Remembering Where We Came From
Greetings dear sister saints!
I hope your day, or evening, is going well:-) It's one of those nights for me...sleep escapes me, so I put that extra time to good use. Pondering who I am today, in Christ, and remembering where I've come from....praising the Lord for rescuing me! I can only speak for me, but I'm sure many of you will agree, it's hard to find a quiet time. A time to quietly ponder the things of God and not have to drop it to do something else. For us, we are always in the world (on edge and ready for someone to approach us as we live in parking lots :-), driving, witnessing, answering emails or phone cells, uploading teachings (audio, video, posts) joyously encouraging saints or helping a sheep come out from among them. And of course dealing with false teachers and deceivers. Not to grumble, no, just stating facts:-) And also bring husband and wife in the midst of it all. You all have your own potpourri of issues to deal with as well...
I've gotten to the point of appreciating these nights because my brain is clear, I just can't sleep. (Oftentimes I struggle so much in the flesh that I have to work hard at comprehension and remembrance .). I know some of you know what I'm talking about, especially if you have crested the mark of being halfway to 100:-). Just saying that brings a flash of the wicked pride and vanity I had in my late twenties and early thirties of being "all that" in the eyes of the world. Strong, energetic, healthy, trim, quick, successful...and wickedly sinful in it all. I'll take what I am now vs all that, thank you.
I was digging through one of our old Facebook (deactivated) page that I used for our homestead, looking for pictures to use. As I paged through, my mind went back to those places, feeling and seeing our experiences. How time flies and how we mature if we keep pressing on.
No, I'm not looking back, simply measuring myself against myself to see my growth. I want to see a continuous upward movement and I can say that the only thing that I wavered in was trying to find full biblical dress, but while doing so I was still moving forward.
When I get the opportunity to stop and ponder,
I see the path I was on and it strengthens and humbles me to see that God heard me.
He hears us if we cry out for truth! He may not deliver us physically but our spiritual redemption is ahead!
Brother Jim and I have an interesting testimony on how we were brought together, before Christ, and groomed to be ready for our new birth and who we are today. I haven't shared this and will talk to him about publishing it, or not.....
Anyway, there's so much going on that sometimes I don't know what to share or how to put it in words. Dealing with our own lives in Christ is one matter but trying to help others in theirs is another altogether. We are joyous to be of service to the Lord.
It's heart wrenching to say the least, when you see people retreat backwards to their own demise. Or to see saints struggling in a situation that you can't do anything, physically. BUT, every once in a while, it's rare but it happens, we see a light growing and we hope to fan the flames to make it grow brighter. Yes...many people who find us on the internet shoot at us with the fiery darts of satan, but God knows just when to allow us to see a sliver of the light ahead and it's a great encouragement to press on.
This post started out as remembering where we came from and is transgressing into something else:-). Oh well, if you were to meet me in person you would see that I am just that. I may start out in one direction and end up in another, like a bowl of spaghetti. I think I may have mentioned before that I hate titles on these posts. I never know what to title them and then when you do, you're locked into a theme or subject.. Maybe I should just use random 000000's which would mean infinity? and I could just share:-) I also hate writing about me, but how else do I share what I've learned? I'm not a specialized teacher...I don't have the desire or skill to organize specific teachings and bible studies on women's topics that are structural and pre-planned. I'm a 'winger'. Winging pretty much everything in my life (from cooking to sewing and living) and have for years and even more so being in Christ, running alongside my evangelist husband. Nobody has shown us how to do this so we just "go"...and figure it out along the way, being led by the Spirit. (Which goes along with a video brother Jim just did:
It amazes me how God uses our old wicked attributes for His glory. Like brother Jim is really bullheaded.
Like REALLY :-)
And when someone pushes against or twists the Word of God, he latches on like a bulldog on a bone and won't let go. WON'T LET GO until they repent or run off! Me...I love a challenge. It comes from my sinful competitive nature but God uses it for His glory. When I see brother Jim taking us into a situation that I don't care for as a woman, I lay it down and in my mind say 'bring it on cuz my God is bigger than yours' (whoever we're coming up against).
Remember that sisters, ours is the God of the universe. The Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end...what more do we need?
I beseech you sisters to stand on the word and not waver. Surrender yourself to God's word, draw those biblical boundaries and be like a big rock....immovable. Don't let those, who are in your life, influence you lest you be like in James, tossed to and fro. You CAN have peace and joy in the life God has you, you just have to surrender your will to His.
We could hide from all these situations, in a cave among the mountains, but we would be hiding our light under a basket. We are about to finish up our work / ministry route in this area and head over to see our grandchildren and part of me would rather not....because those hugs from precious little souls breaks my heart knowing how they will be raised. I could cower and hide from them, forgetting what it's like to hold the hand of a sweet little four year old (that wants to hear more about this God who created all things) because as soon as we leave, they will be raised up in the world....but we fight for souls such as that. And the twenty something or other person who is disillusioned by modern christianity. And the middle aged man or woman seeing through man made religion. Or the elderly who are feeble minded, loving Christ but needing to be shown all truth.
We are no better. Not even better than the hypocritical 'so called' christians. I was one, without knowing it. Be careful that we don't look down on them lest we fall ourselves. We should want to reach them (that was brother Jim and I) pull them from the flames as Jude says, save a soul from death!!! Brother Jim and I have had a lot of experience dealing with such as those and every single day we fight for their souls. It's not a matter of getting away and secluding ourselves...it's a matter of being a light of God's truth in a dark place. Helping snatch souls out from under satan. Contending for the faith as in Jude. If the Spirit of God is not pressing you to pull others from the flames, you need to examine yourself.
Which brings us back around to who we used to be and who we are now. Examining ourselves and growing from what we've learned. Get ready because if you are faithful and obedient, you will be someone you had no clue you could be (in Christ)...tomorrow and even more in a few years!
Flowers from a sister saint.
Have a blessed night sisters.
(I will post this the next day :-)
In godly love,
Sister Deb
The biblical gospel...