I WOULD RATHER LIVE MY LIFE

"I would rather live my life as if there is a God, and die to find out there isn't, than live my life
as if there isn't, and die to find out there is."

This is a quote that I received in an email today. I find it interesting that it came today. But, for me, it just proves that God is very involved in our lives and knows how to affirm us if we allow Him to.

Last night I had dinner with two of my friends. On the way to the restaurant I was relishing in one of the rare moments of alone time with God. It's very difficult to find alone time when you have 5 kids- one of them being a 3-year-old.

The CD playing in the car was a compilation disc that I play quite often in the car. It is a variety of Petra songs.

My favorite Petra song is "Adonai". As I drove down the highway, singing along with the music, I began to visualize my Master speaking everything into existence. My minds eye saw Him speak the stars into existence, His majestic hand reaching out to place each star in its specific place. I saw Him become playful, smiling, because He "saw that it was good."

One of my favorite ways to worship God is in nature. No, I do not worship nature itself, but I smile because I see that "it is good". Adonai alone is worthy of my praise and worship.

All of nature cries out to Him. All things were made to worship God Almighty. It is such an honor and pleasure to me to know Him and worship Him.

When I read the quote that I opened with today it fit so perfect with my thoughts. I know that I am not wrong in my beliefs. I know without a shadow of a doubt that God IS real. I know that He alone created the heavens and the earth and all that is within, above and below. However, in the minuscule "chance" that I am wrong, I would much rather worship God in my life, and find out in my death that He does not exist than not worship Him and believe in Him in my life and find out in my death that He DOES exist.

Each of us are given a choice. I cannot make anyone believe in my Creator. My heart aches for those who do not believe in Him and know Him as their Savior. But we are all given free will.

Lord God, how I pray for those who do not know You. I truly cannot imagine my life without You. My Adonai, You are the Master of the earth and sky. You alone are worthy.

I continue to pray for Congresswoman Giffords. I cannot wait for the day she walks back onto the floor of Congress. What a day of rejoicing that will be!

I pray for this nation. Lord God, we need You desperately. I pray that hearts will be humbled before You. I pray that this nation will repent of her sins. I pray for our President. I pray for all elected leaders, that each of them will be safe. Protect them from harm. Humble each of them before You, that they will turn their eyes upon You and seek Your will for this country.

I pray for Israel. The entire world is coming against her. I know it is prophesied and will happen. I know You are in control. But I pray for Your chosen people.

I pray all of these things in the precious Name of Jesus Christ- Amen.

ONE DAY

"Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Philippians 2:9-11 (NIV)


One day, every knee WILL bow, and every tongue WILL confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. For me, it will be the most awaited day of all of my life. To be at the feet of my Jesus, loving Him, honoring Him, praising Him. For others, it will not be such a glorious day. I pray for these people.


I do not believe that these people have long to wait. I am so excited for that! Daily, the news points to that coming day when this scripture will come true:


"I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. "He will rule them with an iron scepter." He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:
KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS."
Revelation 19:11-16


Oh Glorious Day!

People get ready! Jesus is coming! He is not willing that any should perish!

Lord, every day time grows shorter and shorter. While people have been saying this for thousands of years, and it still may be a long time in our view, we never know when we will breathe our last breath. I pray that You will open blinded eyes and soften hardened hearts.

I continue to pray for Congresswoman Giffords. I read a tweet today saying that she may run for Senate. Nothing has come out officially, but if this is even being discussed then it appears as though things are looking absolutely amazing for her! All glory, honor and praise be to You, Jesus, for the miracle in her life. I also continue to pray that the man that acted out this heinous attack will be given justice. Please do not allow political correctness to prevent justice in this.

I pray for President Obama. Lord, I get so angry! Please help me to not sin in my anger, where it concerns the man that is our president. I continue to pray that he will humble his heart before You, Jesus.

I pray for this nation. I pray that people will wake up and stand up for what is right. I believe many people have, but there are still too many who are complacent.

I pray for the nation of Israel. Protect her and bless her beyond measure.

I praise You for the mighty work You have done in my life. If it were not for my faith in You, I do not believe I would be alive today. Thank You for never giving up on me!

I pray all of these things in the precious Name of my Savior Jesus Christ- Amen.

THE LORD REIGNS

There are some days that I find very conflicting in my spirit. Today is one of those days!

I've become involved with a project that I am very proud to be a part of. As always, it is my consistent prayer that God will use me in every aspect of my life. Without a doubt I know that this project is not only an avenue that God is using me in, He is also blessing me tremendously!

So I am sure you are probably wondering why my spirit would be conflicted.

As a believer in Christ, and a believer in the pre-trib rapture, I see how the world is shaping up around us. I know that time is so very short before the world literally explodes into the worst time in history known to mankind- The Tribulation. Now, if you do not believe in prophecy, end times, the rapture and such, that is your prerogative. But, I hold fast to God's promises for those who believe in Him.

So here I am- so very frustrated with the way things are going on in our country and the world. I so long for the day that all this is over, and I am worshipping my King Jesus! Yet, I am so very blessed and excited to be able to use my talents for a worthy cause.

On days like this I have to just rest in the fact that the Lord reigns. He is in control of all things.

One of my favorite Scriptures is Psalm 97. It is a testament of God's mighty power. He is in control.

One of my favorite songs is by Michael W. Smith, "Let It Rain".

As I have already mentioned, on of the things I love to think about is the return of Christ, sounding the trumpet to call His bride home. And here in one video is all of these things put together. Yes, The Lord indeed reigns! In Him I put my trust!

The Lord Reigns


Psalm 97
1 The LORD reigns, let the earth be glad;
let the distant shores rejoice.
2 Clouds and thick darkness surround him;
righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
3 Fire goes before him
and consumes his foes on every side.
4 His lightning lights up the world;
the earth sees and trembles.
5 The mountains melt like wax before the LORD,
before the Lord of all the earth.
6 The heavens proclaim his righteousness,
and all the peoples see his glory.
7 All who worship images are put to shame,
those who boast in idols—
worship him, all you gods!
8 Zion hears and rejoices
and the villages of Judah are glad
because of your judgments, O LORD.
9 For you, O LORD, are the Most High over all the earth;
you are exalted far above all gods.
10 Let those who love the LORD hate evil,
for he guards the lives of his faithful ones
and delivers them from the hand of the wicked.
11 Light is shed upon the righteous
and joy on the upright in heart.
12 Rejoice in the LORD, you who are righteous,
and praise his holy name.

Lord God, help me to not be distracted by all that is going on in the world. It will be as You intend, in Your perfect timing.

I continue to pray for Congresswoman Giffords and her husband Mark Kelly. Please give them the peace and assurance that You are in control and reign majestically upon Your throne.

I pray for this nation. We continue to slip into a very dark abyss. Please have mercy on this nation.

I pray for our president. Humble him before You, Lord God.

I pray for the nation and people of Israel. Please comfort her always and assure her people that You reign upon Your throne and that Your covenant with them is forever and ever!

I pray all of these things in the Name of Jesus Christ- Amen.

YES, THIS COUNTS!

I received an email today that is going to be the topic of today's post. My brother sent me the email, and he had added a note that yes, this was his niece (his wife's sister's daughter). I called him and asked him if he could get their permission to post the picture on my blog entry for today, because I have never seen anything so beautiful in all of my life!

When I talked to my brother after he talked to his brother-in-law, he told me he was surprised to find out that it is not his niece! This is an email that was actually forwarded to his brother-in-law. They are all amazed at how much like this little girl my brother's niece actually looks.

So, I am going to post the picture, as the note at the bottom of the page says to forward to your friends. If the parents of this child sees the picture and would like it to be removed, please let me know. I would never want to offend them in any ways.

So, before I go any further, here is the email text, as well as the picture, of the original email I was sent:

Matthew 18:20
For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

DOES THIS COUNT?

Yes, this most definitely counts, sweetheart!

This little girl understands more than most adults do. While I believe that it is imperative and very beneficial to read, study, disect, meditate and analyze Scripture to grow in our faith, walk and understanding of God, I beleive that a lot of times our analyzing gets in the way of the true heart of the matter. As my husband has said before, too often, the most "intellectual" of minds have absolutely no faith in God because He cannot be explained. Faith is believing in the unseen.

LIFE IS A PUZZLE

After my first husband committed suicide, my life as I knew it literally ceased to exist. Everything that I knew, believed and lived shattered into a million pieces. It was at this point that God lovingly picked up one, single piece of my shattered, brokenness and placed it in the middle of His canvas, which is my life.

All of the shattered pieces of my former life are still there today. While it may not appear that way, the shattered, broken pieces have been lovingly healed and mended by the hands of The Master Who created me and loves me so dearly. Many, many pieces have been loving placed where they belong, and yet, many others still are in the process of mending and healing.

One thing that God showed me, after my husband died, was how yes, we are indeed created in the image of God. However, as humans, most everything we do is opposite of the way God does things. It is a strange concept, in one sense. Yet, it makes perfect sense as well.

An image is a reflection of an actual thing, not the thing itself. When you look in the mirror at yourself, it is the opposite of reality. Your right side appears to be the left side, and vice versa.

When you work a puzzle, what is the first thing that you do? You start with the outside pieces, and put the entire border together. At least, this is the way I do it, and this is the way I've seen most people work a puzzle.

God began to show me that my life is a puzzle in progress at the work of His loving hands.

FREEDOM

"Aye, fight and you may die. Run, and you'll live... at least a while. And dying in your beds, many years from now, would you be willin' to trade ALL the days, from this day to that, for one chance, just one chance, to come back here and tell our enemies that they may take our lives, but they'll never take... OUR FREEDOM!" 

~ William Wallace ~
"Braveheart"

Last night, I watched one of my all-time favorite movies. It's been a long while since I've watched it, but I happened to be flipping through the channels and saw it was on. What a perfect time in history for me to be reminded of the bravery of William Wallace.

Obviously, I am talking about the Mel Gibson movie, "Braveheart".

If you have never seen this movie, I definitely recommend it!

Though this is a "fictional representation" of history, it is based on the life of a real man in 13th Century Scotland. I won't give a synopsis of the movie here, because I do not want to ruin the movie if you have not seen it; and if you have seen it, you know the intricate beauty that it encompasses.

There are many, many aspects of this movie that draws me in. Number one, I love history. Number two, I am a hopeless romantic at heart. Number three, the fight for freedom is in my blood. I guess in reality, the number three reason should be my number one reason.

Without freedom, we are truly slaves. This seems to be a given, but it amazes me how this is not obvious to the masses. It's strangely eerie how so many aspects of this movie can be applied to current day affairs. Change the setting and the characters, and you have the exact same scenario today, in modern day America.

YOU GOT TO KNOW WHEN...

As I've thought over my previous post, I am reminded of an old Kenny Rogers song, "The Gambler". I'm sure that if you've read my previous post you are wondering how in the world this song comes to mind. The post has nothing at all to do with gambling, playing cards, or anything that entails.

However, the course speaks volumes for me, in my life:

You've got to know when to hold 'em
Know when to fold 'em
Know when to walk away
Know when to run
You never count your money
When you're sittin' at the table
There'll be time enough for countin'
When the dealin's done

Now, one thing you will learn about me is that I march to the beat of a different drummer. I've always been this way! In fact, I grew up in the '80's and was always known for wearing a "different style" of clothes... and this is in the '80's, when "different" WAS the style!

Maybe the reason this chorus reverberates over and over in my mind as I look back over my life experiences is because so much of the time I did not know when to hold 'em, fold 'em, walk away, or run. So much of my life I have made the wrong decision, no matter what decision I made.

I'VE COME TO A REALIZATION

I just got finished with a major rant on Twitter. My husband just showed me an article that has blown my mind! For your reference, here is the article that caused my rant:

U.S. Debt Jumped $72 Billion Same Day U.S. House Voted to Cut Spending $6 Billion

Now, why in the world would this send me into a tizzy, you are probably asking. It is quite obvious that our debt and continued spending is completely out of control. It's been one of the main topics of discussion for- oh, I don't even know how long!

So I will tell you- my rant was caused by the sudden realization that no one in Washington gets it! And I do mean NO ONE! I say this, because if anyone at all truly got the enormity of this crisis, this would be the ONLY thing that was being discussed!

I WILL BLESS THOSE WHO BLESS YOU

"I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." Genesis 12:3

Israel is the time piece and compass for everything that happens. Israel is God Almighty's time piece.

God makes it very clear that all blessings and curses are administered by how Israel is treated.

A COMMUNITY OF SOULS

Tonight, I dedicate my post to a very special online friend. Over the last few months I've talked with her many times, and her heart for God truly blesses me. There is a mysterious beauty that has drawn me to her. In fact, she reminds me of what I believe one of my Biblical heroes was like. Though I have no idea of her past, I cannot say that the similarities go beyond my minds eye. In fact, I do not know much of her story. However, she reminds me of Rahab.

Eliana, my heart and prayers are with you tonight. 

Eliana's bio on her twitter account says that she is a Goodwill Ambassador. Maybe this is why she reminds me so much of Rahab. Rahab risked her life and everything she had to help the spies that went to search out Jericho. Though Rahab was not a Jew, she stood with the nation of Israel and risked her life to help the Jews. She, as an outsider, recognized that God Almighty Is the One True God, and she gave her everything to serve Him. This is how I see Eliana in my minds eye. The difference is that Eliana IS a Jew- and I am honored to know her!

TIMES- THEY ARE A'CHANGIN

I thought I would be a bit "cute" tonight.

Since tonight is the night that time changes- yet again- I thought a reminder might be a good idea. I honestly just wish they would keep the time the same all year round! It takes me a month to get readjusted when the time changes, so 2 months out of the year I'm all out of whack just because the time changes on me.

I think it is fitting, in another sense, because it seems like that every day times are changing more and more. As a believer in Christ, and a believer in the rapture, I firmly believe we are in the end times. How soon will the rapture be? That I do not know. I know there is a prediction that says the rapture will happen in May of this year. There are some that believe it is far off from now. And then, many still, that do not believe it will happen at all. I, however, do believe that it is soon.

Reading the news headlines these days are just like opening up The Bible and reading prophecy.

EVERY KNEE WILL BOW

"Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Philippians 2:9-11

This is another of my favorite passages of Scripture in The Bible. The Bible says that one day, EVERY knee will bow, and EVERY tongue will confess that Jesus Christ Is Lord of lords and King of kings!

For me and my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, this is a day we long for! As the Mercy Me song says,

GOD PROVIDES FOR HIS PEOPLE

Once again, tonight, I've been having somewhat of a difficult time deciding what I would blog about. Some days, my topic is on my heart throughout the day, other days are like today.

I have committed to praying every single day for Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords total and complete recovery. As the days have passed by, it has evolved into praying for many things, spanning many topics.

I love to pray. I love spending time with my Creator and Savior. And yes, while I am in constant prayer in spirit most days, I still like to have this committed time of focus.

I've actually started this blog post/prayer earlier in the evening, and deleted what I had written. It just didn't seem like what God wanted me to pray about publicly.

A BURDENSOME STONE

As each day passes and more and more prophecy unfolds before our very eyes, there are times my breath is almost taken away.

These are indeed very exciting times, if you know Christ Jesus. For the scoffers and unbelievers, I'm sure the times are quite fearful.

Let me clarify this by saying no, I am not excited about the turmoil in the Middle East. I do not like violence going on anywhere. And yes, there is a slight reservation of apprehension of what all this is going to lead to in our very immediate future.

What I mean by the times being exciting that we are living in is that I never in a million years would have imagined that I would see prophecy unfolding so "perfectly" during my lifetime.

What I am finding difficult to do during these perilous times is how to adjust to the conflicting emotions.

HISTORY COLLIDES WITH THE FUTURE

"For those who believe, no proof is necessary. For those who don't, no proof is possible."

Interesting. I saw this quote come across on twitter today, and it resounded with me. I retweeted it, not knowing who said it originally.

Later, I started thinking about what I would blog about today. I remembered this quote, and wanted to see who said it. 

I was quite surprised when I found it it was actually Stuart Chase, a Neo-Socialist. I just skimmed the information about Mr. Chase, but it did not take two seconds for me to know without a doubt there is very little, if anything at all, that Mr. Chase and I would have in common.