Content in Captivity

"And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.

And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed."

Acts 16:25,26

I love this account.  I've used these verses before for other Topics, and yet God opened my eyes to new things when I read them today.  Isn't that just like our God?  We serve a Living God, and He gave us His Living Word, and if we were to read the same verse every day for the rest of our lives, He would still show us something new!

Here are just a few things God showed me this morning-

    Paul and Silas prayed and sang at midnight: We have a God who never slumbers or sleeps, but He hears us at all times...right where we are.

Even though Paul and Silas had been beaten, had their feet fast in stocks, they still had a reason to sing and praise God.  They prayed to the Living God, a God they knew, and Who would answer their prayers.

They were content in their captivity, and they were content in His control.

    And the prisoners heard them: that phrase literally means, 'listened intently.'  I'm sure that the talk of the town had made its way into the walls of the prison and to the prisoner's ears.  They knew who Paul and Silas were, and now they were listening intently to the prayers and the songs they were singing.  Paul and Silas' behavior while in their bonds, was not the typical behavior of most prisoners and the other prisoners were taking notice.

    and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken:

You know, we will be in 'prison' for many things in our lifetime.  Prisons by what other people say and do to us and prisons of our own making because of our disobedience, but when we are IN 'prison,' what are we doing?  How is our behavior?  Do we mumble, curse God, shake our fists in the air and shout, "WHY?"  Or do we do as Paul and Silas?  Do we pray, and sing?  

Friend, do you realize that we can be released from our 'prison' earlier by our good behavior in a bad situation, just by praying and singing to God?

    Immediately the doors were opened:  Freedom, and yet the prisoners stayed right where they were.  

    And every one's bands were loosed:  It's interesting to note that EVERY ONE'S bands were loosed. 

Paul and Silas' testimony affected everyone around them!

Does my testimony free others from prison?

  Or does my testimony leave others bound in their captivity?

      God gave me a lot to think about today...

            But that's just me!

"Contentment has been described as that inner satisfaction that enables us to live in quietness, peace and acceptance."  Kenneth W. Osbeck

Winning Souls

"When preaching and private talk are not available, you need to have a tract ready.  Get good striking tracts, or none at all.  But touching a gospel tract may be the seed of eternal life.  Therefore, do not go out without your tracts."  Charles Spurgeon

"Reckon then that to acquire soul-winning power, you will have to go through mental torment and soul distress.  You must go into the fire if you are going to pull others out of it, and you will have to dive into floods if you are going to draw others out of the water.  You cannot work a fire escape without feeling the scorch of the conflagration, nor man a lifeboat without being covered with the waves."  Charles Spurgeon

"And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature."  Words of Jesus, Mark 16:15

I have a confession to make.  I learned something about myself, and it wasn't pretty.  In fact, it was down-right ugly.  I realized something in the way I witness to other people.

    I witness to those who look like me-

    I witness to those who have the same things in common as me-

    I witness to those who don't look too bad, or who don't seem to be too deep in sin-

    I witness to those based on appearance, and not the condition of their soul-

And today God smote my heart.

And I will praise Him for it.

I went to an appointment this morning, and the entire time it took me to drive to my destination, the Lord kept telling me to, "give this person a tract and invite them to church THIS Sunday for Service and the meal."  I don't know why, but when God prompts me to do something out of my comfort zone, I tend to squirm and ask Him, "Are you SURE you want me to do that?"  His answer is always the same, "Yes."

And so, I obeyed.

By all appearance's sake, this person has chosen a lifestyle of the world, and so, I was prepared to be turned down, laughed at, or even ignored, but something completely different occurred.  (That usually happens when we completely obey the Lord!) This person eagerly accepted the tract showing the hours of Services, and even went on to say that they will bring a friend!

I walked out the door with a smile on my face.  Will this person actually show up to church on Sunday morning?  I can't answer that, but I can say that I did what the Lord wanted me to do, and the rest is up to Him.

When God tells us to go into the world and preach the gospel to every creature, it means that we don't get to pick and choose, we are to Go and Tell!

Hudson Taylor once said, "The Great Commission is not an option to be considered, it's a command to be obeyed."

Today I learned that I cannot judge a book by its cover-

    I need to focus on winning a lost soul to Christ, and,

        let the Lord deal with their sin.

            After all, it's what He does best...

                But that's just me!

"...Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind.

And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room.

And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled."

Jesus speaking, Luke 14:21b-23.

"I believe that much of the secret of soul-winning lies in having bowels of compassion, in having spirits that can be touched with the feeling of human infirmities."  Charles Spurgeon

Euphemisms

"Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain."  Exodus 20:7

There seems to be a new trend among Christians today.

The use of euphemisms.

According to Webster, a euphemism is: the substitution of an agreeable or inoffensive expression for one that may offend or suggest something unpleasant, or the expression is substituted.

When I was a little girl, if I said a bad word, or spoke something out of turn, or said something that my mom didn't like, she would say, "Don't talk like that!"  So, instead of saying words she didn't like, I would make up my own words.  But that didn't go over so well with my mom.  When I said something in front of my mom using my cleverly made-up words, she would look at me and say, "I told you not to talk like that!"

I learned very quickly that using a euphemism to substitute an offensive word was like still saying the offensive word.

I will let you in on a little secret, our words reveal what is in our hearts.

Euphemisms are another way to talk like the world.

When we use a euphemism to substitute an offensive word, we are still speaking an offensive word.

We know it, and so does God.

And it's still offensive.

"But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give an account thereof in the day of judgment.

For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned."

Words of Jesus, Matthew 12:36,37

Christian, allow your words to reflect Christ...

    Not the world...

        But that's just me!

"Euphemisms are unpleasant truths wearing diplomatic cologne."  Quentin Crisp

    And may I add...they both stink!

Advertising

I was thinking the other day about advertisement.  Movie Stars and Sports Icons make millions of dollars a year from 30 second commercials selling anything from cola, beer, snacks, sports gear and cars.  On Super Bowl Sunday alone, advertisers were paying on average, seven million dollars for a 30 second commercial.

In 2021, 297.5 billion U.S. dollars were spent on advertising.

Then I thought about all the advertising we do when we wear t-shirts and hoodies with the Logos of our favorite cola, snacks, sports teams and cars.  Wouldn't it be something if we were able to cash in on some of those millions, just by wearing our clothes?

Then I realized, we do.

2 Corinthians 5:20a says, "Now we are ambassadors for Christ,"

According to Websters Dictionary, an ambassador is:

    1-an official envoy

    2-a diplomatic agent of the highest rank accredited to a foreign government or sovereign, or appointed for a special and often temporary diplomatic assignment

    3-an authorized representative or messenger

We may not be earning earthly currency by what we wear, but we will reap, or lose, Heavenly rewards.

So how are we doing?

When we dress in the morning, what do we tend to advertise?  Or, Who?

Are we dressed modestly?  Does our behavior represent our Saviour?

Do people identify us as ambassadors for Christ by the clothes we wear and our behavior...

    Or do we need a hoodie that says 'CHRISTIAN' across the front?

Our advertisement will also cost us something...

    If we advertise Spiritually, there will be a sacrifice.

        If we advertise carnally...

            A soul hangs in the balance...

                But that's just me!

"You don't advertise your religion by wearing a label,

        you do it by living a life."

                Amish Proverb

Hiding Place

"Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah" Psalm 32:7

One day when I was around ten years old, my brother, who is four years older than me, asked me if I would cut his bangs for him.  Being the younger, capable sister that I am, told him, 'Sure!'  (I didn't realize natural curly hair would be that difficult to trim.)  I picked up the scissors and made my first cut; took one look at my handy work, softly laid the scissors down on the bathroom counter, and took off running straight into my mother's arms.  It only took a second before I heard my brother yelling, "TRACY!!!"

In my moment of trouble, I knew where to run and to who!  My mom!

As a child of God, when I find myself in trouble, either from my own making or from the making of others, I still know where to run and to WHO!

The Lord is our hiding place from all trouble.  He is our shelter; He is our refuge.  He preserves me.

He shall compass me.  I am in His possession; I am kept from all harm.  And while He keeps me, He is singing songs of deliverance that only He can provide.

A.W. Tozer once said, "The only safe place for a sheep is by the side of his shepherd, because the devil does not fear the sheep, he just fears the shepherd."

"Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast."  Psalm 57:1

"Kept by His power-that is the only safety." Oswald Chambers

There is only one place to go for refuge...

    only One hiding place...

        The Lord Jesus Christ.

            But that's just me!!

Hiding Place

by Steven Curtis Chapman

In the distance I can see the storm clouds coming my way,

and I need to find a shelter before it starts to rain,

so, I turn and run to you Lord;

You're the only place to go,

where unfailing love surrounds me

when I need it most.

You're my hiding place,

safe in Your embrace,

I'm protected from the storm that rages,

when the waters rise,

and I run to hide,

Lord, in You I find my hiding place.

I'm not asking You to take away my troubles, Lord,

'cause it's through the stormy weather, I learn to trust You more,

So I thank You for the promise;

 I have come to know,

Your unfailing love surrounds me,

When I need it most.

So, let Your people seek You, while you may be found,

'Cause Your our only Refuge, when the rain comes pouring down.

No Reason to Fear

"God wants us to be victors and not the victims of life.  With His presence we can overcome and not be overwhelmed."  Anonymous

"Fear God and you will have nothing else to fear."  Woodrow Kroll

Psalm 21:1 says, "The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid."

I think this is one of my favorite verses in the Bible.  Because the LORD is my light, my salvation, my strength, I have nothing to fear.

    So why do I? 

Because I forget, and I have my eyes focused on my circumstances instead of my Saviour.

At the end of this verse, I wrote, 'what?'  So, it reads like this:

"The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?  Or What?"

Literally, when I completely trust my Saviour in all things, I should never be afraid of the who's or the what's in my life.

Light dispels the anxieties and dangers of darkness.

Salvation guarantees the defeat of all adversaries.

Strength (stronghold) assures victory against all assaults.

    The LORD IS...my light and salvation!

        The LORD IS the strength of my life!

            The LORD truly is my EVERYTHING when I trust completely in Him...

                But that's just me!

"Fear is not going to change one thing.  It's simply an outlet for Satan to find his way into our hearts and detach us from our Saviour."  Beth Wiseman

At The Door

"But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter:" Genesis 19:4

My husband and I decided to get rid of Cable.  It really wasn't that hard of a decision to make, considering we only watch the News and football; football is over for the year, and we can read the News on an App.

What brought on this decision?  We were tired of getting bombarded with sin.  We were tired of homosexual commercials, homosexual movies and TV shows.  We were tired of seeing women holding infants in their laps attending Drag shows, we were tired of hearing children going on Field Trips to Strip Clubs.  We were tired of nudity, profanity and blasphemy.  Sin entered our home through the TV, and we decided to kick it back out to the curb.

Extreme?  We don't think so.

Years ago, people knew what sin was; they blushed, or they kept their sin secret.  We are living in a different world today.  Not only have people changed the definition of sin, but they also promote it.

Before God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, sin marched proudly in the city streets.  At first sin was content with 'self,' then it began to grow restless, and sin began pounding on the doors of residences in the city.

My friend, we are living in those same days.

How did we get here?

It's my opinion, that while Christians decided to 'love the sinner, hate the sin' we forgot to identify the sin.

Isaiah 5:20 says, "Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; they put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!"

Christian, sin is at our door.

    Have you gone out and joined them?

        Or have you let them in?

             Something to think about-

                But that's just me!

"Our stand and witness for Christ must not be determined by what is popular or safe, but by what is right."  Dr. Paul Chappell

Male and Female

"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them."  Genesis 1:27

"I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made:  marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well."  Psalm 139:14

I read something the other day that grieved my heart.  Birth Certificates will no longer require Gender Identification boxes to be checked and completed by the parent at the child's birth.  This Box will be left unchecked until the child reaches an age when they can decide what gender they want to be.

Another article stated that if a person mistakenly or on-purpose, mis-identifies another person by the wrong pronoun, that person can be sued for hate speech.  Including refusing to acknowledge a human who wants to be identified as an animal.

Have you seen the list of Pronouns?  I cannot keep up with all of them, nor do I understand what half of them are referring to.  

In our world today, everyone has to be a part of a group, tribe, or a people.  They ask to be identified as this or that.

God says we are either male or female; saved or lost.

Yes-it's that simple.

When I am asked how I want to be identified, I will answer-

    "I am a woman and a child of God.  I am a Christian and identify with my Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ.  I am a People of the Cross!"

        But that's just me!

People of the Cross

By Selah 2017

Home, we're heading home,

We journey on to see our Saviour face to face,

Close we're getting close

Our joy is rising higher with each step we take,

Forward on to Jesus.

We are the people of the cross,

We choose Christ and count all else as loss,

We won't be shaken,

Hope won't be taken,

We are the people of the cross.

Grace if not for grace,

We would be lost without the promise that You gave,

Praise be ever praised,

Your Spirit burns within us brighter every day,

Forward on to Jesus.

Jesus we will be faithful till You meet us,

Give us Your courage as we finish,

We want to hear well done.