09/04/2010
Reflection Verses Perception
The following is a paraphrase of James 1: 22-25:
But be a doer of the word and not just a hearer only, deceiving yourself… for if you only hear God’s word, but you don’t do what you hear and read, and you continue to call yourself a Christian, you are deceiving yourself. You are just like someone who looks in the mirror, and you see what you look like, but you walk away and completely forget what you saw. But when you look into God’s perfect law of freedom, and you continue to look there, and you don’t forget what you hear and read, but you do those things that you hear and read, you are going to be blessed in all that you do.
The word of God is to be the true Christian’s mirror. That is where we should go to see the truth of what we look like. There we will get a clear picture, not a distorted one. But, sadly, too often that is not where we are looking to see our reflection. Instead we look at other sources; magazines of beautiful models reflect a distorted picture back to us. It’s like looking in those curved mirrors at the fair. We see ourselves from a distorted viewpoint. The models tell us either we are not beautiful enough or they may tell us that we are so beautiful and most certainly God’s gift to men.
Many times we look to our peers for our reflection. Sometimes others don’t like us or call us ugly names and we believe what they say as if it was our true reflection; when in reality, it is not a reflection we are getting but rather a perception.
A reflection in a mirror shows back what is apparent and is clear. A perception, however, is an observation or comprehension of someone. Reflections just show what is, but perceptions vary from person to person according to their understanding and viewpoint. It is not a reliable source to see ourselves through. If we begin to look to others to get an opinion of ourselves we are going to be much blinded and led into all kinds of disillusions.
Some will get too high of an opinion of themselves, ushering in pride and haughtiness:
“For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.” Romans 12:3
And others will have a very low perception of themselves causing them to struggle with believing they are loveable.
Sometimes we look at our circumstances and let them be a reflection of who we are. If our circumstances are favorable, we feel special and loved. But if they are not going well we believe that God is angry or displeased with us.
“For the arrows of the Almighty are within me, the poison whereof drinketh up my spirit: the terrors of God do set themselves in array against me.” Job 6:4
Our circumstances are not a reliable source of who we are and where we stand with God. Just like in the story of Job. He couldn’t understand why God was turned against him, when all the while God was commending Job for being such a faithful servant.
Now, why do we look into a mirror at all? Usually, it is to see what we look like, to make sure we look OK. Sometimes when we look in a mirror, we spot something that is out of place- maybe some dirt on our face, or hair that is messy. And so we do what is necessary to correct that, all the while continuing before a mirror, until we are satisfied with what is reflected back.
And so it is with the Word of God; it is the only true and reliable source for a Christian to see who they are and what they are to God. It is the perfect law of liberty- of freedom; We will be set free from the false self views, some of what was mentioned above, when we continue prayerfully reading God’s word every day- and let that be our reflection.
Sometimes, we will read something and our heart will prick us, because we know that we are not reflecting back what we want to see. And so that is when we must not walk away and just forget about it, but continue to read and pray and seek God that the error we see might be corrected and made right.
That is the hard part.
Even in the natural man, sometimes we see something in the mirror that we do not like. Sometimes we feel we are too fat, or our nose is too big or something else we wish looked different. To take care of those things at times seem like an insurmountable task and even impossible.
But the miracle of Gods word is- “With God nothing is impossible!” It may take time and work, but we can keep at it until we see only reflected back- the beauty of the Holy Spirit of Christ.
But in order to ever get there, we must continue to look into that perfect law of liberty with an open and honest heart. We must resist the temptation to see ourselves through others peoples eyes and be devoted to seeing ourselves through God’s eyes alone.
And in doing that, the promise is “this mans deeds will be blessed.” The blessings of God will overflow our life! And we will begin to see, just how special and loved we really are to God, and just how willing he is to forgive us, to help us, and to care for us, and just how important our place is in his family. Nothing more, nothing less- it will be just right.
Let us challenge ourselves, that every time we begin to look elsewhere to see ourselves, we will turn to the Lord, and pray, “Lord, help me as I look into your perfect law of freedom, to see a true reflection; help me to see through your Holy Spirit and to seek only your approval.” Then, your confidence will flourish and you will be radiantly beautiful, illuminated by the Holy Spirit of God.
08/13/2010
WHAT DO THEY SEE?
YOU GET UP every morning and step out the door into a mad world. You know it’s mad – but, hey, that’s just life, right? Not much you can do to change it, and you’ve gotta keep on living. You know it’s full of all that’s dirty, filthy, and polluted – but by now you’ve learned to deal with it by just turning your head the other way.
BUT EACH DAY that you walk out the door to face a mad world, there is a mad world watching you. That world is watching when your children misbehave, when someone cuts you off, when others tease and frustrate you. And when these little aggravations come your way, how do you respond? What does that world see?
WHEN THE WORLD LOOKS AT ME
I want my life to be a light for those around me.
I want my life to be that roadmap that says home.
I want my life to be a beacon on life’s raging sea.
I want the World to see Jesus when they look at me.
When the World looks at me, do they see Jesus?
When the World looks at me, what do they see?
Do they see hope? Do they see love? Do they see charity?
When the World looks at me what will they see?
When I spoke, did my words contain your wisdom, Lord?
And when I prayed, did my prayers contain your love?
And did my life reflect the glory of your Spirit?
And did I show the ones around me they were loved?
And when the World looks at me, do they see Jesus?
When the World looks at me, what do they see?
Do they see hope? Do they see love? Do they see charity?
When the World looks at me what will they see?
And when the World looks at you, do they see Jesus?
When the World looks at you, what do they see?
Do they see hope? Love? And Charity?
When the World looks at you, what do they see?
And Lord, when the World looks at me, what do they see?
07/14/2010
WHY DOES PURITY MATTER TO ME?
TO SPEAK FOR MYSELF, why is “purity” so important to me? Well, to start, let’s look at the definition of “purity” and “pure”:
PURITY: The quality or state of being pure.
Some applicable definitions of “PURE”:
- unmixed with any other matter
- spotless; stainless
- free from what vitiates, weakens or pollutes
- containing nothing that does not properly belong
- free from moral fault or guilt
- marked with chastity
- ritually clean; chaste
SO IN REFERRING to purity, I mean physically as well as emotionally and spiritually – sexual purity, to be even more specific.
SO WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO ME???
WELL, NUMBER ONE, God desires us to be pure and to “save ourselves” for the “one” He has chosen for us.
“Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.” ~ 1 Timothy 4:12
“The elder women as mothers; the younger as sisters, with all purity.” ~ 1 Timothy 5:2
“. . . Even as Christ loved the church, and gave Himself for it; that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.” ~ Ephesians 5:25-27
“My dove, my undefiled is but one . . . ” ~ Song of Solomon 6:9
“Marriage is honorable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whore-mongers and adulterers God will judge.”~ Hebrews 13:4
SO IT’S OBVIOUS by these scriptures and perhaps others, that God desires of us to keep our bodies pure – undefiled – set aside. While many of these scriptures are referring to purity in heart, in our relationship with Christ – “physical” or “sexual” purity is just as as important. Sexual purity is a part of spiritual purity.
IF I HAD NO other reasons for keeping myself pure, the fact that GOD asks me to be pure – that reason alone would suffice. But really, are there any other reasons for wanting to stay pure? I believe so.
ONE WOULD BE for my own personal benefit physically, mentally, and emotionally. Another would be for health reasons. I am sure that purity decreases many risks.
WHEN I SAY “emotionally” and “mentally”, I mean that I don’t want to allow myself to give in to multiple desires and then, when it comes to the right
“one”, have on my conscience the thoughts of what I’ve done and allowed before. I don’t want to allow myself to be so emotionally “drained” that all my “love” was spent on others instead of that “one” that God wanted for me. To have a clear conscience, mind and heart is more important to me. To be pure and save myself for just that one is not only morally right but also emotionally, mentally and physically the safer, better way to go.
THINK OF PURITY AS A GIFT that has unmeasured value.
YOU HAVE THIS GIFT for someone special – not just anyone. Just the fact alone that it has such value means that, if you are thinking right, you will not just take that gift anywhere and everywhere or allow others to take it and use it. You won’t expose it – rather, you may even hide it in a safe place until you are ready and able to give it to that one special friend that you have been saving it for. We should look at the gift of purity in the same way. We should place the same kind of value on it and handle it in the same way. It’s not for anyone, but it’s our choice of who we decide to give it to.
DON’T ALLOW YOURSELF to be pressured by emotions or other sources and give up the precious, priceless gift of purity that God has given you! It only takes one spot to make something blemished and it only takes one time to lose your purity forever. You can never take it back. God keep us pure!!!
“Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies . . . many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all. Favor is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.” ~ Proverbs 31:10&29-31
07/06/2010
DELAYS ARE NOT DENIALS
“FOR THE VISION is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry…the just shall live by faith.” (Habakkuk 2:3&4b)
In the captivating booklet Expectation Corner, one of the characters, Adam Slowman, was led into the Lord’s treasure-house. Among the many wonders revealed to him there was the “Delayed Blessing Office,” where God stored the answers to certain prayers until it was wise to send them.
For some who pray expecting an answer, it takes a long time to learn that delays of answers are not denials. In fact, in the “Delayed Blessing Office,” there are deep secrets of love and wisdom that we have never imagined! We tend to want to pick our blessings from the tree while they are still green, yet God wants us to wait until they are fully ripe.
“AND THEREFORE will the LORD wait, that He may be gracious unto you, and therefore will He be exalted, that He may have mercy upon you: for the LORD is a God of judgment: BLESSED ARE ALL WHO WAIT FOR HIM.” (Isaiah 30:18)
The Lord watches over us in all the difficult places, and He will not allow even one trial that is too much for us. He will use His refining fire to burn away our impurities and will then gloriously come to our rescue.
Do not grieve Him by doubting His love. Instead, lift up your eyes and begin praising Him right now for the deliverance that is on its way. Then you will be abundantly rewarded for the delay that has tried your faith.
(Selection from Streams in the Desert)
06/09/2010
HONEY OATMEAL SCRUB
AN EASY WAY to make a quick, sweet-smelling face scrub on your own:
MIX ABOUT 2 tablespoons of honey with a handful of oats. Rinse your face with warm water and apply to your face as you would any face scrub.
REAPPLY AS necessary. You can wash your face with a little soap lathered in
your hands before or after using the scrub if you wish to. I have found that following up with a peroxide-based solution, gel or lotion after washing my face works great for helping to keep my skin clear and reducing the oils that work in making you break out. This is just what I have found works well for me. Since peroxide works by drying your skin out, this may not work as well for someone who has already dry skin or overly sensitive skin. It tends to work best for someone who has naturally oily skin.
THE OATS themselves when mixed with the honey work as a scrub. Honey is a pure food that is good for many things. In fact it is so pure that bacteria cannot live in it. So naturally, it would be good for your face too! 
*DISCLAIMER: I do not claim to own this “recipe” or to be the authority on any medical information. This is just what I have found with my observations and something that worked for me.
06/02/2010
SONG IN THE NIGHT
Is the midnight closing round you?
Are the shadows dark and long?
Ask Him to come close beside you,
And He’ll give you a new, sweet song.
He’ll give it and sing it with you;
And when weakness lets it down,
He’ll take up the broken cadence,
And blend it with His own.
And many a rapturous minstrel
Among those sons of light,
Will say of His sweetest music
“I learned it in the night.”
And many a rolling anthem,
That fills the Father’s home,
Sobbed out its first rehearsal,
In the shade of a darkened room.
05/01/2010
TO BE HELD
I BELIEVE under the toughest exterior, in our most vulnerable state, we women want to be held. We long for strong, caring arms to take us up and offer us love and protection. Many a young girl fantasizes over the day that her knight in shining armor will take her up in his arms and carry her through a threshold of safety and continual adoration.
BUT ALAS, knights in shining armor are for the most part just a fantasy and the reality of life often brings it’s bitter disappointments.
BUT DID YOU KNOW that God holds too? He is holding you and I close to His bosom. Consider the definition of “hold” in connection with God’s holy word:
1. to have or keep with or within the hands, arms, etc.; clasp “He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.” Is. 40:11
2. to support or bear, to hold a drowning man’s head above water “When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee:” Is. 43:2
3. to maintain or be maintained in a specified state or condition to hold one’s emotions in check, hold firm “Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: Thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness;” Ps. 30:11
4. to set aside or reserve “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” 1Peter 1:3-5
5. to remain fast or unbroken “For He shall give His angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.” Ps. 91:11-12
6. to keep the attention of “The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.” Ps. 34:15
7. to have the ownership, possession, etc., “Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art Mine.” Is. 43:1
8. to have the use of or responsibility for “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand.” John 10:28
9. to have the space or capacity for “Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.” Is. 55:1
10. to remain or cause to remain committed “For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but My kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of My peace be removed, saith the LORD that hath mercy on thee.” Is. 54:10
11. to remain relevant, valid, or true “For I am the LORD, I change not;…” Malachi 3:6 Is. 41:10
12. to keep in the mind, to hold affection for someone “Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before Me.” Is 49:15-16
13. to regard or consider in a specified manner “Even every one that is called by My name: for I have created him for My glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.” Is. 43:7
14. to guard or defend successfully “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” Ps. 46: 1
15. to continue to go, hold on one’s way “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” Is. 41:10
Truly Jesus is our Knight in Shining Armor!
04/17/2010
DIAMONDS IN THE HANDS OF GOD
This is an excerpt from the devotional book Streams in the Desert by L.B. Cowman. I highly recommend this book containing an inspiring and challenging devotion for each day of the year. ~ Miss Felecia
“The hand of the LORD has done this. (Job 12:9)
“A NUMBER OF YEARS AGO the most magnificent diamond in the history of the world was found in an African mine. It was then presented to the king of England to embellish his crown of state. The king sent it to Amsterdam to be cut by an expert stone-cutter. Can you imagine what he did with it?
“HE TOOK THIS GEM of priceless value and cut a notch in it. Then he struck it one hard time with his hammer, and the majestic jewel fell into his hand, broken in two. What recklessness! What wastefulness! What criminal carelessness!
“ACTUALLY, THAT IS not the case at all. For you see, that one blow with the hammer had been studied and planned for days, and even weeks. Drawings and models had been made of the gem. Its quality, defects, and possible lines along which it would split had all been studied to the smallest detail. And the man to whom it was entrusted was one of the most skilled stone-cutters in the world.
“NOW DO YOU believe that blow was a mistake? No, it was the capstone and the culmination of the stone-cutter’s skill. When he struck that blow, he did the one thing that would bring that gem to its most perfect shape, radiance, and jeweled splendor. The blow that seemed to be the ruin of the majestic precious stone was actually its perfect redemption, for from the halves were fashioned two magnificent gems. Only the skilled eye of the expert stone-cutter could have seen the beauty of two diamonds hidden in the rough, uncut stone as it came from the mine.
“SOMETIMES, IN THE SAME WAY, God lets a stinging blow fall on your
life. You bleed, feeling the pain, and your soul cries out in agony. At first you think the blow is an appalling mistake. But it is not, for you are the most precious jewel in the world to God. And He is the most skilled stone-cutter in the universe.
“SOMEDAY YOU ARE TO be a jewel adorning the crown of the King. As you lie in His hand now, He knows just how to deal with you. Not one blow will be permitted to fall on your apprehensive soul except what the love of God allows. And you may be assured that from the depths of the experience, you will see untold blessings, and spiritual enrichment you have never before imagined.”
- J.H.M.
03/28/2010
THOU ART OUR FATHER
“BUT NOW, O LORD, Thou art our Father; we are the clay, and Thou our Potter; and we all are the work of Thy Hand.” – Isaiah 64:8
02/07/2010
BETTER THAN THE MIGHTY
“HE THAT IS SLOW TO ANGER is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.” – Proverbs 16:32
