Separation Anxiety

"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."  - Romans 8:38-39

Mothers often feel separation anxiety from their children when they drop them off for their first day of kindergarten, watch them off to college, and when they get married. I've always thought it was a little outrageous, but I guess it's because I don't have any children yet. Still,  I find it heartwarming, when a mom cries as she has to let go of her little girl's hand at the school gates or when a mother bursts into chaotic tears at her sons wedding.

We all have different areas of our life where we experience separation anxiety. There are many people in the Bible who probably experienced this as well. Remember Joseph? He was sold into slavery by his own brothers. But his father longed to see his son again. I could go on and on, but I'll get to it!

We may face worldly separation but we do not have to face spiritual separation unless we choose to. Unfortunately many people choose to deny Christ and be separated from Him forever. 

You don't have to make that choice. God wants you to choose him. And once you do, nothing, NOTHING, can separate you from the love of God!

He is in the Fire

"And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It [is] my people: and they shall say, The LORD [is] my God." Zechariah 13:9

My brother is a paramedic and a firefighter. When I think about what he does on a daily basis, I am in awe that he could be so selfless; that he would lay down his life for someone else in need. It almost brings me to tears when I think about it.

We all get caught in the so-called "fire of life" every now and then. We may be having trouble at work or marital problems. Maybe one of our children is choosing to stray away from the Lord. Whatever it is, we must always remember that we are not alone in that fire and the One who is right beside us will not let us burn.

In the Bible, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego would not bow down to worship a statue. Because of their godly actions, they were thrown in a fiery furnace and left for dead. Yet, to the dismay of onlookers, they remained unharmed in the flames, for right beside them was a fourth man. King Nebuchadnezzar said in Daniel 3:25, "Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God."

God protected the three men in the fire. They had no burns on them, no sign of smoke inhalation and no marks on their bodies.

He will do the same for us when we fall into fiery trials. Sometimes we wonder what God is doing. Just remember, His almighty hand is a work even now. He will bring you through the fire.

Anger + Revenge = Sin

"Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I [am] the Lord." Leviticus 19:18 

I read the stories everyday about people who take other people's lives. It seems like it is getting worse with time. It pretty much makes me sick to my stomach. Today I saw where a man killed three people, a publicist was shot in the chest and then slammed her car into a pole (she later died at a hospital), and a teen boy who was murdered in his own house from a drive by shooting.


The majority of these cases are not random acts of violence but what I believe to be revenge. Anger makes a person do things that no one can possibly understand. What follows that anger is revenge.


Have you ever thought in your mind, "Wow that person is making me so ticked off right now. I'm going to get revenge on them." If you haven't, you must be a saint!


Revenge can easily become sin. Will you allow it to take over your life just because you have bitter feelings towards somebody?


If you let revenge into your heart, it won't take much time before it turns to hatred, and when it does, you won't know who you are anymore.


Instead, why don't we all just take our concerns to the Lord and ask him to ease our minds. It's a easy as ABC for Him.

A Fine Line

There may be someone in the world who can draw a completely straight line. But if I had to take a guess, the majority of us would have to use a ruler. Even then, I'm not so sure my line would end up perfectly straight.

In life there is a fine line drawn by God. There are two sides to that line and no one can stand on the line without falling one way or the other.

One side of the line is full of people who have chosen to put the Lord first and accepted him as their Saviour. The other side is full of many more who have thus far chosen to reject Him.

We can't walk the line like we can a tight rope (probably most of us couldn't even do that anyway). Yet we often think that we can do a little sinning here and a little sinning there and still be on God's side.

I've got news for you folks. You can not continue purposefully sinning and be on the side of the Lord. Yes, we being carnal will still make poor decisions on an everyday basis, but it is the cry of our heart to follow after Him.

Which side of the fine line are you on today? Take a few minutes out of your busy day and ask God to show you.

Carnal Appetites

"For ye are yet carnal: for whereas [there is] among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?" 1 Corinthians 3:3

Dictionary.com defines carnal as "pertaining to or characterized by the flesh or the body, its passions and appetites; sensual: carnal pleasures."

I think dictionary man hit it right on the money with that definition. Our carnal nature is all about our flesh and what our flesh desires. 

Have you ever had a big appetite for something and you knew you just had to eat it or die? I've been there lots of times. Half the time I have an appetite for a pastrami sandwich, but for some reason in the south, they are hard to come by. 


When we have an appetite for something, we want it so bad that we will go to all extremes to get it. It's the same with our carnal nature.


Our carnal nature makes us crave the things of this world that seek to destroy us. It may be something as simple as television or something even more serious as lusting after another human being. 


Yet God has the answer to our carnal nature. He asks us to be in the word daily. And if we walk  extremely close with Him everyday, He will protect us from our carnal nature.

Rage in the Real World

A hot-tempered man stirs up dissension, but a patient man calms a quarrel." Proverbs 15-18

Being a redhead and fair skinned, I have a tendency to show my true colors when I'm raging mad. I'd say by the way it feels, I'd look the color of a fire engine. If you see me like that, you better get the hose as quick as you can and put me out, because I'm about to blow up in your face.

Isn't it a common occurrence in our lives to show rage at others who don't deserve it? Most of the time we are overlooking the real situation by catering to our own needs. I'm definitely guilty of this on a weekly basis. Are you?

Okay, so it may be funny for a while, but what happens when our rage gets so out of hand that we can't control our emotions or our body? We are all capable of horrific sin. It takes just one second to throw something at somebody or push them down.

Those actions can lead to death, not only for your victim, but also for you. 

I know this is a very touchy subject I'm dealing with today, but we all need to realize what we are capable of. We are no better than the murderer on the five o'clock news. We could easily be in his shoes.

Satan wants us to be so full of rage that we can't think of anything but our needs. He wants us to go "mad." He wants to devour our souls and I'd have to say he's doing an amazing job of it in our world today.

But life can be lived so much better. Jesus is the answer to our anger and rage. He can give us patience and calmness beyond all measure. He is ready right now. Are you?

Fear Not

"And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?" Mark 4:40 

I have always been a very fearful person. While growing up I was extremely terrified that someone was going to break into our house at night. I even made my hiding plans, so if the doorknob turned, I would jet out of bed and to safety.

I was also very, very afraid of clowns on stilts and I still am to this day. I know it's silly, but I became terrified of them at a circus when I was five years old. A clown on stilts came up to me and I didn't like that. He bent over to talk to me and I panicked. I wanted to sprint to the other side of the carnival as fast as I could. I turned around to dart off and he started chasing me with his long, fake legs! What kind of crazy clown would chase a poor five-year-old? 


Yes I have been traumatized by that experience and even now I go completely out of my mind when I see one. It took a lot for me to use one as my graphic above!


Oh, and did I almost forget to mention my worst fear in life? BEARS! Yes, that's right, bears. You know those cute little fuzzy things that little kids beg their parents for in the toy stores. Well little kiddies, I hate to break it to you, but those cute cuddly bears are gigantic monsters in real life! 


We all have fears that rage inside of us. Mine are no doubt extremely different from yours. Probably a little immature, but oh well.


Yet, God is wanting to take any fear we have and erase it from our lives. He wants us to trust in Him completely. He is calling all of us and reaching out to hold us in His arms. Let Him take all your fears away. 


Build your faith on the solid rock. If you don't you will sink in the sand.


Photo Credit: Pete Ashton

Proceed with Caution

"Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil. Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter [any] thing before God: for God [is] in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few." Ecclesiastes 5:1-2

We've all seen the signs on the highways. CAUTION. Of course my first reaction is what do I need to be cautioned about?


I was driving down the two-lane last night and I saw signs saying, "CAUTION, Road Work Ahead." So me being the most tentative driver in the world, slows to about 25. Thank goodness there was no one around to see frantic little ol' me. I was thinking, there has got to be someone out here working their tail off at this time of night if they have the signs up and reflecting so brightly. But no, there was not a single soul around.


We are like this is in our spiritual lives. We see a CAUTION sign, and wonder "What's over there? I really want to know." As we edge closer and closer, we fall into the trap and when it's all said and done, there is nothing on the other side. 


Why don't we learn our lesson and really STOP when God says caution? Today, decide that His ways are better than our own and make a complete 360 in the road. Spin a tire if you have to. Just run to Him.

Friendship Dos and Donts

"A righteous man is cautious in friendship, but the way of the wicked leads them astray" - Proverbs 13:26

Friendships are extremely important in the eyes of God. He EXPECTS us to make wise choices when we decide who we are going to hang out with.

As a young Christian teenager and in my 20s, I was not always so wise about my choices in friends. I wanted to look cool and roll with the kids who were popular and had style. I wanted to do the things they did even though I knew that God would not approve of half of them.

Little did I know that my choices would affect me for life. We cannot take back our actions. There were plenty of times that I made friendship mistakes that led me down some dark alleys (no, not literally).

Yet, I knew that my Redeemer wanted me to take another road and follow the crowd who would lead me closer and closer to him.

That choice was the best one I have ever made and I will never regret it.

Some of us are still in our teens and 20s. You can pretend that I am if you'd like. It wouldn't hurt my feelings any! But many of us are in our adult lives and we still could easily get tripped up with the wrong friends and be led astray.

Take the hand of the "Stronghold." He will give you the wisdom and the courage to say no. You will never regret it.

Born With a Purpose

"So God created man in his [own] image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them." - Genesis 1:27

Each of us are born with a purpose in life. God has given us all different talents that are to be used to glorify His kingdom.

We all remember dreaming about what we were going to be when we "grew up". I always wanted to be a vet until I realized that they had to do surgery on animals and see bloody insides!

As I got older, I went through the professional softball or volleyball player stage, then to the kinesiologist (I think I was more fascinated with the name more than anything else), and then I wound up in journalism school after I felt a strong call on my life from the Lord.

I worked in that field for a few years and then God led me down a completely different path. He was calling me to be a graphic designer. It was exciting, yet scary for me at the same time, but I knew it was what His will was.

We are all made in God's image and we are all born with a purpose beyond what we can imagine. Sometimes God is so creative and He changes our career paths, but we must always remember to follow Him even if we would love to run the other way.

Remember how far that got Jonah! He was thrown into the belly of a big fish because he tried to run away from God.

If you think you are worth nothing, put you chin up and look toward the heavens. Ask the Lord to reveal your purpose to you. No doubt, He will.

Diligence in a Technology Driven World

"Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth." -  2 Timothy 2:15

Electronics rule our worlds. A little text message here, a little Facebook action there. Oh and let's not forget checking our emails from our iPhones every other second. By the way, I'm so glad I don't have one. My Blackberry used to drive me nuts.

I can remember the days when playing outside was the cool thing to do. We would ride bikes, play "Ding Dong Ditch" (not a good idea if you want to survive nowadays), play catch in the street, and run up to the nearest 7-Eleven.

Yet for some reason those days are long gone. It's rare to see kids playing outside because they are too wrapped up in Playstation (whatever number we are on now). They can't even ride their bikes very far because the world we live in is a sinful mess and getting worse everyday.

With all this bombardment, it's hard to stay focused and be diligent workers. I know it's easy for me to get distracted from all the technology around me, but God commands us to be hard workers for His kingdom.

Sometimes (more like most of the time if you want to get technical), we need to put the iPhone away, shut down our computers, and forget about answering 25 text messages. We need to focus on our work and what is important in life.

We won't be able to take our gobs of technology with us to heaven so we might as well get used to living without them.

When Others Drive You Bananas

"The words of a talebearer [are] as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly." Proverbs 26:22

It goes without saying that we all have people in our live that can really crawl under our skin. I can admit it, there are a few in mine! (By the way, if you are my friend, you have no worries. Just don't become my enemy.)

So what do we do when others annoy the living daylight out of us?

Most of us, including myself, decide that would be the perfect time to run and tell someone else that a certain person is driving us bananas or that they are picking on us.

STOP! Let's see what it would look like if we chose to go another route.

Imagine that this same person was still driving you bananas and you chose to do something dramatically opposite of your first instinct. Imagine that you folded your hands for a few seconds and prayed for them.

It would do wonders for you and for them. Maybe we should all try it.

Confusion and Satan's Lies

"When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come."- John 16:13

I can't even count the number of times I've been confused about a project at work or about what a friend has said to me. Confusion is a definite recurring theme for many of us.

Yet, it's important that we don't use our confusion as a crutch when it comes to our spiritual lives and sin. With sin there is no confusion. There is a right way and a wrong way to go.

It's so easy for us to do something wrong and say "Well I was just confused."

That, my friends, is a cop-out answer. We both know it. If we were honest with ourselves, we would have to say that we've used it before.

Satan is the master of confusion! He wants to trip us up and make us believe things that are not true. It's his job even if he doesn't get paid cash for it. Even better for him, he wants our souls.

Don't let him win. God is there and there is no confusion with Him. Ask Him to guide you towards the light and far, far away from the dark.

 

Lost and Found

"For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry."
- Luke 15: 24

One of the scariest moments as a child is getting lost in a crowd and not being able to find your parents. It can send a child into complete panic mode, let alone cause the parents to have a heart attack. Most likely, they will run around screaming and yelling for little "Tommy" with a frantic look on their face.

My little brother was notorious for "getting lost" as a child. We often went to the mall and he loved to hide in the clothing racks. It seemed that every time my mom turned around she couldn't find him. It was a game to him, but to my mom, it was shear torture.

It is the same way with God. We run around and hide from him thinking all is fun and games, while he is seeking us out and asking us to come to Him over and over again.

Yet we are like lost sheep who can't find our way in this merry-go-round called life. The reason: we do not see how much we need to be found.

God wants to bring us home. Het is stretching out His arms, asking you to come to Him. We are lost but He has made every effort to find us.

Do you want to continue running from him or do you want to be found? Let the Lord receive you with open arms today. You will never want to look back.