(Regarding silly girls)
"They had a feeling,
or a feeling had them,
till another feeling came
and took its place.
When a feeling was there,
they felt as if it would never go;
when it was gone they felt as if it had never been;
when it returned, they felt as if it had never gone."
-George MacDonald
Feelings.
They'll throw me if I don't watch it.
So I will keep watch over them,
by day and by night!
And when they get out of hand...I will check the culprit...My thinking.
I really believe what I think
determines how I feel... "as a man
thinketh in his heart, so is he..."
Proverbs 23:7
I hope to keep the following verse
in the forefront of my mind at all times...
Casting down imaginations, and every high thing
that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God,
and bringing into captivity every thought to the
obedience of Christ; 2 Corinthins 10:5
And for another incentinve...
When I was a child,
I spake as a child,
I understood as a child,
I thought as a child:
but when I became a man,
I put away childish things.
1 Cor. 13:11
TO ALL FRIENDS AND FAMILY...A CHRISTMAS MESSAGE...
Jesus was born into "my" Humanity for a reason.
(He didn't have to come...but He did.)
Why? Why did He come to be
Emmanuel, i.e.
God with me?
Because...
He was...
Born to Crush Evil within me,
to Deliver me, a Captive,
to Reveal God to me,
to Come Live in Me,
to Give me Life Abundantly,
to Conquer Sin in me,
Born.... to pay the price and
Die,
for me.
All of His earthly, Human/God life
was for my good and your good.
All the way to the gruesome end
and further on to His grand
resurrection finale.
Now that's the spirit, Santa,
...you've got it right.
And I...
will do the same.
Merry ChristMass to all,
truthbyter
Truth is sharper than
a double-edged sword.
On one side of the blade,
Truth cuts deep,
spills blood,
makes a mess,
creates sorrow...
and really really hurts
like a 10 on the pain scale.
Truth on this side
reveals where deception
has been at work.
On the other side,
Truth has the power
to disengage a soul
from life-long,
crippling,
paralyzing and
agonizing deceptions.
This side of Truth
releases the soul
from bondage and
sets it free.
__________________________
But before I can have this release,
this freedom from deception,
there must be surgery.
And before I can have surgery,
there must be a willingness.
"MUST I have surgery?" I may ask.
(Must I face up to this crippling fault?
Must I submit to the removal of it?)
"YES!" is the Surgeon's
merciful answer.
Am I wanting to disengage
from harmful lifestyles,
engagements, habits,
relationships, etc?
The Merciful, Master Surgeon
must have his patient's consent,
and the patient must be still.
I must let the blade do the work,
and trust Him completely.
"For the word of God is quick, and powerful,
and sharper than any two-edged sword,
piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit,
and of the joints and marrow,
and is a discerner of the thoughts
and intents of the heart."
Hebrews 4:12
"Thank goodness I was never sent to school;
it would have rubbed off some of the originality. "
- Beatrix Potter
Ah, you can survive public school alright -
but at home, you just get to be yourself
without being laughed at or ridiculed.
You can also be yourself and find joy in it!
And if your parents are smart - they will let you
be you and they will help you be your best.
And the "bestest" thing about homeschool?
Reading is Cool.
Cute.
===============
Not so cute.
===============
Evil exists.
Satan exists.
And he hates you,
Specifically.
I must respect evil
for the harm it causes.
I will not ignore it
at my own peril.
Two powers vie for my attention.
One good, and the other evil.
Which will I side with?
Which will I give myself to?
Which will I choose to serve?
There is no middle ground.
There's too much war, too
much misery, too much pain,
to just turn my head and
go about my self-serving ways.
God help me take life seriously.
God help me make my life meaningful
by being part of the answer -
rather than being part of the problem.
"Be sober, be vigilant;
because your adversary the devil,
as a roaring lion, walketh about,
seeking whom he may devour ."
1 Peter 5:8
"Ye are of God, little children ...
greater is He that is in you,
than he that is in the world." 1 John 4:4
Have I found a treasure!
It is hard to express
the effect it had
on me.
It represents all I try to communicate
in these little blogs of mine - little
expressions of inner discoveries
and inner convictions.
Here's the excerpt...
"For myself, I long ago decided that I would
rather know the truth than be happy in
ignorance. If I cannot have both truth and
happiness, give me truth. We'll have a long
time to be happy in heaven." A.W. Tozer
This little bundle of words
represents Truthbyter.
Someday I'll have the pleasure
of shaking the hand of Tozer, who,
unbeknownst to himself, nodded
with approval and understanding
and kindred sympathy towards me.
Thank you, Father.
You, who are Father
of all those who quietly
suffer such inward battles
with sin, with imperfection
and unhappiness, that after
a while, Truth becomes sweeter
even than happiness.
Truth that brings to light
what is of greatest value.
"Ye shall know the truth,
and the truth shall set you free."
John 8:32
"If the Spirit of God is responsible
to convict the world of sin,
He must first of all convict us of sin
because we are the ones He indwells-
we are the tools He will use."
-Theodore Epp
This is no easy thing...
to be used to convict.
And it is no easy thing...
to first be convicted.
And I often am convicted.
And when I am and express my grief...
those closest to me can be the first
to attempt "relieving" my conscience
and being my very own cheerleaders...
cheering me on to better thinking,
for the purpose of better living,
and of a happier disposition.
I do not blame them.
I understand it.
But I do not accept the cheers
nor the reproofs
for the posture I take.
If I take my sin seriously,
God will grant me freedom from it...
even if over time.
It is God's mercy
that He convicts.
Because
sin
hurts
us
all.
"Behold, Thou desirest truth in the inward parts..."
Psalm 51:6
Just a thought...
Just a wonder...
Just a little idea,
maybe not a big deal.
Well... actually... It could be worse
than I think. I mean, it really could be!
As a matter of fact... I don't think it
could be, I think it is! And you know,
it CANT get much worse! I mean...
LOOK at what I have here...
just, just look at it...........!
And this, I have been guilty of
over and over again.
Worry, pity-party, anxiety, fretting...
all of it - it all boils down to one thing...
Atheism.
"The one concern of the devil
is to keep Christians
from praying." Samuel Chadwick
I will not give him that pleasure.
If I am to help myself,
My self must pray
To its Maker.
After all, prayer proves
to me that I'm not alone...
and that God is alive
and well,
in me.
"The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit,
that we are the children of God" Romans 8:16
"Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities:
... (and) maketh intercession for us..."
Romans 8:26
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6...
7...
(oh dear!)
8...
(oh boy!)
9...
(Oh yes!)
10...
Ready or not!
Here He Comes!
___________________
When the prophesied
day-of-the-flood came,
Noah and his family
were ready.
Genesis 7:11-24
When our prophetic
Day-of-His-Return comes,
My family and I
will be ready.
1 Thess. 5:1-11
" Surely, I come quickly..."
Jesus says in Revelation 22:20
_______________________
For I am not ashamed of the gospel
of Christ: for it is the power of God
unto salvation to every one that
believeth; to the Jew first, and also
to the Greek.
For therein is the righteousness
of God revealed from faith to faith;
as it is written... The Just Shall Live by Faith.
Romans 1:16-17
