Encouragement for Singles

If you are single and waiting for the Lord to bring the right marriage partner into your life then you are probably also wondering "when". "When will that happen?" The older you get the more it might cause you to worry: (Gasp) "What if I never get married!". :-) Let me share with you a few things the Lord taught me that have been helpful.

First ask yourself, what is the purpose of life? The answer is to glorify God. A few year's ago I finally realized that God will bring the right man for me to marry when my life will bring greater glory to Him as a married woman than a single one. This helped in that it comforted me that if I never get married then I  have fulfilled my life purpose by bringing glory to the Lord.

The next question to ask, "What am I doing to seek first God's kingdom?". Are you sincerely seeking first God's kingdom (Matthew 6:33)? Is it a true priority in your life with absolutely no strings attached? What are your competing affections? Let me encourage you to seek the Lord and ask Him to reveal the things in your life that are keeping you back from being more effective for Him. Then repent of those things and cry out to the Lord to make you more effective for Him.

This article may appear incomplete, perhaps it is. This is all I have for now. Prayerfully, this will be help and encourage to others.

May the Lord bless you with seeking first His kingdom and keeping your eyes on Christ.

If The Women Would Go Home

If the women would go home
A job my brother might have.

If the women would go home
More valiant men could be
Providers for their home
Just as God intended them to be.

If the women would go home
Perhaps an upside down world 
Would begin to turn right side up again.

If the women would go home
Homes would be changed
The world would be changed.

We have seen the wretched results of homes abandoned by women
Let us see the results of women embracing the home for Christ.

Women may pray earnestly on the their knees for revival
The answer may surprise you!
If the women would go home
Obedient to God's Word
Perhaps then would start a revival
If only the women would go home!

Foundations Destroyed

"If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?" Psalm 11:3
Build them again! But it most certainly is not easy!!

America is in a state of destruction, our foundation has been destroyed and we sat back and watched. Not only that, but we really tore it down with our own hands. We are no longer a Christian nation. We pursue headlong after our own destruction, like sheep that have gone astray. We are doomed unless somebody does something.

But wait.... there's an election coming up! Aha, all the fairygod mother has to do is wave her magic wand and get the right man into office and that will make everything all right again, right? That is what we would like to think. That is how many act... 'if we can only get the right man into office then everything will be all right'. It is a solution, perhaps part of the solution but an incomplete solution. It is also a solution from the wrong perspective.

With the heart of our nation as it is, what would happen if the conservative we want is elected? Oh yes, much rejoicing. Let us say that all the prolife and profamily legislation is passed. What happens at the next election? Maybe our guy wins again. Great! What happens if another die hard liberal is elected to office? What happens to all that legislation we worked so hard to put into law? We can watch and mourn as our hard work is overturned. Then we will wonder 'why?' - everything was going so well.

The problem is 1. we were looking to a man to save us 2. the heart of this people is waxed cold toward God.

Our families are breaking up and falling apart and it is not because the wrong elected official is in office. Electing the right conservative is NOT going to fix that. It is because families and individuals have not made Jesus Christ THE foundation of their lives.

If we expect an elected official to fix our problems we will be devasted, for we are expecting something from a mortal that only God can do. By looking to man instead of God we are commiting idolatry.

As an example, if overnight Roe v. Wade was suddenly overturned, what would happen? There would be riots in the streets and huge protests. People would get hurt. Underground abortions would still happen. Why? The hearts are not turned towards Christ! If Christ is Lord and Master we seek what He wants and He would not murder unborn babies.

What we need is hearts to be turned toward Jesus Christ. If Jesus Christ is Lord of your life you do what HE wants. Our current society is a do whatever is right in your own eyes society - it has a corrupt view of freedom. It has a do whatever you want as long as it does not stop me from doing what I want attitude.

The reason our nation is in the state that is in, is not because we have the wrong officials in office. They got there because the people wanted them there! It is because people are sinners that do no have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, thus making Him the founation of their lives. If Christ was the foundation the people would have voted differently. To restore America we must repent. We must make Christ the foundation of our life and we must win others to Christ (see Proverbs 11:30 & Luke 19:10).

My intent is not to convince you not to vote. Please DO vote - that is your responsibility to God and your country. But do not go to the polls thinking that electing the 'right' official with the 'right' platform is going to automatically fix everything. That is just the beginning of the battle. The real battle is winning hearts for Christ by soul winning. That is rebuilding the foundation.

Loving the Lord by Crystal

"And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all they strength: this is the first commandment." Mark 12:30

Imagine it is your wedding day and you have planned an outdoor wedding out in the beautiful countryside of your parent's home. This is the day that you have waited and dreamed about your whole entire life.

One major problem: rain. What would be your attitude & response?

Recently I attended the wedding of some very dear friends. The above scenario actually happened. As a guest I wondered what was going to happen. Would the wedding be moved elsewhere? If so, where? Or would we wait until it stopped raining? Later I found out that someone had suggested a pavilion at a nearby park that would only cost $20, the father of the bride responded in faith: "I think everything is going to turn out all right". He, the bride, the groom, and their families were all willing to wait on the Lord. They did not wait with a grumbling attitude. Instead, they waited in full trust that the Lord was in control of the situation and would do what was best. Groom & bride both waited with the right attitude and God was glorified. This was a demonstration of their love for the Lord and it was beautiful to behold.

After standing under umbrellas for a time fellowshipping with the other guests my family decided to dry some seats off and sit down while continuing the use of the umbrellas. Eventually I noticed a patch of blue sky off in the distance, "was it headed this way?" It was! Shortly thereafter, the rain slowed and then stopped. The sun began to shine and it turned into the most gorgeous day. The wedding began a little over an hour after the set time. With joy and trust in the Lord the groom stated to the guests, "We thought the wedding was going to start at noon, but I guess the Lord had other plans".

It was a very God glorifying day. I found it to be a faith building experience to see a godly couple who both loved the Lord so much that even after waiting a long time for marriage; they loved the Lord enough to knowthat HE was in control in spite of the fowl weather. It was actually a wedding that was so focused on the Lord that I felt it prepare us for Sunday worship the following day.

Part of loving the Lord is being willing to wait on Him and for His perfect timing. This goes very much against our fleshly desires to have everything instantly at our disposal. When we do not get what we want or things do not happen the way we think they should it is easy to let ungodly attitudes take over our demeanor. It is inconvenient to wait, but it is such a demonstration of our love for Jesus, to overcome our own desires and desire what the Lord wants.

What would have happened if the groom or bride had displayed wrong attitudes? Anyone would understand and sympathize with a disappointed groom/bride over the fowl weather. The fowl weather was a "test". It was as if the Lord was saying, "Are you going to keep your focus on Me? Do you trust My timing?" They could have allowed the rain to cast a shadow on the wedding. But that would have been failing the "test". It would also have taken glory away from the Lord. Instead, they displayed a trust in the Lord by right attitudes, and God got the glory.

Now back to the question at the beginnig of this article. What would have been your attitude & response? What is your attitude when things "go wrong"? Do you have a wrong attitude? Do you take glory away from the Lord? Or do you use unpleasant circumstances in life as a way to bring glory to God? This is one of the greatest ways to show your love for the Lord. When you respond with a right attitude, you bring glory to God. A wrong attitude takes away glory. Loving the Lord is making sure HE gets all the glory.

"I am the LORD: that is My name: and My glory will I not give to another,

neither My praise to graven images." Isaiah 42:8

Modern "Profits"

Today's profits of baal have made constant declarations of "global warming" from their high places (pun very much intended). As in the days of Elijah, they have in essence challenged God. The Bible declares in Genesis 1:14, "And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years". There are a few things these profits need to consider, #1 God always wins and #2 Gods is in control of the weather. Unless they repent before God and genuinely seek salvation through Jesus Christ alone, they will face some real heat - the heat of God's wrath & eternal judgment.

"And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever."

Revelation 20:10

"And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire." Revelation 20:15

What Kind of Change? by Crystal

An interesting conversation occurred the other day in the store while talking with one of the sample ladies. Somehow this lady brought up the topic of "getting a husband". This Christian woman's advice was to quit wearing a headcovering, chop off my hair, slap on some pants, and *apply make up, then "abra-cadabra-you've got a swarm of 'would be grooms'". Mom quickly pointed out that I don't need to do those things, that the right man - the one God has me for will have the same convictions in these areas. This lady offered one of the saddest things I think I've heard in a long time. She declared that "those kind of men don't exist anymore"(see Romans 8:24 & Proverbs 13:12). It saddens me even more that if she would give this worldly advice to an acquaintance, then she would probably offer the same to her grandchildren & great-grandchildren - therefore effecting many generations. The thought troubles me that Christians would become caught up in this worldly web of lies, that you must throw out convictions God gives you in order to "get a life partner or be successful". I plead with you, that you will not listen to the world! Follow Jesus, He died for you. If He cared so much for your soul to give His life for it, then He also cares more than you do about your future life partner if marriage is God's plan for you. 1 John 2:15-17 says, "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever."

If I would have to trade God's convictions for a husband, I would not take him. It could only lead to a life of misery. It would mean a life of grueling slavery for I would then have set up a man as my idol. Marrying a man because he thought I was pretty would mean that I would always be in competition with other women, after all there will always be someone out there better looking than me. It would be better to live a life of singleness knowing I was pleasing God than to lay aside His convictions and be outside of His blessed will (see Matthew 16:24-25).

So does this mean I don't need change? No, I do need change but not in the way this lady was thinking. I need: to be more self-less, more like Christ, more forward in sharing the Gospel, more meek, more gracious, a better listener, better manager of time, dye to self more, etc.... Ultimately, I need to keep my eyes on Jesus Christ and Him alone. Even if I were to change in certain convictions, it should be God changing my convictions, not man! The underlying principle is, who determines truth: man or God? If man determines truth, then anything goes. Praise the Lord that man does not determine truth, God does. "The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever." Psalm 12:6-7. "Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded." James 4:8.


(*As a side not, I don't have a conviction against wearing make-up. It is a personal preference issue, NOT a conviction. I don't like having my face feel like it's going to crack! :-).