What’s It Like To Be a Christian?

I talk a lot about how the preTrib Rapture, Easy Grace, and Once Saved Always Saved doctrines are wrong.  I say that they preach ‘another gospel’ about ‘another Jesus’ and produce (so-called, self-professed) ‘Christians’ that are really more accurately called unconverted believers.  One such person recently (mockingly) asked me:

“So….how do you live exactly?? Do you know without a doubt where you would go if you died right now? or do you have some unconfessed sin in your life that wouldn’t allow you in heaven….like maybe anger that i detected in your last comment??If i believed the way you do along with catholics, coc, aog, and all the other RELIGIONS, i’d be repenting and trying to get saved every 5 min because i might say an idle word and Jesus could come or i could die the next second. No peace….”

First of all, unless one blasphemes the Holy Spirit, they are not going to ‘lose’ their salvation in 5 minutes.  ‘Lose your salvation’ is a term that this person uses, but I don’t like that term because it is misleading.  It gives the impression of a person setting something down and forgetting where they put it . . . or maybe that someone has taken it away.  It is a passive term that doesn’t convey any responsibility for what happened.  No one can separate us from God.  But we CAN separate ourselves from God.  Therefore, I believe it is more accurate to say that someone can FORFEIT their salvation.

God has given each of us free will, and that is not something that He takes away from us, once we become a Christian.  (Paul told of different people who had turned away from Christianity.  We ALWAYS have the option to stop living for God.)  Let me make it clear first, that if we are walking with Christ, his grace covers us from sins we commit without realizing.  His death covers all our sins, as long as we CONTINUE walking with Him.  But He doesn’t cover our sins if we turn away.  Now I’m not going to split hairs over what it means to turn away–how long a person can backslide without forfeiting their salvation.  That is a heart matter, and only God knows our hearts.  I DO know that we are warned in Scripture, many times, in many ways, to not turn away.

Free will is also why Satan works through deception.  He cannot SNATCH us out of God’s hand–no one can.  But if he can cause us to WALK AWAY of our own free will, and if we don’t turn back, then he has accomplished what he hoped for.  Make no mistake, God DOES allow our faith to be tested, to see if it is genuine.  Adam and Eve sinned, and the devil deceived them, but he was clever enough to be sure that the way he did it didn’t violate their free will, so they had to bear the blame.

Even though we have our own free will, when we become Christians we commit ourselves into God’s hands for safekeeping.  He will not let us slip away.  He will not cast us away because we commit a sin.  Once we become a Christian, His Spirit lives inside of us.  He will reason with us when we are struggling with sin.  He will give us the power to overcome it, and a way out of temptation.  He will warn us when we go wrong.  But if we don’t listen to His Spirit inside us, warning us, then we are guilty of willful sin.

When we sin willfully and don’t repent, God chastises us.  Every good father disciplines his children, God is no exception.  But if we remain stiffnecked and don’t repent, if we continue to ignore His discipline, eventually our heart becomes so hardened by sin that His Holy Spirit can no longer bring us to a place of remorse and repentance.  When we get to that point, our fate is sealed.  This is not something that happens in five minutes . . . maybe not even in five weeks, or five months.

Do I live in fear?  No.  In fact, it wasn’t until I realized that God loved me even when I was in the midst of my sin . . . and that He loved me enough that He would LET me walk away, if I really wanted to, that I really came to trust Him.  When I was still believing the false gospel and OSAS doctrine, I backslid more than once.  I can tell you from experience that I ALWAYS knew I was in danger.  It was THEN that I lived in fear, because the Holy Spirit clearly warned me of what was on the horizon

‘For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,   But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.’  (Hebrews 10:26-27)

With that misunderstanding hopefully out of the way, I will tell you what my life is like now . . .

I rarely think about, or speak about hell.  My personal belief is that trying to motivate people to love God by scaring them to death about hell only produces bad fruit.  God isn’t mocked.  He is looking for people who will worship Him in Spirit and in truth–not people who come to Him merely for a ‘get out of jail free card’.  But that’s another subject, perhaps for another post.

I walk in fellowship with God daily.  I pray all the time, about all sorts of things.  I feel strength, faith, and courage inside me, from the presence of the Holy Spirit.  Since I became a (fully converted) Christian, I am a new creation.  I have a new heart, and I have the mind of Christ.  I don’t spend my time being totally self-absorbed.  I don’t sin every five minutes.  (Incidentally, being angry is not a sin.  God is angry with the wicked every day.  Jesus was often angry with hypocrites.  Anger without cause is wrong.  Sinning because you’re angry isn’t excused.  But anger itself isn’t wrong.)

When I realize I have sinned (and it doesn’t take long, because the Holy Spirit lets me know), I repent.  I don’t repent because I’m scared of going to hell.  I repent because I hate sin.  I repent because I realize I’ve offended God.  I hate the break in fellowship that I feel, and knowing I’ve displeased Him.  Because I have a new heart, I don’t want to sin.  I hate the things God hates, and I love the things God loves.  I walk in peace–deep peace–daily, because I’m walking in the presence of God and know that we are in agreement.

Yes, I know without a doubt where I would go if I died now.  No, there’s no unconfessed, unforgiven sin in my life right now.  As I said before, when I sin, I know right away.  And when I know, I repent.  If the sin is a bad attitude or unforgiveness, sometimes I have to ask God to help me with it–and He does.  But I no longer try to hide my sins.  I know that God is my Father, who loves me–not some angry judge who’s waiting for me to mess up so He can reject me.  I know He wants to help me overcome my sins, and doesn’t condemn me for them when I confess and desire to turn away from them.

Although mainstream churchianity talks about  Christianity being a relationship, not a religion (and that is true), most mainstream ‘Christians’ don’t really know God.  They imagine they belong to a ‘God’ who doesn’t require much from them, and bends to their will.  The ‘God’ they suppose they have a relationship with, is a ‘God’ of their own making.  They reject the parts of the Bible that offend them.  They reject the parts of God’s character that they don’t understand, and they lack the fear of God.  They may believe SOME of what they know about Him, and they may desire the things that He provides, but most of them are unwilling to make the sacrifice that He requires. The biggest proof of all is that the image they are being conformed to (as evidenced by their actions and attitudes) is not the image of God.

No one comes to God standing on two feet with their pride and self-esteem intact.  Awe at the power, position, and holiness of God, and the realization of our sinfulness and unworthiness, drops us to our knees.  We come to Him broken and sorry.  We begin our walk with Him in humility, gratitude and repentance.  We continue it the same way.  Arrogance is not a fruit of the Holy Spirit.  Neither is ‘self-esteem’.  Our worth is in Him, not in ourselves.  All our righteousness is as filthy rags.  That doesn’t just mean what we DO, but also who we ARE, in ourselves, without Him.  The strength and assurance I have now is not rooted in myself–it’s because I know who leads me by the hand.

And What If I’m Right?

I listen to conservative talk radio, and it catches my attention when the host points out his record of being correct.  They’re right, they have been making accurate predictions–that’s why I listen to them!  I make predictions here too, and share my gut feelings about things.  But, I hesitate to say ‘I was right’ . . .

What are we really implying when we point to our record of accuracy?  Are we implying that because we were right in the past, we are special somehow?  Or that we will always continue to be right, and you should follow us? God forbid!  Can any of us really live up to that?

It profits me nothing, in this life, to be right about the things I am predicting.  They are things we’d rather not see come to pass.  I don’t write this blog for money or fame.  Being right about the  things I predict will probably paint a target on my chest.  Being popular would only make the target bigger!

The only thing I gain, if I am right, is credibility.  Credibility to tell you about the character of God, about what His Word says, about the deception that is everywhere you turn these days, about the sacrifice that Jesus made for those who will follow Him, and about how you can be one of His children too.

 

Things That Make You Go ‘hmmm’

I seem to have a knack for running my face into spider webs. Sometimes I joke that they must be weaving their webs with the intention of catching people!  But what I saw this morning was pretty strange.

As I got out of the shower, I happened to look up at the bathroom light.  Hanging from it, was a noose!  It was partly hair, and partly web. I’ve never seen anything like it!  How the hair got up there is anybody’s guess, but the spider had drawn the other end up and continued it with silk, to form a noose.

Should I take that as a threat?!

Prelude To: Did We Do This?

Where do I even begin?

Several months ago, the question occured to me “I wonder if earthquakes can be created?”.  Of course, I was thinking along the lines of underground nuclear explosions, etc.  Well, I found a lot more than I bargained for.  Granted, a lot of it sounds far-fetched to the average person, but I do have a college degree in science and I think I have learned enough to at least rule out the utterly ridiculous.  Of course, I am not an expert, and can not say with absolute certainty that any of what I’ve learned is true–but based on what I know, and my intuition, and prayers for God to guide me, I believe that it is.

The amount of ‘stuff’ that is going on behind the scenes is incredible!  I have never ruled out conspiracy theories simply because they were theories of conspiracies. (Some people seem to think conspiracies can’t possibly be true.)  As far as I understand, a conspiracy is a plan, between two or more people, to do something that is wrong.  How can that be impossible?–we see it happen every day!!  So, I weigh any conspiracy theory on its own merits.  (Even so, there are some that seem so far-fetched that I dread looking into them!)

A few years back, the Lord pulled the blinders off my eyes.  Up until that time, I had always looked for the best in everyone, believed whatever I was told, and given everyone the benefit of the doubt.  However, I learned that no one can be completely trusted, mankind is not inherently good and, in fact, some people are just plain evil!  In spite of all the corruption that has been revealed, in our leaders, in the last couple of years, some of you have not yet had that revelation–you will probably not believe the things that I will be sharing with you.

One other thing you should know about me–I have never been one to follow the crowd.  A lot of what I write about is probably not news to some of you–but others of you may think I’m just one more person in some kind of community of wackos, where all of us are just saying the same thing.  (In fact, I have that opinion, true or not, of some of the people who are sharing the information I’m learning from!  And I don’t agree with everything everyone says–I measure it against my knowledge of God’s word, what I already know, etc.)

However, the only communication I have with anyone else who shares any of these beliefs, is through several comments I’ve received through this site and my responses to them, which are posted on this site.  I am a virtual hermit.  I have a few friends I see on rare occasion, and I have some family.  To the best of my knowledge, of these people, only one friend reads my blogs.  My family and friends are either not interested in, or are too distressed by the things I am learning, to discuss them with me.  The only sites I visit regularly are posted as links, in the right column of this page–and I watch Glenn Beck, although I don’t agree with everything he says.

In fact, my ‘education’ in all of what is going on, began about a year and a half ago with him.  I had been watching Fox News regularly, but grew VERY tired of all the political commentary and speculation.  Feeling like I wasn’t getting the real news of what was going on in the world, I started looking elsewhere and discovered Glenn Beck on CNN.  I remember being surprised, because I was of the opinion that CNN was not a conservative news source, and yet he shared most of my opinions!  He was also revealing things that I was  learning about elsewhere.

The other main source of learning for me comes from Steven Collins’ website (to which I have a link in the right column).  I was asleep one morning when suddenly Fox News came on my computer (I have no idea how.  I had watched it the night before online, and the browser page was still open, but the video connection had been shut off).  Anyhow–the news came on and woke me, with the commentator saying something that caused me to jump out of bed.  To the best of my recollection, it was about 2 countries that were conducting joint military exercises. I had to ‘google’ the names of these 2 countries, along with the word ‘prophecy’, because I had a feeling it was something that I had heard before, regarding events prophesied to happen in the ‘end times’.  I had no idea of the journey I was about to embark upon.

When the Google search results came back, I realized I had a potential problem–how could I know which site(s) would actually have accurate information?  I prayed for God to lead me, and chose Stephen Collins’ site.  Neverthless, I didn’t throw out my discernment.

In subsequent days, I read and learned a lot, but I was still skeptical.  He apparently believes that the US is descended from the ‘lost’ 10 tribes of Israel.  This is something I had learned about (and believed) as a teenager–before I ever found Christ–by reading Herbert W. Armstrong materials (The Worldwide Church of God).  My mother told me it was a cult.  I don’t know if that is true or not, but at the time I believed her and threw the things away.

So,  when I read these assertions on his site, I was skeptical and I worried about his credibility, and possible connection to the WWCoG.  (I decided to get more info about Herbert W. Armstrong, and I have to say that I would still be skeptical of any of his teachings.  However, Mr. Collins, as far as I can tell, is not a follower of Mr. Armstrong.  Because of what I’ve read of his writings, and additional information I have found, I am about 98% convinced that the 10 ‘lost’ tribes of Israel are not really lost at all, and that the US represents the tribe of Manasseh.)

I continued to read his articles and posts, with caution.  Eventually I became convinced (although I am not absolutely sure of everything he proposes) that his site is probably ‘safe’, and I have learned a lot there.  As with any site, if you decide to check it out, use your own discretion and prayer.  Mainly he keeps up with current happenings, that you may not get news of elsewhere–and correlates these events with prophecy.

So, I’ve said all that to illustrate that I don’t have an agenda, and I am not just parroting the beliefs of some cult or bunch of wackos.  I have felt, from the beginning, that it has been God leading me to what I am learning, because of the way that it started–and has continued.  There is not one single website where I have gone and learned all of this.  It has been a journey, with God taking me from one site to another, teaching me the right things at the right time.

In fact–some of what I have learned is from movies I watched, for entertainment sake, that ended up confirming things I had learned or leading me to the next thing.  One of those movies–a story of two illusionists, introduced me to Nikola Tesla.  When I found reference to him, a little further along in my journey, I already had knowledge of him and his work.  When God is leading you, you know it–not by where you arrive, but by how He leads you along the way.

I feel I need to make that clear, because it looks to me, like a lot of the things I’ll be talking about in the future would be easy to dismiss out of hand.  Of course you need to pray and use your discernment regarding the truth of what I’m saying, and how it all fits together, but I hope I have explained myself enough that you will at least be willing to listen to what I have to say.

It was never my intention to start a blog–I just had to vent.  The more I learned about things that were happening, the more upset I became.  So, I started blogging.  I have always enjoyed teaching about things that interest me, so I have continued with this.  I know there are only about fifteen (at most) of you reading this, but that’s fine.  (Jesus said there would be ‘few’ that actually find the way, that ‘many’ travel the broad path to destruction, so I don’t underestimate the value of reaching only a few.)  I also know that He leads people to what He wants to teach them, so I trust that if you are here, He has led you.  You may only visit my site to learn one thing, or He may park you here for awhile.

I don’t claim to be a prophet–a watchman perhaps.  I have just seen, throughout my life, that in many things I happen to be a step ahead of the crowd.  I am not saying I should be followed.  I’m not saying I’m special at all.  I’m just saying I tend to become aware of things a little bit sooner than most people–and right now, time is of the essence.  So, I’ll share what I am learning with you, and trust that you will use prayer and discretion to decide for yourself.

The last couple of days I have looked into a lot of things, and I’ve learned a lot.  So much in fact, that yesterday I had to just shut everything off and have silence for a few hours–because I was so overwhelmed with what I had learned.  I just couldn’t absorb anymore.  I don’t think I’ve ever felt that way before.  There were several things I wanted to write posts about, but I just couldn’t.  I had no idea where to begin.

Today I received an e-newsletter from Chuck Baldwin.  It ties in with some of what I have just learned, so I’m going to write another post and link this one to it.  It concerns earthquakes, Indonesia, Venezuela and more–I won’t know for sure until I write it!!  Please check it out:

Did We Do This? (Haiti Earthquake, part 1)

Truly, ignorance IS bliss.  However, the hour is late, so–may your eyes be opened to the truth, and may the truth set you free!

Why Haiti?

American Empire

Is Your TV Stealing Your Soul?

The New Year’s Gift

I have always been different from everyone around me, so it should come as no surprise that I celebrate New Year’s Eve differently too.  I really don’t give much thought to celebrating it.  Sure, I may turn on the TV and look at other people celebrating, but it doesn’t really move me.

I don’t know where I got the idea, but for at least the last dozen years I have had my own tradition.  I spend New Year’s Eve alone with God, and I ponder which spiritual attribute I lack the most–the one that would give me a closer walk with God, in the year(s) ahead, if I had it.  Then, I request it of God.

The most memorable was the year that I asked Him for faith.  I had already heard that one shouldn’t ask for faith because it would bring many trials.  But, that’s what I felt led to ask for, and I’m glad I didn’t let fear stop me.

When the spring semester ended, I was surprised to learn that I would have no financial aid for the summer . . . and my lease would end at the same time!  As a single parent of three kids, this was not a good situation to have looming on the horizon!

After much prayer, I decided that camping in the woods all summer was one option.  But, that a better option would be to buy a camper shell for my pickup truck, store our things somewhere, and travel the USA for the summer.  I realized we had what might be a ‘once-in-a-lifetime opportunity’!

That summer is one that none of us has ever forgotten!  A whole summer of ‘quality time’ together really bonded us deeply.  We had a couple of destinations in mind–relatives that we could visit, but mostly we had ‘time to kill’!  (I find that almost impossible to imagine these days!)

For $100 we bought a family pass to the National Parks, and we lived on $600 a month.  Every day I got behind the wheel and asked God to guide me.  I would set a jar of canned food on the dashboard and head east, driving and praying.

By midday we had a warm ‘meal’.  We ate very simply and very rarely paid to stay at a campground or eat at a restaurant.  We trusted God to show us a safe place to park each night, and prayed we could sleep unbothered.

We soaked in the beauty of God’s creation and rested–what a blessed thing that was!  We learned that California had a nearly magical forest of giant trees;  that in Michigan, blueberries grew on the ground; and that the mosquitos in Minnesota were something to be reckoned with!!  We fell asleep in the woods at dusk, serenaded by the most beautiful birdsong I had ever heard.

That summer, I learned that God can take a bad situation and turn it completely around; that He can be trusted to watch over me, even while I’m asleep; that He is always with me, even when I have no idea where I am; that some of His best gifts are free; and that a glimpse of blue sky, the song of a bird, or a gentle breeze can help me reconnect with Him when I feel alone and afraid.

In the days ahead, as the works of man grow more depraved and ugly, and as evil increases around us–remember to look up sometimes.  Let God’s creation remind you of who is eternal and who is really in charge.  Remember that the trials and tribulations that lie ahead are only temporary.  Life on earth has never been easy.  Although things will get a lot worse–it won’t last much longer!!  Ten years from now, it may all be behind us.

We have much to look forward to.  We will have a thousand years to live on earth, in peace and equity, with Jesus Himself in authority.  How I yearn for His truth and justice to be established upon the Earth; for righteousness to be the standard, and the law to be upheld; for things to finally be fair; for a chance to rest and walk with Him; for a time when evil is put to flight and goodness can prevail.

Last year was difficult.  Not the circumstances of my life, but the evil around us grinding on me, wearing me down.  I imagine that a year from now, 2009 will seem like ‘a piece of cake’ as evil continues to increase.  I’ve become polluted by our culture, taking on bad attitudes and values, picked up from TV and movies.  Anger has taken root inside me, and hatred has started to grow, as I have seen America stolen and our rights stripped away.

Learning that it is all part of God’s judgment has helped me put it in perspective.  I have long known America was provoking His judgment.  Realizing that the destruction of America that is now taking place is God’s will–because of our sin–my anger at the people involved diminishes.

Instead I cry bitter tears of regret.  We had it all, but knew it not!  We had such a priceless gift from God, but we threw it away.  We squandered our freedom, to indulge our lusts.  Oh how foolish we were!! America is forever lost.  We can never go back.

The anger and attitudes I have adopted have hardened my heart and made me more callous towards the pain and suffering of others.  Tonight, I need to repent of my anger, and my attitudes, and move beyond them.  I think what I need to ask for this year, is compassion.  Someone’s life may depend on it.

He Sent A Rainbow Made Of Corn

‘We Know In Part And We Prophesy In Part’

While I haven’t been here at my cyberspace truth pitstop, I’ve been out on my own little truth journey through the worldwide web.  The Lord led me to a most interesting pitstop, which I have included in my  links (The Watchman’s Cry).

A lot of things that the Lord had revealed to me were confirmed there–and He is revealing more to me, in answer to my prayers.  I’ll share one interesting little item with you:

‘We Know In Part And We Prophesy In Part’

Fulfilled, in my life, in two ways.

1. ‘And that ain’t the half of it!’ None of us knows the complete picture.  We each only know a part of it.  None of us has the complete interpretation of all the prophecies.  He shows each of us, only a part.  Like an orchestra, each of us doing our part produces the whole.  Don’t think any one man is the source of all your answers!
2. ‘Write what you know.’ That was His word to me, in response to my concerns that there is so much I don’t know.  ‘Just write what you know.’  And as I have done so, He has been with me and has guided me, telling me things I didn’t know, as I write.  Filling in the blanks, so to speak.  My own knowledge forms the bare bones outline–His Spirit provides the substance, the style, and the intent, and weaves it together into a message that (I pray) will speak to you personally.  Part of what I ‘speak’ is what I know, part of it is prophecy.  (Though I don’t think I’m a prophet–just another watchman.)

Understanding Revelation

Enduring What Is Coming-Mental Preparation

Who Am I Politically?

I like a bumper sticker I recently saw

“Yes you did . . . elect a Marxist dictator!”

If you haven’t woken up yet, I hope you will soon. America has been hijacked by a bunch of radical Marxists. Obamas little collection of czars seems to include every kind of  ‘way out’ philosophy I’ve ever heard of-and more!

I have been many things in my life, and one of them was an environmentalist, in the early 90s. I understand a lot of the ideas that these folks represent. Some of them I once shared, others I still lean towards.

I am a conservative, but DEFINITELY not a Republican! I’m one of those Independents you hear about. Although I think that capitalism is FAR better than any other economic plan I know of, I think if leaves a lot to be desired. I don’t revere capitalism the way so many republicans seem to. And I can’t in good conscience be a Democrat, since it has come to be synonymous with the gay agenda. So, I’m an independent voter with a mish mash of ideas and values, but ‘conservative’ probably describes me best. Beyond that, I would describe myself with a new label-but I’m not sure if there’s one word we’re using to sum it up yet . . . a person who wants to go back to the basics of the constitution and throw off the chains of oppression that our government has been wrapping around us.

I understand a lot of what our new leaders are trying to do, and I’m not against it all-though, in the end, life would not be the utopia they dream of, for the same reasons that capitalism is not the be-all and end-all: people are sinful, opportunistic, and greedy. That includes just about all of us, to some degree, especially in our current culture.

He Sent A Rainbow Made of Corn

I spend a lot of time thanking God for small things, as I go through my day.  That’s the way it is between Him and me.  I share with Him all the things in my life, big and little.

I’ll be the first to confess–I can’t sit down and have a scheduled prayer time.  I just can’t do it.  I don’t know why.  It’s just a very negative thing for me, to sit still for a certain length of time and have to pray whether my heart and mind are there or not.

I prefer instead to try to stay in constant contact with God–like you would with a partner.  You may sit together in the same room and not talk–or you may have a great conversation!  But, either way, you are enveloped in the companionship you share, and you are well aware of the other’s presence.

When I read about Enoch (his story is just a short paragraph) one sentence came alive for me:

‘Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.’

This verse made me hungry to live that way! I think I live as Enoch did–just conscious of, and present with God always.  It’s as if we’re taking a walk together.

So, anyhow, little things . . . and thankfulness.

I grew some corn this summer, to save some for seed and to save some to eat.  (I think it’s a good time to put some food aside.)

As a teenager, I went to West Virginia to live, alone, deep in the heart of the state.  As it turned out (what was I thinking?!), I needed quite a bit of help to get by!.  You can’t just pack your car and take off with your dog to live deep in the mountains without any money or supplies to speak of, with no ‘know how’, and not knowing a soul! It was a journey of faith, I guess.  Many kind folks helped me out and I learned a lot.  I lived a fairly ‘old fashioned’ life (no electricity, a well in the yard, later a wringer washer, etc.) and learned a lot of post-Depression values.  So, psychologically, I know how it is to live ‘a life of deprivation’ as some would call it.

With that in mind, I had chosen some very pretty corn–‘Oaxacan Green’.  I knew it would cheer me up, when food was scarce and I was limited to a rather ‘boring’ diet.  In fact, I would look forward to eating food made with cornmeal from my beautiful green corn!

Well, it has just gotten to where I can pick it and, as I started shucking the ears, I was quite surprised!  Very little of this corn actually looked like what I had planted!  Instead, I had been blessed with corn in my favorite colors-many shades of green, turquoise, blues and purple!  I thank God often for it, when I look at it hanging up to dry. I’m not calling it a miracle– I know enough about plants to understand how these things happen.  But I am calling it a gift, because it happened for me and it made me happy.

And yesterday, the pièce de résistance: an ear of corn that seems to contain every shimmering color of a pastel rainbow!!  I think it is one of the most beautiful, natural things I have ever seen!  I thank God a lot for it too.  It’s like He’s telling me He was thinking of me, and He’s going to be right there with me when things get tough!  When the time comes to eat that corn, I’ll remember that!

A Rainbow of Corn

It may seem like silly stuff,  but thankfulness is a powerful way to guard your heart!

I have to believe that Satan was not thankful.  His sin was pride, but I think in order for someone to become prideful, thankfulness first makes an exit.

The Bible tells us that in the last days, one of the characteristics of people will be that they are ungrateful.  It also talks about people who God ‘gave over to a depraved mind’, and lists many characteristics of their wickedness.  According to that passage, the root of it all was that ‘ . . . although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him . . .’

And, one of the repeated problems with the fledgling Nation of Israel, as they made their exodus from Egypt through the desert, was that they repeatedly turned to grumbling and murmuring.  This was ungratefulness put to words–and it really roiled God’s temper.  He had just done awesome and amazing things for them, to release them from slavery–slavery!  It doesn’t get much worse than that–and yet they were busy focusing on what they didn’t have!

Granted, if we were in their shoes, we probably would too.  If we aren’t disciplined in our minds and hearts, we all tend to do the same thing!!  It’s nice to have their story as a lesson so that we don’t.

I’ve been a Christian for more than 25 years now.  As a young Christian, struggling to overcome sinful behaviors, I remember a more mature Christian telling me that they didn’t really struggle with things like that as much anymore–that, instead, they found themself struggling more with their attitudes.  I was kind of amazed, but now I can relate.

If you don’t already know–what you DO comes from what you think.  What you spend your time thinking about will almost inevitably lead to your doing it someday. The battle over sin begins in your heart and mind.  That’s the place to focus your energies on being disciplined.  That’s the place where you need to let God live.

Guard your heart!!  Thankfulness is a great way to begin!!