Rhythm of Faith

If God asked me to sacrifice my child, the way He asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac.. I'm not sure what I would say but I know i will do my best to dodge the instruction. What would you do and How would you feel? "The most amazing thing about God is that He won't ever ask you to do that. He didn't ask Abraham and He won't ask it of you" that's because God did it for us. He took His one and only son and laid him down for us. And Jesus went to the cross willingly out if love for you and me. The question I need us to ask ourselves is " what is in your life that you need to lay down? It's not your son- that's already been done which is of course the highest thing possible , so maybe it's your talent or your time or your treasure.  If you woke up today and you are breathing, Gods greatest purpose for you is still ahead. In Deuteronomy God tells us that He has set before us life and death, blessings and curses. "Now choose life" is the ...

One of the things we need to know about this week is how Satan tries to fill our minds with voices that speak lies to us. They whisper that we are not good and are unworthy of God’s love. He tells us we are not talented enough for God to use us, or that we are not smart enough to know God in a deep way. He fills us with doubt, discouragement, fear and disbelief in order to hinder us in our Christian walk. So I want to focus on 3 areas of our lives where Satan likes to wreak havoc. 1. He will mess with our thoughts Satan will do all he can to mess with our heads. Sadly, he doesn’t have to use much to mess us up. It can be a passing comment by a friend or family member, it can be a glimpse in the mirror, or an attempt at something that fails. He will tempt us to think that what is true is false, what is right is wrong, or what is good is bad. He weaves these webs of doubt and disbelief so that we take our eyes off of Jesus and focus on ourselves. It corrupts our knowledge of God and alwa...

So, you' r e  a gr o w ing  Christian,   or you' ve  rece nt ly giv e n your life to Ch ris t and  you are trying everything you can to l ive your life dedicated to God and in this Christ-like path you have chosen . You've learnt a lot about your new self, you've probably learned  and are still learning  how to live by faith, love, and all of that ,  but you wan t  more. You want to be able to do more for God, you don't want to be an ordinary child of God, an ordinary Christian, you want to grow from your present spiritual level to a higher level of spirituality. St.Peter has given us a   dynamic strategy for improvement, he has given us principles to live by , he promised in 2peter 1:12-15 to remind us of these principles, these truths that we already know. Like a good coach, he knew that reviewing the basics is important. If you want more and more of Gods kindness and peace, then make the following your habit:   *  L earn to ...

So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.” Isaiah 55:11(NASB) My husband Monty and I are different. So very different. Early in our marriage, I loved those differences. But as the years have passed, they’ve been known to cause frustration … arguments, slammed doors, and words that can’t be taken back. Sometimes toxic thoughts and words fill my heart and spew forth from my lips. Thoughts that linger and take root. Words that cut deep. I’m too quick to take offense. I asked him to do this. If he cared about me, he would. He knows it’s important to me. I shouldn’t even have to ask. I get annoyed. He’s late for dinner … again. Couldn’t he call? He knows we eat at the same time every night. I replay the hurt in my mind, and at times it consumes me. Please know that I share these thoughts as a wife who loves her husband deeply. But I’m also a wife who strugg...

“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) My emotions swirled in frustration during a particularly difficult season of my marriage. My husband’s disillusionment with life, God and our marriage had taken him to a place of rock-bottom depression. It was one of the darkest seasons I’d ever experienced. “God, show me what you want me to do,” I whispered in desperation. “I want you to love him.”  I heard deep in my soul. Immediately I responded, “But God … he’s not very lovable right now.” “I know, Jill. Sometimes you aren’t either,”  God whispered back. “Okay, Lord. I get that. You love me when I’m not very lovable. Show me how to do the same.” That conversation with God launche...

“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.’” Mark 12:30-31 (NIV) In the two years since we’d moved into our new neighborhood, I’d seen her on my walks. Sometimes she was rolling her trash can out to the curb. Or in her front yard watering her flowers. I’d smile and say “Hi” for a brief second. After all, my neighborhood is big; my life is busy. So I’d pop my headphones back in and keep walking to my house, just nine doors down. Awhile back, there were flashing lights, sirens and all things alarming in our neighborhood.  A fire, maybe? … I thought as I drove into my neighborhood, returning from an errand-running venture. My mama’s heart raced. My 12-year-old son was home alone.  Had he burnt some toast and set the smoke alarm system blaring? Or worse? As my car approached, I saw it was not my house, but an...

When I give people directions to get to my house, I tell them to veer left when they get to a “Y” in the road. Sometimes I wish there were such clear directions for my life. I often get to places in my journey where I am just not sure which way to go. There are no signs pointing one way or the other and I feel completely lost. Am I the only one who feels that way? What I really want is a spiritual GPS that I take with me every day that will tell me where to go. I don’t ever want to get lost or feel stuck in-between in some no-man’s land. When I come to a junction in my life where I have to choose between A or B, I want my GPS to tell me which way to go. I want to hear, “At the T-junction ahead, you will have to select between two jobs, turn right to take Job B.” I often think to myself, “I just want to know God’s will for my life.” But what I really want to know is the future. More than a GPS, I want a crystal ball that shows me everything that lies ahead in my life. But knowing th...

                          For some, 'God understands' while others say 'God is just being merciful'! The question before us today is, "Has God changed from hating evil?" Those who do not understand God will say, "Verily thou art a God that hideth thyself, O God of Israel, the Saviour" (Isa 45:15). Hear God's reply, "I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth ...I the lord speak righteousness, I declare things that are right" (Isa 45:19). Because God is always the same (Hebrews 13:8), it means that our God is righteous and forever declares right things. Deuteronomy 22:19 tells us that God forbade divorce and  Sex- Before- Marriage (Fornication). We see clearly, how much God upholds the sacredness of virginity in Deuteronomy 22:21. God said if a virgin consented to losing her virginity by not resisting or exposing the evil man, "...the men of her town (should) stone her to death" (Deuteronomy 22...

                                          The family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph is known as the Holy family. Reflecting on the Holy family of Nazareth, gives us the exemplary life of Jesus, Mary and Joseph as the ideal family, the prototype family, the paradigm that all human families must emulate if our world is to know true peace and lasting joy. In the Holy family, we celebrate the preponderance of faith, hope, love, mutual respect and the fear of the Lord, and all men and women are challenged to build their marriage and family life on the pattern laid down by the Holy Family of Nazareth.            Reflecting on the Holy Family is important for all of us, because we are living in a world where ideals and value of Christian marriage and family life are becoming more and more difficult for men and women of our age. Our secular...