by Carol Roberts | Nov 16, 2016 | Hope
Have you ever been beside a beautiful lake or stream on a clear cool sunny day? The sky is brilliantly blue and the sun is at it’s brightest. The angle of the sun hits the lake in a certain way where you can see all the way to the bottom. Even the deepest part of the lake can be seen very clearly. Then one pebble hits the water making it hard to see the bottom of the lake.
Rain or winds will churn the depth of the waters bringing up mud and sand from the bottom. These debris mix with the clear water making it impossible to see things clearly.
Sin is the same way. You take time to read God’s word and learn truths about His ways and how He operates. God reveals things to your heart that are very clear how to trust in certain situations. You walk away from a time spent in prayer and experience the peace that passes all understanding. Suddenly doubt creeps into your mind. The devil once again muddies your crystal waters of thinking. Temptations and desires totally take away your concentration on the truth making you focus on lies.
This happens because the devil is on the warpath day and night. He never sleeps and is full of energy. You want to get back focused but it’s difficult to get back to the right mood. What do you do? Seek God with all your heart and lean not to your own understanding. Then God will make your paths straight. In all things trust God. Seek and you will find no matter how muddy the water. Jesus loves you. His love is perfect and His love within your heart is stronger than the devil. Resist the devil and he will flee. That is a promise.
Psalm 19:9-12 Living Bible
God’s laws are pure, eternal, just. They are more desirable than gold. They are sweeter than honey dripping from a honeycomb. For they warn us away from harm and give success to those who obey them. But how can I ever know what sins are lurking in my heart? Cleanse me from these hidden faults.
by Carol Roberts | Nov 15, 2016 | Encouragement
The circumstance of a boiling pot will harden an egg or soften a potato. We can know the hearts of people by how they respond.
Circumstances stand the test of time. From Adam until us there have been circumstances and they will exist until the end of the age. While it’s enjoyable to walk through times of things falling into place most circumstances create challenges.
It’s these challenges that polish away things in our hearts that do not please God. For some, it’s a way God brings stubborn people to an opportunity to call upon God. For others, it’s an opportunity to grow more into His likeness in order to be used in greater ways. How do we respond when things happen and we are in a situation where we endure more than enjoy?
It’s a time to give thanks to God. It’s a time for us to have a check point of how we truly feel about God. It’s a time for us to experience first hand our own responses.
We have all met people with hard hearts. Their pride, arrogance and focus on themselves are all they care about. If they suddenly become better, most times it’s a change of mind and not heart. Their new attitude will last only long enough to get them through the circumstance or comeuppance. They quickly go back to their pride when they feel most have forgotten his mistake.
There are others who are sincere about Christ being first in their lives. Each circumstance promotes a smile and a caring attitude toward others. It’s an opportunity to search the Bible for new understandings and closeness to God.
A hard heart results in an even harder heart unless God shatters that person similar to the Apostle Paul. Only then can God use that person for His glory.
A humble heart results in new revelations, understandings and appreciations for what God wants to do in the lives of those who love Him.
Psalm 51:17 Living Bible
It is a broken spirit You want—remorse and penitence. A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not ignore.
Romans 2:5 Living Bible
But no, you won’t listen; and so you are saving up terrible punishment for yourselves because of your stubbornness in refusing to turn from your sin; for there is going to come a day of wrath when God will be the just Judge of all the world.
by Carol Roberts | Nov 14, 2016 | Encouragement
It’s time to do business with God to defeat the enemies that come against us. No new suit or dress is needed to meet with God, only a clean heart. There is never a need to prepare answers for questions that may be asked because God already knows the heart. The clock on the wall doesn’t make us wait until a certain time to show up in God’s presence because He is with us at all times. The time is now.
While the devil is turning friend against friend and causing doubt throughout the world God’s warriors are busy. Stock markets are crashing. Troubled people are taking their lives and the lives of others. Spouses are cheating on one another then lying about it. People say they are Christian yet they live a lie. Churches turn away volunteers that aren’t in a certain group. Unfortunately this only scratches the surface of what’s really wrong. Our battle is spiritual.
Our preparation is to seek forgiveness and pursue a clean heart through Christ. As we go to battle our battle cry is; Father. Our weapon is the Bible. Our position is kneeling. Our results are heavenly. Whether we see action or not, God acts on behalf of those who love Him.
1 John 3:21-22 Living Bible
But, dearly loved friends, if our consciences are clear, we can come to the Lord with perfect assurance and trust, and get whatever we ask for because we are obeying Him and doing the things that please Him.
by Carol Roberts | Nov 12, 2016 | Love
Whether there is need to reward or punish someone words must be kept. Otherwise the foundation of trust will never be solid again.
As we trust God to keep His word others trust us to keep our word as one who is a child of God. How we represent God says a lot about our own trust in God.
1 John 4:16 New Living Translation
We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in His love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.
by Carol Roberts | Nov 11, 2016 | Encouragement
Our Lord gives us our daily bread even though many times we do not give thanks. He wipes our tears every single time even though we are the ones who make Him cry by our actions. He lifts us up forgiving us for the times we please the crowd and turn our backs on Him. He grants us favor when we show Him no favor. He is here for us always no matter how many times He longs for our company and we are too busy.
He is our best friend even when we let day after day go by noticing His creation but ignoring Him, the Creator.
It is the nature of Jesus to love us unconditionally because of Who He Is. Do we have a moment to spare for Him?
Romans 7:23-25 Living Translation
But there is something else deep within me, in my lower nature, that is at war with my mind and wins the fight and makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. In my mind I want to be God’s willing servant, but instead I find myself still enslaved to sin. So you see how it is: my new life tells me to do right, but the old nature that is still inside me loves to sin. Oh, what a terrible predicament I’m in! Who will free me from my slavery to this deadly lower nature? Thank God! It has been done by Jesus Christ our Lord. He has set me free.
