Category: God

Ignorance is Not Bliss

On By Leslie AnnIn Christian, God, Responsibility

I have heard the saying “ignorance is bliss” for as long as I can remember. But the truth is, ignorance is NOT bliss. It causes us to fall prey to evil and every attack by Satan and his followers. Quite frankly, in a lot of areas, I have kept my head in the sand and lived in my own little world.

God tells us in Matthew 24:4, Jesus answered, “Watch out that no one deceives you.”

For a few years now, several in fact, I have been praying this prayer consistently:

Father, I pray that you will reveal truth and expose lies. Give us wisdom and discernment to know the difference. Give us eyes to see, ears to hear, and minds and hearts to accept the truth, no matter how dark it may be.

Many things that I believed were true practically all my life, now turn out to be a lie. Many people I thought were “good” and had our best interests in mind, turns out were not. I guess when I started realizing that things just were not making sense (common sense) is when I started this prayer and process of seeking truth. Truth from scriptures, truth in our churches, truth in our nation and in the world.

God answered that prayer by leading me to find the truth for myself. Many of the truths I have found are quite ugly and disturbing. But we can deal with what we know to be true – with God’s help. He will also reveal the truth about our walk with Him. Have we been lazy in not seeking truth? Yes, I was. God, in His great mercy will bring us to repentance and restoration with grace, hope and joy. I am trusting God.

John 16:13; “But when he, the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into truth.”

I am confident that as I continue to seek God first (Matthew 6:33), He will guide me into all truth.

I am curious whether any of you have a similar experience. Are you noticing things just aren’t what they appear to be? Do you notice that evil is called good and good evil? Have you seen that God-fearing people are being censored and even worse? What are your thoughts? I would love to hear from you.

To God be the glory!

Alone and Exposed

On By Leslie AnnIn Christian, Freedom, God, Love, prayer1 Comment

We all tend to view ourselves and others as parts of groups. Even when asked about ourselves, we tend to put ourselves in a group or groups. For instance, we will say something like: I am (blank); I am a (blank). Maybe it’s what we do for a living, our relationship with another person or group, etc. We tend to think that way don’t we? That’s not a bad thing but somehow we can turn it into a bad thing. It’s easy to see that there is an all-out effort these days to pit one group against another. Usually one is “supposedly” good and one bad, depending upon which group you prefer.

God woke me up this morning with some reminders. I want to share them with you.

We may look at the things going on in our world and think all hope is lost. Remember the old saying, “It’s not over until the fat lady sings”? I heard something recently – “The fat lady hasn’t started warming up yet.” In other words, it’s not finished until God says it’s finished.

“Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; All things are possible with God.” Mark 10:27

God reminds us that what we see with our eyes and hear with our ears is only outward appearances but God judges the heart.

“However, as it is written: ‘No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him” but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.” 2 Corinthians 2:9-10

“But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7

He reminded me of Saul. He tried to destroy the Christians. He thought he was on the “good side”, doing a “good thing”.  When we look back at what he did and the group he associated with, we would certainly not consider him good, would we? However, God had a plan. It couldn’t be seen at the time by eyes or heard by ears but then, in God’s perfect timing, a miraculous thing happened. God got a hold of him and things changed dramatically. I won’t type his story here but check out Acts 9. We may not have been against God like Saul, but God tells us that if we aren’t for Him, we are against Him. Standing on the fence doesn’t give us “brownie points”. We must choose a side.

“He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters.” Matthew 12:30

“Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.“ Hebrews 4:13

The thing is, none of us will be surrounded or sheltered by whatever group/groups we associate with when we stand before the Lord, whether each day on earth or on judgment day. We will all stand alone and exposed. We will give an account for our lives, our thoughts, our words, our actions. We can’t hide from what we might think we have kept hidden deep inside ourselves. God sees and knows all. We better come clean now and allow God to reveal any sin in our lives and repent (turn away from it), seeking His will, His way, His glory.

“Do not {translation – never, never} repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written “It is mine to avenge, I will repay, says the Lord. On the contrary, “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” “Do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good.” Romans 12:17-21

As a dear friend told me once (thank you Connie), God doesn’t call us to judge others, but we should be “fruit inspectors”. Just as people will view us by the fruit we produce, we view others by the fruit they produce. We should not condone evil behavior or join with it. We should fight against evil. But, we should leave room for repentance by praying for them. ALL things are possible WITH GOD.

So, while evil is out in the open and becoming bolder every day, remember, God isn’t finished yet. The fat lady isn’t warming up. People get ready…

“Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.” Ephesians 6:13

“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.” Ephesians6:18

After all, God wants ALL to come to a saving knowledge of Him through Jesus Christ. Our job is to point people to Jesus, share the Good News of salvation, and walk out our faith in loving obedience. There is a spiritual war going on – a war between good and evil. Let’s join God’s army and follow His plan of attack!

Letting Go

On By Leslie AnnIn Christian, God1 Comment

Have you ever witnessed a friend or family member heading down a dead end path but were powerless to help redirect them? I recently exerienced that scenerio. For 14 months we tried to help a family member get his life moving forward toward success. We helped him make some progress, actually more than we anticipated. But, then things started to change. Old habits and old friends tempted him. The familiar old “comfort zone” called his name and he answered. Positive goals were gone and replaced with the desire for immediate gratification. A really good hearted person became mean and hateful in attitude and actions. letting-go

One evening when I was praying, God reminded me of the story in the Bible of the prodigal son. You can find it in Luke 15:11-32. I have read this story so many times but this time I was reading it from the father’s perspective. I felt like God was telling me it was ok to “let go”. Sometimes that’s all you can do. You know the father was heartbroken when all this son wanted from him was money. He had hoped for much more for his son. He knew what was ahead for his son if he went down that road.  But, we all choose our own path and this time, he let his son chose his.

Even though his son “took the money and ran” so to speak, the father did not give up hope.  Even though scripture does not specifically say, I think he was very much still living in the present. However, he had hope that at some point in the future his son would return. He was always looking down the road expectantly. In God’s perfect time, his son did return – repentant and humble. He did not expect to be received so joyously and graciously. But, his father had already forgiven him and rejoiced in his return.prodigal returns

This gives me hope that one day (I hope and pray soon), our loved one will come to his senses and change paths. Then we will receive him with glad hearts and be rejoicing and praising God! 

Until then, we continue to pray, hope and trust in God for we know that with God, ALL things are possible.

 

The Lions Den (2.7.20)

On By Leslie AnnIn Christian, God

It’s been a while since I’ve read the story of Daniel in the Lions Den but as I was reading Daniel 6 this week, several lessons stood out to me. Daniel lions den

  • Envy and Jealousy
    • The administrators and satraps were jealous of Daniel. He was living a life pleasing to God and man and evidently he made them look bad. So, this led them to sin. They plotted and coerced the king (who valued Daniel and planned to set him over the whole kingdom) to issue an edict that anyone who prayed to any god or man during the next 30 days except to the king, would be thrown into the lions den.
  • Pride and Ego
    • The king, even though he must have known that Daniel prayed to, worshipped and followed God, the thought did not enter his mind. His ego was elevated as he thought of the honor he would receive.
  • Praise and Worship
    • Even when Daniel knew it could cost him his life,  he continued to pray openly and praise God. He not only kept his faith, he did not hide it.
  • Consequences
    • The king, even though it distressed him greatly, followed through with his edict and ordered Daniel in the Lion’s Den. He did, however, say to Daniel “May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you.” (Daniel’s witness was evident)
  • Faithfulness
    • Daniel was faithful, even unto what appeared to be his death.
    • God was faithful and rescued Daniel while in the den of lions.
  • Blessings
    • The king issued a decree that in every  part of his kingdom, people would fear and reverence the God of Daniel.
    • This is an example of how our faithfulness can impact the lives of others, pointing them to God.

This certainly made me consider my witness as I go about my days. How about you?

America and Beautiful – a road trip {9.6.16}

On By Leslie AnnIn Christian, God1 Comment

We have had the blessing of opportunity in the past to take some road trips. Our first was when our “baby” graduated high school. That was a while back. We took another a couple of weeks ago from our home in Indiana to Mt. Rushmore in South Dakota. It was a wonderful trip. I kept thinking about the song “America the Beautiful” during our travels. We really do live in a beautiful country. The more I visit different areas the more in awe of our Creator I become. Yes. I said Creator. I see His Hand all around me and nature cries out His Glory. No big bang could have done any of what we see (our own bodies testify to that). But, I got off track. Back to the road trip…

I must admit that lately I’ve been discouraged by the number of farm fields I see being sold to housing developers (one of them out our back door). Sometimes I wonder if we are going to sell and buy ourselves out of food sources. But, as we started on our trip and drove through Indiana and Illinois, we saw farm after farm. The flat land showcased all the crop fields which looked like beautiful quilts to me and grazing cattle with homes and barns. It was a beautiful site and encouraging. We saw many windmill farms and some windmills seemingly all by themselves (would love to hear the story behind those). I didn’t get photos of any of this as I was looking through a car window but close your eyes and you can imagine the scenery.

As we drove into and through Iowa, we made some fun stops. We spent some time in Winterset, Iowa with John Wayne (one of our favorite actors oimg_2441f all time) as we visited his birthplace museum. We even had a photo shoot with him. Then an unexpected blessing happened as we were there, I saw the Iowa Quilt Museum and took a tour. While in there, I met Marianne Fons (those of you who quilt know who I’m talking about). That was fun (side note: she is very nice and down to earth). Then, as we drove through Franklin, Iowa we saw a gorgeous lake from the highway that was filled with blooming lily pads. What a sight. We visited the Lewis & Clark museum and saw recreations of boats, etc. and even walked out on a keelboat.

In Iowa and South Dakota we drove through beautiful prairies. The strange thing is that in South Dakota especially, we didn’t see any farms (homes or barns), just cattle. Lots of cattle, mostly black cattle. I kept thinking of the scripture about the cattle on a thousand hills so I looked it up. Psalm 50:10 “for every animal is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills.” (The Lord speaking) Another unexpected blessing came in the form of sunflower fields. I had never seen a sunflower field before and there were many of them in South Dakota right off the interstate. It made me smile just to look at them. I couldn’t take a photo but did take a video. However, with an 8OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA0 mph speed limit, it just looks like a yellow blur. We drove through the Badlands.

That was really something. A big horn sheep stopped traffic as he walked across the road. That was fun.

We visited Lead, Deadwood, Hill City, Keystone and Custer, SD. Each of these towns has a little different feel and look. (Side note: Be prepared – No sweet tea in South Dakota.)

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Mt. Rushmore was even more inspiring and humbling in person, especially when we heard the stories and facts the park ranger shared with us. Of course, there is the “pinecone story” I wrote about earlier. That is crazy! Another “crazy” was the Crazy Horse monument. It is still under construction but we were told they had made great progress this summer. Still a long way to go– maybe in our great grandchildren’s lifetime it will be done. They do have a nice museum there but it was quite pricey compared with Mt. Rushmore (no federal or state funding).

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Pete even fulfilled a lifelong dream of panning for gold in a creek near Keystone, SD. I don’t know how he did it but that man was squatted down (not a nice word but couldn’t think of a better way to describe it) for about 2 ½ hours. He amazes me. I enjoyed watching him and taking many pictures of the beautiful creek and surrounding area. Custer State Park was another highlight of our trip. We saw antelope, deer, buffalo, and a prairie dog. We drove through one afternoon and saw wildlife right alongside the road but the morning we left, we drove through again and saw a herd of buffalo. Now I had simply prayed to myself that it sure would be cool if we could see a buffalo herd in the distance. We just didn’t see them from a distance, they were on both sides and in the middle of the road. When God answers a prayer – HE ANSWERS BIG TIME!

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I could go on and on but I promised myself I would keep this post as short as I could. We had a wonderful time. We prayed that God would give us opportunities to bless others and He did. But, we were blessed many times by the wonderful people we met, the beautiful weather, and most importantly, God’s presence. I encourage all of you to visit our great country, meet the nice people, and enjoy God’s creation.

Acts 2:28 “You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.”

It’s a War – Prepare for Battle {8.31.16}

On By Leslie AnnIn Christian, God, prayer

If you remember 9/11, you know that many people sought God after those horrible attacks on our soil. Sadly though, many turned away as it seemed our nation was “back to normal” so to speak. Well, it’s not back to normal. Look around. Turn on the news. Read the paper. We don’t have to look far to realize that we are in the middle of a war. There are battles all around us – in our homes, our neighborhoods, our communities. Though the fighting is much fiercer in our nation than ever before, war is nothing new. It’s been going on since the Garden of Eden. What we often fail to realize is the war is not between ethnic groups. It is not between classes. It is not a fight between the law makers, law breakers, law enforcers or law abiders. It is not between special interest groups. The war is between good and evil, God and Satan. We know that in the end, GOD WINS and Satan loses. But, we must still fight the daily battle here on earth. Satan is a liar and deceiver. He wants us to believe that our enemy is flesh and blood (our neighbor). We are all so worried about “self” sometimes that our vision is clouded and we don’t really see or care about others. Satan tempts us to evil and then by our own fleshly desires, we head down that path of us versus them, our way is the only right way. Don’t give in to that temptation.

Matthew 5:44 “But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”

God created us all equal, all formed in His likeness, wonderfully made and perfectly formed for His glory and purposes. It is a spiritual battle. It is here and it is fierce. We must prepare to fight and win!

The thing about war is – we must choose sides.

We are either for God or against Him. We can’t sit on the fence or bury our heads in the sand any longer. The “silent majority” in America has been silent too long!  We woke up from our slumber and realized things were not what they had been, not what we wanted. It’s time to take a stand and kneel in prayer.

In war we must also prepare for battle.

We can’t just jump in and do something. We can’t just start shouting ideas that we have not thought completely through, let alone prayed about. We must prepare. God has provided the weapons we need (the armor of God) in Ephesians 6:10-18. He tells us to be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.the whole armor of god.png It’s not us against them, it is good against evil. It’s not the people we are fighting, it is the spirit behind their words and actions.

If you have seen the movie “War Room”, you have seen a battle fought and won by the power of prayer. Prayer isn’t just a way to change a circumstance, it changes us in the process. Whether we know it or not, sometimes our attitudes need a little adjusting. God can help us with that as we seek a relationship with Him through faith in Jesus, prayer, and reading His Word. There is a reason God tells us to pray for each other (friends and enemies). Prayer is powerful. In prayer, we invite God into the situation and surrender to His will and His way. Be persistent in prayer. I’ve seen prayers answered that frankly I had almost given up hope on – you just never know when or how God will answer but He Always Does! It’s been my experience that’s it’s usually just in the nick of time.

Mark 14:38 “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”

1 Corinthians 10:13 “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”

So…whose team are you on? Are you preparing for battle? Are you fighting the war on your knees?

Romans 2:6-11 “God will give to each person according to what he has done. To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For God does not show favoritism.”

Bible Bite – Singing {7.29.16}

On By Leslie AnnIn Christian, God

Singing – Music brings such joy, doesn’t it? Especially if it’s coming from someone who can sing or play. Me, I can’t carry tune in a bucket and my piano playing is less than beginner level. However, I still do both – mostly when I’m alone. My family and friends like it better that way (smile). I love to sing along to the radio, especially in the car. Sometimes I just can’t help myself if we’re out in public and some good “sing along songs” like the 60’s come on – it’s just an automatic reaction (at least that’s my excuse).  Now, church…that’s a great place to sing. After all, the Bible says you should make a joyful noise unto the Lord. It doesn’t say anything about being on key. I don’t even sound that bad when the people who can sing drown me out.singing girl.jpg

I read the scripture below a long time ago and it just overwhelmed me. I just read it again and had the same feeling. There are several messages in this one verse but the one that just jumps out at me is the last phrase. Can you imagine? God rejoices over us with singing. And we know HE CAN SING BEAUTIFULLY! That just blows my mind.

Zephaniah 3:17 “The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.”

Music is important to God and a gift to us. When we get to heaven we will be singing praises and I’m just sure that I will sound good then. I can’t wait to sing in that choir! It will be my first and last choir so I’m practicing now.

take me out to ballgameWell, tonight I will once again sing in public as we are going to a baseball game. You know everyone has to sing “Take me out to the ballgame”! It might be a rule. I apologize now to those who will be sitting in front of me. But, I will be singing loudly anyway and thinking of this verse. The next time you sing, consider that God is rejoicing over you with singing. I think the music will seem even sweeter.

Matthew 4:4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” – I consider scriptures “Bible bites” as we read them. There is nourishment for our soul in each bite. Have you eaten any lately?

 

The Blame Game {6.30.16}

On By Leslie AnnIn Christian, God, Responsibility1 Comment

“He started it.” – “No I didn’t. She did.” blame road signs

“He touched me.” – “She looked at me.”

“I didn’t do it.”

“It’s not my fault.”

 “I couldn’t help it.”

The Blame Game. We have all played it, haven’t we? We blame other people, circumstances, surroundings – anything but taking responsibility ourselves. We often times blame other people for the decisions we make in life. Mostly we blame others when we make bad decisions, or at least not the best decisions. Strange, isn’t it? When good things happen, we love toblame pointing finger take credit. But, when things go south, we are looking to shift blame. I remember the saying that when we point a finger at someone or something, there are several fingers pointing back to us. The truth eventually shows itself.

I was thinking this morning about trash. I’m not sure why that came to mind but it’s just one example of not taking responsibility. I bag up trash each week and set it out to be picked up. Then, my house looks clean and I don’t have to think about what happens to it after it leaves my driveway. The fact is, the trash I put out does make a difference. It makes a difference to the environment. It’s going someplace and making an impact there and beyond. Trash is only one example of how we can ignore our actions and push them off on someone else. But, those decisions always impact us as well as others.

Not accepting responsibility is nothing new. People have been shifting blame forever. It started in the Garden of Eden. Adam blamed Eve. Eve blamed the Serpent. The Israelites blamed Moses. On and on it goes – The Blame Game. It’s time to move on to another game and leave this Blame Game behind us. We know that there will come a day when we will be forced to accept responsibility. “The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. But I tell you that men will have to give account on the Day of Judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Matthew 12:35-37) blame cartoon

We might as well admit our mistakes and accept responsibility for our actions, attitudes and words. God already knows everything about us and is ready to forgive us. We only need to admit and ask. 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” Jesus prayed for us. In Luke 23:34 “Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing…”

Don’t we all appreciate it when someone admits their mistakes and takes responsibility instead of passing the buck? Let’s be that person. Humble and Honest (with ourselves and others and most importantly, with God). We are all in this game of life together but at the end of this age, we will all stand alone before God. I don’t know about you but I shudder to think of all the careless words I’ve spoken and the number of times I have played the Blame Game. Let’s live responsibly and make a positive difference this day. People are watching.

Patience Please {6.25.16}

On By Leslie AnnIn Christian, God, Uncategorized3 Comments

Well, once again I was made plainfully and painfully aware that I lack patience. Sometimes I think I have patience. I do seem to be a patient driver – that counts, right? Well, that’s the only thing that comes to mind where I have acted patiently. Unfortunately, when I decide to do something, I want to do it NOW. Which is ok unless it’s something I need help with. Sometimes I wait for help, when I simply realize after trying that I can’t possibly do it myself. However, yesterday was not one of those days. I was cleaning and rearranging furniture in our guest room. No surprise – I rearrange furniture often. Well, I decided to move a book shelf. I wasn’t sure exactly where I wanted it. Again, no surprise but I’m sure a frustration for those involved when I do need help. I am usually not really sure where I want things until I get them there and take a look. Can anyone relate? patience Anyway, back to my story of yesterday. I was just going to move it a couple of inches and see how that would work. So, rather than unload everything, I just pushed. Evidently I was only pushing from the top. I heard something pop and walked to the other end and realized something broke loose. So, I unloaded the shelves. Then I proceeded to push again – this time determined to move it out of the room. Wrong move – another series of sounds let me know that I had made matters worse. Before I was done, I had a couple of boards pulling away from the shelves and had torn a piece off the corner. Now my dilemma got worse. I pulled up on one end and it came loose from the bottom. Now I had a book case that swayed one way and the other. I couldn’t turn it over on its side because the bottom was staying put. YIKES. I hate when that happens. So, I finally got it out into the hallway (still now sure how) and propped up both ends with small furniture pieces so I could finish my rearrangement and cleaning. Realizing that all of this could have/would have been avoided if I had simply waited until my husband got home to help me. But, that would have been a few hours. Who can wait that long? Evidently, not me. Patience Please.

Patience: The capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset:

I have very carefully avoided praying for patience because of that old saying “be careful what you pray for”. But, God can find a way to teach us even when we don’t ask for it. Maybe even more so when we don’t ask for it.

Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”

Now I was praying that I could avoid a lecture from my husband that he would have helped me if I had only waited. You see, I have a track record of this type behavior. When returning from the grocery store I hang as many plastic bags on my arms as I possibly can and still hold my arms up – just to shorten the number of trips so I can get done and move onto something else. Not good habits, not proud of them, but the truth.

Ephesians 4:32 “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

Well, he was forgiving and I did not receive a lecture. He simply took the furniture apart, carried it to the garage and tore it down to be reused in something else. He was certainly patient with me. Maybe he’s gotten used to it after almost 40 years of marriage – think that’s it? Regardless, it was a lesson learned – again. Hopefully it sticks with me longer this time. By the way, the room looks nice. All’s well that ends well.

Addicted to Love {6.20.16}

On By Leslie AnnIn Christian, God, Love2 Comments

Do any of you remember the song “Addicted to Love”? For some strange reason it’s been in my head for about a week. I’ve been thinking about addictions and it popped up. Like a song you hear and can’t get it out of your head until another one takes its place. This verse is what I keep thinking about:

“You might as well face it, you’re addicted to love.”

Addiction: The act of devoting or giving up in practice, the state of being devoted. To devote or surrender oneself to something habitually or obsessively.

We can find ourselves addicted to many things. It can be fame, money, certain foods or drinks, alcohol, drugs, exercise, hobbies, television, internet, Facebook, pleasing people (fill in the blank for your life). addictive behavior

We want to feel like we control our lives. And, we do have control over some things. We have control over the choices we make. We have control over our attitudes. Maybe that’s why we are so easily tempted to the bondage of addictions. It’s our self-satisfaction we desire and sometimes think we deserve. I believe we all have tendencies to addictive behavior. Whether it is having to have a cup of coffee, soft drink, or tea before we think we can begin our day, an addiction to drugs or alcohol, or not letting anything or anyone disrupt our exercise or TV schedule, they are all types of addiction. I mean, the fact that I can’t open a bag of chips and stop at 1 or 5 or 10, but can keep eating long after the hunger is gone, that’s addiction. The fact that I will stop at McDonalds to get a tea even if I’m not thirsty, that’s a habit turned to addiction.

When we realize we have an addiction that is starting to control our lives instead of us controlling it, we need to take action. We all have a void in our lives that only God can fill! He is the only person who can really help us and fill void. After all, He knows our struggles already. He knows everything about us (Psalm 139:1-16). He created us to love and worship Him. And, NOTHING is too hard for God. He is creator! (Jeremiah 32:17) He loves us with a love that we can’t even comprehend. And, God’s power in us is strong enough to demolish any stronghold (2 Corinthians 10:4-7). The Spirit of God gives us power, love and self-discipline (2 Timothy 1:7).

God’s Word tells us that no temptation has seized us except what is common to man and God is faithful. He will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we can bear. And, when we are tempted (and we will be), He will provide a way out from under the temptation. We just need to be willing to take that escape route. Sometimes I’m willing and sometimes I’m not. I do like to get my way, even if I know it’s not in my best interest. Maybe that’s another definition of insanity. It’s like doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.

1 John 4:8, 16 “Whoever does not love does not know God, because GOD IS LOVE.” “And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. GOD IS LOVE. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.”

1 John 5:3 “This is love for God: to obey his commands.”

I don’t know about you but…I need GOD and I need His help to put Him first in all things and only be addicted to love – Love for God and others. After all, GOD IS LOVE. Only through God’s power in me will I be able to truly love Him and all others. Because, like me, not everyone is always loveable.

addicted to love I want to be addicted to God to the point that being with Him and following His lead are both a habit and obsession. In order to truly love others, I must love GOD FIRST and MOST – all the time. Only then will the light of God shine in my life for others to see.

I pray that one day people will say to me, “You might as well face it, you’re addicted to love.”