Month: July 2018

But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.
2 Thessalonians 3:3 NIV

The devil is referred to many ways. The deceiver, a prowling lion, father of lies. No mater what you call him there is only one defense against him and that is our heavenly father.

In many cases you never see him coming. He uses deception to get you believing one thing and not the truth. He attacks you were you are vulnerable. He manipulates your loved ones. He is trying to get you to stop believing, loving, seeking, and having faith in the Lord. He will do the most unimaginable things to get to you; anything to get you to lose your faith. Remember Job?

We need to arm ourselves, equip ourselves to be ready for anything. It is not easy, we will fall but we can always get back up. The Lord is our strength. Call to him and he will answer. Amen.

I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord , the Maker of heaven and earth.
Psalm 121:1‭-‬2 NIV

When Job lost everything he looked to Lord. When he was turned on by those who were friends he looked to the Lord. We all face trials in life. For me its nothing like what Job went through but the feeling of hopelessness is no different. Often times when things start going south we truly dont leave it to go. We try to rationalize it and fix it ourselves. That’s when we stop submitting to him. Yesterdays sermon was amazing. Pastor Ben, said we must submit to him. Let God fight the battle. Be ready for the doors to open and step through them. Strong in faith. Amen.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
1 Corinthians 13:4‭-‬7 NIV

I love this verse. I watched this Christian show once about marriage. On it there were various couples some who’s marriages were great others who were not. They were all Christian’s  so the host wanted to see what was making one marriage better than the other. All couples were Christian all couples started off in love. Where they had ended up however was different.  Why? What I can remember was the successful  ones lived out this verse. They lived out their role in their marriage. One followed the other.  Allowing them to lead. Trusting and encouraging. Love and respect! The successful marriages, each, husband and wife, picked up and carried their end. They lived their role as wife or husband. Supoorting each other to be the best they can be. The one thing I stood out the most was their willingness to be patient and not quick to anger.  One married couple had said why would I want to think the worst of my spouse? If I think they are capable of the worst than I might as not be married to them. TRUST- unconditional.  The unsuccessful couples, it was blatantly apparent that each were trying to control. Each had forgotten what it meant to be in love. Each were quick to defend quick to blame. In the marriages that struggled there was an obvious disconnect because they were UNWILLING to live by Gods design. Unwilling to love, unconditionally.  There is no other way to have a successful marriage than to love unconditionally.  To love abundantly!! LOVE YOUR SPOUSE LIKE TOMORROW NEVER COMES. I am sure it would look different than you love them now. Amen.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Proverbs 1:7 NIV

What kind of person are you? Have you ever given real thought to that? If someone were to ask your family members, what kind of a person you were, what would they say? If your not sure or uncertain what others would say about you. Maybe that’s a notion to look to the Lord for knowledge. Look to the Lord for change. I have always considered myself a nice guy, respectful, caring, I believed and prayed but until I truly turned my heart 100% over to God to his wisdom. I was filled with frustration, I was short with others, mainly loved ones. I had lost joy and that my friends is not good. Joy is what make a person see light in darkness, to see love in sadness. Years ago I realized that the Lord wanted more from me. I didn’t know how to get there but I trusted him to get me there. It was a rough road to travel. A road I am still on. Joy comes from changing from the inside. Those who are unwilling to change, unwilling to accept criticism for their own good. Fools you are! You know who you are. It’s never your fault, never apologizing, ignoring it makes it all better. Right.. WRONG I have been there once. There is a much better life waiting for you once you allow the Lord to mold you from inside out. I guarantee you feel LOVE in a completely new way when you allow the Lord to mold you into the better you. AMEN.

Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools.

Ecclesiastes 7:9 NIV

Anger!! Man it ticks me off.

You know there is so much that doesn’t go by way. I have every right to be angry. The kids don’t listen and drive me nuts, they wont take their naps. I have been busy all day rushing and driving. Work is is not going well. Money, ha, there is never enough. The car broke down. Everyone blames me when something goes wrong. The house is a mess. Dont forget about the dang yard. Who is going to clean that up? You just want to scream. Or maybe you take it out on your spouse or you take it out on the kids. Whomever suffers the brunt of your anger and frustration. Believe me, it hurts their heart.

Does any of this sound like you? Are you quick to be short with others? Are you angry often over petty things? I used to be that way. Believe me it’s not a world to be in. There is no JOY. I dont worry about the petty things anymore. Someone once told me pick your battles. Life to short to be frustrated all the time. However, I have to be carful because when I get frustrated I tend to take that frustration out on my kids. It’s not intended they are just everywhere. haha

If you get short or frustrated easily, if things overwhelm you easily. Dont worry there is an answer … your not alone. Trust the Lord, he is the answer amen. Seak hom out and rest your frustration on his shoulders, think first before you speak.  Do you ever consider the feeling soft others before you say something? I have to ask myself that question everytime I get frustrated. Let the lord guide my tongue.  Amen.

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
James 1:2‭-‬4 NIV

This passage is the complete polar opposite of what we do when we face hardships, stress, difficulties, and loss. We dont consider it complete JOY. Who would? Yet here we are being asked to face these things with a joy we cant understand and wont understand unless we put faith in the Lord. Recently, the company I work for had to down size because of the markets and business growth being down. The result was, I didn’t lose my job but I had to take a huge pay cut to keep my job. This pay cut puts my family at jeapordy of losing everything. I am thankful to have a job. The funny thing is, though I am worried about the future, for whatever reason, I am not upser. I am not fearful. I knew in the moment that I got the news the only thing I could do was lean on him. There a peace a calm to knowing and trusting there is a higher power at work.  Please keep the Allen family in your prayers. Amen.

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
John 13:34‭-‬35 NIV

Love is the most recognizable language. It does not matter what race, what culture, what language one speaks, love knows no borders. How serious do you take your love? Do you love those in your life like you should? Do the people in your life know how much you love them? Our love and how we love is a direct reflection of our relationship with Christ. If your not loving like you should, or those in your life question your love. Start with strengthening your relationship with God. I have found I love more when my relationship is strong with God

Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.
Joshua 1:8 NIV

Being a Christian and saying yes I believe in God is one thing. Even demons believe. Living out Gods word is another. We all know that person who says they believe in God, they talk of Godly things, I’m sure they even pray. I am sure they are great people
Yet they dont live out Gods word. What I have noticed is when that happens they get filled with frustration, anger, doubt, resentment. I know because I used to be that way. What I believed and how I lived and acted were not in sink with the Lord. It is no secret that you cant just talk of God and expect great things, you have to live it out in everything you do. All that you are.

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
Ephesians 4:32 NIV

How often does it happen when we have a bad day, we end up taking it out on our loved ones? Work was stressful, nothing is going the way you planned, the kids drove you nuts all day, maybe your just feeling insecure that day. We then take it out on our spouse, our kids, the dog. lol. Regardless of what is going on in the day or our lives we have a choice. Good attitude or bad attitude, be patient and understanding or be short a quick to anger. Love is a powerful thing if you use it.

We can not all be happy with smiles and cheer all day every day but we can take notice during those moments and recognize the feeling and keep from hurting others. We can choose to be compassionate and forgiving just as Christ is too us. We can choose to LOVE. Amen. ??

Do you remember the passion you felt for God when you first came to know him? Do you remember how excited you used to be to go to church, read his word, fellowship with other Christians?What so we do if the passion has dwindled? I know, it’s scary. I can say it’s very scary.  Life’s struggles, its dissapointments, its failures can cause us to lose the drive to seek him out. The routine can get to us making the normal seem draining. You know, Satan loves nothing more than a passionless Christian. I know I am not alone in this endeavor, there are Christian’s all over experiencing this. Thankfully, I know God loves me so much, I know he is always with me. What can we do if we are in this pit? Make a commitment yourself that today your going to seek him, and nothing will get in your way. The next day you will do the same. Confess to God that you have lost your passion. He will do what he has to do but we need to bring all things to him. We need to pray, we need to take the first step and seek him out. He will do his part we need to do our part.

The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.”
Zephaniah 3:17 NIV