Category Archives: #31Days2019

Problem~Day 3~31Days2019

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“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7 (NIV)Skitterphoto / Pixabay

Problem

You just don’t expect anything to go wrong in a new house and yet there I was with a problem. A MOUSE problem! As I sat in the early morning quiet, drinking coffee, and minding my own business, an unwelcome sound interrupted the peaceful atmosphere. It couldn’t be! Surely not! But yes, it was the dreaded noise of little gnawing teeth that had caught my attention. Cautiously, I tip toed into the kitchen and there right before my eyes was a furry, pointed nose covered in whiskers poking out from underneath the corner of my stove! I don’t know who was more startled or disgruntled!  My first thought was, “How dare this intruder find a way into my home!” and the next was, “How am I going to get rid of it?”

Since then I’ve also realized I have another intruder. When it’s quiet, especially in the middle of the night, he finds his way into the corners of my thoughts, gnaws away at my confidence, and steals my peace of mind. You may have** guessed it: I have a devil problem, too. Now, how am I going to get rid of IT?

Funny as it seems, the devil and a mouse are an awful lot alike.( Awful being the key word!) A mouse likes to get into what’s stored in your cupboards while the devil digs up what’s stored in your past. Mice leave an evidence trail of filth behind and Satan pollutes our view with evidence of our failures , fears, and temptations. A mouse can actually look cute from afar and the devil knows exactly how to make his ways appear attractive to each of us, too. The mice soon learned how to remove the bait we left without triggering the trap and the evil one is even more cunning than that, ready to take what he can, when he can.

It wasn’t until we found and blocked the place where the mice were actually getting in, that we were finally able to keep our house free from further intrusion. We must do everything we can to block the devil’s attempts to enter into our lives as well.

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.”

“Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” Ephesians 6:10, 13-17 (NIV)

Living in the country, our mouse problem will probably always be on-going but we’ve learned a few things and have gotten some tools to help us keep them out of the house. Living as a Christian, our devil problem will be a continuous one too, but God reminds us to stay alert and He provides each of us with everything we’ll need to make the devil flee: His truth,  righteousness, and peace, our faith in Him, our salvation in Christ, and His Word are the perfect tools to help us ultimately be victorious problem solvers once and for all.

Because God’s children are human beings-made of flesh and blood-the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of  the devil, who had the power of death.” Hebrews 2:14 (NLT)

This post is written as part of the 31 Days of Five Minute Friday Free Writes Challenge. You can read posts from other writers on the same topics over at http://www.fiveminutefriday.com I hope you know that I so appreciate you being here! God bless, Cindy

 

Gift~Day 2~31Days2019

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“I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.” Ephesians 1:16 (NIV)/RyanMcGuire / Pixabay

The Gift of Thank You

My Bible is stuffed full of special things that I treasure.  There are photos, letters, drawings, and special thank you notes. Thank you. Two little words that speak volumes! When words of thanks are shared they bring with them joy, usually result in a smile, and like the ones I’ve received, are treasured. The rewards are not just for those on the receiving end though, as it turns out, the ones offering them benefit too.

There’s power in the gift of a thank you! Power to mend when forgiveness is given. Power to build up when a job’s been well done. Power to honor when a sacrifice has been made. Power in ways we can’t even imagine.  Such little words that make a big difference! Why then, are they used less today instead of more?

Let me ask you a question. When was the last time you told someone thank you and not just as a passing thought but really thanked them? I’m asking myself the same thing. With regret, I often think about people who are no longer with me and how I wish I’d let them know how much I appreciated them when I had the chance. Are there those you think of too? Unfortunately in our world today, we allow ourselves to get so busy, distracted, or self-absorbed that we often take what others do for us for granted and many times don’t think about the impact they’ve made on our lives until it is too late to tell them. We need to make a change. **

Do you remember the story of the ten lepers? Jesus heard them crying out and so he told them to go show themselves to the priests. On their way there, they were healed of their Leprosy.

“One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting, ‘Praise God!’ He fell to the ground at Jesus’ feet, thanking him for what he had done. This man was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, ‘Didn’t I heal ten men? What about the other nine?’ Luke 17:14-15 (NLT)

So, who are we going to be like? The one or the nine?  Here’s a little challenge for you (and me) to help us be like the one: At this very moment, I want you to stop and think about someone who has made a difference, large or small, in your life. Now, let’s go send them a text, an email, or better yet a handwritten note thanking them for what they’ve done. Most likely they aren’t even aware they’ve made a difference so our words will be a precious surprise . And who knows? Maybe our thanks will encourage their thanks. Maybe the giving will feel so good that we’ll offer it more! Whatever the result, there’s one thing I’m sure of : the gift of a thank you is a gift that keeps on giving! My Bible mementos are proof of that!   So, let’s not delay and start giving it today!

Oh, and one more important thing to remember:

“And whatever you do or say, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Colossians 3:17 (NIV)

This post is written as part of the 31 Days of Five Minute Friday Free Writes Challenge. You can read posts from other writers on the same topics over at http://www.fiveminutefriday.com I hope you know that I so appreciate you being here! Thank you! God bless, Cindy

 

31 Days of Pondering Lessons in the Everyday

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“Finally brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things.” Philippians 4:8 (NIV)

October brings brilliantly colored leaves, pumpkins of all sizes, cooler weather, and  of course, the 31 Days of Five Minute Free Writes Challenge! I actually considered not joining this year as my calendar page is already filling up with commitments but it’s something I really look forward to. So, here’s what I’ve decided to do: I’m committed to doing my best to stick to the five minute** time limit (if you’ve been here before you know that really is a “challenge” for me) and to write to as many of the prompts as I can. It’ll be like a little adventure.  Are you with me? I sure hope so! It’s a lot more fun with you along!

I’ve recently gained a new blogging skill and so all my posts for the Challenge this year will be right here in one place! Just click on the link in the Table of Contents below after it goes live to read each post. As always, I appreciate you stopping in and I pray that the lessons I’m learning this month will be meaningful to you, too! 

~Table of Contents~

Why

Gift

Problem

Listen~Out of town

Other~Out of town

Notice~Out of town

Same~Out of town

Gather

Join

Scared

Deep

First

Reach

Voice~Missed

Open~Missed

Avoid

Consistent~Missed (not very consistent!)

Active

Strong

Tell

Person

Sense

Need

Different

Wait

Accept

Better

Test

Practice

Memory

Enjoy

 

Why~Day 1 ~ 31Days2019

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‘Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.” Psalm 43:5 (NIV) / Pixabay

Why?

Those of you who’ve spent any time at all around children have experienced or at least heard about the “Terrible Twos”. But what about the “Terrible Sixties”? I don’t know about you, but sometimes it feels as if I’m stuck in those toddler years! I often want my own way, can throw a  pretty good fit, and find myself repeating the question “Why?” over and over again.

Things happen in this life that I just don’t understand. Upheaval in the world, tragedies in my community, and very personal disappointments within my own family. I know you’ve been there, too.  We pray and pray but the answer we get isn’t always the one we hope for.  It’s in those very times that I raise my hands in despair and ask “why?”.** I need an attitude adjustment! And then, that still, small, Voice reminds me:

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9 (NIV)

And there’s another voice, that of my mother-in-love, that also reminds me that God doesn’t make mistakes. The truth is we can’t begin to know why things happen the way they do to the people they happen to. Life often just doesn’t make sense to us. It’s when we begin to let go of our toddler ways though, that we can then grow in our faith and put our trust in God’s plan. Inch by inch we start to realize it doesn’t have to make sense to us because we know Who’s in control. It isn’t always easy and just like a toddler I still have a lot to learn! How about you? But when we put our hope in God, we have a wonderful promise to look forward to! The time when:

“…’God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them.  They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.’ ” Revelation 21:3b-4 (NIV)

Just imagine: no tears, no pain, no mourning!  And….no more “why’s?”!

This post is written as part of the 31 Days of Five Minute Friday Free Writes Challenge. You can read posts from other writers on the same topics over at http://www.fiveminutefriday.com I hope you know that I so appreciate you being here! God bless, Cindy