chapter in your life and some day, you will be sharing that experience with others, just like me.

Judy Sims

Jesus - Our precious hope.

2009-12-03T09:10:00.000-08:00

We know we are approaching a time of persecution and we know we are running out of time.

Regardless of what the future holds, remember to hold on to the one true thing in this existence-Jesus.

We may stumble and fall, but we continue to come to Him. We are frail but He is mighty. We get lost but He finds us. He will not forsake you.

We have come into the time, I waited so many years to see. It's not only exciting, it keeps me on the constant watch - waiting for the next shoe to drop.

I keep a watch on my own family, to make sure they don't stray too far. I remind them and pray for them.

This is the time for the church. It will soon be over. If I were 13, I'd be worried about being cheated out of life but I'm not, I'm almost 64 and tired of this world. I'm ready and waiting. I'm anxious to see it all play out and I know I will.

Blessed is this last generation. They will see those things spoken of, so many thousands of years ago.

The Holy Spirit Indwells

2009-12-03T08:15:00.000-08:00

The Holy Spirit Indwells

God's love for His creation runs so deep and is so engrained in our very existence, that to deny His existence is foolish. Our very drives and yearnings all stem from our reflection of the Creator Himself.

Love and marriage is a screaming testimony, as it was designed to reflect our relationship with the Lord. Spiritually speaking, Him being the husband and His church lifting Him up and the union producing fruit.

Through the Holy Spirit, we beget yet another generation of the church. By the human union, called marriage, we beget yet another generation of mortals.

Ever consider where emotions come from? Does it come from a mass of flesh we call a brain? How could that be? Does it come from our heart? Impossible. The heart just pumps blood.

Do you realize that when you feel emotion, it centers in a place within our body that has no nerve center nor any organ? It's called the solar plexis, just behind your breast bone. What is there, that could possibly produce emotion? This is where we have the sensation of fear, of anger, of love, of heart break.

When refering to yourself, you point right at the solar plexis. Why is that? Why not your face?

The answer is because not only does your own spirit reside there, but also when the Holy Spirit comes to abide in you, He joins you there. He's not in your intestine, not in your stomach, not in your leg or ear and certainly not in your head. There's only one place on the human body that can ache, the way it does, simply from hearing the words, "I don't love you any more".

This is also the very place where you receive what we call, the unction to pray. This is where you sense it all.

So does this mean the Holy Spirit actually does enter your being and joins your own spirit to abide in union? Yes. Why would you doubt that? Jesus Himself said it was to happen. Isn't that what a groom does, gives you the best of Himself?

Truly you are a part of the bride of Christ and truly He adores you and truly His Spirit is already with you. Always. We call Him King of Kings and we are all headed for the Marriage of Marriages.

Judy Sims

Death

2009-12-02T21:00:00.000-08:00

Death

Do you fear it? Have you lost a loved one? Find yourself blaming God and then feeling ashamed? Dealing with such intense feelings, you think you will never get over? Wishing for just one more day? Sorry for things you never said?

Would you like someone to throw you a rope? I'd like to share something with you.

I am 60 now but I will never quite get over a sickness, I suffered in my late 20's. The fact is, the devil tried once again, to kill me only this time very slowly and with great agony.

Without boring you with all the reasons why, I will try to explain this weird thing that overcame me. Five doctors could not find the reasons.

When I first became ill, it was sudden and violent. I was sicker than I had ever experienced. The odd thing was that after vomiting, I only felt worse and worse.

It's truly hard to explain the sensations, as it was something akin to nothing I can relate to. It was as if every cell in my body was nauseated, constantly, day in and day out for 8 weeks straight with no let up.

When it could no longer be diagnosed as the flu, I had already begun treating the symptoms, out of desperation.

Phenagrin is a suppository drug given to children as part of prep for surgery. On top of taking a stomach tranquilizer by day, in order to eat and have it stay down, I was also taking valium just to help me to tolerate the constant sensations. At night, there was no possible way to fall asleep without drugging myself with phenagrin, in order to overcome the constant waves of nausea.

The worst part was that I was a young mother with a 10 month old baby and no help. My mornings turned into a routine of crawling on my hands and knees to the nursery, to get my baby, change her diaper and get her breakfast. I crawled so as not to disturb my body any more than necessary because as soon as I stood, there was a countdown. I had 30 minutes to get what I needed done, before the shocking wave of overwhelming nausea hit me and brought me to my face on the floor.

At night, I prepared for the nightmare of trying to get to sleep, by drugging myself. Then I would lie in the bed with the radio blarring to blot out the siren in my head, as the drug intensified the sensations for about 40 minutes before finally subsiding and I slipped into a drugged sleep. As the sensations intensified, I would bite on the blanket with lock jaw tension and whine away the minutes, as tears poured down the side of my face.

Night after night, this went on until I wanted to die. I had thoughts like, "if my mother truly loved me, she would bring me a loaded gun". But then I would remember my baby. Who would care for her? Who would protect her? I was alone, as I had had to divorce her future molester. I had to live to protect her.

It was during these times, while I had no strength to voice even a prayer, my mind would reach out to the Lord and beg because I knew that I knew that I was 1/4" away from total relief. I had thoughts like, "Father! Why do You leave me here in this feeble rotting flesh?"

It was at that time, I became acutely aware of my spirit, as it was my spirit that wanted out. Nothing seemed more proper than for me to leave and save myself this agony. It wasn't the mortal mind thinking these things, it was my spirit.

From that experience I know my spirit and, at that time, my spirit knew where to find freedom.

I'm telling you this because I want you to know that when a loved one goes home to be with the Lord, it is very real. It is a joyous time, for that loved one.

I can tell you that I would prefer to go through a shocking accident than through a horrible sickness. That's for sure. I should know, the devil has been trying to kill me most of my life and sometimes came really close to it. That's a whole other story, as each time the result was a magnificent miracle or I wouldn't be here to tell you these things.

You see, at that point of no return, when one faces their own death in an accident, something very special happens. It's like you are taken into a dream world, where nothing seems real and at the same time, you are very much aware that the end has come.
Silly thoughts go through your mind like, "Is this really happening?" or "How far is this going to go?" or even, "Well.....so this is how it's going to happen."

Maybe it's true that some people's lives pass before their eyes but I sure never have had those thoughts. At the moment of the impending fatal blow, I've always been right there in the moment, focused on something my mind just couldn't wrap around.

I imagine those who actually pass on, thinking momentarily, "Uh...."

God so perfectly designed our bodies, that at the instant of mortal wound, the body goes directly into shock. Ask any doctor or nurse. They will tell you they lose more accident patients, from shock than from wounds. It's as though the body immediately prepares and puts a person into a dream state. While in shock, you don't feel the pain. You are aware there is pain but it's nothing like what you expected. As a matter of fact, about half the time, the person feels like superman.

Does this help you to face a horrible death in the family? It should. The answer is no. They didn't suffer. God takes care of us, even during that time.

It's hard to imagine life when a loved one is suddenly taken but I asure you, it does go on. Be at peace. I promise you that loved one hasn't looked back, not even for a second. Things are too exciting where they are.

Remember, we can't see the big picture. If we could, we might spend a whole lot less time crying.

Why would the Lord take a close loved one and leave a mate or other family members behind? Have you ever thought that it might have something to do with your own growth?

It's just like when a toddler is left in the nursery. The child has no idea the mother is coming back. It is pure insecurity and the unknown that drives the child into a frenzy.

We go through the same reactions when our loved one is taken and we are left. It's the unknown. The fact is you really will be together again but until you are there with them, you are left with the unknown. Once there, you will understand how very small this lifetime was, how very brief in comparison to what the big picture is.

It's time now to look inside yourself and rediscover. The wound will heal and along with it, you will find your inner strength. It's at this time, you will also discover a stronger relationship with the Lord, more one on one.

During this period of your own life, between the time of those you relied on and the time you yourself discover the wonders the Lord has waiting for you, there is much to discover about yourself and about your faith. Like the toddler stepping out on his own and experiencing all he can do.

Grow. Learn. Discover. Your loved one will wait. This is a blessed time for you. Painful, yes but also blessed.

Smile. It's ok.

Judy Sims

What is Salvation? What does it mean?

2009-12-02T20:51:00.000-08:00

I recently read a comment on another blog, asking 'What exactly is salvation?'

I was taken aback, realizing there are those who don't understand what that's all about.

I decided to try to explain, using terms an unbeliever could understand. What is salvation, why do we need it, what's it all about?

While it may be true, you are a good person and do your best to do what is right and not hurt others, it's also true you were born in sin.

Born in sin? Yes. Not that you are a sinful person, the second you're born. You see, the fact is, once sin was introduced into this world, the world itself became a sinful nature. For that reason, you are born into sin (world).

You didn't do anything wrong. That's not what it's all about. But just living in this world, which happens to BE sin, you take on a sinful nature. It shows up in way, you'd never imagine was a symptom but we don't know any different.

As you grew, you were taught 'right from wrong'. What is right from wrong? In who's opinion? And why are we drilled with it, from diaper age on up? Who says?

The fact is, if your parents were non-believers, what they were teaching you were the rules of getting along with society. Even they don't know, that the birth of those rules comes straight out of the Bible. They would deny that. They would say it's social graces. Either way, you were taught right from wrong.

Just as you were taught how to do things in a right way, you also hear about Jesus. Just knowing Jesus, is yet another lesson in right from wrong.

Until you've learned the 'right from wrong' of Jesus, you are what is called 'lost'.

Jesus is the way and the light. Through Him, we reach God. Without God, we are lost. So how do we become found? By accepting Jesus. That is our salvation from a lost state.

If Jesus is the Way (to God) and the Only Way, then we can only come to God through Him and God is the only path to heaven.

Put simply,you won't go to heaven in a lost state. You must be saved from that lost state. This does not mean you will suddenly be perfect. You never will. None of us will. That's why we need Jesus.

Are We all Ready?

2009-11-16T16:00:00.000-08:00

The message of the day is 'prepare'. Just as the wise brides maids, we need to keep oil in our lamps.

One reason, of course, is our great hope of the 'Rapture', the other is keeping ourselves girded up for persecution.

It's coming. In fact, it's already here, as I'm sure you already know. Everything around me is telling me to be prepared.

So how do we stay prepared? Reading and prayer. Natch. Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. And it's so true. Stay well fed.

Pray each day for the strength to get through another day. Pray that you will be prepared, girded up, sitting on the rock, when the onslaught comes. Persecution is headed for all of us.

First the 10 commandments, then the nativity sets, then any mention of Christmas, then the crosses. Now will they come for our language? Will it become illegal to say 'Jesus' out loud? Will the churches pull down all mention of Christ or the Temple or the Mount of Olives, to keep from having their building burned down?

Will we be forced to regress, returning to the beginnings of the church? Hiding in caves? Holding secret meetings?

Who knows how far it will go. This we do know - we were warned and told to be prepared. So prepare, we must.

Forgiveness is sometimes the hardest thing

2009-10-17T10:38:00.001-07:00

I learned the value of forgiveness, many years ago. That doesn't mean I'm accomplished in it.

New trials pop up every day, tempting one to harbor contempt and some of them are really hard to overcome. Nobody on this earth, is perfect. Not by a long shot.

We run up against people who seem to think themselves perfect, looking down their noses at anyone they view as 'under' them. I'd have to say that when this attitude is directed at you, it becomes the hardest temptation to overcome.

Don't do as I do, do as I say? :) I guarantee, if there's anyone who understands, it's me.

Remember who you are and remember who is important. Your Lord's opinion of you counts a whole lot more than that of your neighbor. Hang in there and remember your reward has nothing to do with this world.

One Accord

2009-09-13T07:33:00.000-07:00

Moving in one accord. Have you ever watched a field of tall grass or wheat, in the wind? It's mesmerizing, to watch what almost looks like waves of the ocean. As the wind blows, so goes the graceful, gentle stems as they all sway together, in the same direction.

This is what 'one accord' means. A church moving in one accord, is a thing of beauty. From God's point of view, very much like watching that field.

When one or two cause discourse, it would be like watching a clump of that grass, suddenly working against the wind and causing entanglement. That's what a grumbling, complaining, gossip does for a church.

If only every member would actually read and follow the Word, and all that it says about the believer. How lovely that would be.

The Condition of the Church

2009-09-04T10:03:00.000-07:00

To talk about the present day condition of the church, I suppose I ought to draw the distinction between the body of Christ, and the church congregations.

The body of Christ is doing just fine. :) It is, however, getting harder and harder to find them in church congregations.

The true believer is keen to little 'off tracks' around them and sometimes it gets alarming. Remember, you can read descriptions of today's churches in Revelations. Things really haven't changed that much.

There is, however, a new stage before us. The one world church. Many of us see it happening right before our eyes.

Read what Paul said about these things. It truly is, up to us to speak up. If they won't listen, we are to leave. It's that cut and dried.

You see, Christians get things confused. They confuse spreading the gospel and letting their light shine, with begging and striving with un-believers. Check out those things Jesus told us to do. Striving isn't in the orders, at all.

It has always been a hard struggle. Remember what Jesus said about putting your own family before Him? That was a physical demonstration of the spiritual struggle, we experience today. How can we just turn a blind eye? Well, we can't but we also cannot win over people with arguments.

Back to the original discussion. I find it so easy to get side tracked.

In the last few years, my daughter, grandson and I have moved out of the state and then back home again. The condition of the church, has become a huge discussion point in our family. We've witnessed it, as strangers in a new town. Then moving back home again, brought yet another new light on the subject, as we discovered this strange phenomena is everywhere.

The 'watered down' and the 'rock concert on Sunday morning'. Where did all that come from? My latest and loudest experience, in a visit to a new church, even had a fog machine on 'the stage?'

Since when did the podium become a rock band stage? The effort to reach out to the youth, has brought the church down to the level of that youth, instead of standing like a rock. When did the church stop letting it's light shine, and replaced it with strob lights and fog machines? Where did the foundation go?

It's true, we don't have to be stick-in-the-muds but somewhere along the line, some churches not only crossed over the line, they completely became absorbed into the social scene, that one can't tell the difference.

Did God call us His peculiar people? What's so peculiar about a rock band? Were we not told that we are on this world but not in it? Well, it seems to me a lot of folks, calling themselves Christian are pretty much 'in it'.

You know that old saying, " If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it must be a duck"? From my point of view, what looks like a church on the outside, looks like and sounds like a rock concert on the inside. I take that back, most of these places don't even look like a church on the outside.

And what happened to church names linking it to Christ? Words like 'Christian', 'Temple', and 'Church'. 'Church on the Rock' was already getting away from the main theme but to Christians, had the familiar symbolism. 'Faith Community' does not tell me it's a church of Jesus Christ. "Faith" doesn't label the building, it could be faith in anything.

I've heard a rumor that Calvary Chapel wants to get rid of the 'Calvary' part. Any body else noticing these little baby steps, leading us away from anything resembling Christ? Do you suppose these baby steps are leading up to one giant step towards the melting pot called 'the one world church'? Sneaky. Sneaky like the snake!

Remember the sly words of satan, "Surely you won't die". You see, satan relied on the fact that Eve never experienced death and took it to mean a physical thing. In actuality, God was talking about a spiritual death. Just a slight slip of the hand and he had Eve on the wrong thought pattern.

The devil isn't dumb, folks. He's smarter than you and I, for sure. He knows everything God knows. Think about that. He sure knows how to make something seem so innocent, while in actuality, it's death.

Is your church forgetting Jesus? Is your church not talking about salvation? Not talking about salvation from what? Speak up and if you don't get a possitive reaction, get the **** out of there. Don't let your children get watered down with the crowd. You're always safe with the foundation of the church, and Jesus being the head.

It's time to go back and read through the NT. It's time to compare what we see today, with those things Paul talked about. It's time for the sword.

If you knew me, you might sometimes wonder if I'm Christian at all. Why? Because I'm a rough old coot and see things straight forward. On top of that, I'm out spoken to the point of hurting feelings. When it comes to Jesus, I'll step on your toes any day. If it has to be that way, it's Him and me against the world.

What's more, I don't push my faith on people, I don't insist they see it my way. If I'm talking to someone who flatly disagrees with me, I flatly tell them, "When misery takes over your life, look me up".

Be strong, folks. Be like Jesus. Study His every move and see things the way He did. Remember, He turned over some pretty heavy tables and went on a rage, but He saved it for last.

I'll tell you a little story, that happened to me when I was around 30 years old. I had just conquered a sickness in my body, had finally discovered the secret. The very next day, came my temptation in the form of a man. I guarantee, I was talking to satan embodied.

My young daughter came running into the house, telling me there was a man outside that wanted to talk to me. I thought that was peculiar because why didn't he knock on the door instead of sending a child to get me. I went out and discovered a man, standing outside the fence.

He told me he had found his wife in bed with his best friend. Not only was there a divorce but his children all left him. He was on his way to kill himself. He asked if I could help. Of course, I said 'yes'.

I invited him to come into the yard and sit at the picnic table, then sent my daughter to get some cokes. The man unloaded his sad story and I told him about Jesus. On several occassions, I tried to lead him in prayer but it just wasn't happening. Finally, he DID IT ! He said, " I know how you can help me." I said, "How?" He said, "Go to bed with me". I said, "You asked for my help. I've given you the answer. I've done all the Lord requires of me and more. Now go kill yourself".

My daughter and I, went back into the house and by the time I had walked in the door and turned to see the man, there was no sign of him. To this day, I don't believe there was a man.

See? It's not hard. :)

You, as part of the body of Christ, know the truth. It's right there in your hands. Stick to it and don't be swayed, not even by a wayward pastor. He's the pastor, not the embodiment of Jesus.

And if you can't find a true church, start one yourself, in your own living room. Nobody ever said you had to attend a huge, expensive building, to be a church body. Jesus said it only takes 2.

Hanging in There

2009-08-21T08:21:00.000-07:00

The closer we get, to going home, the harder it's getting to just hang in there. Temptation to stray from the foundations, is in our very churches.

This is not the time to rest, it's the time to sharpen the discernment and watch every word and action. Our adversary attacks constantly, from within and without.

More and more, we find ourselves not going through the valleys and back to the mountain top but rather in a constant, none stop battle. It's surely not going to let up now.

Carefully watch that spirit of gossip, as it spreads into and blends with so many other evil spirits, keeping our eyes on the ground instead of in the air.

It's time to rely on the Lord, absolutely and totally. It's time to gird yourself up and learn what it is to run the good race.

The church age, what was once a mystery to the Israelites, is coming to a close and as the bridesmaids, we need to keep ready.

God bless you all.

Talking about the job of the Church and its Pastor

2009-08-14T12:08:00.000-07:00

This is an excerpt from a recent email I sent. I thought the message was good enough to share.

People are confused about this idea of judging. If you read it again, you'll see where Jesus was saying 'judge not lest ye be judged by the same measure'. I'm not a prostitute and could easily stand up to judgement by that measure, so I'll judge it all I want. He wasn't saying not to judge, He was saying you'd be a fool to judge something, if you yourself are also guilty of the same sin.

When it comes to protecting your home and children, you most definitely stand up and judge. You don't let evil into your home, just because you think it's bad to judge it.

Even Jesus judged the churches. You read it in Rev. He judged them to chastise them. True believers are to be accountable one to another. That helps us keep on the straight and narrow.

We have a commission, read in the end of Matthew. A commission is a commandment and the commander is Jesus. As an army of Jesus, we are to carry out His orders, as good soldiers. We can't carry out His orders without first knowing what they are and then standing on the narrow line, judging whether we are still on that line and what threats there are.

We must remember to shake the dust off our feet. Jesus never demanded people to believe Him. He left that up to the Holy Spirit and since Jesus is our model to follow, we do the same.

We are to let our light shine. We cannot force people to see it. Therein, lies the commission to the church. The church is to let it's light shine. How can the light shine, if it is buried in a mountain of flash and noise?

We, as a church, must keep the coming threats in mind, and remain steadfast. These church bodies, making loud noise, to attract the unbeliever, is chasing away the believer. That's not what the church is all about. We are not to seek popularity,we are to uphold one another and be there for the edification of the believer.

Just as in Paul, James and the others, we have evangelists that travel and teach and help to keep the church bodies in line. As a church body, the church is not expected to become evangelists. The church is the edification of the believer. That's it's job!

So many, have confused the lines, trying to be all things to all people and that means it's no longer the church. It's just become a popular local club.

Yes, the One World Church is already forming. We as Christians, must draw the line. The line in the sand, is so easy to step over. So easy to obscure the line and make it hard to distinguish it. We have to keep our discernment sharp, our eyes open, our hands open but our minds must be guarded.

The attack on the church, is coming from outside as well as inside. If we had stuck strictly to the teachings, those things would have been cleaned out of the church, as fast as it showed up but....instead of standing fast, the kind hearted church has shown leniency toward blasphemy, giving it one more chance to become a part of the church. In other words, when someone in the church tried to bring in false doctrine, even when reported to the pastor, the pastor would advise and think all is well. Instead, it was up to the church heads to rid the church of this evil. They did not. They forgot they were dealing with evil spirits and not that person's face.

When I see a church built like a massive castle, I wonder. Remember that God's design for His Temple was big for sure but it was also a simple design. It was not to flatter the world but to house God.

When the Temple was opened to all mankind, it was then housed in us. We too, are not designed to flatter the world, God in us, is a hidden treasure. Those who would have Him, are to seek Him. If not, they don't belong to Him.

The hardest thing for Christians, is turning others away. They forget to understand all that Jesus taught us. All. Not just the flowery parts.

True love does not let the child play with the snake. The child is admonished, punished until he understands not to play with the snake. For his own good. We don't stand by and hope the child will understand, before it's too late, for fear of hurting his feelings.

Why does the Army, punish traitors? Is it not for the sake of the army? And more so, for the country? Should we let one misbehaving soldier cut the throats of millions of people, for his own selfish good? That's the kind of love we have from Jesus.

He gave us all the same chance. Just as He said, many times, concerning the parables, those who have ears will hear, meaning there are those who will never hear.

Christians, have the hardest time understanding there are few of us and that most of mankind will go down the tubes, by their own decision. We cannot stop them. We can only spread the Word, let our light shine, be an example and let the Holy Spirit do HIS job. None of us, have the shoulders to carry such a burden. Some are lost. Plain and simple.

Have you ever thought why the great flood? You remember the sons of god mating with the daughters of man? Doesn't that imply that something super natural happened on this earth? Something that infiltrated the blood line of man? Wouldn't that be a good reason to wipe it all out and try again?

And later in recorded history, these giants showed up again. There was something unnatural about them-their size and demeanor was different. It was said, these giants killed just to kill and consumed humans. They were that kind of 'feared'.

If this unnatural thing happened again and infiltrated mankind again, doesn't it make sense we have those descendants among us today? And if we acknowledge this, doesn't it also make sense there are humans who are not of God and never will be?

We accept these words, because they are mentioned in the Bible: principalities, angels of darkness, evil spirits and demons. And yet we somehow dismiss these things, as though they are fable. If we can acknowledge the power of these things, and their reality, maybe then we can see this world in the right light. Maybe then we can realize they may be sitting right next to us in church.

If not for these unseen things, we wouldn't need discernment. But we do need discernment and should rely on it heavily and trust it.

God calls us His 'peculiar people'. That's not just the Jews. We will always be seen as peculiar. That's fine with me. :)

I know what you mean when you yearn for a Holy BATH!!!!! Those seem few and far between. I wonder if it's not because of what the world thinks about it. That would be sad.

I happen to know the Assembly of God does believe in this. Must they always wait for the next evangelist? Are the evangelists still making the rounds???????

Remember this is the blessed generation. We got to see it forming, while knowing what it is. That's really something. It's heart breaking and exciting, at the same time. But remember what the first believers lived through and count it all blessings. They saw the beginning. We see the end. And just think, that ties us to them.

The church age is drawing to a close. What comes next is far beyond our expectations. And for me, this is so exciting because I get to go to the millennium with stories of what I witnessed. We know the history of the church, right up to the end. We will be the story tellers, for those born under Jesus' rule.

Think about it. Children born into a perfect world, who will still be alive when the devil is loosed for a short time. Won't it be up to us to teach these children, in the face of no evil on this world? Won't it be hard to convince them of what temptation is like, what it feels like, what it looks like and what it really means? It will be like trying to teach a 3 year old about the sins of this world. How will they conceive of it? It will be up to us to convince those children to stand strong, when the final test comes.

So just for our own sakes, we better learn to stand on the straight and narrow, but we better be strong now, so that we will have the backbone to teach a whole new generation. Not too many think that far into the future. I sure do.

Just think. This will be like teaching a child that his loving pet snake, will one day turn on him and kill him. If the snake had never done such a thing, how would you convince that child to watch for the signs? A child who has never experienced a thorn, never been sick or wounded, never heard a harsh word, had never been threatened by anything.

We will be telling them stories about a world they've never seen and would have a hard time believing us. Some of them will be 1000 years old, when the temptation is unleashed on them, one last time.

So, whatever you do today, let it be steadfast in the Word, regardless of what the world is doing.

You remember that song about the day of rapture? The one describing people still sitting in the church? Cry for those. I'd say the largest left behind congregations will be listening to rock music. Sorry, it just popped out.

Oh, something I just thought of. A Pastor is a shepherd. Hard for him to keep up with his own flock, while tending to his neighbors strays. Strays will, by nature, mingle with the tended flock. They feel safe in numbers. So a pastor should remember what he's all about and what his job is. We have evangelists for the job of recruitment.

Doubting Thomas

2009-07-31T15:07:00.000-07:00

Doubting Thomas

It seems to me, that when most folks think about Jesus praying in the garden, the night of His arrest, they envision a Jesus excruciating over His own impending demise.

I had occasion, lately, to experience the very things I believe our Lord was actually concerned with.

Realizing that I, myself, could drop dead at any moment, my thoughts went straight to my children. Our family consists of 3: myself, my grown daughter and a grandson. These two depend on me, not for what I do, but for what I am in their lives. I am the rock of the family. They look to me for guidance and stability. What would this do to them?

I began to realize this is exactly what our Saviour experienced. What do you suppose was going through His mind, as He walked and dined with His friends and followers?

How many ways had He tried to gently prepare them and yet they remained oblivious of what was to come. Even the very eve of this new chapter in God's plan, as Jesus supped with His family, His followers, those who loved Him dearly, He approached the subject, knowing they still didn't quite catch on to what He was trying to tell them.

Jesus knew they would be lost without Him, that they would not understand. He knew they would eventually accept and understand but that interim period just after He breathes His last, they would be like lost children. These were His children.

His heart swelled with empathy for these innocent souls, knowing what they were about to experience. There was no possible way for Him to prepare them, although He had tried.

Just as you would, knowing that tomorrow you will die and your little children know nothing about it. They still play at your feet as though you will be there forever. They still punch each other and tease and whimper and tattle. You tell me. What would be going through your mind? What would you pray for? Would you be sweating blood?

Remember how each disciple reacted? Was Jesus right about them? Did Jesus know them, individually, more than any other?

While the others rushed off to see what Mary reported, the morning of His resurrection, Thomas remained. Why? Was it because Thomas' feelings ran deeper than the others? Was it because he was highly emotional and not wanting any more pain, refused to go look for fear of further disappointment? Had he not stretched himself beyond his capability to contend with the hurt?

Didn't Jesus demonstrate to us, that that was exactly the case? Didn't Jesus express more sympathy toward Thomas? Have you ever wondered why Jesus took the time to call Thomas to Him, and to cause Thomas to touch His nail scarred hands and actually pulled Thomas' hand into His own wounded side? Have you ever wondered about that? Did Jesus take so much time with the others? Was Jesus showing extra sympathy for Thomas' sensitive nature? Did Jesus understand something about Thomas that we today, miss?

Why is the U.S. not mentioned in prophecy?

2009-07-29T15:41:00.000-07:00

The United States is going through a struggle that will only accelerate with time. It's a struggle between good and evil, between God and satan, between the believer and those who desire to demolish christianity.

Not long ago, the Lord brought to me a revelation that makes me smile about the whole scenario. They can burn the cross if they like but that won't change the fact that the United States truly is God's country.

I'll explain this revelation and you will find nothing but confirmation from the Bible. My ultimate test is to measure by the Word of God.

There's a reason why the United States is never mentioned in prophecy, never mentioned in the Bible and yet we know we are a christian nation. The fact is, viewing history, we are non-existant.

What are we? United Statesans? We call ourselves Americans but the fact is we are Spanish, Irish, Norwegians, Chinese, Japanese, Laotians,English, French. The United States is the representative of every nation, the world over.

God doesn't see us as Americans, He sees us as our roots, in a new nation. From the beginning this country has been known as the 'New World'. Why is that? You can't tell me that even when this land was first being discovered, that those people thought this was a new world and yet that's what it was called.

What the Lord revealed to me, is that this country, the United States, is something like a display. All the woes of history have been played out on this land, sort of like a stage play. We have, from the beginning, stood firm for those very values God desires. In every way, we have fought and won over slavery of every form. We detest slavery and so does God.

We fought for our own freedom and then turned on those among us who would enslave, fighting again for freedom. We fight for freedom the world over.

People ask why we poke our noses into other countries, as though we have any right to force freedom on them. The fact is, we are doing God's will, like it or not.

This is God's country, His design, His plan. Those who come to join us, have joined much more than they have imagined. In their minds, this is the land of opportunity, the land of interprise and the freedom to own business and land. That's pretty amazing when you consider the whole world in comparison to the U.S. There must be something different about this country, wouldn't you think? What is that something? Idealism?

Those among us who battle against the believer, are standing on the land God preserved for His people for these latter centuries, for His own purpose. It kind of reminds me of the teenager battling his parents, while standing in their home and eating their food. The home will still be there after the teenager has run off. He battles against the very things that give him an avenue for life. What can he do but make noise and disrupt harmony? He will never change the rules and never take over ownership.

Judy Sims

Free Will

2009-07-29T15:33:00.000-07:00

Free Will
A revelation that came in a flash, while driving down a long highway through Wyoming, on a horribly windy day. One of those 'out of the blue'. It didn't take long before I was thanking the Lord over and over.

Hopefully I can explain it so that you can understand what He showed me.

In all that we do, as a nation, we revolve around God's perfect plan and don't even realize it. Our very laws back up God's will whether the heathen accepts it or not. They can scream and holler about 'Christians' in their faces, and do all they desire to wipe us out and all the while using the very tools used to carry out God's will.

Check this out. Every law is founded in the protection of free will. Example: What's wrong with rape? It's the fact, not of a sexual act, but of forcing someones will on another. Of course, in the case of rape, its the most vile way of doing it. Well, except for murder. But that's the basic point. "Forced against ones will". Right?

The same for murder. Dying isn't against the law but dying by someone else's hands is. We then die 'against our will' and certainly against God's will.

Without realizing it, that's what the law does. It protects our will.

If you have a job, what you're doing is selling pieces of your life, in exchange for something else you want. There's only so many hours in a lifetime, so every time you give an hour away, you are actually giving away an hour out of your life that you can never have back. It's gone. Sold.
So when you sell an hour, that money represents a piece of your life that you sold of your own 'free will'. So then when someone steals that money, what are they stealing? Actually, its your free will!!! That's why it feels so violating. They've taken the very object that you traded a piece of your life for, and did so with free will. You didn't 'free will' it to be stolen!

When someone kidnaps, what they are doing is holding someone 'against their will'. It's the free will that has been violated.

What is the enemy of free will? It's slavery. In slavery, there is someone lording it over others. Enslaving their free will. Causing them to submit to someone else's will. Totally perverse to God's design.

Eve, first caused Adam to be enslaved, by enslaving herself to the devil's will. She submitted. And she was half of Adam. It's no wonder Adam then submitted, as it was already a done thing. Just like that, they were slaves.

Think about it. What do drugs do to a person? It enslaves them. What does bitterness do? Enslaves. What does hatred do? Porn sickness? Lust? All these things cause the person to submit their will and that means slavery.

It makes sense to me (not that this was a part of this revelation) that this is the reason for war in heaven. Who was the blessed one? It was Lucifer and Lucifer thought free will was all HIS. So imagine what went on when it became clear that God was planning mankind and that mankind was to be given free will.

Gods perfect plan is free will (freedom). Only in freedom does love truly exist. Submitting against ones will is not love.

So it makes perfect sense that is the reason Adam could not remain all one unit, self procreating. The subject is free will. In order to create a being with free will, procreation also had to be in free will begetting others with free will and that can only be done when the ovum and the seed CHOSE one another. Of their own free will. So in free will, the two parts come together to create more free will. So Adam had to be separated into two. Free will cannot be exercised unless there is a counterpart.

When Adam submitted, it put a halt to God's plans. God then had to put into motion a whole new plan to again set man free. In the meantime, God's own people decided they wanted a king. After so many generations, the people had no knowledge of freedom and that's why God allowed a king.

Today, we are just as hard headed as those folks. We too need a king. We too have no understanding of free will. That's why we call Jesus, King of Kings. Only through Him, do we acquire freedom. That's why Jesus said He came to set us free.

All these years I've talked about love without realizing that the whole reason for our existance is 'freedom' and that without it, love does not exist. The whole subject, the whole reason for all our history and our being here, is free will. And the whole battle is over that very thing: freedom vs. slavery.

Remember the butterfly story? Let it go and if it comes back, then it belongs to you. That's what God is all about.

It's perfectly understandable, after receiving this revelation, that God still and will always, love Lucifer. After all, Lucifer was the first to excercise God's perfect plan, free will. The Bible never says that God will destroy satan, or kill him. It only tells us that satan will be cast into the bottomless pit. While its true that God will always love Lucifer, he sinned against God.

Why are we called the 'New World'? Ever think about that? So explorers found a new land and explored it. How does that make it a whole new world? There's only ONE world so how was it that this continent became known as the new world? And we are STILL known as the new world.

I now know why it is that America is never mentioned in the Bible. Because its the new world!! You see, representatives from every corner of the world, live right here in the U.S. Making it truly the new world. The fact is, America doesn't fit into the last day picture at all. But our roots do.

It's like this. Suppose you have a massive subject, you need to teach to others. The simplest way to explain it all would be to turn it into a stage play. Using actors to represent the diversity. That's what we are. We are the stage play of the world. All the problems and diverse peoples and struggles have all, and are, played out starting with a lesson in what God sees as the number one sin : slavery. When God thinks slavery, He's thinking about all things that enslave. We acted it out by actually using people and having a war. Who won out? And I ask you, what does the U.S. stand for? Freedom!

In all the world, in all that we do and strive for, all of history revolves around freedom vs. slavery.

When God's people had lost all knowledge of freedom and could not survive without enslaving themselves, God stepped in and enslaved them Himself. It was Him or the enemy and He sure wouldn't lead His chosen people into that kind of distruction. So He stood in, as the slave master, until Jesus could come into fruition. Thus the reason for 10 commandments, for laws of living, for rituals and sacrificing. All to give the people what they needed to survive. Much like a battered wife. They didn't know how to survive without it.

Finally, came Jesus. Jesus said He came to fulfill the law. Now I understand what He meant. The law was given in lue of freedom because the people didn't understand. Jesus had to become human because only mankind was ever given free will and God would have to put free will into action, in order to overcome what was submitted by Adam. By going to the cross of His own 'free will', Jesus set us free. Again, the subject is freedom.

For me, this answers all questions.
How can a God of love let such horrible things happen? Ans: God is perfection and His plan is free will.

The goal is to obtain the perfection of free will. And everything that crosses that plan is sin.

I don't know about you but this revelation, in itself, has given me freedom. And understanding. And peace. I understand.
Judy

There's Nothing Wrong with my Sister

2009-07-29T15:32:00.000-07:00

There's Nothing Wrong With My Sister
a testimonial about healing
It has been 30 years since the day I returned to my first love. After having run amuck for several years, the Lord literally pulled the rug out from under me. There was no place to go but up.
For the next 3 years,with Jesus as my tutor, I was taken through a series of healings. Each healing brought a new understanding.
After a series of healings and huge growth spurts, in the Lord, He began to teach me how to walk in faith. He presented me with numerous practise sessions, each one more difficult or seemingly difficult.
Then came the day my faith was stretched beyond what I had thought possible. My mother called and asked me to pray for my sister, as she was on the way to the hospital.
My sister lived so far away from the city that when she was found to have a very bad case of pneumonia, and realizing how difficult it would be to get hold of a doctor over the weekend, they checked her into the hospital for safe keeping.
At the time, I had no idea this was something serious but I had promised to pray and so I did. The Lord had taught me to focus on a statement. With little true concern for my sisters safety, I decided to pick something generic and announced to the Lord that I would stand on the statement, "There's nothing wrong with my sister".
Whenever my thoughts wandered to my sister, I simply stated, "There's nothing wrong with my sister" and went about my business.
That following Monday, my sister was still in the hospital so I decided it was time to see what was going on. You see, I never fathomed that there was a serious reason for her being there. So it was pneumonia, so what? Take anitbiotics and knock it in the head. No big deal.
What I found, when I got to her room, most definitely had an affect on me, as my sister was looking pale and sickly. She told me that the doctor suspected she had a tumor in her lung.
I thought to myself, "Oh, yeah, right! A tumor. I doubt that", but I repeated my faith walk, "There's nothing wrong with my sister", anyway. To this point, I was still of a mind that everybody was being dramatic and I was attempting this faith walk out of practise. After all, that's what I'd been doing up to now and it really didn't seem to be a big deal.
The next day, I arrived at the hospital to find my sister in a wheelchair, out in the day room. Her best friend was kneeling down next to her and holding her hand. Again, my sympathy was about as flat as a dime and I couldn't help thinking "oh, dramatic!". I again voiced, "There's nothing wrong with my sister", and asked my sister, "Do you truly have a tumor?" To my surprise, she said, "Yes".
Where would I get such an idea that my sister was on the same plain as myself? Was there something wrong with me? I later realized that just because the Lord was teaching me, it didn't mean that the whole world was right there with me, learning the same things. I was on my own, with this thing. It was me and the Lord doing this faith walk thing. It began to sink in.
Wednesday morning, I went to see my sister and got the shock of my life. She looked worse than before and told me that the X-rays confirmed a huge mass in her lung. I felt the blood drain out of my head and almost lost it, right there but remembered something very important. Up to this time, I had been obeying the Lord and standing on a faith statement that I didn't even realize was important. I couldn't let up now. That's what the Lord had taught me.
Thursday, the whole family met in the waiting room while my sister went to surgery. As I sat there, what I call the 'fearbies', began to creep into my being. That growing panic, realization and fear that begins to climb right up your gut, reaching toward your heart, ready to squeeze the life out of you. "This can't be happening."
I focused on what the Lord had taught and said over and over, "There's nothing wrong with my sister". Now I had to hang on to it, it was that or fall apart.
The doctor came to us and sat down to explain what they had found and what they had removed. According to him, out of the 3 lobes, they had to take the top and middle, leaving only the tiny bottom tip. I said, "There's nothing wrong with my sister", but my mind was exploding. Inside was "No! No! This can't be happening!" but I knew, no matter what I saw, no matter what I felt, I had to stand on that statement and not let go.
We were allowed to go, one by one, into the recovery room to see her. When it came my turn, I walked up to her bed and held my eyes straight out in front, until I could muster the courage to look down. As I finally allowed my eyes to behold my baby sister, my heart felt like it was going to crush itself. Even with all that pain killer in her, my little sister let out a groa
n and I witnessed her struggling to breathe.
What felt like my last breath, seeped out of my mouth as I said, "There's nothing wrong with my sister". I had to hold on. I couldn't drop it now. I focused on Jesus, intently.
A week after she was released from the hospital, I was elected to go pick her up and take her in for her post-op checkup. We arrived at the multi-storied medical center, next to the hospital. She was to get an X-ray downstairs then hand carry it up to her doctor.
In the doctor's office, I waited outside while she went in for her checkup. A few minutes later, I looked up to see my baby sister, walking toward me, with a huge beaming smile on her face. She announced, "73%!". I asked, "73% what?" and she answered, "My lung has grown to 73% of its original size".
"What? What? Do lungs grow? Wait, do lungs re-grow?"
Another week and we had to return again for a checkup. She again hand carried a new X-ray, up to her doctor. This time she came back beaming even brighter while she announced, "97%".
"97%? Grown? Your lung has grown? More?!"
This is how I learned what it is the Lord wants of us. This is how I learned what it feels like to walk on water. I joked with my sister, through tears, saying "See? There's nothing wrong with my sister. You just don't have any baffles any more?"

The Rock Under the Water

2009-07-29T12:57:00.000-07:00

This is actually lyrics that came to me in a flash. All from personal trials. The repeat, you see, is the chorus.

The Rock Under the Water
by Judy Sims

I stood broken, before the Lord,
under a full Autumn moon.
My life was in shambles,my pockets empty
and my body weakened and scarred.

He set my feet on the water
and I began to walk.
Not knowing my tomorrows,
just trusting in His love.

I cried to the Lord from
the ruins of my life,
“I have nothing, dear Lord,
nothing but to walk.”

He set my feet on the water
and I began to walk.
Not knowing my tomorrows,
just trusting in His love.

I walked through fire in form of lack,
through floods in the form of thirst.
I walked through storms of oppression,
the struggle often seemed to hard.

He set my feet on the water
and I began to walk.
Not knowing my tomorrows,
just trusting in His love.

Fear had to go, there was nothing to lose.
I stood naked of power, wealth and strength.
I held on tight, to the hand of the Father
I looked to heaven,as I walked on the water.

He set my feet on the water
and I began to walk.
Not knowing my tomorrows,
just trusting in His love.

He set my feet on the water
and lifted me up.
I couldn’t see that just under
the water was a trusted Rock.

He set my feet on the water
and I began to walk.
Not knowing my tomorrows,
just trusting in His love.

My walk is now, a never ending story.
One day at a time, do I walk.
My stride now strong, for God’s glory
Tomorrow, I trust to the Lord.

He set my feet on the water
and I began to walk.
Not knowing my tomorrows,
just trusting in His love.

My head up high, now,
I soar as the eagle.
I walk on the water,
I walk on His Hands.

He set my feet on the water
and I began to walk.
Not knowing my tomorrows,
just trusting in His love.

Picture of Jesus

2009-07-29T12:49:00.001-07:00

Picture of Jesus

I read the stories about Jesus and come out with a whole other picture from what is taught to us from childhood.

I'm sure we all see something different in Jesus, but do we ever truly see the epitomy of manhood? He was that, you know, considered a man among men.

He had to have been muscular, as he helped Joseph in wood working. They didn't have electric saws back then. He must have been a magnificent specimen. That's not what we see portrayed in art or even movies.

Jesus was quite the character, too. Imagine His gentle, authoritive voice as He spoke a curse upon a tree.

Remember the story of Jesus overturning the tables of the money changers? These tables were hardly light weights.

How much time had Jesus invested in His disciples, when a man brought his son whom the disciples had already tried to heal and yet the boy was still stricken with epilepsy. Have you ever noticed, in the scriptures, what Jesus' first reaction was? It sure wasn't an immediate healing for the boy because the boy had cast himself on the ground, writhing while Jesus turned His attention to His disciples.

Evidently Jesus was repeating something He had already taught them and then saying "....how long shall I tarry with you...". Jesus had only a certain amount of time to share knowledge and to teach His disciples, so every set back was actually wasting precious time. He was aggrivated with them. Not because they had done wrong but because Jesus was running out of time.

I see a commander. I see it worthy to be His soldier on many plains.

Before Jesus departed, He issued the great commission. These were orders from our commander, Him seeming much more the authoritive figure, in my mind.

Would it change the way you act and feel, if you had a more appropriate picture of your Lord? Instead of worrying about how and when you would follow out His orders, might you become the obedient soldier?

Soldiers carry out orders, don't argue with orders and don't doubt what they are expected to do. I call this 'training'.

While it is true that we push toward the mark, study His word and praise Him, it is also true that we are commissioned into His army and are to train to be good soldiers. Obedience is what He expects from us, doing without question, standing firm and hearing only One voice.

Freely He Comes

2009-07-29T12:32:00.000-07:00

This, I wrote about 1996

Freely He Comes

Standing barefoot on the dew covered grass, still wearing her knee length, pale blue nightgown, she stood staring out across the garden.

Thoughts flooded her mind and then stopped dead as she realized that for the first time in months, she could hear the birds. She froze where she stood suddenly aware of the crisp morning air, the vivid green of the trees, the cool grass under her feet.

A long moment passed, as she just absorbed every sensation her body was capable of.

The thoughts having quieted now gave room for memory. "What is it?" she thought. "What's missing?"

Her life a shambles, fear having guided her every move for what seemed an eternity, thoughts of life had long sense faded away into the darkened fog of worry.

Now suddenly it was as if some super reality vitamin was charging her senses, causing her to ponder how she had gotten here and where everything had gone so wrong.

"What's missing?" Where had her peace gone? "Wait! That's it. Peace? Wait, wait! What's missing?" Her mind seemed to have become whispers of almost thoughts, dashing to and fro and she stood very still, letting her mind search.

"Lord!", she shouted out loud. "Lord, where are You?"
"Lord, it's gone! Where is it? Help!"

She had lost her grip somewhere along the way, lost a peace that now was a distant memory and suddenly she realized she wanted it back. Now it all came into focus and she wanted it back.

She threw her head back, facing skyward and shouted at the top of her lungs, "Father! Help me!"

Something invisible gripped her stomach and then began squeezing its way up to her throat. Like a volcano, a surge of something indescribable burst up through her being and out her mouth as a wail of exquisite agony, rumbled through her. Tears came to her eyes and she fell on her face, not caring that she was getting her pretty nightgown all dirty.

Never had she felt so broken hearted, almost too painful to endure. The tears over the past few years, spilled out onto the ground, as she cried like a baby. An hour passed, as she spent herself with tears. She just let it happen, she let it all go.

Then, as though a warm blanket covered her from head to toe, her tears all spent, she felt the loving tenderness she had so missed, being lavished on her by the Holy Spirit.

She lie there soaking it all up, not wanting to face the day, just lie there in His arms.

When, at last, she stood again the sun was well up. For the first time in many months, she could again experience the warmth on her face. Peace was once again right where it belonged - in her heart and soul.

Now suddenly the world slowed down, her mind was at peace and she remembered who she was. Life was ok, again.

What is Sin?

2009-07-25T21:42:00.000-07:00

Anybody happen to know, really, what sin means? What most people think of as sin, is actually the symptoms - not actual sin.

It's like when you have a cold. How do you know you have a cold? You have a headache, your eyes water, your nose runs and you feel like death warmed over. But is the headache the cold? Is your runny nose a cold? No, those are the symptoms.

So what is sin? Lying, cheating, stealing, coveting, idol worship, murder. No one of these items are the actual definition of sin. They are all symptoms, just like the runny nose. So if lying isn't a definition of sin and neither is idol worship, then what is the definition?

Sin is- get this - enslavement. Anything that enslaves, is sin. Ok, now stop, before you start calling me crazy. Think about this.

When Jesus was talking about His being here at all, do you remember what He said? "I come to set you free." What do you suppose He was talking about?

In sin, we are enslaved and must be set free. God hates slavery of any sort. You can see His attitude about it, by the story of Moses.

A few years ago, the Lord showed me this reality and it so set my mind free. Truly, the U.S. was God's will and His hearts desire, has been demonstrated in our history. Slavery existed and was abolished. Enslavement, simply by prejudice has been stomped on. The whole attitude of the U.S. citizens is that of freedom and there is a hatred of anything that enslaves. That's exactly how God feels about it.

One of the main reasons for the creation of man, was the expression of freedom that could be had, no other way. In all of heaven, freedom cannot be accomplished or won. One must experience and understand slavery, before one can experience and fully understand freedom.

Now let's go to those individual symptoms. Any one, will do. Thievery. What happens to you, when you steal? First, let's not forget the law of restitution. It is a universal law, set into motion, at the foundation of this world, just like the law of gravity. It's just as real and just as ever lasting. It is the author of 'what goes around, comes around'.

You cannot get away from the law of restitution, I don't care what anybody says. The backlash, is not God's punishment, it is the law we set upon ourselves. We pulled the trigger.

No matter how the outcome plays out, there is enslavement involved. Any 'sin' enslaves the 'sinner'. Tell a lie, and see what happens. Am I right?

Does covetousness, add to your life or does it wind up enslaving you? How about lust? Can you think of any sin symptom that does not, eventually if not immediately, enslave the sinner?

So you see, it's not the sin that God hates, it's what that act brings upon His children. Slavery. He didn't create us for slavery, He created us for freedom. So for us to fall into the pitfalls of sin, enslaving ourselves, is to pervert God's intent for mankind.

It's so foolish, for a non-believer, refusing to meet Jesus, saying 'I'll have to give up my happiness', to run from the only thing that can set him free. While he may see his drinking and carousing as fun, drinking kills the liver-gives you a hangover-pretty much wastes time and that carousing may just wind up paying back with some horrible disease. How is that freedom?

You can go into the Old Testament, and read God's instructions to His people and see, just as clear as day, His instructions to remain free. Sickness enslaves. Sin is enslavement. Fear is enslavement. Anything and everything that is not of God, enslaves.

Something for you to ponder. Don't steal because it will hurt YOU. Don't hate because it will hurt YOU. Don't lie because it will hurt YOU. Don't covet because it will hurt YOU. Don't worship the wrong god because it will hurt YOU. Every 'Do Not', is simply keeping you from stepping into a snare and keeping you from harm. That's all. That's IT. Plain and simple.

God is not a dictator, He is a Father. Don't pet the Black Widow. Don't play with that Rattle snake. Stay away from the cesspool. Don't eat that Poison Ivy. Is that dictatorship?

So you say, "How come God can tell us not to drink booze, when He created everything and it wouldn't be here, if not for Him". Whiskey is great on wounds. It not only sterilizes, it numbs. It's also pretty great when you're in pain. Drink the stuff. But to drink it, just to get a buzz on, is to set yourself up for others to take advantage of you, and most likely a horrible headache in the morning.

Drugs? God gave them to us. What do you think Solomon's garden, was all about. The difference, of course, was that Solomon was the pharmacist. The drugs from plants and flowers, had medicinal purposes. It's when man abuses those drugs, we get into trouble.

Glutony of any kind, kills man. Drugs can kill you, booze can kill you, food can kill you. It all depends on how you use it. In a sinful way (enslavement) or as God intented, medicinal and nutrition.

So it all boils down to this - what will harm you, what will enslave you. Stay away from those things. Pretty simple and pretty easy to swallow. Don't you think?

Be happy, be free.

Forgiveness-What is it?

2009-07-25T09:19:00.001-07:00

Crack the old knuckles and limber up the fingers, it's time to write. :)

It seems to me, the subject of forgiveness needs a lot of in depth thought, right now. Well, not just right now but I think I sense a lot of unforgiveness out there, in the world and I feel the need to talk about it.

Who is the first person you need to forgive? I mean, before you can even think about forgiving others, who needs it first. You!

Mind you, not only am I fully aware that when I point a finger at you, there are 4 fingers pointing at myself -in this writing, I truly AM preaching both ways. You think I don't need it? Haha....nobody in the world, needs it more than me so come along for the ride.

If you're harboring bitterness against another, it's like a billboard pointing a finger away from you and at that other person. That's what takes over your mind - what they did to me.

But! And think about this. Why are you really mad? You know in your heart that if you hadn't allowed it, it wouldn't have happened and so you lose sleep. You toss and turn, some nights, fighting back at that enemy. That enemy doesn't even know it's bothering you, so who are you hurting? You! And why? Because you are mad at yourself.

"If only...this and if only...that". Every one of those 'if only's' is followed by 'I'.... You see, you know the truth you just don't admit it. You want to blame an enemy. Well, the enemy is you.

"If only I hadn't listened to him", "If only I'd followed my head instead of my heart", "If only I hadn't been so impatient", "If only I had married 'that other dream boat' ", "If only I'd never married at all", "If only I'd saved that money instead of blowing in all the wrong places".....and on and on and on. "I hate him" followed by "if only I....".

So who do you need to forgive? That 'I' person. So, ok, you made a mistake. You're not alone, you know. We all do it. Some of us will never let you know but we have our nights of tossing and turning.

First, you need to forgive yourself. Honestly and finally and forever, say to yourself, "I did it. It's over. Now let's go on from here." You need to look at yourself as nothing more than a human being with frailties. Perfectly capable of making huge mistakes. Learn from those mistakes and never do it again. That's called 'repentance'.

Unbelievers, think that word 'repentance' is some sort of ritualistic back whipping punishment, we bring on ourselves. It's not. Repentance is realizing where you went wrong, asking yourself and God to forgive you, then picking up the pieces and looking at tomorrow instead of yesterday. Tomorrow is there, it's coming, now what will you do with it? Will you waste yet another day, living in yesterday?

Flush it. Toss it. Dump it off on the lap of Jesus. He knows how to handle it, you don't.

Now look at yourself, through the eyes of God. What do you see? Another god? Or perhaps you rightly see, a dumb kid who needs the protection and guidance of his/her Father.

Talking to those who have children, can you look at your child and see all his future failures, every possible ugly thing about them? Or do you see a bright future and you cherish that child above all things? The latter, is how God sees His own children. They are His creation.

It's true, God filters His viewpoint with the blood of Jesus. Thank God for that, else He wouldn't be able to see us at all, for the covering of filth and sin. So you can thank Jesus for opening that door, for letting us stand upright and face God without fear. He bought you that freedom but He didn't pay the price, for you to turn your back on that freedom.

Jesus paid the price, so that you could have God back, as your Father and so that God could have YOU back, as His child. Rest in that peace.

Now back to YOU. If Jesus can forgive you for anything, how can you be so presumptuous as to NOT forgive you. Who do you think you are?

As long as you dwell on your mistakes, you can't see God and He can't get through to you because He gave you free will and He won't cross it. You have to willfully cloak yourself in your mistakes, in order to block God out of your life. So why hang onto it? It's in your way. Throw it at Jesus!

If you can't hear the birds singing and you can't see the green of the trees and the beauty in the clouds and if you can't see God's glory in the faces around you, then you are enslaved in your own personal prison, built by your own hands. That's no place to be.

Once you've accomplished forgiveness of yourself, then and only then, are you capable of forgiving others.

Now for the forgiving other's part. Until you do, that other person is ruling your life. You want that? They have a hold on you that nobody else can get rid of. You can get rid of it, in the snap of your fingers. Gone. Vanished. No power over you.

All you have to do is forgive. I didn't say forget. You go around forgetting the sins, others have committed against you and your up for another shot. You're not supposed to become stupid. You're supposed to learn. At the same time, forgive them.

You won't hold it against them any more. You also won't ever give them the opportunity to do it again. Your trust is in God, not man.

If you have someone in your life who constantly brings up the past mistakes, it's time to either straighten them out, or put some distance between you. That other person is constantly putting that weight right back on you, after you've managed to dump it.

If it's a situation where you can't put distance between you then it's time for a serious discussion. What you're going to say is, "I've forgiven myself. Who are you to keep repeating history and trying to burden me down with an old sin, that no longer exists? If I have to put that filth back on me, every time you open your mouth, I will have to find a way to distance myself because putting it back on me, is not God's will." They, in fact, are playing the devil's advocate.

My own daughter has carried ill will for ButterNut Ice cream, for years. Why? Because the past enemy always ate it. Just recently she bought some and said, "Praise God, I'm doing this in defiance. I'm free to make my own choices." I said, "Praise God, when the day comes you don't think about it at all". You see, she was openly admitting, the bitterness was still on her.

When the day comes that she can buy and eat Butternut ice cream and not have a single thought about that past bitterness, then and only then, will she be free.

When you dispose of bitterness, you throw it away. It's gone and has no more affect on you. THAT is freedom.

I've been bad

2009-06-09T11:12:00.000-07:00

I've been a bad girl, in that I have not been attending this blog, the way I should and I apologize.

When weeks go by and it seems noone is interested, one tends to get lax, forgetting that occasional visitor who may be needing help. My deepest apologies and I promise to stay on top of things, from now on.

The Writing is on the Wall

2008-04-28T10:26:00.000-07:00

For those watching from the wall, do you realize you're watching it unfold?

I have finally come to realize where and how, the anti-christ will gain his sudden power and fame. I've also come to realize that saying 'he will come from the 7 hills' doesn't mean he had to be born there-just that the seed originated there.

Just the fact that we have a man named Obama, actually setting his eyes on the Whitehouse, was enough to turn my head. Have you read the information that is beginning to circulate around the internet about this man? He is Muslim.
........

Thanks for sending out an alert about Obama. We are living and working in Kenya for almost twelve years now and know his family (tribe) well. They are the ones who were behind the recent Presidential election chaos here. Thousands of people have been displaced by election violence(over 350,000) and I don't know the last count of the dead. Obama under "friends of Obama" gave almost a million dollars to the opposition campaign who just happened to be his cousin, Raila Odinga, who is a socialist trained in East Germany. He has been trying to bring Kenya down for years and the last president threw him in prison for trying to subvert this country! December 27th elections brought cries from ODM (Odinga Camp) of rigged election. Obama and Raila speak daily. As we watch Obama rise in the US we are sure that whatever happens, he will use the same tactic, crying rigged election, if he doesn't win and possibly cause a race war in America. What we would like you to know, is what the American press has been keeping a dirty little secret. Obama IS a muslim and he IS a racist and this is a fulfillment of the 9/11 threat that was just the beginning. Jihad is the only true muslim way. We have been working with them for 20 years this July! He is not an American as we know it. Please encourage your friends and associates not to be taken in by those that are promoting him. It is A world wide Jihad. All our friends in Europe are very disturbed by the mulsim infiltration into their countries. By the way. His true name is Barak Hussein Muhammad Obama. Won't that sound sweet to our enemies as they swear him in on the Koran! God Bless you. Pray for us here in Kenya. We are still fighting for our nation to withstand the same kind of assault that every nation, including America, is fighting. Takeover from the outside to fit the new world order. As believers, this means we will be the first targets. Here in Kenya, not one mosque was burned down, but hundreds of churches were burned down, some with people in them, burned alive. Jesus Christ is our peace, but the new world order of Globalism has infiltrated the church and confused believers into thinking that they can compromise and survive. It won't be so. I will send you a newsletter we sent out in February, documenting in a more cohesive manner what I've tried to say in a few paragraphs.
..........
Imagine the day when a Muslim could even imagine running for President, in the U.S. The stage is set.
Starting with 9-11, we have had our faces crammed into a perversion of our own country. Muslim worship, side by side with Christians? That right there, is a preview of the abomination of desolation.

Not only has 'God' been removed from the 'government' schools but it is now been replaced with Alah. One is acceptable and the other not. To top that, the Islamic religion is being taught in those schools, including the practise of their prayers.

Is that a setup for a Muslim in the Whitehouse? You betcha!

So now I see it. To gain instant power over the entire world, one must simply become the President of the United States, the power country of the world.

Now the Pope visits. hmmm And the President puts on this huge gala, in his honor. Are we now beging asked to see the Catholic Church as our leader in faith? That mingled with Islam?hmmmm Do I smell the One World Church coming our way?

I've waited most of my life for these events and now I see them, at last, unfolding before my eyes.

Think we still have 20 years on this world? I think not.

Why Fear Doubt?

2008-03-24T11:53:00.000-07:00

Our relationship with God is demonstrated through marriage and family.

The Lord opened a door, for me recently, into a deeper understanding of many things. One of which is the fear of doubt.

The other day, I heard yet another saying, "I've been struggling with doubt" and I blurted out this new revelation from the Lord. I thought I'd share it here.

When a man choses a woman for marriage, and she accepts, that man does not yet possess her heart. It's AFTER she accepts, she will go through a trial of doubt. Every human being goes through this, whether or not they admit it.

There comes a time, before the wedding when each one will wonder if they have made the right decision. "Is this truly the right thing to do?"

Once these doubts are dealt with, only then do each other truly possess the other.

The same with the Lord. Jesus calls us His Bride. He knows you will go through the valley of doubt and He cherishes this time in our lives. Why? Because it means that when you come to the final decision, truly you belong to Him. He already knows you do not truly belong to Him, until you have faced and conquered doubt.

The day will come when you stand up to the doubt, make a final decision, and only then are you truly sold out to the Lord.

So knowing that doubt must come, and knowing that Jesus cherishes those who have come through the fire, why do you fear having doubts?

Is it truly 'doubt' you feel guilty about? Or is it the fear of having doubts? Actually, it's the fear of having doubt because you feel it is a turning away from the Lord. It is not. It is a trial we must all walk through. Those who come through it victoriously, will have been tried by fire. It is these, the Lord waits for.

Christianity is not Pride

2007-11-08T21:44:00.000-08:00

What is Christianity?
A true explanation for those that wonder and for those that think they know.

Christianity comes from the word christian, which means the same as it would if talking about where you are from. A Texan is someone from Texas.

A christian is someone 'of Christ'. Meaning, they are followers of Christ. That's all the word means.

To be a follower of Christ, one must totally and absolutely believe IN and ON Jesus. To believe IN Him, is to say He did exist, He did walk this earth, He was a good man. To believe ON Him, is to say He is the only truth and all of the truth. Which, of course, also means one believes everything that came out of His mouth and everything God says about Him.

If you're born in Texas, you speak as a Texan, you act like a Texan, you ARE a Texan. If you are born again, in Christ, you speak as a Christian, you act like a Christian, you ARE a Christian.

It's not an honor bestowed on someone, it's what you are. For others to bash and insult a Christian just for being a Christian, they are professing a hatred for what that person IS.

Christians learn, not from the Sunday School teacher, but from their Lord, to love their neighbor. Considering that to be a Christian, is to be in love, like nothing human, Christians want to please Him. The same as young love, falling head over heals in love. Doesn't that person act like a fool?

Doesn't a person who is totally in love, float on air? Doesn't that person stand in defense of their loved one? Doesn't that person hang on every word?

So do we, the Christian. We're in love and we beg the worlds pardon for acting like someone in love. Why is it ok for anyone else but it's not ok for a Christian?

This is what it is to be a Christian.

My New E-Book

2007-08-26T22:33:00.001-07:00

A little off topic but I thought that anyone who enjoys my writing would also enjoy reading a true story.
This is the story of my little love affair with Winnie, the unknown grand-daughter of Man O'War, the greatest of race horses.
The story takes place when I was only 14, back in the 50's. I know you'll enjoy the e-book, as well as your own children and grand-children. It's a heart warming story.

Judy's" new e-book is out.

What Does It Mean to be a Christian?

2007-05-09T08:46:00.000-07:00

People who are not of the Christian faith, believe all sorts of weird things about them. They visualize the scenes of young men, dressed in black suits, knocking on doors.

The fact is, those black suits have nothing to do with Christianity and sense they are the visible ones, making themselves known, simply by their presence in public, this is the picture that is drawn in the minds of those who have no clue.

Christians are all around you, every day and in every situation. You could be sitting in a room full of Christians, right now, slaving away on your laptop in some coffee shop. You don't know it because you don't care to.

The true christian is not pounding on your door, during the dinner hour. They are not beating their chests in anquish, over you lost state. They aren't wearing special clothes, to make sure you know they belong to the great club of 'Christianity'. They aren't ringing bells to make sure you get the message.

The true Christians are those you will find standing up for your rights, holding out a helpful hand when you cry out. The true christian stands ready, at all times, to minister to your very spirit. Whatever happens to affect that spirit, is also the Christian's concern. The problem is, most folks don't want to be bothered and the true Christian, following in the steps of Jesus, does not push themselves or their beliefs on you. But, the slightest inkling that you need their help for any emotional or spiritual reason, and they are there-Johny on the Spot.

Most likely, your encounters with a Christian, come from a close friend or family member. They know you well, love you and care about your spiritual state. These are the ones who will bring up the subject, time and again. Because they care that much.

Don't be fooled by the great, public show of the black suit. It is the true Christianity that stands up for their own rights as well as yours.

Pride: Remember Johah

2007-05-01T08:12:00.000-07:00

Watch out for pride. Pride is (pretty much) seeing yourself or your opinions as more worthy than another's.

When we get right down to it, which of us knows which is more worthy? So you have the Bible to tell you when God is in agreement with you but how many times is your right hand doing the work of God while your left hand is an advocate of the devil?

Why would God give us the story of Johah? I mean, doesn't it make God sound harsh and unfair? Was it to show us what pride does? Was it a story to demonstrate the results?

God's prophets never got on their knees and begged to be made a prophet. There are things far beyond our understanding going on in the heavens. We see the results here without knowing where the beginning was. A prophet is a prophet for reasons we don't understand but not without the consent of the human himself. They can say, "I didn't ask for this" but somewhere down the line there was an agreement.

Jonah knew the score, he knew God was much bigger than himself and yet he acted out of stubbornness anyway.

One is left to wonder how many years this discussion went on, between Jonah and God, concerning Nineveh.

"Go tell the drunks on the corner that if they don't straighten up by next Monday, I'm going to lay them all out on the sidewalk for burial."

We say, "They asked for it! I've been there before and those people can't even hear, much less care. Now you want me to waste my time again? I don't think so".

Six months later, "Go down to the corner and do what I told you to do".

Your reaction? You get busy with the Sunday School Class instead. Sound familiar?

A prophet knows he or she is an ambassador of the Lord. If it were a paid employee for some company and we don't obey, how long will that job last? And yet we do this to God Himself.

You have a dream about a woman in the church and that dream points out that there is something troubling her walk. You, knowing that you are one of God's dreamers, worry and ponder over the dream, wondering why the Lord would tell you about such a thing. You come so close to sharing the dream with that woman but never quite get that far. Why?

You say, "I'll be ostracized. They'll call me a witch because of the dreams". Are we working to be popular or are we working for Him?

It's true that some dreams are simply motivating us to pray for that person. You will need to talk to the Lord about that.

My point is this. Are we about as willing as Jonah, to carry out direct orders? Are we caught up in the social life of church instead of acting as His employee?

I speak to the prophets that I know are out there and yet hide in their little caves. Read the OT again and pick out your fellow prophets. Where did they live? Were some of them hermits? Oh, yes. Not much of a social life for most of them.

Has anyone noticed the damage Jonah brought on those around him, by being so disobedient? Are we, the prophets, doing that to our families and neighbors? Are the winds about you, tearing up lives? If they discovered where the troubles were coming from, would they toss you out to sea? Remember those shipmen were idol worshippers. They didn't have to believe in Jonah's God, to be affected by Jonah's actions.

To the prophets of the Lord and His modern day dreamers, you know I'm talking to you. The day is at hand and time will soon be gone. Notice, I didn't say 'the' time, I said 'time'.

Your relationship is with Him, not the pastor or the choir or the socialites. The fact is you ARE a loner on most plains.

Remember Jonah's story ended with him still loved by God but his reward was appropriate. His reward was a demonstration.

Judy Sims

You Are

2007-05-01T08:03:00.000-07:00

I must be the most spoiled of God's children. I say that out of reflection from an event that happened just today.

For the past 4 years, I've been out there driving up and down, across and back again, every highway across this nation, this U.S.

While my daughter and grandson established a new life in this small town in Arizona, I remained a stranger as I only saw home about 3 days out of each year.

I've stopped that merry-go-round and home at last. I'm not much of a socialite and so it's taking time to get to know the folks at this little church, where my daughter has been attending. As I learn about the individuals, as well as the church itself, I keep finding myself sitting with a gaping mouth in wonder.

It seems there is a young mother, in the church, who thinks I don't like her. It's the strangest thing that simply because I had not accompanied my daughter to help with a project at the church, this young woman thinks she somehow offended me.

Seeing the puzzled look on my face, as I heard about this crazy news, my daughter also explained to me that this woman seems ashamed that her husband has a pot belly and that she was surprised when my daughter praised her young son.

While I mentally scratched my head, I asked my daughter, "Are we spoiled"? "We must be the most confident, level headed folks in this whole town!"What was this, I was hearing? This on top of other things I have witnessed and heard around this group has me standing back wondering if this lack of confidence permiates the church. Is this true? Where does it come from?

Do you mind if this old lady leans back while she explains something to you young folks? Something wonderful and very true.

Do you know who you are? I mean, truly understand what you mean to the Lord? You should have your head in the clouds, every waking moment of your life!Here's the facts, ma'am-sir. You are the jewel of God's eye. You represent everything God desires.

He lives through you and in you and He is happy to do so.He loves you so much He was willing to sacrifice Himself in your stead. What does that tell you? That you should walk this earth with a turned down head? Absolutely not!

You are His children. Sons and daughters of the most high. Does that sink into that thick skull?We say "Worthy is the Lamb" and He says, "Worthy is My bride". It's a two way street, just like in marriage.

Why do you think God designed marriage? Is it not His expression of His desired relationship with us? It goes two ways.Are you worthy of that adoration? Yes! Jesus says so. His own blood makes it so. It is so!

Are you the pitiful, insignificant mortal being lost in the billions walking this earth? No, you are not. You are His pride and joy and He desires that you act like it.

Does it matter what the neighbor thinks of you? No, it does not. As long as you walk in righteousness, head up so the Lord can see your face, then the most important thing in this universe is what your Father thinks of you and you already know what He thinks. The Word tells you.There is no grey area in that, no excusing you to make you worthy of His love. It's all white! All white!

It doesn't matter who you are, what you've done, what you've thought, your color, your nationality, your circumstances. What He fixes is fixed indeed. Don't hang your head down, pick it up. Let the light shine on your beautiful face, knowing the Lord enjoys seeing you.

His delight is when one of His own says, "I belong to the Father" with confidence. What father doesn't delight in this?

We speak His Words with confidence. How joyous is that to a father? We say, "Jesus doesn't like that" because we are one of His own and who would know better than us?

Be a team player. Be His child. Be His awaited bride. Be in love, He certainly is. Be confident. You can do it.Stand up and be His cherished, adored child. That's what the Lord desires. Test it and see that I am right. Don't wait for it, claim it today. He will walk with you.

Deut. 2:24

Judy Sims

Debunking Christianity: What is My Motivation in Debunking Christianity?

2007-04-29T10:19:00.000-07:00

Debunking Christianity: What is My Motivation in Debunking Christianity?

This is listed, not because I adhere to these people but for the comment I left.

Armageddon: Is the End Near?

2007-04-29T08:23:00.000-07:00

I've heard the arguments and it's just so much nonsense. You will hear "yeah and a thousand times before, people have said this is the last days".

What's different now? Well, point blank, every prophecy fulfilled where in the past they were not.

You see, people have (throughout history) thought they were following the signs and knew they were living on the last day of this world. The problem was, they were reading the wrong book, filling between the lines or just plain letting their imaginations run wild.

There has never before, been a time when all that the Bible said would be in place at the last days, was actually in place until now.

I am one of the first born of the last generation. Born in Jan of 1946. Israel came back into its own in 1948. The bible says the generation that sees the beginnings of these things shall also see the end. The beginning was Israel coming back into its own land and once again becoming a nation.

The jews were scattered throughout the world, after the death of Christ, for their unbelief. It was their punishment. The Lord said they would be persecuted and indeed they have been. He cast them out of their home land but due to a promise to Abraham, the day had to come when they would return. And so, it finally happened after almost 2000 years.

Those born after 1948 or were too young to understand, Israel was NOT. There was no such name as Israel, outside the Bible. Today, it exists and by a miracle. Right there, was the beginning of the signs of the true end of time. The clock has been ticking ever since.

As a child, I was told about the things that were to come and I couldn't understand how it could ever be. At the age of 8, I asked my mother, "Children killing their parents? How can that be?" "Fathers hating their own sons?" "People putting up with homosexuals?" "Mayhem in the streets?"

There was no possible way for me to understand how these things could come into being but I surely watched as they formed and came to be a part of life.

A whore was a whore. Today most of our high school students are whores but they don't call it that anymore.

A thief was a thief and just about everyone you come in contact with is a thief, these days, but it's overlooked-excused-UNDERSTOOD.

Black was black and white was white but today everything is gray and arguable.

The law was the law but today the law is a guideline, meerly acknowledged as something that can change to bend to ones will.

Attack comes onto our land and its starts an argument between the citizens instead of between this country and the enemy. A house divided?

There is nothing stable anymore. Nothing you can depend to remain the same tomorrow. No standards to live by. Chaos.

Go back into your history and tell me when that has happened in the past. Even if injustice, the law remained the law and people knew their place.

Today, we have the prophesied 'eye in the sky'. Today we have the prophesied 13 nations, slowly forming into the 10 nations. Today, we have the forming united one world church. Today, we have the forming one world government. Today, we have upstanding citizens applauding sin in public. Non of these things existed 50 years ago. These are the signs of the end times.

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Rapture: Is It Real?

2007-04-29T08:19:00.000-07:00

So much argument about the rapture and so silly to question it.

For me, it's the most simple thing in the world and yet it seems so many, even scholars, are confused about when and how.

When you stand back and look at the basics, just plain simple logic, you will see the picture clearly.The Word says the comforter must be removed before the anti-christ can come into his power. Where is the comforter?The Lord Jesus told us, in plain language that the comforter was given to us (the believer) when Jesus ascended. Until that time, the comforter abided in Jesus.

The only reason the comforter has for being on this world, is to abide in the believer. So if the comforter leaves, so must we, as He is promised only to us.

IF the comforter must leave before the anti-christ can come into power then we must leave also. Otherwise, there is no way for the comforter to leave at all and still keep the Lord's promise.It would seem a logical deduction to believe in the rapture, as it's the only reference to our leaving here before the anti-christ is revealed.

judy

http://judysbookshop.com/christian.htm