Temptations?

"No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it."  1 Corinthians 10:13 

Food, drugs, alcohol, and sex, these seems like the big ones that we think of when we think of temptation, but what about anything that causes us to sin and stumble. What about pride, anger, negative attitudes, and gossip. Do these count as temptations as well? Have I never laughed at a off-color joke or listened to someone talk about someone else?

There is one thing I have learned in my life. God did not send me to this earth to be any one's Holy Spirit. Everyone will answer for their sins. I will answer for MY SINS alone! We all make choices. Good or bad or indifferent, we must own them as the choices WE made. NO ONE MAKES US SIN!  Let me say that again. NO ONE MAKES US SIN!!!!  We sin because we are decedents of Adam. We are forgiven because of the GRACE of God through the blood of Jesus Christ on the cross.

But then how do I keep from sinning? By keeping my eyes focused on Christ. Through prayer, bible study,  and fellowship with other believers. Anyone can appear to be "perfect", but there are NO perfect people living and breathing today. There was ONE perfect person, Jesus Christ.

It is so much easier for me not to sin when I am prepared for the battle. I know that when I'm tempted, it is easier to "regroup and recover" when I am walking the walk and talking the talk. But what about when we fail. Do I just give up and keep on sinning? Do I feel defeated? NO! I gain strength and power by being real and authentic with my Lord. He already knows everything about us. He knows our hearts.
"God would surely have known it, for he knows the secrets of every heart." Psalms 44:21

So what's the trick, the catch, the plan? How do I avoid temptations?

"But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you." John 14:26

The Holy Spirit will lead, guide and direct you if you ask him to help you. If you are a Christian, you have been blessed with a sense of right and wrong. This is the Holy Spirit in you. Feel empowered! Feel privileged! Feel Loved!!!

GETTING BACK UP!

Most inspirational video!!!  :)  Here is his website: http://www.lifewithoutlimbs.org/

Walking On Water

....."So Peter went out of the boat, and walked on the water towards Jesus. But when he looked around at the high waves, he was terrified and began to sink. "Save me Lord!" he shouted. Instantly, Jesus reached out his hand and grabbed him....... Matthew 14:29-31(SLAB)

I long to have just the faith to step off the boat!  Peter did that, but then his faith was shaken. I want to "walk on water", but my faith is not strong enough sometimes to keep me from sinking. My head is just above water and I am treading with all my might, just to stay afloat!  God knows my desire is to be more like him everyday, but we live in a wicked world. It is hard for me sometimes to be completely "Christ-like".  Why? Because I am a sinner.....even saved by GRACE, while on this earth, we will be tormented by Satan. There are no perfect people. But, isn't it absolutely wonderful to know that GOD loves us just as we are!!!

I believe this is........... God's greatest commandment:
1 John 4:7 (NIV)

 "Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God."

If we want to "walk on water" we must have faith.........and my faith comes from loving God and others. Through Christ, I really have found a true love and acceptance of myself and others. I can honestly say, even when I am not treated kindly, I still have love for others. This is not of ROBYN, nope! Only God could give me a sense of true love for others.....even those who oppose me.

But there is a second part to this verse that stands out to me... "Instantly, Jesus reached out his hand and grabbed him..." Christ did not hesitate to come to his rescue! He will not hesitate to rescue me either.

"Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name." Psalms 91:14

I thought of this verse too.....

Acts 2:21  "But everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."

What a sweet comfort to know that God's hand will always be there ready and waiting to take a hold of mine any time! I just have to call and He will rescue me!


Prayer for today:
Lord, Thank you for rescuing me today, tomorrow, and for the days to come when I call on your name! Help me have faith to trust in your love. Give me the strength to step off the boat and come to you. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Music to my ears!

I love to listen to the radio in my car, especially when I am by myself. I'm sure I have been pure entertainment for other motorist. I sing to the top of my lungs, tap my fingers on the steering wheel, and rock in my seat to the beat!

Psalm 33:1
"Sing joyfully to the LORD, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him."

I must confess, I love all kinds of music! I am an American Idol fan (there I said it). But my favorite music is Christian Praise! Michael W Smith, Mercy Me, Casting Crowns, and so many more.

As I was driving to work this morning I was singing and started reflect on PRAISE. When we pray for things, wants, desires, requests, we must remember that GOD already knows these things.

Romans 8:27
"And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will."

How much time do I spend in just PRAISE and thanksgiving? How often do I express my gratitude for all the blessings God has given me daily? You know the ones we all take for granted. Health, beauty in nature, friends, family, jobs.... I could go on, but WE ARE ALL VERY VERY BLESSED! Just living in America is a blessing.

When I get down or stressed, I listen to SONGS of PRAISE and my spirit lifts! You know, I am blessed to have ears to hear music, a car that has a radio (and gas) and places to go to and from just so I can be in PRAISE with my Lord!

I bet PRAISE, whether spoken, thought or sung, is music to God's ears! :)

Here are just a few verses that speak of praise and song:

Psalms 101:1 "I will sing of your love and justice, Lord.I will praise you with songs."

Psalms 63:5 "You satisfy me more than the richest feast.I will praise you with songs of joy."

Exodus 15:2 "The Lord is my strength and my song;he has given me victory.This is my God, and I will praise him—my father’s God, and I will exalt him!"

When you have done everything, Stand.

Just had to share this inspiring post from a blogger. Hope you find encouragement and hear the hope in her words!


When you have done everything, Stand.

Marvelous Monday!

 It is a MARVELOUS MONDAY! Each day is a new and exciting day to serve the Lord! 

My dream is to be a writer! I believe that God is leading me into this ministry. He has always given me the desire to write. I am just now understanding this desire as it relates to encouraging others through the struggles and trials in my life. I want to share with others the joy of salvation and blessings that have come into my life through just knowing, loving and serving God! God has never failed or forsaken me.

Deuteronomy 31:3 " Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the LORD your God is the one who goes with you He will not fail you or forsake you."

Isn't it great to know that we don't have to face life on our own!!! We can turn all our troubles and cares unto HIM because HE knows our needs and cares for us. What a glorious Monday. It is raining outside, but my heart is FULL of God's love!

 Proverbs31 Ministry is hosting a SHE SPEAKS CONFERENCE. I would love to be a part of this ministry! This has been a desire of mine for a while. Lysa Terkeurst is awarding scholarhips for this conference. Pray that I follow God's will for my life as I pursue this ministry! I am stepping out in faith and prayfully asking for God's guidance.

Prayer Share

Friends, since I have started this blog, I have been so blessed with your out pouring of love and encouragement. Many of you have asked for me to pray for you. I have, and want to extend this invitation to all those lead to join me in praying for each other. God has blessed me with the greatest friends. Let me pray for you. I know though prayer God can bless your life. He blesses me. If you have a specific request for prayer, email, call, or post. I have had the honor to pray for several who have been following my blog. I can see God at work. Thank you for giving me the chance to see answered prayer. If you want to be a part of praying for others, join me. Philippians 4:6 " Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made unto God."

Secret Suffering

When I was a little girl, I was a 100% tomboy. I played boys baseball and was even the first girl to ever be on an all boys little league team. I had no fear. I had no worries. I was trusting. I was happy. I was innocent. I was protected UNTIL.....

It happened. Abuse. My innocence was stolden from me at such an early age. A big deep dark secret. One that has been a part of my life for years. A secret that has been hidden from friends and my own family for years and years. A deep dark ugly secret that is a part of me. Everything we experience in life, whether good or bad, becomes a part of our past. We may learn from the past, but we will never change it.

But, first we must deal with it!

I guess that is why secrets have such a deeper meaning to me. Those who love me understand my need to have an open and honest relationship. Trust was granted to someone who used me, and it has taken GOD to restore my trust (not in man, but) in HIM. When someone you trust asks you to keep something vile a secret, you fight the urge inside you to yell out..... "NO!......" You want to share what is happening, so that it will stop, but you feel pressure to keep quiet. So, I kept quiet. FOR YEARS.

I have been able to share my story and my past with my family this past year. Sharing my past has freed me. It has transformed me into a new person! Sharing my past has helped my family really understand me better. They understand why I am the way I am. I have been able to freely open up my life and be closer than ever to those around me. I have grieved and cried and have prayed that God would restore my hope. I have learned to forgive others, because that is what God commands. Through prayer, my heart began to change. I realized that God did not create me to feel hurt, but love. I have not had it easy, but true change and growth is never easy. But changed I am! I am a SURVIVOR! I have learned to accept myself and love myself for who I am. God did not make this horrible thing happen to me, SATAN did! He is the enemy. God is the comforter. God has wrapped me in HIS loving arms and gently shown me true love. I am not a victim anymore. I am not afraid of the future. Proverbs 31:25 NLT "She is clothed with strength and dignity, and laughs without fear of the furture." AMEN!

Unfailing Love

"How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me"? Psalms 13:2

Boy have a been in that place before. Satan wants to rob me of joy. He wants to invade my thoughts. He wants to take my peace. But hold on! God's word says: Philippians 4:6-8 (New Living Translation)

6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.

So, I don't have to dwell in my thoughts, or sorrow in my heart? WOW, I can pray about EVERYTHING! I can tell God what I need! He hears my prayers and in reality (he already knows what I need), but by praying I am reconciling myself to my maker. I am showing my dependence on Him. Oh, and I do need HIM! God knows my heart. He knows my desires. And, he LOVES me more than I can comprehend! He deserves my praise for His mercy and grace!

The verse from Psalms 13 goes on the say in v."...5 But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation."

Hope

Proverbs 10:28 "The hopes of the godly result in happiness,but the expectations of the wicked come to nothing."

My son got a dog this past year and named her Hope. He said, "Mom, we all need Hope!" I told him if we ever lost her it would be sad..... "We'd lose Hope." How ironic that one day, Hope was lost. We had gone out of town and my neighbor was puppy sitting. Hope just disappeared. They were frantic. She rallied the whole neighborhood to look for her. After giving up hope of finding her, my neighbor went inside and heard a small wimper. Hope had fallen asleep under her couch. She was so releaved. We still laugh about the day Hope was lost.

I can't imagine losing "real" hope. I have hope because of my faith and trust in Jesus Christ. Even when things have really felt hopeless, God gives me strength to pull through and engulfs me with His love. Isn't it great to know that we have HOPE! Even through the storms of life, hope abounds. I can not imagine what my life would be like if I did not have the hope of a comforter, and a promise of a life eternal. One day we will be lifted up to Glory. Just knowing that I will have no sorrow, no pain, no disappointments to face, gives me hope.

Psalms 71:5 "O Lord, you alone are my hope.I’ve trusted you, O Lord, from childhood."

Prayer is Powerful

I have seen the power of prayer in my own life numerous times. I believe in prayer. I believe in God's power. I trust that if I offer up my heartfelt desires, that God will, in His ultimate power, work for me what is good.

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."Romans 8:28

But how's my faith when God doesn't answer my prayers right away, or even give me the answer I wanted. Who am I to question God? I find that I do question God about HIS answers. For example, we wanted a family. But, for years I was unable to become pregnant. My heart was broken, my faith rocked, but GOD was faithful. Five years later, we were blessed with our son. But during the "storm" of infertity" I didn't think God heard my prayers, or even cared that I was hurting. I was so consumed with my own desires. I had lost hope. How quickly my faith returned when our son arrived. I am embarrassed about how shallow my faith had been at that time.

I know the pain of wanting a child and not having one. I cried so many nights. I understand the hopelessness you feel. There is nothing more hurtful than to long for a child, and be unable to have one. (Especially when all your friends are getting pregnant) Isn't that why God created us? I use to wonder "WHY???" Was I unworthy of being a mom? Was I not worthy of a blessing? Was there things in my life that caused me to be so cursed? Satan can get inside my head and do a number on me! I have been reading, Battlefield of the Mind,by Joyce Meyers. GREAT book! Talks about how Satan gets us to question our own thoughts, therefore controling our actions.

Regardless of the tears, the begging, and the lost hope, God was faithful. He has answered those prayers and so many more! I did not understand why it took so long for our son to come to us. Why God waited for those prayers to be answered, but I know this......... In my life at this very moment, my son is at the perfect age.

So as a reminder to myself, I have to remember to praise GOD for his answered prayers and the unanswered ones I still offer up. I know now that prayer is a very powerful thing. I have a very strong personal prayer life. I talk to my Heavenly Father, all hours of the day and night. I trust that in HIS time, and according HIS will, that HE will work out what is GOOD FOR ME. :) AMEN!

Do you know me?

Did you know my favorite color is yellow.
Did you know that I look to God for my comfort and love.
Did you know that I cry sometimes in the night.
DId you know I want to be a writer.
Did you know that I would rather have love than money.
Did you know that I am an open person.
Did you know I am a deep thinker.
Did you know I would never do anything to hurt someone else.
Did you know I sometimes feel hurt and rejected.
Did you know I want to feel accepted for who I am.
Did you know that I want a happy life.
Did you know that I believe in for better or for worse.
Did you know that I see my faults.
Did you know I have regrets.
Did you know that I long to be with my Savior.
Did you know that I want to have deep relationships.
Did you know that I am strong, only because of Christ.
Did you know I want to feel pretty.
Did you know that I want to make a differnce in this world.
So, Do you know me?
"Yes, I do." said God

Psalms 139:14 " I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful, I know that full well."

Given any bad advice lately?

I was in my car listening to a speaker talk about a situation that had happened in his family. It was so hurtful not only to those immediate family members(mom, dad, children), but to aunts, uncles, niece, and nephews as well. Our choices in life have lasting effects on the lives of others. But no one is more impacted than it's immediate family members. Some family members give advice out of their own pain and hurt, instead of taking time to take it to GOD (the ultimate restorer of souls).

I admit, I have given some BAD advice to friends and family. What I thought was truth, turned out to be hearsay, or just rumor. I REACTED by pouring out my oh so important advice, on a wounded soul. When I found out later that things were not always the way they were presented to me, or the facts had been slightly askewed, I found myself thinking, "If I had known then...."

God advises us on how to counsel someone. He says in his word, "The lips of the wise give good advice; the heart of a fool has none to give." Proverbs 15:7

This lead me to think about the advice I had given. Was it always God's Word driving my advice? Or was it "self" talking. Have you ever advised someone on something, that later you felt you adviced them wrongly? I believe we all think we may be giving sound advice, but what about Godly advice? I now stop and pray before I ever advice someone. I can always trust God to be the best counselor. If I lead them to God's word, then I am not the advisor but the vessel!
God speaks to us through his word, through prayer and meditation. When someone askes me for advice, I first say, "Let me pray about that." Not to put the person off, but because I know how hurtful wrong advice can be to the lives of those on the receiving end.

Psalms 19:14 "May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you,O Lord, my rock and my redeemer."
I pray that the words I offer others are uplifting, encouraging, and GOD SPOKEN! I need to ask forgiveness to those I have wrongly advised. Thinking my advice higher than the MASTERS, is self-centered. His ways, not mine. His advice, not mine :)