Verses from Mama

Hearing God speak one Bible verse at a time.

Fire Alarms and the Tremendous Danger of Deadened Senses

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1 Thessalonians 5:22 “Avoid every kind of evil.”

Dear Kids:

Our minds and bodies can adapt to a lot. This can be a very good thing since we can’t always choose our surroundings. But it can also create the tremendous danger of deadened senses.

Deadened Senses Bring Trouble

Every day you will come across situations where you will need to make a decision. The world is full of vices that are not healthy – what God calls sin. It may be tempting to dabble in these as you face them on a daily basis. Your mind will give you the age old excuse: “I need to know about this so I can make informed decisions.” At first, these vices may be shocking and you will feel great horror at the wickedness that you see and hear around you. But over time you will develop deadened senses and that is when your trouble begins.

The other day our company was having our fire alarm system tested. I was quietly sitting at my desk while the repair man ran his diagnostic tests in the other room. Suddenly, without any warning, a screeching sound pierced the air penetrating my ears and caused me to jump out of my seat. I grimaced and clasped my head tightly as I was sure one of my eardrums had been broken. For what seemed like quite a few minutes the blinding lights and shrieking siren continued. But a strange thing happened! After I got over my initial shock of this huge disruption, my body adjusted to the lights and sound. All of sudden the harshness wasn’t as painful as the first blast had been. Soon the noise stopped, but if it had continued for too long my ears could have been damaged.

This is the way it is with things of the world. The first time you watch a movie with foul language your whole body may grimace. But soon the obscenities will not sound so bad. Over time you may even slip and repeat one of these vulgarities in a tense situation.

The same thing will happen with immorality. The graphic love scenes so prevalent in our entertainment today will cause discomfort and embarrassment at first, but soon, with repeated viewings, these scenes will become normal and natural. The usual awkwardness will recede and soon even your ability to stand firm in personal tempting circumstances will dissipate.

Avoid Every Kind of Evil

When Adam and Eve ate the fruit from the forbidden tree they thought they would gain great knowledge – and they did. The problem was that they did not have the moral ability to use the information wisely. Today we also struggle with this. The things we come in contact with can affect us greatly. The Bible tells us to avoid every kind of evil. While we cannot fully extract ourselves from the things of this world, we must be careful to guard our hearts and minds carefully. If we allow them too much exposure to harmful vices they can adapt to the stimuli around them, develop deadened senses, and cause great harm.

So next time you hear the alarm go off because you find yourself in a situation that is not pleasing to God, find a way to make your exit as quickly as possible. Because if you don’t your heart and mind will adjust. And before you know it your senses will be deadened, your decision making skills will suffer and you will find yourself in a very dangerous and harmful situation.

Love,

Mama

A Prophet’s Warning to Consider Your Ways

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 Haggai 1:7 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘Consider your ways!’” 

Dear Kids:

There are certain things a person can never quite get rid of. These particular habits are often the byproduct of our childhood and become ingrained in our minds. These peculiarities sometimes come out at the craziest of times if we are not paying attention.

An Unexpected Regression to Childhood

The other day Abigail and I were having a conversation when suddenly Abigail burst into peals of laughter. We had been reminiscing over a particular TV show we had recently watched together and I had repeated a monologue given by one of the main characters. The words spilled effortlessly from my lips with a spot-on New York/New Jersey accent causing the unexpected eruption of laughter. I am not usually a very good mimic, but these words flowed effortlessly because they were spoken with the accent of my childhood.

Over the years my speech has changed and conformed more to the Ohio dialect where I have lived for 25 years. But every once in a while, when I am not expecting it, dog becomes dawg and water becomes wauter.

This particular phenomenon of regression can easily happen to Christians, too. When we accept Christ we become God’s child and everything changes for us. We become new creatures with a new way of thinking, living, and talking. Our sins have been forgiven and buried in the deepest sea. Our lives reflect our new family and our new heavenly home.

But while we are still here on earth the old mindsets and patterns of living can easily resurface when we are not careful. We can get so caught up in our every day affairs that we forget to make our heavenly Father the center of our lives. Soon we have slipped back into using our old “accent” from our previous life. This is the reason it is so important to “consider your ways.”

Haggai, the Prophet Encourages Israel

Haggai, an Old Testament prophet, had to remind the children of Israel of this very thing. They had returned from exile to their home in Jerusalem and had started rebuilding the temple, the building that represented God’s presence in their community. Discouragement caused them to set the building project aside and focus on their own homes and businesses. Soon they forgot to Whom they belonged. God was displaced as the center of their lives and this left them open to sin.

Fortunately, the Israelites heeded Haggai’s message and did consider their ways. They gave God the reverence He was due by obeying and started working again on the temple project. In short order they finished the job and restored appropriate worship. God was pleased, promised to be with them, and restored many blessings they had missed out on by displacing Him.

Old Habits Die Hard – Consider Your Ways

Old habits die hard! While Abigail and I got a good laugh out of my childhood accent creeping back so easily into my speech, it is no laughing matter when the sinful patterns of our life before knowing Christ make an appearance and threaten to rule our lives.  That’s why every day we must carefully “consider our ways” to make sure old habits and peculiarities don’t resurface. Consider your ways. As God’s children we have been given a new life and a new home. Let’s work hard not to let the world’s “accent” creep back in.

Love,

Mama

Little Gray Mice

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2 Corinthians 10:4&5 “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

It is amazing how little things can sneak into your life. When you are least expecting it (and from the craziest places), wrong ideas and thoughts can enter the mind and totally upset your world.

It kind of reminds me of living in an old house. I love this historic farmhouse that is our home, but there are certain things that I will always have a hard time getting used to. About this time every year, as the weather turns colder, intruders disrupt our usual routine. Though I have no problem with cute gray mice in cartoons, I have a big problem with them invading my house. Yet every year a new troop of them decides to find warmth and comfort within our walls.

The funny thing is that mice show up in the most random of places. You never know where to expect them. One day a few weeks ago I came downstairs to a sink full of dirty dishes. I usually do them before going to bed, but this particular night I had been too tired and left them for the morning. I thought I would make quick work of loading the dishwasher before fixing myself breakfast, and one by one began to rinse and stack the plates. Grabbing the blender pitcher I turned it over and stuck it on the bottom shelf only to hear a thump. To my horror a soggy, dead mouse had fallen out and landed on the dishwasher door. My piercing scream proclaimed my surprise to the rest of the household.

Negative thoughts, like little gray mice, can make their entrance into our minds at the most unexpected times. One can be doing the normal activities of life when, out of the blue, a doubt about a loved one’s loyalty can fleet across the mind. Sometimes it is an irritated feeling brought on by a misunderstood comment. The flash of a worldly desire can make an entrance through a passing memory or visual reminder. At times we may even mistrust the Lord’s love for us, or we might question His wisdom in a situation that we don’t understand.

Often we don’t discover the bigger, more destructive problems that these unwelcome visitors cause until much later. Like mice these types of thoughts enter our minds unexpectedly. The problem occurs when, instead of fleeing quickly through and out the door, they decide to stay and take up residence. This is when real damage can be done.  Occasionally we find a nest in a barn cabinet or a hole in the dog food bag. Just recently Nathan even found that mice had destroyed the cushion from his motorbike seat. The unwanted thoughts that often come to each of us can be the impetus for sin, bitter arguments, and even broken relationships and lost faith.

It is imperative that we capture these little nuisances and remove them immediately. Don’t let them stay and set up strongholds in your life. Wage war against them and “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” through adherence to God’s Word. It’s worth
the effort.

Trust me – the mice will come. But if you let them stay, they’re sure to end up where you don’t want them. You may even end up with a dead mouse in your kitchen sink.

Love,
Mama

To Obey or Not to Obey

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Acts 5:29 “But Peter and the apostles answered, ‘We must obey God rather than men.'”

To obey or not to obey. Have you ever asked yourself this question when it comes to God’s instructions? I mean, some things are “no brainers” like don’t steal and don’t kill, but what about the hard stuff?
During the beginning days of the Christian church, the followers of Jesus Christ were very effective in sharing the story of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. They had been called to share the message   first in Jerusalem, then in Judea and Samaria, and then to the uttermost parts of the earth. There were many who believed their report, but many others who were not that pleased about the growth of belief. 

These messengers were given power from God’s Spirit Who endowed them with boldness to speak while convicting the hearers of their sin, God’s righteousness, and His judgment.

The disciples received this power just as it had been promised to them by Jesus before He went back to His Father. He told them that they would not be left alone. Rather, He would send them a Helper who would guide them into all truth, tell them what to say, convict the world concerning sin, and glorify the Father through them.
These men completely surrendered their lives to the One who called them to preach the gospel, and regularly prayed and asked God to grant them the ability to testify with confidence. God heard their prayers and in Acts 4:31 the Bible states that the place where they were gathered together was shaken, they were filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak the word of God with boldness.
As they continued to preach opposition arose. They were put in a public jail. But during the night an angel of the Lord freed them from prison and commanded them, “Go stand and speak to the people in the temple the whole message of Life.”
The next morning when the high priest and other religious leaders arrived, they were perplexed as to how the men had escaped. They brought them back for questioning and finally gave them strict orders not to continue teaching in Jesus’ name.
The disciples knew that they were in danger, and the obvious question could have been, “To obey or not to obey?” But Peter answered on behalf of all, “We must obey God, rather than men.” These  devoted missionaries understood the cost of obedience and yet chose to follow God’s orders no matter the cost.

God spared their lives, though they suffered a severe beating for their obedience. Strangely enough, in the midst of their physical pain, their hearts were happy. They went on their way rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for the name of Jesus and they kept on preaching and teaching.

God calls each of us, also, to go into all the world and preach the gospel. He provides this same Holy Spirit power for living and sharing God’s truth as He did for the early disciples. Will we surrender our lives completely to God? Will we ask for the Holy Spirit to give us confidence and boldness? And will we make the right decision when faced with the hard stuff – to obey or not to obey? I hope the answer is yes because the spread of the Gospel depends on it.
Love, 
Mama 

D-Day, A 3-D Battle

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2 Timothy 2:3 “Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus…“
During this Christmas vacation we visited the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, OH. It is quite interesting to follow the progression of human flight all the way from the Wright Brothers’ first attempts in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, to modern-day technology.
Many of the exhibited planes were important during wartime. “Bockscar” is the name of the B-29 bomber that, during World War II on August 9, 1945, dropped an atomic bomb over Nagasaki, Japan. The results of this explosion and another one over Hiroshima were devastating to the Japanese people, but were instrumental in bringing about an Allied victory for this terrible war.
My favorite part of the trip was sitting in the theater watching the IMAX 3-D movie about D-Day. On June 6, 1944, thousands of Allied troops landed on the beaches of Normandy, France. Their purpose was to liberate mainland Europe from the Nazi occupation. I was thrilled as I watched real pictures of the warships and airplanes traveling in close proximity to accomplish this goal.
I asked Uncle Chuck later if each pilot and soldier knew all the details of what they were doing. He said that they did not because so much had to be kept secret to protect information from leaking to the enemy. The typical soldier knew  only what he was supposed to do and was expected to obey orders without question, no matter how dangerous. What an example of commitment and faith in their government and commanders!
As followers of Jesus Christ we are also soldiers. There is a spiritual war raging throughout the world in which Satan is the enemy. He has gathered his forces against God’s children for the purpose of destroying our testimony and keeping others from coming to Jesus and receiving the salvation from sin that He offers. 
Though at times it may seem scary and discouraging, as good soldiers we must endure hardships, fully trusting in our commanding officer.  By sharing God’s salvation message and faithfully obeying His commands, even when we don’t see or understand the full battle plan, we prove our faith in the One Who has already won the victory through His death and resurrection.  
Some day, on the other side of glory, we will be able to look back and see our small part in this raging battle. We will know that everything we have endured as a good soldier of Christ was worth the cost. Who knows – maybe we will even sit together and watch a 3-D movie of the Battle of the Ages as we celebrate our Victory in Jesus!
 I’ll bring the popcorn! 🙂
Love,
Mama

Frozen Pump

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Psalms 95:7b-8. “Today if you would hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts as at Meribah, As in the day of Massah in the wilderness…”
 
This has been a long and hard winter. The other day I trudged out to the barn to take care of the daily chores. I noticed that the goats were low on water, so I pulled on the pump handle to fill their bucket. Immediately I realized that the pump was frozen again. I sighed in frustration, grabbed a bucket and headed back to the house. I positioned the 5-gallon bucket under the bathtub spicket, waited for it to fill, and lugged it back out to the barn. As I have done many times this winter, I dreamed about the warm sun coming out and thawing the ground, the pipes, and my frozen feet.

As I thought about my continuing dilemma of the frozen pump, I realized that often we allow our “heart pump” to become hard to God’s word. God warns and reminds us of things over and over again in the Bible, but so often we allow our minds to glaze over and our hearts to become frozen to the things He is saying.

The Israelites had the same problem. They had experienced all the wonderful things God had done for them.  He had brought them out of slavery in Egypt, delivered them from their enemies through the Red Sea and provided for all their needs. Yet when they heard His voice, they hardened their hearts and would not obey Him. They constantly tested the Lord and refused to understand and follow God’s ways. Sadly, God in His anger pronounced the judgment that those who were hardened to Him would never enter His rest.

What is the condition of your heart? Are you listening for God’s voice with an attitude of submission and obedience. Or is your pump frozen? Today, allow the Holy Spirit to melt the ice while there is still time.

Love,
Mama

Follow the Lamb

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Good Morning,
The verse of the day is Revelation 14:4b. “They follow the Lamb wherever He goes…”

The weather was warmer this morning. When I ran outside to take care of the animals, I saw the goats had ventured out into the field for the first time in a while. They were enjoying the pleasant sunshine and nibbling on the grass when they heard me coming. They looked up from their foraging, caught sight of me heading their way, and took off pell mell towards the barn. It made me smile to know they were so glad to see me. I provide their food, water, and comfort and they depend on me. We like it when others look up to us and follow us. It makes us feel wanted and important.

Today’s verse is the opposite. It tells about a group of people who have been saved by Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God. They have God’s name written on their foreheads, sing a song of praise to Him, and follow the Lamb wherever He goes. They are so devoted to the One who saved them from sin that they are willing to go and do whatever He says. 
Often we make our plans and then ask God to bless them. We don’t want to do the following – we  want God to follow us wherever we go. Even in Christian service we devise what we consider great ways to serve the Lord. This is not God’s intention. His ways are not our ways, neither are His plans are plans. If you truly want your life to count for something eternal you must be watching and listening for His voice and be ready to follow at a moment’s notice. He may take you to some unexpected places, but in following closely you will experience His protection, comfort, and blessing.
What plans do you have for today? If God calls are you willing to drop them all and follow the Lamb?
Love,
Mama