Help For Living A Pure Life

Life is hard!  I am sure you will agree with that.  I don’t know about you, but I can use all the help I can get when it comes to living a pure life.   I am so thankful that God has not left us all alone in our pursuit of a pure life.  He has given us very real and practical tools to live that pure life that He calls us to.  One of the tools He has given us is His Word.  He also has given us Godly brothers and sisters in Christ who use God’s word to encourage and bless us.  I have a daily devotional magazine that comes in the mail each month.  This past week one of the devotions was on the power that God has given us over sin.

Through that time of Bible reading and prayer, God took me to four verses in His word that are crucial to living a victorious life.  II Corinthians 10:5 tells us to “…take every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ.”  When you really think about it, sin always begins with a thought.  The thought in and of itself is not necessarily sinful but it’s what you do with that thought that makes it sinful.  In this verse, God is telling us to take captive all of our thoughts and make them obedient to Christ.  If all our thoughts are obedient to Christ, there will be no sin.

The thought of living without sin in my life is pretty appealing…..but, how do I do that?  Every thought?  Seems impossible!  But then God gave me this verse, “Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.”  Philippians 4:8.  As I thought about that verse, I realized that God was giving us alternatives to the thoughts that come into our minds that could lead to sin.  And as I thought further about that verse, I realized that all those things it talked about…..true, noble, right, pure, admirable, excellent, praiseworthy..…described our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  So now, when those thoughts that lead to sin come into my mind, I work hard at leaving those thoughts behind and focus my thoughts on Jesus.

And it is oh, so wonderful, to focus my thoughts on Jesus.  But sometimes, especially when I am tired, I find myself slipping and not refocusing on Jesus.  I grieve over my weakness but, of course, God has given me a verse for that also.  He has reminded me that, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.  Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses so that Christ’s power may rest on me.  That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.  For when I am weak, then I am strong.”  II Corinthians 12:9-10.  God turns my weaknesses into strength to give me the victory over my thoughts.

Lastly, He has shown me in I John 1:9, that when I fail, He is there to offer unconditional love and forgiveness when I admit my failure and ask for forgiveness.  “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”  I John 1:9.

Oh, what a mighty God we serve.  A God who gives us power over sin…..A God who directs us to pure thoughts…..A God who gives us strength in our weakness and…..a God who forgives us when we stumble. 

Encouraging You In Christ!

All Praise, Honor and Glory to God!

What Is God Telling You?

After going through some changes in my ministry in the past two years, I discontinued blogging.  God has shown me in the past few months that I have missed it and He gave me the desire to begin blogging again.  I wasn't sure how to go about it until my daughter-in-law, Holly, told me that she was blogging.  After I read her blog (which is excellent I might add), I knew that she had given me my answer (Thanks Holly!).  In the past I only Blogged when and what God told me to blog and I believe that this Blog will be the same.   

One thing God has taught me in my walk with Him, is just how important it is to listen to Him and then obey what He is telling me.  As I have learned to do this, I have gained a peace and joy in my life that is beyond my understanding.   God has also taught me that He is the only one that can do this for me.  He is the only one that can give me peace and joy in the midst of severe trials; trials that should bring me turmoil and fear, not peace and joy. 

As I have studied His Word on a daily basis and let it sink deep into my soul, the peace and joy have become a part of me.  When I struggle with an issue, God brings just the right scripture to my mind and as I meditate on it, the peace and joy overflow in me. 

There are two scriptures God has been bringing to my mind over and over and over in the last two year that He has been using to refine me in my ministry of Encourage One Another.  He has used the first scripture to bring out one of the fruits of the Spirit that does not come naturally to me - patience.  God has shown me that through memorizing Psalm 37:6, "Be still before the Lord and wait patiently on Him," I can do what He is asking of me, which is wait on Him to move in my life and not take matters into my own hands.  As I have applied this scripture to my life and waited on the Lord in the midst of some very trying situations, I have been filled with a peace and joy that doesn't make sense to me.  Because of the fact that my feelings of peace and joy don't make sense and I know that they have not come from me, I know that I know that I know they have been sent from God as a gift to me as a result of my obedience to Him. 

The second scripture God has given me, in the words of Paul, is:  "...I have learned to be content in whatever the circumstances.   I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.   I can do all this through Him who gives me strength."  Philippians 4:11-13  As I travel back and forth between our home in Fort Wayne, The Encouragement House and the reservations in Arizona & New Mexico, I have struggled with the transitions and feelings of being homesick.  As I have grasped what God has wanted to teach me through this verse, I have found that I am more content with where I am when I wake up each day and then peace and joy floods my soul.

Encouraging You In Christ!

All Praise, Honor and Glory to God! 

God has used the two scriptures to become such a part of me that I can honestly say, "I love my life.".  No matter where I am, no matter what I am doing, no matter what situation I find myself in, "I love my life!"

Spending time with my family.

I miss them when I am away from them.

I love being on the reservations!

I miss my friends when I am away from them.

It is my prayer that my experience can be an encouragement to you in your walk with the Lord.  I challenge you to listen to God.  What is He telling you?  Obey what He tells you, wait patiently on Him and then allow the peace, joy and contenment to flood your soul.   It is a wonderful way to live!  May God richly bless you as you choose to follow Him in obedience!  

Life Changes

Preparing the bonfire for the party.

Life changes.  I've been through many changes in my 56 years on this earth.  Some are good, some are bad and some are neither good nor bad, they just occur.  My ministry has changed over the years as God has moved me from ministering at my home church to ministering on the reservations in Arizona and New Mexico to ministering at The Encouragement House. 

Our family will be going through a change in the month of October with our youngest son's move to The Encouragement House.  He will be living at The Encouragement House while he looks for a job and takes classes to pursue his dream of becoming a firefighter.  We are all excited for Jared as he pursues his dream but we all share a common sadness at the same time as we will definitely feel his loss at our home.  The babies will miss his playful manner and the rest of us will miss his involvement in our lives as Jared always seems to be in the midst of all the activies we participate in as a family.  His friends will miss him as well. 

We are excited to have him living at The Encouragement House.  He will be a great asset there to the ministry of Encouarge One Another.  It is our prayer for him that he will quickly get established with a job, make new friends and settle in to school again after taking a semester off.  Would you please join us in praying for him?  This past Saturday we threw a Going Away Party for him with many of his friends and family giving a final hug and a last good-bye to him.  It was a great night of hanging out with him and enjoying time spent visiting around the fire and playing volleyball.  We love you Jared and will miss you in Fort Wayne but are so glad that we will have you at The Encouragement House.

 Volleyball all afternoon.

We will miss you Uncle Jared.