Saturday, March 21, 2015

WHOM SHOULD I FEAR? 3/22/15

AS CHRISTIANS we are encouraged to live for Christ. We are given instructions to put our trust in God and Him only should we serve. However, while we are living in this world we are bombarded from all sides to enjoy this life to the fullest by submitting to the pleasures afforded us while we tarry here! We are encouraged to drink this; try that; it won’t hurt; once is not a habit; this will make you feel good; and so on!

WHEN WE ARE DECEIVED we submit to the whims of what the world offers, we show our lack of respect of fear toward the Lord. Instead of walking as Jesus walked we find ourselves following the antics of Satan. You say that is ridiculous! Perhaps; but when we are not following in Jesus’ footsteps we are walking in Satan’s.

RECENTLY I heard a story. ‘A snake was lying along the path as the girl walked by. He said; ‘I am so cold, please pick me up and put me inside your coat so I can get warm.’ She replied; ‘NO!’ He begged; ‘please, please; I am so cold.’ She said; ‘NO!’ After a few more times of his begging her, she gave in and picked him up and put him inside her coat. After a while he bit her! She stopped and said; ‘why did you do that?’ He said; ‘you knew what I was when you picked me up!’

SATAN is the author of destruction. He is the darkness of death! We like to say that when we do wrong or get caught in a discretion, ‘the devil made me do it!’ Did you know that Satan can’t make you do anything? He can tempt you but He does not have the power to either make you or harm you. You choose to allow him to tempt you into submission.

‘BE SOBER, be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking some one to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experience of suffering is required of our brotherhood throughout the world.’ 1 Peter 5:8-9    Satan is the trouble maker and he looks for those who are vulnerable to him. We don’t need to get caught in his traps, nor should we leave our selves wide open giving him room to pounce.

THE PROBLEM with Satan, is that, this is his home. He lives here! He believes that the world is his oyster and he is free to roam and entice all who live here. But when Christ came He freed us from being under the auspicious behavior of God’s problem angel! Living with Satan brings death; living with Christ brings life everlasting! We must fight to live!

REMEMBER we know when we sin! We should become afraid and run for our life!  Many places in Gods Word tells us to seek His face. I found another one in Isaiah that a repentant sinner is to do. ‘Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near!’ Isaiah 55:6   God is always near His children. He waits with baited breath for us to call upon His name. We are free to choose his freedom. While there is breath, there is hope!

‘BEHOLD, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.’ JOB 28:28 Yes, we are to fear the Lord! God has said that we need not fear the one that can kill the body, but the one that can kill the soul! What do you think? We are to be mindful of what we say; where we go and what we do! Satan is always waiting to move in when we loose sight of our Lord.

‘THE LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?’ Psalms 27:1a    In Christ we need not fear Satan. ‘For He will hide me in His shelter in the day of trouble; He will conceal me under the cover of His tent, He will set me high upon a rock.’ Psalms 27:5

WE KNOW that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God! We also know that God has made a way of escape from eternal damnation. We only have to choose His SON and take Him as our Savior. And, oh, what a Savior He is! By Jane Ann Crenshaw 3/19/15

Sunday, March 15, 2015

DO NOT BE DECEIVED! 3/15/15

WE ARE so easily deceived, aren’t we! Whether it is out of self pride; reading only what we believe; or our mind set declares it is okay, because it is dedicated to the Lord. We are instructed to fear God, but people argue ‘that does not mean we should be afraid of God!' Where is our fear of God? Why are we so easily deceived? Why do we consider that sacrifice is better than to obey? Why are we so blatant about our sins? Why do so many think it is okay to sin? Don’t be deceived - all sin requires repentance!

REMEMBER the story in 1 Samuel 15 where Saul is anointed king and is given instructions to overcome the city of Amalek. Saul was to go and utterly destroy all that they had; ‘do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.’ 1 Samuel 15:3 And Saul defeated the Amalekites which was east of Egypt. But he took King Agag alive, along with the best of the sheep, of the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good, he took back with them. Saul later tells Samuel, when he was confronted with this, ‘I brought them back to offer them as a sacrifice to your Lord.’

GOD REPENTED He had made Saul king. Samuel pleaded with God all night but finally went to Saul and confronted him with his wrong doing. God was not happy that Saul had not obeyed his edict in cleaning up the city of Amalek. Because Saul decided on his own to change God’s plan, he lost the job that God had created for him. A job of stature; power and prestige among the people! He could have been a man of God and a leader of men!

SAMUEL asked that Agag the king of the Amalekites be brought to him. He came cheerfully and stood before Samuel. ‘And Samuel hewed Agag into pieces before the Lord in Gilgal.’ 1 Samuel 15:33b Samuel not only did the job that Saul was to have done, he did it with an ax, vehemently yielding strength and force.   ‘Then Samuel went to Ramah; and Saul went up to his house in Gibeah of Saul. And Samuel did not see Saul again until the day of his death, but Samuel grieved over Saul. And the Lord repented that he had made Saul king over Israel.’ 1 Samuel 15:34-35

SAUL should have feared the Lord. Saul should have known that obedience is better than sacrifice. In 1 Samuel 15:22 God says that obedience is better than sacrifice.   When Saul decided what was best, even when God had already told him what to do; he should have been afraid of the consequences. ‘For rebellion is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the Word of the Lord, He has also rejected you from being king.’ 1 Samuel 15:23

SOME HAVE SAID that even if we are disobedient to God’s Word, and do not live according to God’s commandments, we can still go to heaven, but we will just not have the victory here on earth. Do not be deceived! Many have watered down God’s Word to tickle the seekers ears. Makes everything easier to swallow and to digest. Some say this is the new age and therefore not everything in God’s Word is relevant for today. Hogwash! God’s Word is the same yesterday, today and forever. Therefore it is relative! Anything to do with God, we need!

THE PRIDE of our heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rock, whose dwelling is high, who say in your heart, ‘who will bring me down to the ground!’ Obadiah 3     There is another verse that keeps me on my toes; ‘But if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against the Lord; and be sure your sin will find you out.’ Numbers 32:23    Okay so our pride can bring us down and no matter the sin; it will become known. God is faithful to forgive; because He sent His only son to make a bridge for us to cross over into His joy! Why do we turn away from Him? Why do we say not now? We can love with respect and be obedient; but we need to love God with the respect of fear because our choices are not always the best choice! Ask yourself; ‘If not now, when?’ Today is the day for salvation!    By Jane.Ann Crenshaw 3/12/15

Saturday, March 7, 2015

BEST FOOT FORWARD! 3/8/15

ONE OF THE MOST memorial things my Mother taught her daughters is how to stand, especially when having your picture taken. She said that standing towards the right always cup your right hand into the cup of your left hand. Then with your right foot pointing a little towards the right, place your left foot pointing out with the heal resting slightly against the right foot. Chest out, shoulders back and your head tilted up!

NOW if you were to be facing towards the left - all is reversed except for your hands. That is your left foot is pointing a little towards the left, your right foot is pointing out with the heal slightly resting against the left foot. But your hands are always with the right cupped into the left. We have pictures! I bet I got it right, but if not, my sisters will let me know!

THE QUESTION IS; ‘Which foot facing forward is the best?’ You have heard it said that we should always put our ‘best foot forward!’ Is my right foot better than my left? Is my right hand better than my left? Well for me I am right handed which means it is easier for me to lead and do with my right. When I start to walk I think I always lead with my right foot. When I write, eat or do anything that requires my hand I lead with my right. How about you?

THE BEST FOOT FORWARD came about during a period of several centuries. European noblemen and wealthy gentry were greatly concern about beauty of person. They added ruffled sleeves, powdered wigs, black satin knee breeches, and full-length hose above buckled shoes. I can visualize that; can’t you? We have seen pictures! It seems as though the idle rich in those days, took pride in showing off a good pair of legs. Go figure!

SOME WENT TO EXTREMES by showing preference to one leg as being more attractive than the other. Competition came about in wanting to make a greater sensation at all the grand affairs. He would find a special place where he could stand with his best-looking leg and foot in front, hoping to attract many glances. By the 16th century, a person wanting to make a good impression knew just what to do. He would put his ‘best foot forward,’ and by doing so helped to create this phrase, that we still use today.

THOSE WHO follow the teachings of Jesus Christ know that our body is the temple (house) of the Holy Spirit. If we have Christ within us our lives take on a different dimension of attitudes. How should I speak; where should I go; what should I wear; what is my course of action; how can I best serve Him, and with each breath we seek His directions. Everything we need to know on ‘how to live a Christian life’ is in God’s Word!

‘LET THE WORD of Christ dwell in you richly, teach and admonish one another in all wisdom, and sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father, through Him.’ Colossians 3:16-17   This is speaking to our works and service in His Kingdom.

‘SO, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God!’ 1 Corinthians 10:31 Always ask yourself the question; ‘is this going to glorify my God or is this going to drag me down?’ God also says to wives; ‘Wives, submit to your husbands, as to the Lord!’ Ephesians 5:22 How are wives to submit to the Lord; we are to love Him with all our hearts, soul and minds - give Him our all! We are to love our husbands; take care of them, give them honor and respect and raise their children to love the Lord.

‘BE GENEROUS with the things God has given you. If words, use God’s words; if help, let it be through God’s help. That way God’s presence will be evident in everything you do; He will get the credit because He is the mighty ONE in everything.’ 1 Peter 4:11 All we have is in Christ, and no matter what; He makes it our best!     By Jane Ann Crenshaw3/8/15

(Why You Say it - by Webb Garrison)

Sunday, March 1, 2015

ARE YOU LISTENING? 3/1/15

WHEN I began teaching women in a Sunday School class I began with a series called "You’ve Got What it Takes!" It was a little book and I can’t remember who wrote it, but I took the title because it said it all. My emphasis was that with Christ, we could do whatever God wanted us to do. This past week I was watching Joyce Meyer and she was using the title of "We Can Do It"; which was taken from the advertisement of Rosie the Riveter during WW11. She made it clear that the WE was God the Father, Jesus the Son, the Holy Spirit and you! Both clearly calls the Christian to stand firm in all ways!

"I CAN do all things through Christ who strengthens me!" Philippians 4:13 I hate for my world to be so vividly exposed through the world of technicolor technology. The news media has brought it all home to us. I remember during the Desert Storm Battle of 2000; Jim and I could hardly wait to get home from work, to turn on the TV, to sit on the couch eating our dinner, watching the war in action. It was like we were there! You could almost feel the dust and blood spatters along with the smell of oil fumes and burnt flesh.

TODAY we want to watch and be tortured by the futile efforts of the enemy as they behead, burn alive, and to use whatever method they feel will cause our jaws to drop, to kill Christians and even those who are not Christian, to show their power and their, off the wall, allegiance to what they call allah, the Muslim god. We love to be scared; we love to walk a fine line; we love to hate! I use the word we loosely, because I am not part of the we! I hate to be scared, I hate to walk a fine line, and I hate to hate!

"FOR JOHN is the one of whom the scripture says; "Here is my messenger, says God; I will send him ahead of you to open the way for you., remember this! John the Baptist is greater than any man who has ever lived. But he who is least in the Kingdom of heaven is greater than he. From the time John preached his message until this very day the Kingdom of heaven has suffered violent attacks, and violent men try to seize heaven. All the prophets and the law of Moses, until the time of John, spoke about the Kingdom; "and if you are willing to believe their message, John is Elijah, whose coming was predicted. "Listen, then, if you have ears!"  Matthew 11:10-15    Are you listening?  

I SUPPOSE that those who are least in the Kingdom are greater than John because he lived and died under the law. You and I are under grace! Are you listening! In the Greek there are two meanings for the word violent. The first violent in this passage means to attack, and the second means to be energized. Our news has been likening the attackers of today to those in WW11. Are they alike; yes! Has there been anything else like it; yes! Men of violence always try to force their way in, when they try to conquer a city. Remember, they attempted to make Jesus a political King! "Jesus knew that they were about to come and get him, to make Him king by force, so he went off again to the hills by Himself." John 6:15

IF JESUS had wanted to be a political king, that was His opportunity. He frustrated their plans by going off by Himself. But later the people turned on Him and killed Him and God showed the world His Son! "Jerusalem, Jerusalem! You kill the prophets and stone the messengers God has sent you! How many times have I wanted to put my arms around all your people, just as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you would not let me! Now your home will be completely forsaken. From now on you will never see me again. I tell you, until you say; "God bless Him who comes in the name of the Lord." Matthew 23:37-39

THE ROMANS came in later and completely decimated Jerusalem. Well over 11,000 were killed in despicable ways and Rome ruled. Are you listening! Prayer is the key to heaven, but Faith unlocks the door! God has given us time; use it well!     BY Jane Ann Crenshaw 3/1/15