The LORD God is Our Only Helper

John 16
Jesus says, 1 “These things I have spoken to you so that you may be kept from stumbling....

...29His disciples said, 

“Lo, now You are speaking plainly and are not using a figure of speech. Now we know that You know all things, and have no need for anyone to question You; by this we believe that You came from God.”

Jesus answered them, 

“Do you now believe? 

Behold, an hour is coming, and has already come, for you to be scattered, each to his own home, and to leave Me alone; and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.

These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”

Freedom is not free

The American War cemetery of Colleville sur Mer, Normandy, France. 

The cemetery overlooks Omaha Beach, one of the landing beaches of 
the Normandy Invasion, and contains the remains of 9,387 American 
military dead, most of whom were killed during the invasion of Normandy 
and ensuing military operations in World War II. 
(AP Photo/David Vincent)

Heads up! Our culture is seductive

FYI: Our culture unrighteously suppresses the truth.  If we choose to actually listen to God's Word we will see and understand that 'His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature can be clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that none can be without an excuse'.  That which is known about God is evident within all people even when they suppress the truth.


Romans 1:16-23
"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 

For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “But the righteous man shall live by faith.”

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 
because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.

For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

Professing to be wise, they became fools, 
and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures."

We Gather Together

Thank you to Hymns that Preach:

“WE GATHER TOGETHER” is listed as a Thanksgiving hymn in most modern hymnals but its origin predates our first American Thanksgiving.  It began as a Dutch folk song and was crafted into a celebration hymn of petition and praise to God for His guidance and deliverance through times of religious persecution in 1597. 

Some of the political overtones in this hymn are apparent. For example, the phrase, “The wicked oppressing now cease from distressing,” is an allusion to the persecution of Christians under the policies of Spain.  The Dutch Protestants struggled against Spain for their political independence, and against the Catholic Church for their religious freedom.   Thousands had been massacred and hundreds of homes burned by the Spanish in 1576 during the siege of Antwerp.

In 1597, in the Battle of Turnhout, Prince Maurice of Orange defeated the Spanish occupiers of a town in, what is now, the Netherlands. 

Prior to that battle, they had been prohibited from worshiping under the Spanish king, Phillip II.   The Dutch Christians celebrated the victory by borrowing a familiar folk melody and giving it new words.  The very first line, “We Gather Together” was a bold, political declaration of their new freedom to worship together. The hymn first appeared in print in a 1626 collection of Dutch patriotic songs.

Had Prince William of Orange, the brother of Maurice, not led the Dutch to throw off King Phillip’s rule, there, likely, would not have been any safe haven for English, Welsh, and Scottish Protestants who had fled from persecutions under the Roman Catholic and the Anglican national leadership.  

Some of those Dutch Christians were the Puritan Pilgrims.  They brought the hymn with them to the New World in 1620. 

The thanksgiving feast held at the Plymouth Bay Colony might never have occurred had there not been victories like the one this hymn celebrates.

Dutch Christians rarely sang anything, in their church services, that was not directly from the pages of Scripture (primarily the Psalms).  But in 1937, the Christian Reformed Church made a controversial decision to permit other hymns to be sung in church.  “We Gather Together” was chosen as the first entry in their new hymnal.

Today, even though much of our nation has turned away from God, our “gathering together” in the name of the Lord still stands as a remembrance of those times of oppression, persecution, and death, in Scotland and England.  And, so we give thanks to God for His protection, for His providential care, and for His abundant blessings.

* 
He is with us always no matter what comes! 

Praising the LORD!  Glory to His name!

As political as I get---

My hope is in God. 

The God of the Bible. 

The One who sent His Son, 

the Creator of this whole universe,

including all of us.

No one through time,

besides Jesus Christ, my Savior,

could save us from ourselves.

If you choose to read the sad, but true "why" our beloved country has slipped away, 

check out Matt Walsh's commentary.  

Although the subject may be on Democrats, Republicans are a close second---I play no favorites.


Psalm 20:7
"Now I know the Lord gives victory
    to his anointed.
He will answer him from the holy heavens
    with a strong arm that brings victory.
Some rely on chariots, others on horses,
    but we on the name of the Lord our God.
They collapse and fall,
    but we stand strong and firm."

News Flash: We are all sinners

As our world slips farther and farther into deception, we continue to hear people giving their “solutions” to all of the world's problems. 

These "problems" are actually sins in a sin-filled world.

Some people say things like, “If we only do this or that” --- as they whittle away freedoms in the name of their so called “safety“.

But are people really safe as the world slides down the slippery slope?

The truth is that we are all sinners.   Some of us are sinners saved by the wonderful grace of God through Jesus.   Other people are not.   Both people groups are sinners.

In our culture “sin” is now a blurry grey area - even for Christians.   The lines have been blurred as to what is right and what is wrong.   Thus freedoms are trumped in the name of what is “right” for those who control us with any kind of power they have.

Some examples of blurry lines and blurry thinking:

I have heard people claim that they cannot live without sexual relations (of any kind). In speaking with them logically about this subject they do not understand the difference between the necessity of food and water or even shelter compared to any other choice in life.

I have heard people claim they cannot help themselves while driving, so they speed.  They receive large fines which they do not want to pay because they feel that speeding for them is a natural force they cannot control.   They cannot logically communicate when comparing following the law in driving to following any law (such as robbing or murder, etc.)

All of this leads to Christians who are speaking about these subjects.   Some say that we do not have to follow the law of the land - but only God’s law.  Once again we see a "blurring" of what is the truth.

God's word says:

Romans 13:1-7
Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. 
Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves. 
For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority?
Do what is good and you will have praise from the same;  for it is a minister of God to you for good.
But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil.  Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience’ sake. 
For because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing. 
Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor.

1 Peter 2:13-17
Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority,  or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right. 
For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men.
Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God.
Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king.

The News Flash is that we are all sinners who continue to sin, and as time draws closer to the return of Jesus there will be more and more evil sinning by sinners. 

As women who love the LORD and live for Him, we need to be aware of the "blurring" of the lines of His truth.  We can choose to follow Him in His truth no matter how our culture blurs the lines.

1 Peter 4:7-19
The end of all things is near; therefore, be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer.
Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins.
Be hospitable to one another without complaint. 
As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you;
but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation.
If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.
Make sure that none of you suffers as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler;
but if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name.
For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?
And if it is with difficulty that the righteous is saved, what will become of the godless man and the sinner?
Therefore, those also who suffer according to the will of God shall entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right.

Food for thought:

“When Christians step up and accept responsibility for all we say and do, God is pleased.
We may have a majority going against us, but God rewards those who accept responsibility for their choices.”
unknown

“God pays in joy that is fireproof, famine proof, and devil proof.”
Billy Sunday

2 Corinthians 4 16-18
Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.
For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison,
while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Rise up and Stand Firm in Him

My sisters in Christ…

 

After four years of this presidency,  here we are again in what we feared  -- only now we understand a bit more of what we actually do fear.

 

First and foremost, I want you all to remember that our God, the God of the Bible, the God of the universe, is still on the throne.  He is not surprised, He is not upset, He is not wringing His hands in panic.  Our God is working out His plans.  Because of the Bible we already know He wins in the end and so we can find great comfort in knowing that, ultimately, Jesus will return and victory will be His cry.

 

Rest assured that God’s victory is at hand!

 

Today may be a difficult day for you in sadness or fear of what has happened or what will come.  I completely understand and so I want to encourage you as this day, this week, this life continues.

 

First of all, we cannot trust Man.  Even though the worst case for president was voted in (and many other worst cases also), we must remember that Men cannot save us, and neither are they really in control. 

 

God is in control, and He sovereignly allows things to happen for His plans.  His plans are what we truly desire.   We can live for Him by continuing to do “next things” to glorify Him no matter what is happening in our country or the world.

 

Secondly, I want to share how God has met me right where I am in my agony.  He will do this for you also.

 

As I have contemplated the election and prayed, full of fear, I realized that we personally have already been through great, fearful traumas and God has been our strength at every moment. 

 

As I evaluated our country’s situation, I realized that for me, losing one’s children to deception and sin is far greater  than this sinful country and its leaders, or even what may come.  As for me,  I would rather know my children walk in God’s truth and that they truly love me.

 

We have dealt with this great trauma and enormous pain, which continues throughout each day, with God as our comfort and strength.  Although our personal situation has brought great fear and sadness into our lives,  God, full of His grace and mercy, has met us every single day for more than eleven years.  He has provided for us in so many ways, and  lifted our heads in our great sorrow so we can rise above this terrible storm and do “next things” for Him, which would be impossible without Him.

 

As our country and our people slip farther into hopelessness, we can be His light for a lost and discouraged world.  As you run to Him throughout your days, you will draw closer to Him and He will draw closer to you.  You will find your strength comes from Him no matter what is happening around you.  You will run to Him more naturally as time goes by  – and to be closer to Him is just what we truly desire.

 

May you be blessed today knowing God hears your cries and will comfort you where you are so that you will be able to rise up and stand firm in Him.  He hears you, He sees you.

 

Psalm 20:7-9

I don't know if this bothers you....

While shopping at a local store yesterday, a cashier took our twenty dollar bills and made a comment about how crisp and new they were.

Not surprisingly, my Beloved answered by saying, “Yes, and this will be the norm as along as the government continues to print them out without any backing.”

To our surprise her reply was, “Keep them coming, as long as I get some,” suggesting that people ~her~ deserve something for nothing.

We were incredulous at her logic, which in reality is illogic. 

Our final response brought up a little history lesson for her, explaining Germany's economy after WWI when literally a wheel barrow full of money would buy only one loaf of bread.

Perhaps this little bit of truth will eventually sink in to her young mind because….

Her last response was eye rolling.

I don't know if it bothers you, but it sure bothers me.

"Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God."
Psalm 20:7

As political as I will get