Peace of my heart

As Christians, we must never shrink back. This is very important! Consider this scripture: But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls. ~Hebrews 10:39 We must hold strong to our faith. We must use our voice! The Word of God states in Proverbs 24:10 , "If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small." I would like to pose this question: Why are we fighting so hard for a life that we cannot keep? That is not the goal. The goal is to lay down our lives, rather than just trying to survive.  Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?  ~Matthew 16:24-26 When we reach that point, the enemy can do not...

Living in a dream of yesterday; You once were here, but didn't stay. When I tried to hold on, you pushed me away; My heart went, too, and now it must pay. If you could return, you'd find me changed;  the bridge is now burned and things aren't the same. The darkness has faded, the sun has shone. Today is here and I must move on. The memories of yesterday will undoubtedly last; but today has new hope that replaces my past. Yesterday and today, like stranger have become; What looked like a diamond, was only a stone. This stepping stone leading closer to home; Just a reminder, my journey's not done. The real is the now, and the now is the real; I will pray and with faith, I will trust in God's Will. This chapter is closed, the last page has turned; So much I have lived, so much I have learned. Where are you familiar stranger? I know you no more. I opened my heart, but you closed your door.  Tomorrow's already e...

Weathered --- ---The stone that lay day by day, unable to change it's surrounding, beat over and over by the continual water flow, unnoticed by passersby and undoubtedly stepped on, often. No one saw the shaping process. It was just a stone that sat there, probably years without any purpose. Slowly losing the hard residual that clung to it's form.  However, as each day slowly drifted by, it became smoother and smoother. Finally one day it was perfected. Finally one day it was chosen. Finally one day it was fit for what it had been purposed to do. All of those insignificant everyday moments had caused it to become fit for the hand of a future king; for use in one of the greatest historic battles of all time. The shaping hadn't been a curse, but a blessing. No one noticed it before the day that it was slung. No one noticed it's use in the process, because the focus was on the fall of the giant and the valiant faith of the warrior and future king. Yet...

A perfect example of testing is the account in the scripture of the three Hebrew men.  The leaders of Babylon were jealous and hurled accusations about them, to the king.   There are certain Jews whom you have appointed over the affair of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These men, O king, pay no attention to you; they do not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up. Daniel 3:12 (ESV) At this point, they were given a clear ultimatum by the king. But if you do not worship, you shall immediately be cast in a fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands? Daniel 3:15b (ESV) Anything that is of value that goes through the fire will come out pure. Going "through the fire", so to speak, can be so much more than purification. (It can be getting rid of excess baggage, weights, hindrances, past, etc. )  Anything that does not have value will not make it through the fire, at all. Notice...

This was my Black Belt testing when I was forty. I had just broken my toe the week before, as I was taking my pretest for black belt. If you look closely in the photograph, you can see that my toes are wrapped.  It was a test. It was a test on more than one level. It was a test that I was not willing to forgo. I had worked too long to get to that place. I wasn't the best in the room and I definitely wasn't the youngest. I was forty years old, at the time. It was challenging, to say the least. I was awarded my black belt that day. It was not earned that day. It was earned in the three years of preparation leading up to that moment. It was in the group training twice a week, the training on my own, and in the rising early, every day, each summer, for additional training. It was in the investment of someone else's time, who cared enough to make a difference. It was in the principles learned, the patience and endurance that developed, and in the lifelong fr...

I just want to share a few thoughts... You have to be very careful how you treat those who keep covenant with God. Spiritual warfare is very real and God will take very good care of those who belong to him. If you find yourself in what seems like an impossible situation, you may just be in a spiritual battle. (I say this only to those who are of the faith.) That being said, I find myself reflecting on just how David perceived his enemies and exactly how he approached his battles. He was, after all, a great warrior; a very successful warrior. I find it very interesting that he had so much favor with Saul, that the king was willing to provide his own armor for David to battle in. 1 Samuel 17: 38-40 So Saul clothed David with his armor, and he put a bronze helmet on his head; he also clothed him with a coat of mail. David fastened his sword to his armor and tried to walk, for he had not tested them. And David said to Saul, " I cannot walk with these, for I have not tested them...