FIRE REHAB AREA

Over the Memorial Day weekend I went camping at a really nice mountain lake. There were lots of pine trees, chipmunks, squirrels and beautiful Mountain Blue Jays. We even managed to catch some trout. There had been a fire a year or two ago in the area around the camp and most of everything was burned. Some areas were worse than others. We didn't even see any of the little animals and birds that we saw in the camp where there had been no fire. There were signs up every so often that said "Fire Rehabilitation Area". In those areas they are in the process of cutting down and clearing out all of the burned trees. After they finish the clean-up they usually go in and plant new seedlings, trees. In some of the areas the vegetation was already coming up green. It's a slow process that will take a few years to complete. But...once it's done there will be new life, a beautiful forest once again. Just how God planned it when He created everything. Alive, green and full of little critters.

While I was thinking about all of this God reminded me that I used to be like that burned out forest. He also reminded me that there are lots of other people like that also. He didn't create us to be that way but because of the "fires" in our lives we become like that. Burned and all used up. We sometimes get so bad that we don't want to be around other people and they sometimes don't want to be around us. Just like the little animals in the forest left, we too are left alone. For us there is an answer for all of this. The answer is Jesus. All we need to do is turn our lives over to Him and He can begin to rebuild us. In a sense, you began a "Rehabilitation Process" just like the forest. A lot of our old ways have to be cut down and cleared out of our lives. Sometimes that could be friends as well as habits and addictions. Whatever it is that needs to go, you need to let go of it. Start reading your Bible and praying and going to church. That's how you get the new seedlings in your life. Before too long you will notice that your life is a lot "greener" than it used to be. He will put new friends in your life as well as give you healthy habits and addictions. Some changes happen quickly and some take a little more "rehabilitation" time. But...you have to make the choice to start the process and to see it through to completion. Once you start feeling life coming back in you won't be sorry that you made the choice. Just like He does for the forest He can do for you. God created us to be full of life and to live for Him so that one day we could live "with" Him.

I can tell you from experience that having Jesus in your life is the only way to go. You will never really start to live until you've found HIM. There is nothing that can make you feel like He can. Alcohol, drugs, other people, possessions, not one thing can do for you what HE can. Jesus is your only solution to your problems. Give Him a try. Ask Him to forgive you and to come into your heart. Find a Bible and read it. Go to church so that you can be around other people that love the Lord and that can help you when you need it. Remember...once you ask Jesus to forgive you and to come into your life He won't ever leave you.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him, (Jesus), shall not perish but have eternal life.

Hebrews 13:5 Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.

James 4:8 Come near to God and He will come near to you.

Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Romans 5:8 God demonstrates His own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

SOMETHING ABOUT THAT NAME

Today I'm re-posting  something I wrote in 2009. I don't know why but since Saturday this post keeps coming to my mind. I do know that lately I find myself just calling on HIS name. Sometimes just saying it quietly over and over to myself...JESUS...JESUS...JESUS.  And lately I hear others just whispering...JESUS...JESUS...JESUS. Could it be that we all just need HIM more and more...everyday! I'm thinking that is true. I know that with every moment that passes I need HIM more. How about you?

I'm thinking this must be for someone out there who needs to just get closer to JESUS. With that in mind, here's an old post and I hope you all enjoy it.


Is there something going on in your life today that is difficult? There is an answer. JESUS is that answer. HE might not make your problems go away, but HE will give you the help you need to get through them. There's a quote I heard recently that says...Whatever brings you to your knees is good for you. I think, sometimes, GOD allows things to come into our lives to draw us closer to HIM. If things always went great, and we didn't have any obstacles to overcome, some of us might not talk to GOD as often as we should. It becomes easy to rely on ourselves for everything. Sometimes we need to be reminded that we need HIM. On your knees, talking to HIM, is where you'll find the help you need. No matter what your problems are, there is where you will find peace. It's a peace that is beyond all human understanding.

There's an old song called "Something About That Name"...

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus there's just something about that name.
Master, Savior, Jesus like the fragrance after the rain.
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus let all of Heaven and earth proclaim.
Kings and kingdoms will all pass away.
But there's something about that name.

Just think about those words for a minute. Say HIS name...JESUS...what happens to you when you say it? How does, softly, saying the name "JESUS" make you feel? What is it that happens inside of you when you call HIS name out? For me, it is like a spring rain shower. If you go outside, and breathe in the fresh air, you feel clean. After the rain, the air is lighter and you can smell all of the plants blooming. The birds start singing. The flowers stand taller. It's as if you can almost see them growing. That's how it is when you just whisper HIS name. JESUS...just say HIS name and breathe in...you feel peace, calmness and clean. When your sick and you call out HIS name...JESUS...it is like a healing balm that flows over you. You might still be sick but...somehow...you just feel better. If you are feeling heavy, and your problems are weighing you down, HE takes the weight from you. You can begin to stand up straight again. Somehow, your spirit is just lighter. Just like the song says, we need to proclaim the name of JESUS! One day soon everything, as we know it today, will pass away. It will all be gone. But the ONE that will always be with us is JESUS. There is no one else like HIM. If you haven't taken the time to talk to HIM today, do it. Whisper...JESUS...and see what happens. HE will be right there to answer you in whatever way you need HIM too. There is...just something about that name...

Philippians 4:6-7

  ⁶ Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. ⁷ Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 2:9-11

⁹ Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor
      and gave him the name above all other names,
 ¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
      in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
 ¹¹ and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
      to the glory of God the Father.

GOD LOVES YOU

This is really going to be different. GOD got me out of bed to write this. I pray right now that whomever this is for listens to what GOD is telling you.

I just wanted everyone who reads this blog to know that GOD is absolutely amazing! You might be thinking...God must have done something incredible for me today. Healed me from a sickness...helped me with some problem I was having...whatever it was, it must have been something great! Truth is, if I told you about my day you probably wouldn't think there was anything special about it at all. It was just a normal day with some good times and some stressful times. I got up...went to work...came home...and eventually went to bed. When I started to pray, that's when I knew that I had to get back up and write this.

God wants someone to know that HE is an amazing and awesome God and that HE Loves you very much. You mean more to HIM than you could ever imagine. HE loves you!!

Obviously since this is a blog, I don't know who reads it. All I know is that God wanted me to write this. I can tell you, if you don't know that God loves you, ask HIM to prove it to you. To show you in some way. He will.
God will never let you down or disappoint you. Your family will and your friends will. There is not one of us that is perfect. Only God is and HE wants to be there for you and help you. What ever it is that you are going through today, GOD can help you to get through it. All you have to do is talk to HIM and tell HIM that you need HIM. If you have never asked JESUS to forgive you, do it now. Just pray this prayer...

I confess with my mouth and believe with my
heart that Jesus is your Son, and that he died on the
Cross that I might be forgiven and have
Eternal Life. I believe that Jesus rose from the dead and I ask you right now
to come in to my life and be my personal Lord and
Savior. I repent of my Sins and will live for you all the
day's of my Life! In JESUS name...Amen

I just need to tell you again that GOD loves you!! Talk to HIM. Find someone that is a Christian to talk to.

NOT HATTIE ANYMORE

Back in January, I was reminded of a series of books I had read before giving my life to Christ. Even though I was not a Christian I really enjoyed the "Left Behind Series", written by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins. All of my life I had heard everything that was written in those books. Throughout my life I had heard many sermons preached on the topic of Jesus Christ coming back for all who had asked Him into their hearts and what was going to happen to those that hadn't...they would be Left Behind. That was the biggest fear I had...Being Left Behind! Because of that fear I did all of those things that I have written about, and many more that I haven't written down. For me, reading those books was just confirming everything I knew. I hardly ever read the Bible because it meant nothing to me. I couldn't understand it. But...the books told me what the Bible said in story form. A story I could relate too. There was one character in particular that I was alot like. Her name was Hattie. She eventually became the girlfriend of Carpathia. If you read the books you know who these characters are and who Carpathia really was. I believe that, even then, the Lord was preparing my heart for accepting Him. It didn't happen for a couple more years but those books really made me think about Him and what the future held for me. So back in January God reminded me of that...

Every now and then things will happen that bring things of my past back to my mind. I know that God forgives us when we ask Him and doesn't hold our past against us. I also know, that for us as humans, we sometimes have a problem with not holding our past against ourselves. Things will happen in our day to day lives that make us want to revert back to our old ways. Sometimes, people will say things to us that remind us of our pasts and we might get down on ourselves. Then sometimes, we are tempted and we give in to that temptation. We all mess up and believe that the things we have done are just too bad for God to be able to forgive us for. I had a lot of those times. Times when I just could not believe that God would just write off my sins. But His Word says...

Psalms 103:12 He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west. NLT

Hebrews 8:12 And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins. NLT

Micah 7:19 Once again you will have compassion on us. You will trample our sins under Your feet and throw them into the depths of the ocean! NLT

So...one of those times when I was "reflecting" on my past God reminded me of something. He said to me, "You used to be like Hattie but...You are not like Hattie anymore!" Then He let me know that at some time I would post this on my blog. When I really knew, beyond any doubt, that I was not like that anymore. Something would happen and I would know. Well...today that something happened. It was a remark that a friend made to me at church. At first I didn't even realize what he was talking about. He was just kidding with me. I had a paper bag with some jelly, in glass jars, in it. He said to me, "I thought you gave that up." He was refering to drinking. I didn't even connect what he said to drinking at first. Then it hit me, and it was funny. A few minutes later, as I was driving home, I realized that when drinking, or alcohol, didn't even enter my thoughts, I had truly changed. That's when God reminded me, again, that I'm not like Hattie anymore and that it was time to post this blog.

Maybe you have had trouble getting over your past. The word "remember" in Hebrews 8:12 is a promise. If we trust in Christ, God no longer holds our sins against us. He will not punish us for what we have done. We are truly forgiven. From the NLT study bible. There is nothing that you have done that can keep you from the Love of God. All you have to do is to ask Him into your heart. Ask Him to forgive you and accept His forgiveness. Talk to Him and read His Word. Live for Him and He will help you in all that you do. He loves you more than you can even imagine.

THE LIGHT

When I started writing this blog I thought that I would post something maybe once a week. As it turned out God gave me something to say more often than I thought He was going to. It seemed the more I wrote, the more I enjoyed doing it. Then in March and April it was as if God just wasn't giving me much to write. I would sit at my computer and just stare at the screen. When talking to God about it I would ask Him to please give me things to say. Most of the time I got nothing. When I asked Him why He wasn't giving me anything to write...He answered me...

Two days after I asked the Lord to forgive me and come into my life something very different, for me, happened. I awoke in the middle of the night thinking a scripture. At the time I had no idea where it was found, all I knew was that it was in the bible. I had heard it many times in my life but up until then it didn't mean anything to me.

Psalms 119:105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. KJV

Immediately, I wrote it down because I was afraid I wouldn't remember it come morning. However, God has not let me forget it. Since then I have acquired many different versions of God's Word. I'm not saying that so you think I'm super spiritual. I believe that God has put a desire in me to read His word, in different versions, so that I will understand and retain it better. That said...After I asked Him why, He reminded me of the scripture He had given me. God's Word is light, a guide for us to live by. If we don't read it, all of the time, we get off the path and lose our way. We have to study the Bible, His Word, so that we can stay on the right path and not stumble and fall. He hadn't been giving me anything to write because I had been neglecting my time in His Word. By doing this I was actually neglecting God, the Light. Some days I wouldn't read it at all. Other days it would only be a verse or two. The more I neglected reading His word, the less He gave me to write about. That's understandable. Why should He give me things to say to others if I'm not doing what I should be doing? We need to read God's word because that's how He teaches and guides us in His ways.

I didn't just decide one day to stop spending so much time with Him. It all happened slowly over time. Normally I would come home from work and read my Bible for a few minutes before doing anything else. Then before going to bed I would read and study out of my Bible and different books that I have. Then one day, while deleting some things off my computer, I found an old game that was fun to play. So I started playing and before long my time to read The Word after work was gone. This went on for awhile and then I started playing at night when I would normally read. But...it was okay because I was still reading some. That was what I told myself. As time went on I was reading less and less until it was as I said earlier. Just a few scriptures. You see...that had become a distraction for me. You might say...well playing a game isn't a bad thing. You're right, it's not...until it takes away from your time with The Lord.

As Christians we have to be very careful how we spend our time. It's okay to do other things than pray and read The Word. But...it's not okay when those other things cause you to neglect the time you should be spending with HIM! We all need to set aside time everyday just for The Lord. Talking with HIM, worshiping HIM, and learning about HIM.

In your everyday life, if you go out into the darkness, you need to take a light with you. If you don't, you could run into something or even fall and get hurt. It's the same in your Christian walk. If you don't stay connected to The Light, you can fall...right into the darkness of evil. That's where satan is waiting for you. Don't give satan a chance to get the tiniest foothold in your life. He will take every opportunity you are willing to give him.

Another place that talks about the light is....

1 John 1:5-7 This is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with Him yet walk in darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. NKJV

Remember, God is light. He is the only one that can guide us out of the darkness...sin. If we stay in the light, we stay close to God and out of a sinful lifestyle. Light and dark cannot co-exist.