Walk by Faith Ministry

Brand New Website....!

2015-05-27T09:13:00.003-04:00

I am blessed and so thankful to officially announce after many years using the current website, that I have taken a big leap of faith and landed gratefully and excitedly in a brand new place - with a wonderful new website. Please visit it here: WALK BY FAITH MINISTRY

The Latest from Lara

2015-04-28T11:40:00.001-04:00

Just in case anyone is wondering where I have gone since I normally write almost Daily Inspiration regularly, I have been very busy working with a wonderful volunteer on a very exciting, brand new, and greatly expanded website for Walk by Faith Ministry. I have also been exhausted from my usual over-the-top drive to press ever forward in my life's calling to share the Gospel while ministering the Lord's love to a world in need. Suffice it to say I have been dancing back and forth between hard work and trying to catch up on rest.............Thank you for your patience, and I look forward to getting to share with you sometime soon the new website with what I hope and trust will be plenty of new writing & lots of other blessings.

Crazy Man Becomes Model for Us All - BIBLE TAKEOUT 4/20

2015-04-20T14:07:00.004-04:00

The man was so crazy he could break out of the chains people tried to bind him in. The tombs were his home, and the stones he found were used for self-mutilation. No human being could help him. Jesus healed him. The story of how Jesus cast the devils possessing the man into a herd of swine might threaten to steal the show, but don't miss the message this true story contains for us all.

When we place our faith in the Lord and truly come to know Him by studying God's Word and developing a deeply personal, intimate relationship with the Lord, and when we reflect on all the Lord has done for us from dying on the cross to forgiving us and blessing us each and every day, we can be tempted to keep His everlasting love and endless blessings to ourselves for our own enjoyment and benefit. The man whom Jesus healed asked Jesus to be with him so they could be together. Jesus told the man instead to go out into the world and to proclaim what Jesus had done. The man obeyed.

We need to maintain a healthy balance of spending time alone with the Lord in repentance, thanksgiving, prayer, Bible study, seeking His face, listening to Him and obeying Him, and enjoying His presence - and going out into the world to share the Gospel and minister His love to a world in desperate need of Him.

If you do not have this healthy balance, make the changes you need to make!

Mar 5:1 And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes.

Mar 5:2 And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit,

Mar 5:3 Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains:

Mar 5:4 Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him.

Mar 5:5 And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones.

Mar 5:6 But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him,

Mar 5:7 And cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not.

Mar 5:8 For he said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit.

Mar 5:9 And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many.

Mar 5:10 And he besought him much that he would not send them away out of the country.

Mar 5:11 Now there was there nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine feeding.

Mar 5:12 And all the devils besought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them.

Mar 5:13 And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand;) and were choked in the sea.

Mar 5:14 And they that fed the swine fled, and told it in the city, and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that was done.

Mar 5:15 And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid.

Mar 5:16 And they that saw it told them how it befell to him that was possessed with the devil, and also concerning the swine.

Mar 5:17 And they began to pray him to depart out of their coasts.

Mar 5:18 And when he was come into the ship, he that had been possessed with the devil prayed him that he might be with him.

Mar 5:19 Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee.

Mar 5:20 And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did marvel.

Giving Gifts to People Who Don't Thank Us - DAILY INSPIRATION 4/15

2015-04-15T12:35:00.003-04:00

When a friend shared with me how hurt she was when the recipients of a gift she had sent did not thank her, I knew how she felt. In fact, not long afterward, I sent a precious gift to someone and did not receive an acknowledgement let alone a thank you. Soon after, someone told me I deserved for the recipient of my gift to receive it in the same light I had sent it - which had certainly not been the case. But I have learned to see the giving of gifts in a new light. The 3 greatest lessons on giving I have learned are these:

1. The 2 greatest gifts ever given were when God sacrificed His only begotten Son Jesus Christ AND when Jesus sacrificed His life on the cross to bear the punishment for all our sins so that those who repent and believe in Christ as Lord are forgiven and promised everlasting life. Who are we to hold onto the hurt of people not thanking us for the little gifts we give when the Lord is never adequately acknowledged and thanked for His gifts either by those who utterly reject Him or by those who believe in Him but fall short daily in thanking Him for His endless blessings and in thanking Him by how we live our lives?

photo in background from pixabay.com

2. The Lord calls us in His Word to love, serve, and give, but nowhere in the Bible does it say we should do so for our own satisfaction and so people will make us feel good with how they respond. We should do so out of our love for the Lord and our obedience to Him.

3. We are commanded by God to forgive those who reject us and hurt us in any way, and we are supposed to keep our hearts filled with the love and mercy and forgiveness of the Lord Jesus Christ rather than with hurt and self-pity and anger and vengeance and such. If we are holding onto these things in our hearts, we need to repent of them as sin and turn our hearts once more unto the Lord.

I still struggle with hurt and rejection when they come my way, and I can get upset when someone does not acknowledge or thank me for something I have given them or done for them. But this is all about self and not about the Lord. So I repent once more and turn unto the Lord who is the greatest giver of all.

Is it time to do a spring cleaning in your heart? If you are holding onto hurt, anger, rejection, vengeance, self-pity, anything at all that is not of the Lord, get out your vacuum cleaner, confess your sins to the Lord, receive His forgiveness and cleansing, and choose to walk in the ways of the Lord. Let His love prevail!

When Your Loved Ones Break Your Heart - DAILY INSPIRATION 4/14

2015-04-14T17:03:00.001-04:00

I couldn't have felt more hurt and angry, but then anger is relative. And if the truth be known, I had felt plenty more hurt and angry - for years in fact. I had learned long ago that hurt and anger go with the territory of when loved ones break our hearts. I should know. Looking back at my life, those who should have loved me the most hurt me the most. But that was not all. The stuff they had done, and the things they had not done, were nothing when compared with their refusal to acknowledge their wrongdoing, to take responsibility for it, to say they were sorry, to make any kind of genuine amends. That, in fact, was what hurt the most. I shouldn't have been surprised, then, when I found myself consumed one evening yet again with all the old hurt - and all the old anger. It hadn't just taken up residence in a corner of my mind; it had once again completely taken it over. Until -

The greatest lessons I have learned about when loved ones break our hearts are these:

1. God doesn't just ask us to forgive; He commands us to forgive.
2. Our love and forgiveness for others must not be contingent on what others do or don't do; they must be contingent on God.
3. Our motive for forgiving must not be for ourselves; it should be for the Lord.
4. Genuine forgiveness must come from the heart whereby we repent of our hurt and anger, utterly releasing it, and replace our negative thoughts with the love of Jesus Christ for those who have hurt us.
5. God will enable us to love and forgive others when we repent of our sins, replace our faith in Christ as Lord, immerse ourselves in study and application of the Bible, and ask God to help us love with His love and forgive those who have hurt us

Though I had returned to the sin of walking around with consuming thoughts of hurt and anger, I did not remain there as I had for so many years past. I recognized my sin of harboring such bad feeling and thoughts, I asked God to forgive me for the junk I held in my heart which also included judging others, I asked Him to help me to forgive my loved ones who had continued to break my heart, and I went one step further. I asked God to help me to have love and mercy and compassion toward them. By His grace alone, within less than an hour, I felt I could easily start crying for the grief I found inside my heart for my loved ones who did not yet know the love of Jesus Christ, who were headed down paths of utter destruction, and who did not know that they could live an altogether different way if only they would yield their lives to the Lord God almighty. The very next day, even as the old junk began to reassert itself in my heart, the Lord tugged on my heartstrings and reminded me of what I needed to do. Love and forgive. Just minutes after I had the opportunity to talk to one of my loved ones, I found myself weeping as I implored the Lord to work in their hearts and lives and save them. I knelt on the ground, tears coming, with my hands held up to heaven, begging God to draw them to Himself.

The Lord had taken me from hurt and anger to forgiveness, and then one giant step more. To having in my heart the love and mercy that He has for us all if only we would turn away from our wicked ways and turn to Him with our whole hearts and lives. He has given me His love for others - even those who break my heart.

If your heart has been broken by a loved one, yield yourself to the Lord, purge your heart of all wrong thoughts and feelings and your life of all wrong actions, repent of your sins, receive the Lord's forgiveness, and ask Him to enable you to love and forgive as He does. Not for yourself, but for Him. Rest assured the blessing you find in choosing to love and forgive and pray for the very ones who have broken your heart will be beyond measure.

Best Exercise in the Universe GUARANTEED - Daily Inspiration 4/11

2015-04-11T16:50:00.000-04:00

Surely I qualify for the world's record when it comes to the least amount of gyms joined, the lowest attendance for the scattering of gyms I did join, the minimum attention given to my physical fitness and appearance outside of my passion for walking, and the worst knowledge ever when it comes to staying up on the latest fitness trends. Not only did I give up making new year's resolutions years ago, but I would be a total failure from day one if I ever resolved to become a fitness fanatic - for even a day. Call me a loser when it comes to exercise, but if there is one thing I do know amid a culture that is over-the-top obsessed with gyms, sports, exercise, and up-to-the-minute get-in-the-best-shape-ever trends, I know this. There is what seems to be a perhaps little known scripture in the Bible that appears to get crushed under our culture's sneakers-clad stampede to the gym.

1Ti 4:8 For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.

In the grand scheme of things, at the end of the day, in the context of the bigger picture, as far as eternity is concerned, even as our everyday lives are considered, as important as exercise most assuredly is to help keep our physical bodies in good health, there is NOTHING more important in the world than exercising godliness by not only believing in Jesus Christ as Lord, but by following Him. We need to put on our sneakers every morning, suit up in the godliness to which we are called, and walk through each day with the Lord as we learn to leave behind the ways of this world and live according to the ways of the Lord as He teaches us in His Word. We need to exercise our minds by studying His Word, and exercise our entire selves by repenting of our sins, purifying ourselves before our holy God, and getting in tip-top spiritual shape.

If you've ever enjoyed a runner's high, or reaped the rewards of looking in the mirror and smiling at your growing muscles, or looked down on the scale and been thrilled with the results of your new fitness plan, or rejoiced at watching the sweat fall off your body as you learned the latest fitness trend, or felt refreshed and revived after your best workout ever, you ain't seen nothing yet. There is nothing - NOTHING - as important, as vital, as life-changing, as eternally rewarding, as everlasting, as repenting of your sins, believing Jesus died on the cross for you, and living your life day by day, breath by breath, following the Lord as He leads you in the transformation process we undergo to be fit for His Kingdom - for now and for ever! Amen.

Why You Should Never Say Never - DAILY INSPIRATION

2015-04-10T16:33:00.001-04:00

I must have sounded like a broken record to all who cared to listen. Over and over. Again and again. Records might have gone out of style decades ago, but I just couldn't help myself. I am not getting any more dogs in the future. I am not getting any more dogs in the future. Then, just in case anyone in fact was bothering to listen, I had more to say. Again and again. I have 17 mostly special needs and senior rescued dogs in my care, and that's just a small part of my ministry. I haven't traveled for a single night for over 4.5 years because of the dogs. I AM NOT GETTING ANY MORE DOGS IN THE FUTURE. For anyone old enough to have lived during the days of records and record players, there was only one good fix for a broken record. Lift up the little arm with the needle, remove the record from the spindle, and onward. But the old-fashioned way of removing a broken record from the player would most assuredly not suffice when it came to my broken record about the dogs. For I needed a much bigger fix than that. And the Lord made that abundantly clear one day as I bustled through the yard caring for the dogs. In His infinite love, patience, grace, and mercy, the Lord revealed to me that day in my heart that Little Miss Broken Record needed to repent. But why?

I used to lovingly, albeit sometimes impatiently, scold a beloved friend of mine for always declaring what she would NEVER do in the future, who would NEVER change, what would NEVER happen, etc. Little did I know I needed to hold up my little hand-held oval mirror, sufficiently big enough to take in my whole mouth, and realize what exactly I - yes, I - had been doing regarding the dogs. I had foolishly, selfishly, made up my mind about my entire future regarding special needs and senior dogs in need and made it abundantly clear to the Lord that I - yes, me - am obviously in charge of my own life.

How quickly I found myself repenting! God forgive me. And come to think of it, I had no right to merely seek His forgiveness for deciding my future regarding dogs, but for every time I have ever walked around like a broken record believing and deciding that I will NEVER EVER do something in the future. After all, am I not Little Miss Ministry who is constantly professing to the world that I BELONG TO THE LORD? Yes, that's me! And this, my fundamental genuine belief that I really am the Lord's, is exactly why when I find my flesh running in entirely the opposite direction of what God's Bible teaches me, is why I need to confess my wrongs when I stumble upon them, seek the Lord's forgiveness, and proceed to walk - and talk - in the right direction. HIS. For HIM. The Lord has lovingly, and faithfully, reminded me that His Word teaches us to leave the future in His amazing, knowing, skilled and loving hands.

If you have ever found yourself saying NEVER about the future, perhaps you, too, need the reminder that the future is the Lord's. And if you repent and believe the Gospel that Christ is Lord and died on the cross for you and genuinely commit your life to the Lord, then you, too, are His. Never say never, dear friend. Instead, let God take care of your tomorrows. As for this day, make the decision to live for Him and let Him lead the way.

Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: 14 Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. 15 For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. James 4:13-15

Are You a People Pleaser? DAILY INSPIRATION 4/8

2015-04-09T07:28:00.001-04:00

Are you a people pleaser? How often I hear words like these. I struggle with people pleasing, people tell me. I have trouble saying no, people share with me. I just want people to like me, some think to themselves. I keep saying yes because I don't want to hurt that person's feelings, some figure. One would think people pleasing is a virtual epidemic given how often through the years I have heard people share their so-called struggle with people pleasing. And I have most assuredly not been immune. Whether we are predisposed to people pleasing because we fear people's reactions, fear people's rejection, want to be loved, desire acceptance, seek approval, yearn to be popular, hope not to hurt people's feelings, have abandonment or abuse issues, or anything else for that matter, the world teaches that the cure is as simple as this. Just say no. But the Bible has something altogether different - and life-changing - to say.

While psychiatrists, psychologists, and self-help books may be quick to say the root of the problem goes back to our childhoods, to unfaithful spouses, to all sorts of hurts and fears and who knows what else, and while those of us who have faced the struggle of people pleasing are so often told that we need to learn to put ourselves first and set boundaries with others, the Bible does not teach us that self is the answer. So what then is the root of the problem, and what then is the answer?

Quite simply, God did not create us to love ourselves with all our hearts and minds; He created us to love Him with all our hearts and minds (Matthew 22:37). He did not create us to serve ourselves; He created us to serve Him. He did not create us to put ourselves first; He created us to put Him first. And He did not create us to fear people and how they will respond to us; He created us to fear Him. He created us to love, respect, revere, and, yes, to fear Him. We were created to love and worship and obey Him. Yet in our me-centered lives, and our me-centered world, we learn that we should put ourselves first. And for those of us who have struggled with people pleasing, we learn to manipulate others to love and accept us by trying to please them. Where does God fit into this me-centered equation. He does not! And therein lies the problem. People pleasing isn't just a problem, then; it is a sin. For to fear humans instead of God, to manipulate others by pleasing them to make ourselves happy and content, to desire to please ourselves and other people before pleasing God, to fear humanity rather than to fear God, this is all sin against the Lord. And the answer is simple. We need to repent for our sins against God, place our trust in Jesus as Lord who died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins, receive God's forgiveness and mercy, and commit ourselves to the ways of the Lord as the Bible teaches us. The freedom we will find in living for the Lord instead of living for ourselves and ever trying to please others to get what we want is one of the countless rewards we will discover in loving and serving the Lord with all our hearts and minds as He created us to do.

If you struggle with people pleasing, recognize it as sin against God, and are truly sorry for sinning against Him, repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, commit your ways unto God, dig into the Bible daily for teaching and transformation, and enjoy the endless blessings of living for the Lord God almighty instead of living according to the me-centered ways of this world!

BELOW are some of the numerous scriptures in the Bible teaching us to fear the Lord. These scriptures are from www.kingjamesbibleonline.org.

Proverbs 1:7 - The fear of the LORD [is] the beginning of knowledge: [but] fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Proverbs 8:13 - The fear of the LORD [is] to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.

Matthew 10:28 - And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

Ecclesiastes 12:13 - Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this [is] the whole [duty] of man.

Proverbs 14:26 - In the fear of the LORD [is] strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge.

Job 28:28 - And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that [is] wisdom; and to depart from evil [is] understanding.

Psalms 33:8 - Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.

Deuteronomy 10:12 - And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul,

Proverbs 14:27 - The fear of the LORD [is] a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death.

Proverbs 3:7 - Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.

Psalms 25:14 - The secret of the LORD [is] with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant.

Luke 1:50 - And his mercy [is] on them that fear him from generation to generation.

Psalms 111:10 - The fear of the LORD [is] the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do [his commandments]: his praise endureth for ever.

Psalms 86:11 - Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name.

Isaiah 41:10 - Fear thou not; for I [am] with thee: be not dismayed; for I [am] thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

Philippians 2:12-13 - Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. (Read More...)

Proverbs 16:6 - By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD [men] depart from evil.

Psalms 34:9 - O fear the LORD, ye his saints: for [there is] no want to them that fear him.

Come Follow Me - DAILY INSPIRATION 4/7/2015

2015-04-07T07:07:00.002-04:00

Come follow me. No, please don't follow me. This isn't about me. It's about Him. Jesus. I don't want you to follow me. Follow Him. See, we aren't just called to believe in Jesus as Lord. We are called to follow Him. But some of us aren't even believing. And those who are believing aren't necessarily following. And those who are following sometimes are pickers and choosers when it comes to following. I will follow you IF. I will follow you WHEN. I will follow you IF ONLY. I will follow you UNTIL. But there are no conditions on following Jesus. We are called to follow. Period. And not only are we called to follow, as though we should pack our little suitcases and trollop off on our little vacation getaways so we can enjoy all the happy stuff entailed with following the Lord, but we are not called to take up our suitcases at all. We are called to take up our crosses. Crosses? Yes. Crosses. But why?

Because following Jesus involves a death. Not His. He already died and rose again. The death must be ours. We are called to die to ourselves - to our sins, lusts, wants and desires, our own plans and agendas, our wrong ways, our wicked thinking, our hurts, our self-centered mentalities. To follow Jesus wholeheartedly, we need to nail our sins to the cross, sacrifice our own dreams for our lives, and choose to live according to the ways of the Lord. We need to be willing to go where He sends us, to do what He wants us to do, to say what He wants us to say, to live How He wants us to live, and to learn to live in His will rather than our own. If this all sounds rather unappealing, if not exceedingly challenging if not rather impossible, let me say this. It is totally unappealing, exceedingly challenging, and thoroughly impossible in terms of our human flesh that wants to wave its magic wand, throw around its silver spoons, and bang its tiny fists in temper upon its highchair. I speak from experience. But this is not all.

The breathtaking love, the untold joy, the utterly amazing hope, the infinite peace, the majestic promise of eternity with God in heaven, the excitement and thrill and privilege and blessing of being called to follow the Lord Himself, the ecstasy of having an intimate relationship that goes on forever and ever with God Himself, the unconditional and amazing blessing of having 24-7 access to the Lord's love, mercy, grace, and forgiveness, the fact that we can seek God and hear Him, the reality that we have the Bible to teach, change, instruct, and guide us, are just a few of the unbelievably countless results of making the decision - and commitment - to follow the Lord. Our death to self then, the challenges along the way that can seem excruciatingly painful at times, the trials and tribulations that come as we walk step by step after the Lord, they cannot and do not in any way compare ultimately to the promise of everlasting life and all the blessings that come along the way as we come and follow the Lord.

The rich young ruler in the Bible refused to give up his treasures - his possessions - to come and follow Jesus the Lord. Is there something in your life you have been unwilling to give up in order to wholeheartedly, unreservedly, come and follow the Lord Jesus Christ? Don't wait another minute. Repent of your sins, put your trust in Jesus as Lord, take up your cross, and come and follow the Lord. There is no greater, no more important, and no greater reward ultimately than following Jesus the Christ!

Mar 10:17 And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?
Mar 10:18 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.
Mar 10:19 Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother.
Mar 10:20 And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth.
Mar 10:21 Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.
Mar 10:22 And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions.

Delivering Dreams - Daily Inspiration 4/6/2015

2015-04-06T12:15:00.003-04:00

One day as I drove behind a truck with a huge advertisement on its posterior with the slogan, "Delivering Dreams", I couldn't help but think of how we as humans can so easily fall prey to believing God is seated on His throne in heaven so we can wave our magic wands and He can deliver our dreams - on our timetable, mind you. How often have we all heard the mottoes, "follow your dreams" and "achieve your dreams"? But is this really how we should encourage one another, or is there a better way?

photo in background from pixabay.com

For decades, I lived to achieve my dreams. I was elated when I would achieve one; I was deflated when I failed to secure one. I was overzealous as I chased after one; I was miserable when I was too depressed and mired in personal challenges to have any dreams. I was on a roller-coaster of dreams. When I became a genuinely committed follower of Jesus Christ, I unfastened my seat-belt, got off the roller-coaster, picked up my Bible, began to develop an amazingly beautiful, intense, personal relationship with God, and started to learn how to seek the Lord's face in prayer, study, and hearing Him speak into my heart His dreams for my life. Yes, His will for my life.

I no longer chase my dreams for my life. Why? My life is His. Now I chase after Him and His Word. And the more I seek Him, the more I find Him, the more I love Him, and the more I desire to serve and please Him by pursuing Him and His will for my life. I no longer expect God to deliver my dreams. What I do expect, however, is that He will show me His will and equip me to find and live the dreams He has for the precious life He has given me. Not for me; for Him!

Are you expecting God to deliver your dreams? Would you consider sacrificing your dreams, repenting of your sins, placing your trust in Jesus Christ, and pursuing His dreams for your life instead?

Heb 13:20 Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,

Heb 13:21 Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Enjoying Beach Ministry as New Season Starts Off....

2015-04-04T13:45:00.001-04:00

How does beach ministry work? As the Lord leads..........I take some of the very special ministry dogs to the beach - often the wheelchair dogs - and do my best to listen for the voice of the Lord as He tugs on my heartstrings and provides opportunities as crowds gather around the dogs to talk about the Lord....! Some days are quiet. Others are full of opportunities. No matter what, I am blessed to have a heart overflowing with the love of the Lord Jesus Christ and my endless passion to tell the world about Him......in this case, just yards away from the glorious ocean that only the Lord God almighty could have created with such amazing beauty....!

In Pursuit of Pleasure - Are You Leaving God Behind? DAILY INSPIRATION 4/3

2015-04-03T10:23:00.001-04:00

Are you looking for happiness and pleasure, or are you looking for God? Are you seeking to satisfy your flesh, or are you seeking to satisfy the will of the Lord? Are you living to achieve your dreams, or are you living to pursue God's calling on your life? These may be difficult questions to consider, but there is a question much more challenging than this one. Are you willing to lay aside your desire for happiness, and your pursuit of pleasure, and the satisfaction of your flesh, and the dreams that you have clung to, to relentlessly, emphatically, passionately pursue the Lord and His purpose for your life? Moses, who led the children of Israel out of horrific bondage in Egypt, forsook his own pleasure to fulfill the Lord's calling on his life to deliver the people. Though Jewish, he had been adopted into Pharaoh's family and could have had an amazing life of pleasure and luxury in the eyes of the world. But he did not seek to live a life of happiness and pleasure; he sought to live for the Lord.

Heb 11:23 By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king's commandment.
Heb 11:24 By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter;
Heb 11:25 Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;
Heb 11:26 Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.

background photo from pixabay.com

The world and culture in which we live are focused relentlessly on loving and pleasing ourselves, on finding happiness, on accumulating wealth, on decorating our houses to the utmost, on filling up our bank accounts to overflowing, on building up our resumes to get the best possible jobs and climb the world's corporate ladders, to look as good as we possibly can on the outside, and to fall asleep in front of our televisions with our remote controls in our hands as we flip from channel to channel of our lives to find the most comfortable, the most secure, the most pleasurable lives we possibly can and leave behind us legacies of happily ever afters and big inheritances for our loved ones if we're still speaking to them. And off we go to wherever we go next - heaven or hell, for eternity. Many of us even sit every Sunday on beautifully polished antique church pews with our Bibles clutched in our well manicured hands looking forward to our after-church all-you-can-eat buffets figuring we've paid our dues to God for the week and now we can hurry back to our next golf games, meetings with investments advisers, and take our grandchildren on endless shopping sprees without ever giving thought to sitting them down and sharing the Gospel with them. Once in a while we manage to squeeze a quick prayer into our schedules, a brief conversation about the new pastor at the church we attend, and even a quickly passing thought about God.

Moses might not have left this earth with his bucket list all neatly checked off as a result of living his life to satisfy his lusts and longings, but he lived an indescribably extraordinary life because he did what we are all called to do. He lived for the Lord.

Perhaps we need to ask ourselves this question. Are we living our lives in pursuit of happiness, or are we living our lives in pursuit of God? At the end of the day, when we all stand before the Lord and give account of our lives, we will undoubtedly find our answer. But why wait until that day comes? Why not begin this very day to repent of our sins, to place our trust in Christ the Lord who died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins, to commit to live according to the will and ways of the Lord, and to open our Bibles and begin to live the way we were intended. For the glory of the Lord. The pleasures of this world, which are only temporal, will give us temporary satisfaction. But there is no greater, and everlasting, joy than a life grounded in faith in Christ Jesus and lived utterly for the Lord God almighty, our beloved Father in heaven whose loves goes on for eternity.

When God Says It's Time to Move On - DAILY INSPIRATION 4/2

2015-04-02T09:51:00.002-04:00

If you have ever felt upset, scared, overwhelmed, even angry, because you believe God has called you to leave behind a job, a relationship, a house, an opportunity, etc., that was perhaps comfortable, maybe rewarding and enjoyable, or simply familiar and seemingly secure, imagine how Abraham felt when God told him to leave behind his country and home, his family and friends, absolutely everything he had known. How many of us try to hang on for dear life to what God is calling us to leave behind, or get in God's faces waving our little fists and silver spoons, declaring that we can't possibly make the change He is calling us to make? How many of us respond with resistance and even rebellion when in fact we should respond as Abraham did? With faith, submission, and obedience. Have you ever felt like God is telling you to move on, to make a change, to leave something or someone behind, to let go, to move forward wherever He desires, and you have found yourself resisting, refusing to realize that God knows what He is doing and that His plan is always best?

Gen 12:1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
Gen 12:2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
Gen 12:3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
Gen 12:4 So Abram departed,

Abraham's response to God, despite how foolish and terrifying it might have seemed to leave behind everything without knowing where he was going or what would happen outside of God's promise to make him a father of many nations and bless him which must have seemed incredibly far-fetched if not intangible, was simple. He got up and went. How many of us do the exact opposite, refusing to trust Him, refusing to take our feet off the brakes, stubbornly and fearfully clutching to everything or anything or everyone or anyone right where we are while refusing to pack our bags and go wherever He is sending us, refusing to move forward with our lives to go where He is sending us to do what He wants us to do with or without knowing exactly what He has planned? God made Abraham a father of many nations just as He said He would, and this never would have been possible if Abraham had not let go of the comfortable, and the familiar, and what he had known for so long, and departed with the Lord leading the way.

photo in background from pixabay.com

We live in such a me-centered world, and a me-centered culture, that sometimes we lose sight of who we are and of who God is. We are not on this earth to wave our little magic wands at God so He will answer to our every wish and want while we cling with all our might to what we desire and find comfortable, secure, and familiar. We are on this earth to repent of our sins, to believe in Christ as Lord, to submit our lives to God, to grow in His image, and to prepare our hearts and lives to spend eternity with Him. If we believe He is Lord, and have truly committed to follow Him, then when God tells us to leave someone or something behind and to go where He is sending us, then we will yield ourselves to the almighty and do as Abraham did. Believe. Submit. And go - wherever He leads, not to bring ourselves pleasure, but to bring Him glory above all else.

Is there something or someone you believe God is calling you to leave behind? Study the Bible diligently, seek the Lord's face passionately, pray and listen, seek godly counsel if you need it, be absolutely certain you are hearing from Him as God will never speak against His own Word, and be sure not to cling to the person or thing. Cling to Him, and follow Him - always!

Right Heart, Wrong Opportunity

2015-04-01T05:59:00.000-04:00

Some years ago, I found myself deeply engrossed - and entrenched - in focusing my heart, mind, and actions on seeking, picking up, organizing, and distributing physical provisions for homeless people and others in need of stuff. How surprised I was when the Lord got in my face one day to lovingly convict me of wrongdoing. I had the right heart in that I loved Him beyond description and wanted to serve Him in part by helping people in need, but I was involved in the wrong endeavor.

photo in background from pixabay.com

As I had become consumed with spending much of my time being a conduit for His physical provisions for people in need, I became distracted from doing what He had actually called me to do. Did He want me to help people in need? Yes. But He has called me to evangelism and writing tracts, devotionals, and books as I share the Gospel and help people to study and apply the Bible to their lives. By spending so much of my time focused on the physical provisions, I did not have the time, energy or focus to pursue my calling. I quickly repented, let go of the responsibilities I had taken on contrary to His will, and began a day by day journey of learning to seek His face daily in order to learn to hear and obey His will for my life.

Many years ago, I heard a pastor tell his congregation that when we do a job that God has not called us to do, we are standing in the way of someone else's calling. So not only was I not doing what God had called me to do, but I was standing in the way of someone else's job. God created the Body of Christ with countless members, each of whom is given responsibilities so that we all function together as one healthy, united, Christ-centered whole with Jesus as our head. I had been engrossed - and entrenched - in the wrong opportunity despite having the right heart. I needed to move my right heart to the right opportunity in order to please and bring glory to the Lord. My thoughts had been engrossed in the wrong opportunity, and my feet had been entrenched in the wrong place. I had to move my mind and feet to where the Lord wanted me - solidly planted in His love, in His will, for His glory!

Do you seek the Lord daily in His Word and keep your spiritual ears and heart open for Him to speak to you as He leads you so your heart, mind, and feet are where He wants you? Make a commitment to study His Word and seek His face daily as you learn to hear His voice and follow His lead. To God be ALL glory!

Co 12:4 Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.
1Co 12:5 And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord.
1Co 12:6 And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.
1Co 12:7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.
1Co 12:8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;
1Co 12:9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;
1Co 12:10 To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:
1Co 12:11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.
1Co 12:12 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.
1Co 12:13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
1Co 12:14 For the body is not one member, but many.
1Co 12:15 If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
1Co 12:16 And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
1Co 12:17 If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?
1Co 12:18 But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.
1Co 12:19 And if they were all one member, where were the body?
1Co 12:20 But now are they many members, yet but one body.
1Co 12:21 And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.
1Co 12:22 Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary:
1Co 12:23 And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness.
1Co 12:24 For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked:
1Co 12:25 That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.
1Co 12:26 And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.
1Co 12:27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.
1Co 12:28 And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.
1Co 12:29 Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles?
1Co 12:30 Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret?
1Co 12:31 But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way.

The Only Thing that Matters - DAILY INSPIRATION 3/31

2015-03-31T11:59:00.000-04:00

One of my favorite things in the whole world to do is to snuggle up on my little feather bed and pile of comforters I have fashioned into a bed in the tiny corner of my little room that is mostly occupied by paralyzed dogs Mr. Simeon and Miss Mercy, severely disabled Little Miss Miracles, and oh so elderly Speckles and Elijah who spend most of their lives cuddled up in their own little beds - and STUDY THE BIBLE, SEEK THE LORD'S FACE, and WRITE. But as much as I love to write almost Daily Inspiration online, and my Gospel tracts and devotionals, and books as the Lord leads me, my absolute favorite writing is in the little notebooks I fill with pouring my heart out to the Lord, Bible study notes, and the messages He pours into my heart. Every once in a while, I cannot help but publish the words that come to me in these so-called "God's Notebooks." Like these. . .

Have you ever found yourself caught up in a whirlwind of activity, in a flurry of chaos, in a maelstrom of choices and possibilities and opportunities - only to find yourself spinning in so many directions you can hardly find yourself able to focus - if you can focus at all? Perhaps this little piece from my heart might point you in the right direction (this little preface added). . .

Lord, I caught myself before I went running in a million directions. I remembered that the only thing that truly matters at the end of the day is you. Not all the little scattered thoughts, not the grievances and the stuff that can be so irritating, not how people have upset me and how clearly some I see I still must forgive, not the never-ending long mental list of things I convince myself I absolutely must do (today, mind you), not all the achievements and accomplishments the world tried to convince me I needed to make, nor to take the bait the devil never stops holding out tantalizingly before me, no, none of this matters really, not in the grand scheme of things. It is all a temptation, a distraction, a way I have spent so much of my life hanging onto for dear life the [people and stuff of this world] as I was pulled and sucked away [and still so easily can be] from what I now know is my one true, and greatest love - you. [At the end of the day, of each and every day, Lord, and at the end of our very lives, Lord, you are the one that matters!]

So God, I ask this day, and that each and every day, you would remind me to turn away from all the noise and chaos of this world not to mention this human flesh of mine that can get so easily pulled under this great riptide of life as so many of us humans know it, and help me to focus on you, to hear your will, and to have the discipline and desire and ability to please you in all that I do. This I pray, oh Lord, from my heart to you. Amen.

If this piece from my heart has touched you in any way, please don't pray my little prayer. Pray your very own! For God sees each and every one of our hearts. . .

When Hide and Go Seek Is a Deadly Game - DAILY INSPIRATION 3/30

2015-03-30T15:33:00.000-04:00

Call it a decades-overdue confession, but here it is anyway. When I played hide and go seek as a child, I convinced myself that if I shut my eyes really tight and covered my face with my hands while hiding, at least that is how I recall it anyway, nobody would ever see me because I couldn't see anybody outside my shut eyes and covered face. Makes sense, doesn't it? That was the self-centered little girl's world I lived in, I suppose. Little did I know how deadly this game could be when played as an adult - not just for me, but for the world at large.

photo in background from morguefile.com

As I dug in for the umpteenth time to studying the Book of Revelation, after years of staying as far away from it as possible given how difficult I have found it to understand, I stumbled upon a "little" verse that blew me utterly away, not to mention brought fresh to my mind my little girl's foolish belief about hide and go seek. "...and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins [the inmost mind according to Strong's concordance] and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works (Rev. 2:23)."

How many of us as adults walk around our lives utterly convinced that if we try to hide ourselves from God by not giving Him our love, our time, our care, and our study of His Word, He cannot see us? Of course we cannot hide from God. He sees everything. EVERYTHING. Right down to our every thought. Even for those of us who believe in Him and love Him, how many of us convince ourselves that if we hold back and hide parts of our lives - the undesirable parts - that He will not see them? How many of us believe we will not be held accountable nor suffer the consequences for the sins we have foolishly tried to keep hidden behind tightly shut eyes and hands-covered faces?

That scripture blew me away because God makes it utterly clear that HE SEES OUR MINDS, HE SEES OUR HEARTS, and HE SEES OUR ACTIONS. And the Bible makes it clear that OUR MINDS, OUR HEARTS, and OUR ACTIONS are all linked together. God commands us to love AND serve Him with ALL OUR HEARTS and ALL OUR MINDS (Joshua 22:5). Repentance and faith in Christ as Lord bring God's forgiveness, but this is just the beginning. True repentance and faith are followed by a life dedicated to purifying our hearts, minds, and actions such that we may be pleasing in God's sight and bring Him glory.

When I opened my eyes and took my hands off my face and became an adult, I looked back and saw how foolish I was as a child playing hide and go seek to think nobody could see me because I couldn't see them. But then, the hide and go seek I played all those years ago was only a child's game. Playing hide and go seek with God comes with eternal consequences. In fact, it is a dangerous, and ultimately deadly, game when we do not quit hiding, take our hands off our faces, open our eyes and hearts to the Lord, and repent, believe in, and follow the Lord.

If you have convinced yourself you can hide any area of your life from God, whether it be your mind, your heart, or your actions, open your eyes, take your hands off your face, and stop playing hide and go seek with the Lord. Repent of your sins, believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and commit to follow Him now and forever.

How Do You Measure Up Spiritually? DAILY INSPIRATION 3/27

2015-03-27T12:06:00.001-04:00

"I want to grow until I die," I heard a man say many years ago. I was stunned - and deeply inspired - by the comment. As a child, I had had a desperate desire to grow since I was what at the time was called a "late bloomer". I was always behind everyone else in my physical growth. Suffice it to say, I was very short. But clearly this man didn't need to grow; he was already a few inches over six feet! He wanted to grow spiritually for the rest of his life. And when I heard his comment, I was years past being short; I had grown physically to a fairly average height. Yet it was utterly obvious I had tons of growing to do spiritually. Little did I know the lesson I would come to learn about spiritual growth.

photo in background from pixabay

God created us to grow in His image, but spiritual growth does not necessarily mean we are growing in the image of God. Why? Because we can grow in the ways of this world, or we can grow in the ways of the Lord. And we can easily fall prey - as I did for many years - to the false, deceptive, destructive, and ultimately deadly spiritual paths, false teachers, and false religions so readily available to the vulnerable and gullible and desperate and deceived as I was.

Over the years, I crossed paths with the man who had inspired me with his desire to keep growing until his time on earth is over. Sadly, I learned that he was growing in the ways of the world and of false teaching rather than in the ways of the Lord. Meanwhile, I came out from all the deception I had been under as far as spiritual growth is concerned, repented of the false teaching I had been under, and planted myself solidly in a rock solid relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ and in a daily commitment to study God's Word and to learn to live according to His ways.

The Old Testament is jam packed with examples of countless people worshiping idols and false gods, practicing false religions, and bringing on themselves the wrath of God for their wicked ways. The New Testament is jam packed with warnings against false teachers, false prophets, and false teaching. And the Bible as a whole could not make it more obvious that while God's wrath, and judgment, and eternal damnation await those who spend their lives rejecting Christ and worshiping false gods, God's infinite love and mercy and fellowship and the promise of forgiveness and everlasting life with Him in heaven await those who commit their hearts and lives to the Lord Jesus Christ and to growing spiritually - according to the ways of the Lord!

Do you want to grow spiritually? Are you already growing spiritually? Make sure you are growing in the image of God. Make sure you are growing according to the ways of the Lord. If you are not, do as I have done. Repent of your wrongdoing, place your faith in Christ as Lord, open the Bible, and begin for the first time - or begin afresh - to live your life for Him!

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

Joh 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

The Hurricane Box - DAILY INSPIRATION 3/25

2015-03-25T07:05:00.001-04:00

When I first moved to coastal South Carolina years ago, I was told I needed to put together a "hurricane box" so that I would have all my important stuff in one place in the event my husband at the time and I had to evacuate for a hurricane. Such was the life, I discovered, of living in a part of the country that had "hurricane seasons". I had no trouble finding a box, but I had a problem with packing it. More accurately, I had trouble packing "them". For I was so attached to my possessions at the time, and so attached to the things and people of this world, that it would have been impossible to pack all the stuff I would have wanted to take with me if we were evacuated. But times have changed because my greatest treasures are no longer on this earth.

photo in background from pixabay

I moved away from South Carolina for 4.5 years, and when I returned had to prepare another hurricane box. Now my hurricane box isn't even full. But my heart is overflowing. For the more I have filled my heart with the love of the Lord Jesus Christ, and with studying the Bible, and the more I am learning to live according to the ways of the Lord rather than the ways of this world, the more I find myself "laying up treasures in heaven" instead of in my house and on this earth. When once my greatest priorities were people and stuff, now my number one priority is the Lord and my greatest physical possession is the Bible. I love people, and I love my ministry's 17 mostly special needs and senior rescued dogs, but my heart is above all else with the Lord who lives in heaven and His Holy Spirit who lives inside my heart. And the more I seek Him, and the more I follow Him, the more I discover the stuff that once seemed so important doesn't need to be squeezed inside my hurricane box. For in the event of an evacuation, I know the most beautiful thing I will take with me is already everywhere I go. The Lord.

God teaches us in His Word that our treasures should be in heaven rather than on earth where they can all fall apart or go away anyway. And He tells us our heart will be where we keep our treasures. He also tells us our minds should be focused on what is above, and it is that - and whom - we should seek! The Lord!

Mat 6:19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
Mat 6:20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
Mat 6:21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Col 3:1 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
Col 3:2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
Col 3:3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

Are your home and heart and life filled with stuff and attachments to earthly things, or are they filled with the love and ways of the Lord Jesus Christ? Is it time to let go of some of what you are holding onto? What would you pack in a hurricane box? Is the Lord your number one priority? Is it time to give away to those in need, and to others who might be blessed, some of the stuff you are keeping to yourself? May your greatest treasure be the Lord - and His Word, and a commitment to live for Him, and to live by His Word.

Pulpits, Peace & Prosperity - DAILY INSPIRATION 3/24

2015-03-24T12:40:00.000-04:00

If there was anything God hated about the false prophets from long ago, it was that they spoke lies in His name (Jeremiah 14:4); taught rebellion against Him (Jeremiah 28:16); went around prophesying peace to the people (Jeremiah 6:14) when the people's wicked ways would bring on God's wrath; and refused to warn the people that they needed to repent of their evil ways and throw themselves at the feet and mercy of the Lord with a WHOLE-hearted commitment to change their ways. But if you think studying the false prophets of long ago is nothing more than studying a history lesson of times gone by, think again. Be warned. False prophets are everywhere today, in the secular world and in countless church pulpits, and the peace and prosperity being preached from the pulpit not to mention just about everywhere else, means humanity is headed for hell unless we cast away the lies and believe and commit our hearts and lives to the Truth.

background photo from pixabay.com

No matter how happy and fulfilled you may feel listening to the false prophets and the world at large telling you that sleeping with your boyfriend is okay, same-sex marriage is the norm, abortion is the right way out, pornography is acceptable because everyone's into it, skimming a little money from your boss's business is justified because of how hard you work, homosexuality is perfectly fine because the law condones it, lying to your loved ones is the right way to go so you don't hurt them with your secret, cheating on your significant other is not a big deal because who doesn't cheat, accumulating riches on earth is better than giving to those in need because they're probably taking advantage of the system anyway, you'll probably end up in heaven because you're better than lots of other folk out there, your sin isn't sin because it's nothing compared with what everyone else is doing, and on, and on, I have news for you.

No matter what the world says, no matter what the world does, no matter what peace and prosperity some false prophet is preaching from some pulpit whether it's on your living room television or at the church you've been attending for the past 25 years, and no matter what your best friend says or your family believes, the ONLY Truth with a capital T is God's Truth. The only standard by which we are called to live and by which we will be held accountable both now and forever is God's Word. And the only way to heaven and the only way to true peace in our hearts while we are on this earth is by confessing we are sinners, repenting of our sins, understanding and believing Christ died on the cross to bear God's wrath against us for our sins upon Himself, and committing our lives to the Lord and to His ways - to His Truth rather than the world's lies.

I have a word of warning for you. Be careful who you are listening to. If you are measuring your life according to the world, the media, what everyone else is doing or saying, human law, what the politicians are saying, and what the false prophets are preaching, you are not only missing out on eternity with God in heaven - but you are missing the breathtakingly beautiful relationship on this very earth God offers us with Himself through repentance, faith, forgiveness, and commitment unto Him.

But I also have good news for you, the best news in the universe in fact. Because of God's infinite love and mercy, we can cast out the lies we are believing, fall to our knees in repentance, place our trust in the living Christ, and begin our lives anew, afresh, receiving the promise of eternal life and coming to see that true peace and true prosperity are not in the stuff and riches and people and things of this world, but in being in forever fellowship with the Lord of the universe.

Mar 1:15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

Synagogue, Church & Money-Changers - DAILY INSPIRATION 3/21

2015-03-21T07:00:00.000-04:00

I went to synagogue as a child for the high holidays each year, then hurried out the door and back into my life never for an instant believing in God. I went to church as an adult on Sundays and other days, then hurried out the door and back into my life believing in the Lord but not studying His Word and following Him by forsaking my way of living my life and living His way for Him. If you are familiar with Jesus' extreme anger when He overturns the tables in the temple as He throws out the money-changers who have made the Lord's house a "den of robbers," maybe you are not familiar with what the Lord has to say about this in the Old Testament as I was not. If you figured "den of robbers" does not apply to you because you are not a "money-changer", you might want to hear the rest of what Go has to say.

synagogues churches & money-changers - photo in background from pixabay.com

"Behold, ye trust in lying words, that cannot profit.
Jer 7:9 Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not;
Jer 7:10 And come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, We are delivered to do all these abominations?
Jer 7:11 Is this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, even I have seen it, saith the LORD."

In the Book of Jeremiah, God is speaking to those who listen to false prophets and have the pride and audacity to march into His temple while all along breaking His laws and worshiping other gods. If you think God's wrath is reserved for those people so very long ago who committed such acts, think again. Is He not speaking to us? How many of us march in and out of our synagogues and churches, and go running to Him in prayer when we need something, and toss His name along like He is our very best friend, all the while having the pride and audacity to live our lives contrary to His ways? Perhaps we do not kill people, but Jesus considers hatred to be murder. Do we hate? Perhaps we do not commit adultery, but Jesus said those who think of others with lust in our hearts commit adultery. And how about spiritual adultery? How about those of us who worship false gods, false religions, and the idols in our minds? How many of us even take the time, love, and care, to study God's Word to even know what His ways are? Yet we go skipping off to our synagogues and churches, and go running to Him in prayer, or don't turn our attention to Him at all not for even a moment, don't we? We listen to the false prophets telling us our lives are fine, we are fine, everything is fine. Lies, lies, lies! None of this is fine. Oh, but the wrath to come!

The wrath and judgment coming upon this nation, and upon this world, and upon each one of us individuals who do not throw ourselves at the feet of the Lord crying out in repentance with heartfelt commitments to follow Him, calling upon the name of Jesus as Lord who died for our sins, oh the wrath that is to come! How foolish we are, how prideful, how lost and in dire straits we are, those of us who continue to march through our lives as though they are own, not receiving from Him the great mercy and forgiveness and oh, the love, He offers to those who would only believe in His name and follow Him for now and for ever. His mercy awaits - for those who will receive Him. His mercy awaits - for those who already know Him but have been walking our own paths instead of following the pathway He has set before us. Follow the Lord! Follow the Lord! Follow the Lord! It is time to stop walking in and out of synagogues and churches while all along walking in the wickedness of this world. Walk in the straight pathway of the Lord! Amen!

Luk 3:2 Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.
Luk 3:3 And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins;
Luk 3:4 As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
Luk 3:5 Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth;
Luk 3:6 And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.
Luk 3:7 Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
Luk 3:8 Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.
Luk 3:9 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
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Are You Being Faithful? DAILY INSPIRATION 3/20

2015-03-20T06:31:00.004-04:00

Are you being faithful? Not to your husband. Not to your wife. Or your fiance or boyfriend or girlfriend. Not that you shouldn't be faithful to them; you should. That goes without saying. But if you take one look around you at the dire mess that America is in, and the world on top of it, you will understand my question. For America isn't in such dire straits because of the rampant infidelity when it comes to marriages and relationships, though that undoubtedly is a crucial nasty consequence of the root cause of it all and a certain ugly contributing factor to the awful state of America as a whole right now. Let me ask the question again. Are you being faithful? Is your life committed unto the Lord God almighty, Creator of the universe? For there is nothing, and nobody, more important in the universe to whom we must all be faithful than Him.The root cause of the world's woes is that many of us are being faithful - to ourselves and to stuff and to the ways of this world and the ways of the devil as we strive to satisfy our fleshly desires instead of being faithful to Him. We need to give our love, our steadfastness, our yearning, our desire, and our commitment to our one true God, the Lord. And once we give our hearts and lives to the Lord, and to His ways, then will be faithful in our marriages and relationships as He desires.Then will we live the lives He has called us to live. Then will we contribute good to this nation, and this world, instead of contributing to the downfall of this world He has created.

photo in background from pixabay.com

In the Book of Jeremiah in the Bible's Old Testament, though God is warning Israel and Judah to repent of their adultery and return to Him, to leave behind their backslidings, and to return to Him with their WHOLE hearts, He is also speaking to us today. God is not looking for a quick "I am sorry" followed by a return to our wrongful ways. He is looking for total commitment to Him. He is looking for utter fidelity to Him. He is looking for complete dedication to Him. He is looking for sold out lives. Can you imagine an adulterous wife saying "I am sorry" to her husband and then jumping straight back into the arms of her lover? God warns us against this! He does not want insincere apologies; He doesn't want us running back to Him with a quick apology so we can get some more goods from Him and trollop off again into our harlotry by living our lives according to the ways of this world. He wants genuine sorrow, true repentance, and wholehearted commitment to Him and His ways.

Are you faithful - to Him? If not, turn to Him. Or return if you have turned away. With your WHOLE heart. Read the Book of Jeremiah. Is He speaking to you? If He is, don't waste another minute. Repent and return - with your WHOLE heart! And don't stop with the Book of Jeremiah. Study His Word daily. The world teaches us how to live according to its ungodly ways. The Lord teaches us in His Word how to be faithful to Him - with our WHOLE hearts. And, at the end of the day, this is all that matters - that we lived for the One who gave us life. Return, my friend, return!

Jer 3:6 The LORD said also unto me in the days of Josiah the king, Hast thou seen that which backsliding Israel hath done? she is gone up upon every high mountain and under every green tree, and there hath played the harlot.
Jer 3:7 And I said after she had done all these things, Turn thou unto me. But she returned not. And her treacherous sister Judah saw it.
Jer 3:8 And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also.
Jer 3:9 And it came to pass through the lightness of her whoredom, that she defiled the land, and committed adultery with stones and with stocks.
Jer 3:10 And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah hath not turned unto me with her whole heart, but feignedly, saith the LORD.
Jer 3:11 And the LORD said unto me, The backsliding Israel hath justified herself more than treacherous Judah.
Jer 3:12 Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the LORD; and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you: for I am merciful, saith the LORD, and I will not keep anger for ever.
Jer 3:13 Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the LORD thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith the LORD.

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Miss Mercy Returns to Beach Ministry as New Ministry Season Begins

2015-03-19T14:45:00.001-04:00

Oh, how I love the beach. But this is nothing compared with how much I LOVE to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ while ministering the Lord's love to a world in need - my lifetime mission as evangelist, author, & director of Walk by Faith Ministry. How humbled, and blessed and privileged I am when God sends me out into the world to do just that. I am grateful beyond description when He combines my LOVE for Him and my love for the beach by sending me out with some of the special needs dogs of Walk by Faith Ministry to the beach where little crowds of people gather around the dogs and I have opportunities to talk to people about the Lord.

Yesterday, I was thrilled to hit the beach with the dogs the first time this upcoming spring and summer season - a joyous occasion considering only about two months ago three-year-old Miss Mercy was near death. Even as the vets made it pretty clear Miss Mercy had a slim to none chance of surviving her unbelievable ordeal, I heard God speak into my heart to go ahead with the surgery despite the doctor's apparently negative outlook on it and to trust Him and that she would be fine. I did not believe for a minute that God wanted to save her life simply because I love my dog, but as He has done with my only life to save it for a purpose. For His glory! May this upcoming season be full of countless opportunities to share the Gospel whenever and wherever the Lord might lead....!!

UPDATE on Senior Disabled Little Miss Miracles

2015-03-19T11:27:00.001-04:00

While 14-year-old-ish senior disabled Little Miss Miracle's eyes are now on the mend, for which I thank God, her inner ear infection has not gotten better overall. I have tried four different antibiotics, plus cleaning her ear through the day, and two different ear medications - all to no avail. She does not appear to be uncomfortable at all, but her ear problem does need to get resolved!

Her doctor is suggesting putting her under some anesthesia and flushing out her ear, as well as taking a head x-ray which among other things would show if there is any underlying unknown cause such as a tumor, and waiting on lab culture results before we proceed. Little Miss Miracles has visited the vet four times in about two or so weeks, and her costs have truly been adding up - not too ideal given she has 16 mostly special needs & senior rescued dogs as her Walk by Faith Ministry siblings that all have needs of their own.

Unfortunately, donations coming in for her have been extremely few and far between. I am concerned that sometimes people don't realize that the ministry's dogs are just a small portion of the ministry, and that budget needs are not just for the dogs! So I would be blessed once again for love, prayers & consideration of any donations anyone is led to make for Little Miss Miracles, any of the other dogs, and/or the ministry as a whole including the writing and publishing! God bless you!!!

To make a donation specifically for Little Miss Miracles, please click on the DONATE NOW button on the upper right hand side of this webpage with her photo..........!!!

Whose Dream Is It? DAILY INSPIRATION 3/19

2015-03-19T06:35:00.002-04:00

My precious friend and I gushed at the mouths one evening on the telephone about our little dream. In all reality, it wasn't a little dream. It was a BIG dream. I could not remember the last time I was so excited about a dream for my future, and to share the same dream with such a dear friend was the icing on the cake. We would dive into our dream in three years, and despite my predisposition to impatience, I would somehow manage to wait the three years for the dream to come to fruition. Then, literally, off we would go! Only there was just a little catch -

background photo from pixabay.com

I had somehow managed to leave God out of the dream. Now it wasn't that the idea my friend and I had was ungodly, to say the least. In fact, the glory we could bring the Lord as we lived this dream of ours would likely far surpass anything I had done in ministry thus far. But that wasn't the point. God didn't set me, nor my friend, nor any of us to speak of, on this earth to live happily ever after pursuing our own dreams. He created us to love Him, and serve Him, and worship and adore Him, revere Him and honor Him and ever grow in His image by repenting of our sins, believing in Christ as Lord, and committing our lives to following Him as we pursue intimate, reverent relationship with Him and live HIS will for our lives. Oops.

Even though it was entirely possible that the dream my friend and I shared with one another was in fact the Lord's will for our future, it was also entirely possible that it was not. And there was nothing more important that the two of us would both do than that we lay aside pursuing our dream and pursue the Lord instead. Simply put, we needed to PRAY, and LISTEN, and OBEY. We needed to be certain that we did not cleave to this dream of ours. For God did not create us to cleave to our dreams. He created us to cleave to Him, and to yield our lives to Him such that we would ultimately live His will, and His dreams, for His glory. Who knew where God would in fact lead us in three years? God knew. He always knows. And He always knows best.

The culture in which we live teaches us to pursue our dreams, doesn't it? And as the world falls into utter chaos and disrepair as humanity as a whole moves further and further away from the Lord, we would do best not to go chasing after our little human dreams - but to confess our sins to the Lord, profess our faith in Christ, and go chasing after the Lord and His ways and dreams this very day, yes, now, and for ever. To God be every single ounce of glory, AMEN!

Jas 4:13 Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain:
Jas 4:14 Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.

Jas 4:15 For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. (underlining added)

The Danger of Happiness - DAILY INSPIRATION 3/18

2015-03-18T06:39:00.000-04:00

"You're happy now, aren't you?" a loved one asked me one day, noticing a change in me after decades of struggle. It was not as though I was no longer struggling, considering much of what I struggled with is for the long haul, but something indeed had changed. My heart - and my answer.

background photo from pixabay.com

"I'm actually not happy," I replied honestly. "When I look at my circumstances, almost everything I ever wanted I have lost or I have never gotten. There is really almost nothing about my life that would make me happy," I explained. After all, I lost my family when I talked about being sexually abused as a child. I was abandoned by two husbands; I don't have a husband, fiance, boyfriend, or social life. My "immediate family" of long-time beloved dogs all passed away. I live on what some would say is a poverty level income in a small house I cannot afford nor have the time to keep up that is falling apart at the seams, and I am responsible for 17 mostly special needs and senior rescued dogs 24-7. I have not been able to travel for even a night for over 4.5 years. All of that follows decades of struggle with multiple addictions and post traumatic stress disorder and a whole host of other yucky stuff. Happy? Not exactly. So what had my loved one noticed in my demeanor?

"I have joy inside my heart because of the Lord Jesus Christ," I essentially explained. And God's love for me, and my love for Him, and my faith in Him, and my eternity with Him in heaven, are not contingent on my circumstances. And that is exactly why I believe happiness can be dangerous. Quite simply, happiness is fleeting and contingent on the circumstances of our lives. The Lord is forever. And when we repent of our sins and place our faith in Christ as Lord who died on the cross for us and become committed followers of His by studying the Bible and learning to live according to the Lord's ways, we learn to move out of the temporal and into what is eternal. The love, and faith, and hope, and peace, and joy, and promise, and mercy, and compassion and forgiveness of the everlasting nature of the Lord. Why can happiness be dangerous? Because we can relentlessly pursue it and find ourselves living on an ever roller coaster. But then, on the flip side, we can unfasten our little seat belts, climb off the roller coaster seat, move away from the amusement park ride, and pursue the only thing in the universe that provides all that we will ever need now and forever. The Lord, His never ending love, His Word the Bible, and forever and ever with Him if we would but turn away from the ways of this world and commit our hearts and breaths and very lives to the Almighty!

I used to belong to a program that promised happiness for those who followed its steps. I cannot make you that promise of happiness. But I can promise you without a shadow of a doubt that if you will repent of your sins and throw yourself at the feet of the Lord God almighty through faith in Jesus and live a life relentlessly in pursuit of Him and His ways, that you will ultimately experience a joy and peace and eternal life that no amount of happiness on this earth can even touch.

Rom 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Rom 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Rom 10:11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
Rom 10:12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.

Rom 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.