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The Right Stuff

The Right Stuff – How Can I Get It?

The Right Stuff

The Right Stuff – The Mercury Seven1

Do you have “what it takes?”

In other words, do you have “The Right Stuff?”

I know, I know . . . there’s a movie by that name, but that’s not what I’m talking about.

Even better, to get “it” we don’t have to be astronauts venturing into space!

Specifically, I’m talking about what it takes to be a courageous Christian.

Navigating today’s troublesome world takes Courage, with a capital “C.”

We live in a dying, lost world.

We need Courage because, going forward, we’ll be persecuted for our faith.

As a former news reporter and longtime researcher, some of the disturbing things I hear about that are coming our way (or being proposed for the future) are so demonic that I continue to pray for a spiritual revival.

But, only God knows “if” another spiritual revival is in our future. 

The alternative, Christians already know about.

This may be the time in our history that this Church Age will continue to progress to a fever pitch of evil coming from the wicked.

Since the Rapture hasn’t happened yet, (Come Lord Jesus!), we need to spend our remaining time on this planet telling the world about Him and teaching the younger generation about salvation through Jesus Christ.

Additionally, whatever your spiritual gifts or talents are – make sure you give glory to God in all things and let that be known.

It’s important to realize that the time for staying quiet about your belief in Jesus Christ is over.

God Loves us, but Judgment is Coming for the Wicked

God is sovereign so He allows sad things to happen in our world.

On the other hand, because He is a good God, this is a time of “great harvest.”

With that in mind, here’s some good news.

More and more people are coming to Christ all over the world as they take off their media-driven blinders and see the differences between Good and Evil.

As an illustration, think about some of the movies you’ve seen where a coach gives an inspiring speech to his battle-weary football team.

This is a good analogy because it describes what we’re facing now.

As Christians, we are on a team: Team Jesus.

We are coming up against powerful adversaries, but none are more powerful than our Sovereign God.

Decide Which Team You’re On

Satan will pull out all of the stops in order to distract you, alarm you, cause you doubts, get you to sin, beat you up with feelings of insecurity and loneliness, and much much more.

Be ready.

To illustrate, I really like what Christian author Susie Larson said about Courage, so will share it here.

I hope this is helpful to you going forward.

Daily Blessing
Courage means you get back up again after you’ve been knocked down. Courage means you face your fears and move past them. Courage means you stand up and remain confident in the face of your bullies. Jesus was the King of Courage, and He lives inside of you! Refuse to let your enemy kick dirt in your eyes or spew lies in your ears. Do you remember who you are? YOU are a child of the Most High God. You are someone heaven knows. YOU are profoundly important to the greater Kingdom story. So rise up and engage your faith. Face your day with fierce confidence and courageous strength. God is with you! 
1 Corinthians 16:13 NLT ~ Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong. – Susie Larson, Christian Author.3

The Right Stuff

Above all, have Courage, Christian friends.

We are on the winning team against Evil!    

The Apostle Paul’s teaching about God’s grace is for all of us.

Romans 5:8-11

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1 “The Right Stuff, photo courtesy of NASA on The Commons, no restrictions, public domain, 17 March, 1960, via Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository. Accessed and retrieved October 9, 2021.

2Susie Larson devotional, courtesy of susielarson.com., “Take Courage”. Daily Blessing. October 7, 2021. Retrieved from https://www.susielarson.com/daily-blessing/2021/10/7/take-courage 

3Scripture quotation is from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.

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Lean on Him

Lean on Him

Lean on Him

One of the many great gifts that God has given us, in my opinion, is the blessing of music – yet another reason I delight in God.

You could say I’m especially partial to church choirs since I’ve been singing in one since the 1990’s.

I’m a big fan of children’s choirs, so you can imagine my excitement when I heard that Kirk Franklin and Compassion International were teaming up to release a new song.

The single dropped Friday and it’s nothing short of wonderful.

It’s the kind of song that brings tears of joy to my eyes.

Here is Kirk Franklin with Lean on Me (Worldwide Mix) featuring the Compassion Youth Choir . . .

Sponsoring needy children thru Compassion International has been a rewarding experience for us.

We have a boy and a girl both under 12 years old.

It’s been such an enriching experience to be able to communicate our love for them across the globe.

We get to learn about their culture and they learn about ours, but even more importantly,  we share the love of Jesus with each other.

These two precious ones are understandably scared of the virus – the origins of which are disturbing and that has so quickly spread throughout the world.

Like the song says, we try to reassure them not to worry and not to fear.

It breaks my heart that, along with growing up in poverty, they are now having to deal with this.

We must lean on Him always.

Praise God that Jesus is coming back and He will deliver us in the Rapture from the worst that’s yet to come.

Naysayers will always be naysayers.

B e l i e v e.

T RU S T.

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In The Beginning

In The Beginning

Behold, here is more delightful evidence that God is our Creator.

Meet the Lilac Roller Bird.

In the beginning God created

Look at those gorgeous colors!

It looks like a box of color crayons was dropped on its cute little head.

In the beginning . . . God.

It is I who made the earth, and created mankind upon it.
I stretched out the heavens with My hands,
And I ordained all their lights.1 – Isaiah 45:12, (NASB).

Don’t let man-made theories rob you of the joy in knowing that you are a child of God.  

The manmade theory of evolution devalues.

The truth of Creationism celebrates.

We are unique, we are loved, and Jesus wants every one of us to be with Him in Heaven. 

How could anyone refuse His free gift?

It is beyond my comprehension the smug, know-it-all attitudes of some in the academic community who want to battle that God doesn’t exist.

These same doubters, if they continue along this same path, are in for an eternity in hell. The Bible says it, not me.

Once you’re there, that’s it. There’s no last minute reprieve.

In the Beginning . . . Creator God

Jesus Christ is our Savior and our Creator.

He is our All in All.

Cleary, the most basic and effective way to rob Christ of His glory is to not give Him credit for creation. Jesus’ enemy seeks to further insult Him through the pseudo-scientific worldview of selectionism that misleads people into personifying nature in such a way that they don’t give credit for the creation to Christ but to creation itself. –  Rand J. Guliuzza, P.E., M.D., ICR.org.

How audacious is it for mere mortals to promote another creation mechanism (the fake god of evolution), and then to teach it to the next generation as *truth* in many educational institutions?

(I guess the same people who would encourage kids to explore other genders, even to the point of surgery.)

These attacks aimed, ultimately, against our Creator are disturbing and very real.

But, wait and see.

The day is coming when true believers still here on earth will be raptured into Heaven, saved in a glorious instant from all of this spreading deception, and taken away to our heavenly home for a life of eternal joy.

Who’s with me?

I pray that you are because life can change in an instant.

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Photo credit: Lilac Roller Bird, via Wikimedia Commons, Adam John Bourke – Adam John Bourke, CC BY-SA 3.0,  <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

1 Scripture quotation is from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.

2 Quotation from Dr. Rand Guliuzza, President of the Institute for Creation Research, ICR.org. Courtesy of Acts & Facts Magazine, vol. 49, no.12, December 2020 issue. n.d., para. 20. Web. Accessed December 29, 2020.

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Reporting For Duty

The 2021 Draft – God Wants You

Do you recognize this famous wartime poster?

Responding to the Call

That’s “Rosie the Riveter” flexing her muscle.

This iconic poster came to represent millions of heroic and patriotic American women who went to work in the factories during World War II.

While their enlisted husbands were sent off to fight, these inspiring women supported the war effort here at home, all while raising children during some very difficult circumstances.

We can never underestimate the strength and fortitude of women when tasked with a noble mission!

What can we learn from their courageous response to a call?

We can learn that it’s our turn, but for a different mission.

Now that the New Year is upon us – are “we” ready to report for duty?

Our responsibility, present day, is to put on the full armor of God, and to pray.

These aren’t prayers for material wealth, our name in lights, or status.

prayer is reporting for duty

We turn prayer into a heavenly complaint desk where we ask to “speak to the manager.” We treat prayer like filling out an Amazon wish list or a godly GoFundMe. But this is not Biblical prayer. Prayer is the realignment of our warped passions and priorities so they can reflect God’s passions and priorities. Prayer is the process of developing our perseverance and endurance to follow God for a lifetime.- Dr. Michael Youssef, Bible teacher and author.

Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled

What we are praying for and what we are praying about is serious business.

No doubt, this will be an especially tough year to come in the history of America.

I can’t stress this enough: We must be strong and courageous to fight against the temptation to be silent in the spiritual battles that are to come.

Are we prepared to be challenged for our beliefs?

Don’t think these threats can’t happen.

Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist on the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. – Ephesians 6:13, (NASB).

Reporting for duty doesn’t mean sitting back and sticking our heads in the sand.

Our true strength lies in our prayers to Almighty God, our great “I Am”.

Even when it seems like things in this country are falling apart, be rest assured that God is working His plan behind the scenes.

Battlefield Prayers

While I’d love for the Rapture to happen this instant (considering how wicked the world has become) the fact is we don’t know when that will take place.

That is by God’s design.

We “could be” looking at this present darkness for a very long time.

The problems we are seeing everyday get so frustrating it’s tempting sometimes to throw up our hands and forgo our spiritual conversations with our Maker.

We may not even feel like praying sometimes, but we must pray anyway and resist that temptation. The Evil One hates a praying person.

Reporting For Duty Means Being Prepared

Reporting for duty means showing up and being prepared.

Here are a few ideas:

  1. If you haven’t already, commit to reading the entire Bible this year. Here’s some help for challenging passages.
  2. Memorize scripture. Jesus quoted Scripture, and so can we.
  3. Be prepared to give an answer for your faith.
  4. Ask for God’s will to be done when we pray.

Prayer is the breath of the warrior. The prayer-less Christian is a soldier who is dressed in shining armor but can’t make it up the hill without gasping for air. Just as the soldier needs physical conditioning, so we need spiritual conditioning in prayer. – Dr. Michael Youssef, Bible teacher and author.

Prayer is your weapon and the Lord is your strength!

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* Quotation(s) from Dr. Michael Youssef, courtesy of Leading The Way, “Walking The Walk: Developing Spiritual Endurance Through Christlike Prayer.” November 4, 2020. paragraphs 3 and 5. Web. Accessed December 24, 2020. Retrieved from https://www.ltw.org/read/articles/2020/11/walking-the-walk-developing-spiritual-endurance-through-christlike-prayer

* Scripture quotation is from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.

* Quotation from Charles Spurgeon, influential Christian pastor and author. Taken from Charles Spurgeon@spurgeonbooks. 12/16/20, Web. [Facebook post]. Accessed December 23, 2020.

* Photo credit “Rosie The Riveter”, courtesy of publicdomainpictures.net. [Public Domain].

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Will We Get Through This?

will we get through this

Will We Get Through This Election?

Political signs are everywhere.

“This is exciting!”- said no one ever.

Please tell me, is it over yet?

In just a little over a month, the big Election dominating the headlines will come to a close.

Will we get through this?

You bet we will.

No matter what the outcome is – as Christians, we will get through this.

Why?

Because God is on our side.

I’m not talking about our political affiliation here.

I’m talking about our salvation through Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.

A World in Need of God

God is not the God who thinks, “Gee, I wonder what man will do next?”

Nothing is a surprise to Him.

All of our future sufferings, political frustrations, and dismay over the world’s backslide into darkness are only temporary.

In Romans 8:18, the apostle Paul’s words instill a reminder of the timeless hope we have in Jesus Christ.

Romans 8:18

Undescribable gloryThat glory the apostle talks about – God’s indescribable majesty – will outshine any suffering we are experiencing in our current battles.

Nothing and I mean nothing, will compare to seeing His glory.

As Christians, when we finally get to witness it, we will understand the journey.

Jesus Already Took the Wheel

The spiritual battle rages on.

Now is not the time to let abrasive social media posts get the best of you.

Don’t fall for the bait to argue.

No matter who wins this election, God is always in control.

Not the Republicans, and not the Democrats.

“What virus?”

Don’t you long for that day?

I am so grateful that we can escape all of this chaos some day at God’s appointed time, aren’t you?

If you profess your faith in Jesus Christ as Savior, you too will be with Him in Heaven when the rapture comes “like a thief in the night.” 

16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words. – 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18. (NASB).

The godless will be left behind.

Are we ready for the next prophetic and historical event to take place?

Don’t get caught up in date-setting, just be ready.

Will We Get Through This?

Please turn off the 24/7 news and try to spend time encouraged by the Word of God.

We could hide out in our homes, scared of a virus, fearing what disaster is coming next.

Or, we can remember Who our God is.

I’ll take the “Who” anytime.

I like what Pastor Farag says about this, essentially the wrath of man (so evident in our crazy world), will always backfire. God will have the last word.  Always did and always will.

God is always good and He will get us through.

He never breaks His promises.

God will see you through  – no matter how bad it is, or no matter how bad it gets. I promise you that, on the authority of who God is and how good God is. It doesn’t matter how bad it is. It only matters that God is always good. – Pastor J.D. Farag, Calvary Chapel, Kaneohe.2

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1 Scripture quotation is from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. 

2 From Farag, Pastor J.D., “You’ll Get through This – 1 Timothy 1:17-20.” Podcast, [6:53-7:21]. August 9, 2020. Retrieved from: https://youtu.be/4I-HsmH-65k.

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