Focus

This is the excerpt from Chapter Four, Focus:

The thing that has our attention has our focus, and what has our focus has the potential to rule us. As Christians, we need to find ways to keep our focus on our Lord. Anything that has our focus tends to have our heart. Let us set our focus on Christ! Nothing can motivate quite like a grateful heart. Jesus deserves our focus. 

We need to resolve to be like King Josiah, who did what was good in the eyes of the Lord. He did not look to the left or the right. Let us not allow the world to blind our gaze with all its distractions; instead, keep our focus on Jesus.

Next, we see where we can go to set our gaze on Him. I can think of no better place than His Word. Let us set our focus there. 

So, I wanted to put the concepts I talked about in the last article about the Believe/Faith/Trust chapter together into some insight I received as I worked on this chapter about Focus. 

In 2 Kings 22:1-2, we find an 8-year-old king, Josiah, who the Word says did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, not turning aside to the right or the left. In Joshua 1:7, most notably known for the statement "Be strong and courageous," it is also a warning to obey commands and not turn from them to the right or the left. 

Psalm 100:4 tells us we enter into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with Praise.

I began to look at this in light of the information in the summary of the last post about Faith/Believe/Trust. 

The summation of a person attending the bible study, Grow Up

We Believe with our heads.

We Trust with our hearts.

Our Faith is a divine gift that allows us to act out in hands of action.

Information below was pulled from the website RDR Bible Study:

• Faith – the act of the will
• Belief – the act of the mind or intellect
• Trust – the language of the heart

So, as I read in the Focus Chapter and did the homework, I could see the connection between this chapter and the conversation we had about Chapter Three in such new ways. I will attempt to share my revelation with you.

Seeming Psalm 100:4, I looked at how I can focus on the Lord and His word. I noted that it tells me to enter His gate; this led me to think about the gate... Jesus is the gate, according to John 10:9. He is the way we enter into the presence of the Lord. The verse tells us we enter this gate with thanksgiving. This led me to evaluate what it means to thank Him. So, I thanked Him for what He had done for me in order for me to be accepted by the Father. I thanked Him for dying for me and then opening up a real relational connection in His resurrection and ascension to heaven that gave me the Holy Spirit.

The second part of the verse tells me to enter into His courts with praise. So, in His courts, I am in His presence. His presence is the Holy Spirit that dwells, abides, and lives in me. I praise Him for who He is.

I was reminded that my faith is in the Character of God. His actions will confuse me at times because His ways are not my ways, so I cannot understand Him fully. When I cannot make sense of the circumstances, I can always make sense of who I know Him to be.

Faith/Believe/Trust are Essential to Our Spiritual Growth

This includes the summary excerpt to Grow Up, chapter three, about believing, trusting and our faith.

We are made right with God because we believe what God said about Jesus and His sacrifice for us. We receive the faith gift He has provided for us. This counts as our righteousness and proclamation made about us upon salvation. Then, we begin a process of cooperating with God by His Spirit. As we allow Him to build our confidence in Him, it strengthens our faith, which is revealed in our actions. With faith, we trust Him and surrender to Him, where He matures us little by little. He grows us up into the righteous one He proclaims us to be by our faith. We see His faithfulness working in us, which grows our faith and trust in Him. We have faith in the work of Christ. 

Faith exists for everyone. We all believe in something. Remember, the object of our belief defines our faith. Followers of Jesus Christ believe God exists. We believe what God says about Jesus’ death and place our faith in the sacrifice that pays for our sins. The activity in our lives reveals what we believe. We mature in our relationship with Him by believing what He says, and to believe what He says, we need to know what He says. To know what He says, we must read the Word of God. All of this will grow our trust and confidence in Him. The next two chapters will look at this concept of being in the Word of God and see clearly where we need to place our focus.

In a discussion group this week, one of the members in the class made an observation about these three words; this is the gist of her summation:

We Believe with our head.

We Trust with our heart.

Our Faith is a divine gift that allows us to act out in hands of action.

I began to dig into this as I was pondering this distinction with her. The following is what I came across. 

The word trust is the heart word of faith. It is the Old Testament word, the word given to the early and infant stage of faith. The word faith expresses more the act of the will, the word belief the act of the mind or intellect, but trust is the language of the heart. The other has reference more to a truth believed or a thing expected.

Trust implies more than this, it sees and feels, and leans upon a person… (No author’s name is given)

The difference in meaning can be outlined as followed:

• Faith – the act of the will
• Belief – the act of the mind or intellect
• Trust – the language of the heart

Every use of faith, belief/believing, and trust will not fit into this box. But the outline is extremely useful in thinking about the differences between faith, belief, and trust. 

This information is pulled from RDRD Bible Study | A Simple Framework For Thinking About Belief, Trust, And Faith

A Simple Framework For Thinking About Belief, Trust, And Faith

Posted by T Whitfield | Dec 22, 2018 | Theology, Thinking Theology |

A Spiritual Discipline for Disciples to Grow Up is Prayer

Below is an excerpt from my bible study, Grow Up: Maturity in Christ Build Real Community, from the summary of the Prayer chapter. 

To take away the mystery of prayer, we need to understand that it is simply communicating with God. It is not pompous, eloquent, or well-spoken words. We were created to communicate with God. We speak, He listens, He speaks, we listen. Jesus taught His disciples to pray in the Lord’s prayer. Anytime we are at a loss as to how to pray, the format of this prayer can guide us. We can begin by acknowledging who God is, recognizing His exalted place above all else, praying for His will to be done, asking for provisions, forgiveness, and protection for self and others, then recognizing that the glory truly lies with Him. 

We are here to change the world for the better for Jesus. Prayer will impact and affect the world. Prayer often does not change our circumstances. More times than not, it changes us. The mighty weapon of prayer can hold back much on behalf of the people of God.

Prayer is a significant and very important way for us to connect with our Creator. It grows our relationship with Him. Prayer is such a key component in growing up spiritually. It is an open dialogue with the One who feeds, molds, and perfects us. Avoiding prayer cuts us off from our source. Prayer helps us remain, abide, and commune with God. He serves as the source of our growth, guidance, and everything.

Let us be prayerful people who stay connected to our wonderful Creator!

Book is available on Amazon 

How Great Thou Art!

Hey, feeling super grateful today.  I have had worship music playing in the house this afternoon, and boy, is it reviving my soul.

For some time, as a follower of Jesus Christ, the Lord has done something for me at just the right time, and today I was reflecting on it. I was in church this Sunday, and one of the songs the Lord uses to remind me, encourage me, and lift me up was the last song before we moved out of the praise time into a time for the sermon. That song is an oldie but a goodie, How Great Thou Art. Below are the printed-out lyrics. Those words this Sunday caused me to "gasp cry." I was in a super sweet moment with the Lord. 

1. O Lord, my God, when I in awesome wonder
consider all the works thy hands hath made,
I see the stars, I hear the mighty thunder,
thy pow'r throughout the universe displayed;

Refrain:
Then sings my soul, my Savior-God, to thee:
How great thou art! How great thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Savior-God, to thee:
How great thou art! How great thou art!

2. When through the woods and forest glades I wander,
and hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees;
when I look down from lofty mountain grandeur
and hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze; 

3. And when I think that God, his Son not sparing,
sent him to die, I scarce can take it in,
that on the cross my burden gladly bearing
he bled and died to take away my sin; 

4. When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation
and take me home, what joy shall fill my heart!
Then I shall bow in humble adoration and there proclaim: "My God, how great thou art!"

 

There was one Sunday I was struggling. Just had lost my mother-in-law, and my father-in-law had to go to the emergency room at the hospital. My husband was taking care of his mom's details while my sister-in-law and I stayed with our father-in-law. During our time at the hospital, my sister-in-law discovered her mom had also passed.  Sometimes you just have to say, "REALLY."

So, with that in my near rearview mirror, that Sunday I was in need of serious encouragement. I was talking to the Lord about it. I turned on a Christian radio station, and How Great Thou Art started. I just started crying and felt so heard and loved by the Lord at that moment. I got to church and was telling a friend of mine at church about it. Once the music started in our service, How Great Thou Art started playing. Wow!  I turned to her and had my mouth fully agape. (side note: as I typed out that word, it wasn't lost on me that it is also the Greek word for God's love for us) I felt very loved at that moment.

Over the years, the Lord has lined that song up to remind me of HOW GREAT HE IS just when I need to be reminded. It is our thing between Him and me. 

I hope today, as you read this, you think through what that song may be for you with Him.

Hope this encourages you today.

As I end this article, note that if you are in Christ, you and I have the best news ever. However, with the good news is also bad news.

If you are not in Christ, know this: I share this part of the message with you because I care. The bad news is that you are separated from your Creator, which we call the fall of man. (Sin: which comes from an archery term, meaning missing the mark.) We all have missed the mark. The really bad news is that if we don't do anything about it during this lifetime, we will be separated from our Creator forever. That is so bad, but even worse, we will join the enemy of our Creator and his followers in hell which was created for them forever, eternally.

YIKES!  That is the really bad news.

But the great news for us was bad news for our Savior and His enemy. He came to pay the death price for the mark I missed and imparted His right standing with the Father in heaven to me when I first believed that He died for me.  Hallelujah!!

You too can enter into this GREAT NEWS. If you sense the Lord drawing you even as you read this, respond to Him. Tell Him you believe His sacrifice on the cross is the only acceptable payment for your sin and repent from your sin (simple means stop doing it. To repent is to turn from.) If you know any Christians, consider reaching out to them and asking them to pray with you. If you are able, find a Bible-believing church and start going regularly.  Not to go there and find perfect people.  YOU absolutely will never find perfect people at any church. If God is at work in them, you will find beautifully broken, humble folks who will love you, walk with you, and fellowship with you. True Koinonia can be found in the body of Christians.

If you watched the Charlie Kirk memorial, that was a beautiful demonstration of the body coming together to celebrate the Lord.

My prayer is that you do turn your life, your attention, your devotion, your focus all on the Lord!!!

Come now, just as you are. No need to clean yourself up. That will be a lifelong journey with you, the Holy Spirit, and the Word of God that comes through Jesus to carve us into the image of the Father's Son, Jesus.

All in all, this will be the best decision you will ever make. It will not be easy, but boy, it will be SO worth it.

Go and be blessed today and be a blessing to others.

What is Spiritual Immaturity?

One of my passions is to spur others on to grow in their faith. I long to see those who have accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior grow up in their salvation. A discipline that helps with this is regularly reading the Word of God, the Bible, so that the Word of God can be in them!  I love to observe the lights that go on in a young believer's head and heart as the Word of God comes alive in them and they connect with it. 

Did you know that the Bible defines spiritual immaturity for us? Look at these two quotes from scripture below:

But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way?  1 Corinthians 3:1-3

About this, we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. Hebrews 5:11-13

The goal of a Christian is to grow up into a spiritual adult and pursue maturity, rather than returning to the elementary teachings of Christianity. We study the principles given to us in scripture that give us a solid foundation. Eventually, we need to come alongside younger believers, teach them these truths, and make every effort to grow up individually and communally. Primarily and foremost, we need to start on the spiritual milk, but eventually we need to move on to study the solid food of the Bible. (This is an excerpt from the 1st chapter of the bible study Grow Up)

If you are getting an appetite for the word, I pray you find a Bible-believing church to attend that teaches the Word of God. Also, I pray you find a small group to do life and study with. 

Hope you have a blessed day.

Revelation about the Book of Revelation's 7 churches

I have been reading and studying the book of Revelation for some time. It is the Revelation of Jesus Christ to the churches. It was revealed to John the Apostle, you may know him from the Gospel of John. He refers to himself as "the disciple who Jesus loved." I love that he knew he was loved and called himself that. 

I have been studying it off and on since the Covid shutdown. Recently, Jen Wilkin published her bible study of the book of Revelation, and I studied it with a group of ladies in our church.  I recommend it highly for those looking for a great study to do. 

One thing that stood out as I studied was our tendency to DO things FOR Jesus instead of allowing him to do those things through us through the power of the Holy Spirit. In the letters to the seven churches, the message to the church in Ephesus from Jesus seems to say, “I don’t want you to do for me, I want you to be with me.” (Perhaps that is why we are called human beings instead of human doings) They were doing the work, but they had forgotten their first love. Interestingly, in doing this study, it occurred to me that Paul went to Ephesus in the early 50s AD. The letter to the Ephesians from Paul was written around 60 AD, and Revelation was written around 95 AD. I find it sadly intriguing that they lost their first love in a mere 35-45 years.

I believe the relationship we experience with Christ is through Him doing things through us by the Spirit which builds a communal connection between ourselves and Him. This is where I find the greatest joy and freedom. Rest comes as He works in me; His work equals my rest. The outcome of what we are doing is not my responsibility, rather I leave the results up to Him. Regardless of the outcome, I grow closer to Him. I end up knowing more of Him. It is worth it.

In the first week, Jen pointed out that the enemy uses three weapons against us. This was very insightful, so I wanted to share it with you. She quoted the theologian Iain Duguid when she noted that Satan only has 3 weapons to use against the believer. Those weapons are Seduction, Deception, and Persecution.

She says the following of each:

“Seduction is the temptation to live like unbelievers. Deception is believing a lie instead of the truth. Persecution is suffering for the sake of our Christian witness.”

Seduction:

Our enemy, Satan, has an easy job when using seduction as a weapon against us. Seduction automatically conjures up thoughts of sexual sin, but she makes the point that we can be seduced to do any type of sin. Sin is simply missing the mark of God’s standard. The enemy comes after God’s children simply to hurt the Lord. However, it is easy to sexually seduce us in our oversexualized culture. There is easy access to any temptation, but those sexual temptations are easy for him and prevalent for us.

We need to be on guard against this tactic and know that the enemy will try to seduce us to sin by the things of this world. These sorts of temptations will feed our flesh which is our desires and our nature.

Deception:

The world system values us by what we “do,” but our value as Christ's followers is in our covering and connectedness to Him by the Spirit. What interferes with this beautiful connection within the church is the lie that we are required “to do” to be accepted and approved.  This comes from our deceiving enemy. I have heard it said that if Satan cannot tempt you, he will just get you busy.

All sin interferes with our connection with the Lord. Sin quenches the Holy Spirit who is with us. That interference can be remedied as quickly as we repent.  That means we stop the sinful activity and turn back to the Lord.

Self-deceived is when we say, “I do not need anything.” It is when you convince yourself that you’re doing these great things for Jesus. The funny thing is, He never called us to do things for him. He called us to surrender to allow Him to do these things through us. He leads us and tells us what we need to do.

Isn’t it interesting that deception and lies simply take the truth and distort it instead of creating a new idea?

Persecution:

So, we learn to walk with Jesus so we will not be seduced by the things of this world or deceived by our efforts. However, when we get to the point where we are overcoming the temptations of the world and overcoming our efforts, we will face a different weapon. The enemy is smart and recognizes those two weapons no longer are working. He pulls out the weapon of persecution. It will come especially when the other two no longer work on us, but remember Jesus is with us during the battle.

Sin causes me to become prey to the enemy. The world mixed with my natural desires seduces me, my focus on myself and the effort that I bring to the table enables me to be deceived, and when I’m walking hand-in-hand with the Lord and surrendering to Him, the weapon used against me will be persecution.

Conclusion:

So, I suppose my takeaway from this is that we need to be on guard against the evil tactics that the enemy uses to attack us. Seek hard after the Lord. Walk closely with Him and confess your sin. Take note of your self-deception and lean into a healthy community of believers who love the Lord and submits their lives to the Word of God. Look for a praying community to do life with. Do not look for perfect people, look for loving and godly people to walk with. Look for companionship among believers who will encourage you to grow up into a strong follower of the Lord.

If you are looking to make some sense out of the days we live in, I encourage you to do this study. Revelation is a book that looks back in the Scripture to point us forward to our future.

As time permits, I will write more insights if this article has enough interest.

Hope you have a blessed day today.

Warrior or Worrier

I was recently reminded that I cannot be a worrier and warrior. I cannot be a victor and be a victim. I cannot live in both fear and faith. 

It is like being in two places at once. I saw this happen portrayed in the movie, "A Walk to Remember."  But normally we cannot be in two places at once.

Along those lines, I have to either walk in victory or sulk in my victimization, but I cannot do both any more than I can be in two places simultaneously. We all have been victimized in some way or another. How we frame it determines if we will allow it to conquer us. I am not trying to minimize anyone’s experiences. I am only saying that the frame in which we choose to highlight the trauma, and difficulty truly determines how we stand in its aftermath. 

I have experienced suffering through traumatic experiences, emotional wounds at the hands of well-intended friends and family, and even church family, and I have experienced physical trauma at the hands of perpetrators. How I chose to move forward with those pains determined how I walked from that point forward.

I have not been shielded from the difficulties of this life. I have had many trials, hurts, offenses, and painful experiences. Each one was an opportunity to sit in the hurt and difficulty. It was also an opportunity to turn to my Lord or angrily turn away from Him. The latter will always end up hurting me more than the original pain ever could be. So, with each hardship, when I turned to the Lord, He grew me up and drew me closer to Himself. He used that which someone else intended to harm me for my good and His glory.

Out of all of these experiences, I either worry and fret, or walk in faith and trust in God. I know He has a plan. I know He has a purpose. He is in the process of carving me into the image of His Son. He can use any instrument He chooses to perfect this image He is refining. I choose to stand in that victory as a victor even before the battle is won because I choose to trust His handiwork in me and walk in faith, believing He is completing the work He started in me. 

Therefore, if I stand in these choices, I no longer have to worry, be upset, or be anxious about "many things" as Jesus said to Martha in Luke 10:41. I am a warrior, a fighter, a victor. I am an overcomer because I know the One who holds my life in His hands.

So today, let's walk in faith, stand in our victory as we see His hand, set aside those worries and anxieties, and embrace our warrior status. The victory is already determined ahead of time. It may not look the way we choose, but if we are in Christ, we already won the victory. Nothing and no one can take us from His hand. Now that is something to get excited about, actually, it is everything. 

I hope you have a wonderful day today. Stand a bit taller in your confidence of whose you are. Walk a bit more confidently in the One with whom you put your trust. Run the race He has laid out for you for you are in the Lord's army. The battles are so hard, but the overall victory is already determined. Read about the battle gear that is available for us to put on according to Paul.

The Armor of God

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should. Ephesians 6:10-20

 

 

Jesus' Prays

 At one of the hardest times in Jesus' life, this is the prayer He prayed for us. 

“I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me. “I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. I am in them, and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me. Father, I want these whom you have given me to be with me where I am. Then they can see all the glory you gave me because you loved me even before the world began! “O righteous Father, the world doesn’t know you, but I do; and these disciples know you sent me. I have revealed you to them, and I will continue to do so. Then your love for me will be in them, and I will be in them.” John 17:20-26

What can we learn from this? 

What are my takeaways?

What are your takeaways?

To think, Jesus knew he was about to be arrested, brutally beaten, and crucified. Yet he still prayed for us. 

I takeaway my need to pray for others especially when I am going through times of trial, difficulty, and pain. In those times, I tend to be more inward-thinking. Seeing His example, the better approach for me is to look outward and upward.

What are your thoughts?

Life can be Difficult

I know that difficult times are not fun at all.  In fact, they can be really awful. I have been wondering lately though. What if I frame my trials in a new way? What if they are the backdrop to highlight the good times? I wonder if, in the hard times, I will change my perspective if I may not even see light amidst the darkness of my hour.

I don't know how to share exactly what has recently happened to me.  It has been profound, scary, exciting, and very unexpected. 

I had not been feeling great for a few days. It wasn't that odd because I just had indigestion. It was bad enough that I didn't attend church that day.  I just didn't feel great. By Monday, I was able to go to lunch with a sweet friend. The next day, I walked my dog, Ellie, and I taught my cardio class at the Wellness Center. It was Halloween.  It was going to be a very busy day. It had gotten super cold, and my hands hurt while I walked Ellie. I figured it was just because I was cold.  I got home, my hands warmed up and the pain went away. 

I had payroll to process at work, I needed to take my mom to get groceries, and I just didn't have time for what happened next.

I finished teaching my class and I could tell I was just a bit off. By the time I was leaving the facility, I called my sister, and she wisely advised me to go to the doctor to get checked out. 

I headed to the nearby Urgent Care. They determined that I was either at risk or was having a heart attack. Gosh!!! WHAT???

But I eat right and exercise!!! How can this be?

I was taken by ambulance to the hospital. I remember traveling in reverse looking out the window at the all too familiar road. I began to pray with a bit of excitement and peace that this could be my last day here on earth. I wasn't hating my life; I was just getting excited that I may be face-to-face with Jesus today!!!!  Oh wow!!

I immediately began to think of all of my wonderful family and friends that I would be leaving behind, which made me tear up. But the peace that fell on me was beyond what I could ever have imagined or put words to. It was that heavy deep breath followed by a full exhale that makes up a sigh of relief and release. (Yeah, still words just cannot do it justice)

For any of you who know me well, this next part will not surprise you. The ambulance driver, the person who was taking care of me, and I started joking around. I smiled, and they smiled. The young lady who rode with me was so busy with my care, but she was still light-hearted with me. Still very much doing everything to keep me alive on that ride. She told me once we got to the ER that she didn't want me to know how bad it was. She elevated my status to get me into a specific room for urgent care. 

I was surrounded by a sea of medical staff all doing their part to get me treated ASAP. The entire staff at Huntsville Hospital was absolutely amazing. I cannot begin to thank them all for the treatment from start to finish. It was quite a day. 

I had a procedure and had to have two stents in two branches of a main artery, and I heard it called the widow maker. 

I was taken to ICU where I slept and struggled with nausea. I remember family and friends coming and going into my room. My daughter Sara Kate stayed with me that night. Unfortunately, she was awakened by hospital ICU staff who quickly removed her from the room. She recalls seeing my body flailing around on the bed. The staff hooked me up to an AED and began chest compressions. I was awakened by a nurse trying to get an oxygen mask on my face. I remember freaking out because I couldn't understand why they had awakened me from such a great sleep. I can attest to a PEACE and rest I have never known. It was the best and deepest sleep. But to be brought back to such chaos was strange. I am still very thankful to the wonderful staff that provided such quick and skillful care for me. 

In the meantime, Sara Kate had been taken to a room to wait. She proceeded to contact Marc, my husband, and my daughter Taylor. Taylor and her husband Caleb were about to board when Sara Kate told her what had happened to me. She didn't know if I had made it or not.  At that point, she was taking off and not able to receive updates until she landed. Taylor said she just slept on the plane. Being in the room alone, Sara Kate turned to see a bible sitting near her. During this difficult storm, she began to read and found peace, hope, and care in the words she kept reading. 

It was one scary event after another. But I can tell you I felt the presence of God during it all. He draws near to us when we seek Him. I sensed His presence more intimately. I don't want to have another heart attack but what happened to me was better than any revival I have experienced in my life.

My heart's ability to pump blood out to the body known as the EF was 30% at the time I was leaving the hospital. I was informed by the cardiologist that the number would need to improve into the 40's and optimally 50's or I would require a pacemaker. 

I began 3 months of cardiac rehabilitation. I am still doing it. But my latest ECO showed my EF is 56%. The optimal range is between 50-70.  I had people praying for me from the east coast to the west coast. Sara Kate placed her hand on me and prayed believing God would heal my heart. My cardiologist said the muscle looked as if I had not had a heart attack. He said from the EKG he could tell I had. 

So why would I want to share this story with you on this Blog? Well primarily to offer hope. I want anyone reading it to know that dark times will come.  The number one thing I heard after this was "But you are the healthiest person I know." Dark times come to all of us at one time or another. Life is not all a bed of roses, but my trials and difficulties provided the perfect context to reveal to me the beautiful perspective of God's love, care, presence, and peace. I would not know just how close He is, how much He comforts me and those I love, had I not gone through it. I would know it with my head, but now I know it because I experienced it. I experienced God through this time. I was so thankful to see Him comforting my family in a variety of ways.

Another reason I wanted to share my experience is to say do not ignore the warning signs. I didn't know that indigestion could be a sign of a heart attack. But since my event, I have been informed. Is every bout of indigestion a reason to go to the ER, NO. But it is good to know that it is a possible sign. 

My family tree has several branches that have a history of heart issues. This was not something I could exercise out or eat well enough to improve it. So, listen to your body. Do not ignore signs but also do not read this and start working yourself up into anxiety that can lead you to a panic attack. Just listen to your body, talk to family and medical staff, seek help if needed, and know that if you call on the LORD Jesus, He will be with you and can provide intimate care for you in the middle of it all.

Call out to Him. He draws near to those who seek Him with their whole heart. He will walk with you through the difficulties. 

Take care of your body. I am including some links for you to check out.

Taking Care of Yourself | American Heart Association

Cardiac Heart Care and Cardiovascular Program by Huntsville Hospital

What Is a ‘Widowmaker’ Heart Attack? | Sharp HealthCare

Why Suffering?

I hope you have a lovely Christmas season. But more than that, I hope you have hope in Jesus Christ.

I recently went through a very challenging time. What transpired was pain, suffering, abundant hope, peace, and comfort. Perhaps it will be one of my upcoming blogs, but this message trumps my experience right now. 

If you have experienced loss, pain, or suffering and it has led you to be angry with God, I hope you will read the quotes below prayerfully. Then, I hope you will cry out to God in your anger. 

I know I have heard the question "Why does God allow suffering and pain?" I realize it is a reason many have rejected God and turned from His offer of salvation. However, I have always had a graciousness toward the Lord in this matter. I always wanted to have an answer when I was asked this perplexing question, but I feel Chip Ingram with the help of the words of C.S. Lewis to answer this question very clearly in the podcast. If you have time, please listen to this message. One of the better ones I have heard on this topic. 

Below are quotes from Chip Ingram from Living on the Edge. His message Jesus Unfiltered - Believe - Jesus - Offers Hope to the Hopeless, Part 2.

His main point: There is hope for the hopeless.

Scripture reference:

John 5:24 “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life."

Quotes from the message:

"You would rather be sick in your sin. You would rather have the consequences of your sin because you like it. Because you are comfortable in it."

"Ask for help, have mercy on me, and cleanse me. He wants to say yes. He wants to heal us."

"There comes a day when we will be judged. Today is the day if you hear His voice. To say maybe or later is a no. He wants us to say yes and respond to the light."

"Why does suffering/pain exist if God is a good God?"  

Chip quotes CS Lewis in Shadowland with all of these quotes below:

"God creates us free. Free to be selfish." 

"But God adds a mechanism that will penetrate our selfishness and wake us up to the presence of others in the world. That mechanism is called suffering."

"Pain is God's megaphone to rouse a deaf world."

"Why pain? Why can't He wake us more gently with violins or laughter? Because the dream from which we must be awakened is the dream that all is well. All is not well. If you do not have a relationship with God through the person of Jesus Christ, you are spiritually in a hopeless situation and you need a savior. If you are self-sufficient, you have no need of God. If you do not seek him, you will not find him. The suffering in the world is not the failure of God for us it is his action."

Here is the link to this podcast. These quotes start around the 19-minute mark and on. Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram Daily Podcast: Jesus Unfiltered - Believe - Jesus - Offers Hope to the Hopeless, Part 2 on Apple Podcasts

Word/Spirit/Fire/Light

We need to be in the Word of God. In it, we see what God accomplished for us through Jesus. We will also see what it says about God's long-suffering and endurance with man. The word reveals the tendencies of humans and our forgetfulness. 

In the Word of God, we recognize the flawedness of humanity and our need for help, rescue, and resuscitation. This Word points us to an answer for what ails us. Many never accept this condition and spends their life trying to prove this reality wrong. However, it is a reality. We are incapable of being in a correct connection with the One who created us. We long for it, but we cannot make it happen. The Creator had a plan. He told us if we live our lives according to these instructions, it will go well with us. He longed for it to go well with us. He designed us to have full lives. Lives of hope, joy, and love. We fall short and need help to be right. He made a way for us to be right through Jesus. This is the answer to humanity's frailty. 

Be in the Word of God so that the Word of God can be in you. It will transform you. The Word is where you will find out about the answer which is the Best News Ever for us. 

As you read the Word of God, ask the Holy Spirit to lead you as you read. Allow Him to set the words ablaze in your soul so they truly come to life within you. This is where the Word of God transforms you from the inside out. You become a "living word" to those around you. The world begins to see the glory of the Lord demonstrated through you. This is how we bring light into the darkness of this world. What a magnificent privilege we have to be a vessel for the display of our Creator and Father.

So as we go about our day today, let's be the light!!!