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

Guarding Your Shoes and Your Way

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Proverbs 16:17 “The highway of the upright is to depart from evil; He who watches his way preserves his life.” 

There are certain things a person needs to watch carefully. If you don’t you are in for some real trouble!

This past week we made some changes in our family. Monday I happened to look online and found a puppy that looked so sweet. I convinced Dad and Abigail to go with me just to look at her, but as is the usual result when a person goes to look at a puppy, we came home with an 8-week old sable German Shepherd female.

We have had so much fun with this little bundle of energy, but I have found this new adventure to be a lot of work. I can’t let Apache out of my sight for a minute or she will have an accident on the floor or try to snack on something she shouldn’t like my new pair of shoes. Without a constant vigil, things could get ruined and messes can be made.

Similarly, it is important to keep careful watch over our personal thoughts and actions. The wise writer of Proverbs encourages us that if we watch our way and depart from evil we will preserve our lives.

It is very easy to get comfortable with our regular patterns of living and forget to seek guidance from the Lord through His word. When we become slack in this practice our thoughts can become bent towards the world’s way of thinking. Soon our actions begin to follow our natural human sinful tendencies and before we know it we’ve found ourselves with a big mess.

Many families have fallen apart when a husband or wife stopped keeping watch and allowed his or her heart to be drawn away by another. Many young people have sought pleasure or acceptance through worldly vices. Without thinking carefully they followed the wrong path and ended up at a dead end street where only sorrow and regret could be found. Those who want to stay out of trouble would be wise to keep a constant watch on their souls.

Apache is a sweetheart and we already love her, but she needs constant attention. She is a good reminder of how important it is to keep a close watch at all times on the things we know are important; the furniture… our shoes… but most of all the way we live!

Love,

Mama

Split-Second Decisions Can Be Costly

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2 Timothy 2:22 “Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.”

Split-second decisions often cause unpleasant consequences. We found this out the hard way recently.IMG_2539

Over Thanksgiving our family made a trip to Chicago to visit Aunt Catherine and Uncle Jesse. On the way there we drove on an Illinois Toll Road. Approaching the toll booth, we weaved our way through the traffic and slid into one of the lanes to pay. As we inched our way forward, we suddenly realized that there was no one in the booth. In the midst of the traffic lines, we had chosen the wrong lane – the one where people with prepaid cards were able to slip through quickly.

Since we only had cash, there was nothing we could do but drive on through and hope for the best. Time passed and soon after returning home we received an official letter from the state of Illinois. Dad groaned as he slit the seal and pulled out notice of a fine in the amount of $64. Bummer!

A split-second wrong decision cost us at least ten times what the original payment would have been. If we had been prepared as we approached the exit, we could have chosen our lane more carefully and avoided a big penalty.

Temptation is something that we all face on a regular basis. God tells us that we should flee from youthful lusts and instead pursue righteous, faith, love, and peace. But sometimes temptations come up on us quickly. If we are not prepared it is easy to make a split second decision that can end badly.

That is why it is important to plan ahead. Think about the things that are regular problem areas for you and decide how you will handle yourself as an opportunity to sin presents itself.

If you continually find yourself drawn to inappropriate pictures or websites on the computer, put safeguards on it or have an accountability partner to help keep your eyes pure.

If you struggle with foolish talk or unwholesome language, prepare a plan for extricating yourself from situations that might lead to these types of meaningless conversations or quarrels.

Think about what you will do if you find yourself in a compromising situation with the opposite sex. Before the fires of passion take over, have a plan to make a fast exit and save yourself many tears and much pain.

Consider the consequences of your sin beforehand so that when faced with your weak area, your split-second decision will be guided by wisdom instead of instinct.

If you take the time to plan out your response to difficult situations ahead of time, the chances of making a painful split second decision is less likely. You will be thankful you were ready to make good and godly choices that do not lead to regret.

I can tell you one thing – the next time we go to see Aunt Catherine and Uncle Jesse, we are going to plan ahead. On approaching the toll booth we will drive more slowly, read the signs, and make sure we get in the right lane. That way we won’t have to pay the price of a quick, split-second decision.

Love,

Mama

 

No Loitering – Keep Your Way Pure!

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Psalm 119:9 “How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Your word.”
 
Living in a world of sin, it is hard to keep the mind clean and pure. No matter where one goes he or she will be bombarded by images, thought patterns, and music that pull in the direction of ungodliness. Even walking innocently through the grocery store one’s eyes will be assaulted by unsavory magazines that line the racks by the checkout. What is a guy or gal to do?

This is not a new problem. Even as far back as Bible times there were constant temptations lurking in the dark shadows or maybe even in the broad daylight. Any unsuspecting victim could be pulled into the lair of evil if he was not careful. The Psalmist must have felt this subtle pull because he asked the same question. “How can a young man keep his way pure?” In the very next phrase he answered his own inquiry. “By keeping it according to Your word.”

Nothing has changed. The problem and the answer are still the same. Obedience to God’s word is the key to living a life that is pleasing to God – a life that is unstained from the wickedness that we encounter every day.

Fast forward a thousand years and another man gave instructions to his son in the faith about living above the shameful conditions of an ungodly generation. The Apostle Paul writes to Timothy some guidelines that would serve him and us well.

Consider Paul’s instructions in 2 Timothy 2:14-26.

1. Don’t wrangle over words – False teachers like to cause divisions by starting confusing conversations that produce arguments. Fighting over unimportant details is useless and can lead to the ruin of the hearers.

2. Accurately handle the Word of Truth – Study God’s word carefully and prayerfully to understand what it is that God requires of you. Make it your goal to please God and not men.

3. Avoid worldly and empty chatter – Don’t get involved in conversations that are worthless and foolish. This type of babble and gossip will only lead to ungodliness. By participating in this type of talk some have even turned away from the truth.

4. Flee from youthful lusts – Don’t stick around if you feel the pull of temptations such as pornography, pride, impatience, greed, etc. Turn and run the other direction. Instead pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace.

5. Refuse foolish and ignorant speculations – Don’t get into deep debates about things non-essential to the faith. This will only produce quarrels. God’s servants should not be quarrelsome, but instead be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, and gentle when correcting those who are held captive by Satan’s schemes.

How can a young guy or gal keep his/her way pure? The answer is in the same place it has always been for thousands of years. Read God’s word carefully, handle it correctly, and obey it consistently.

And by the way, when you are in the grocery store, don’t loiter by the magazine racks.

Love,
Mama

Taste and See

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Psalm 34:8 “O taste and see that the Lord is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!”
 

My favorite time of the day is early in the morning before the sun has risen. I tiptoe downstairs, put the kettle on to boil and light my pear candle. When the kettle boils I make a pot of tea and sit down to spend some time with God.  Some of my sweetest times have been in those moments before anyone else is awake. I tell Him all my concerns and soak in encouragement from His Word.  I have wrestled with difficulties and rejoiced in answered prayer.  I have had a taste of who the Lord is. I know He is good and nothing else satisfies.

 

God desires fellowship with all His children, but from the beginning the serpent has tempted us with another source of nourishment. God had given Adam & Eve all of the fruit in the Garden of Eden except for the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. This one they were not allowed to eat. Satan, disguised as a serpent, tempted Eve. He convinced her that God was inappropriately keeping the forbidden fruit from her. She relented and ate of what God had banned. After giving some to Adam, they both immediately experienced a hunger for the way things used to be in their relationship with God.

Satan has the same agenda today. He would love to fill our time with other things – sometimes even good things – that will keep us away from time spent with God. He tries to convince us that God is not good and that He is holding back on us. The world’s siren song draws us to harmful actions, relationships, and attitudes that look tasty but leave a poison in our soul.

Don’t be fooled by the world’s smorgasbord. Those who take refuge in God will experience blessing beyond compare. Come! Have a cup of tea with me. Taste and see that the Lord is good!

Love,
Mama

Murder in the Hen House

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1 Peter 5:8. “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” (NIV)
 
There was murder in the hen house this week. Monday evening started out like any other evening. The hens had made their way into the coop and found their roosts as usual. After putting our German Shepherd in the big barn and checking on the goats, Dad perused the chicken run. All seemed peaceful and quiet.
We prepared for bed and promptly fell asleep. Sometime in the night I awakened to a strange noise outside the window. I thought I heard the girls clucking, but in my stupor I rolled over and went back to sleep.
Morning came and I was horrified to see a pile of feathers lying in the grass outside the fence. Upon further investigation I saw that a predator had gotten one of the hens, bitten her head off, and left the rest of her body. Since her carcass was outside the fence, I deduced that she must have gotten out and fell prey to the murderer.
The next two nights, to our dismay, the same thing happened only this time the victims were inside the coop itself. Something was getting in and ravaging our hens. One by one they were being decapitated, leaving only a lifeless body as evidence.
Our enemy, the devil, prowls around in the night and the day. He is always searching for a weakness in the fence of our lives where he can slip in unnoticed. We may have left a loop hole into our minds  by allowing greed or wrong desires to dwell there. Possibly we have left a gate ajar by associating with people who will not be good examples. The devil is always looking for our vulnerable places to make his move. His desire is to destroy and devour us, ruining our lives and our testimony.
The way to combat this enemy is through self-control. Stay on the alert and always be on the lookout for his crafty ways. Resist him, remain firm in your faith, and recognize that you are not the only one who could fall victim to his schemes. Pray for your brothers and sisters in Christ, that they would not be led into temptation, but be delivered from the evil one. Always remember that greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world.
It’s time to do some serious revamping of our chicken wire fence. It is very disturbing to think of some unknown murderer creeping around in the night. Whether it is chickens or our own lives, you just can’t ever let your guard down. If you do you might end up with murder in the hen house.
Love,
Mama