biblical motherhood

More on Once Saved, Always Saved and Gifts of the Spirit

noreply@blogger.com (all4him) — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 16:41:00 +0000

I have felt compelled by God to share a letter I wrote this morning. This was written to a couple who we met last summer through the home church group before it fizzled out. Names have been changed to protect the innocent!

Hi Joe & Suzy:
I hope that your family is doing well. God has laid it on my heart to e-mail you guys this morning. When we met you, we were interested in doing Bible study with you. I thought and prayed a lot and I kept coming back to the place that there were 2 points that we disagree on which would hinder us studying the Bible together.
When I mentioned the issue of salvation as in I don't believe that you can't lose it, Suzy you said that if your daughter was born a Smith (last name), she could never be born anything else. But Jesus said "He who endures to the end shall be saved." Matt. 10:22 and in Revelation He says "Remember therefore how thou hast received and didst hear; and keep it, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee. But thou hast a few names in Sardis that did not defile their garments: and they shall walk with me in white; for they are worthy.He that overcometh shall thus be arrayed in white garments; and I will in no wise blot his name out of the book of life, and I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels. Rev. 3:4-5. In the Baptist church I was in I learned the "once saved, always saved" doctrine. As I shared with you, when I left church, I asked the Lord to strip away everything that man had taught me and to teach me His truth. After that prayer as I read through the New Testament, I saw a different salvation doctrine. I've come up with pages of verses that don't jive with "once saved, always saved".
The other issue was obviously, the gifts of the Spirit. That was another truth that God showed me. I do not agree with most of what goes on in the Charismatic/Pentacostal churches. A lot of what I've heard is enough to keep me away. I was taught in the Baptist church that these things ceased when the Bible was completed. After God showed me that they still exist I went back and looked at the Scriptures. In Acts 2 on the Day of Pentacost, Peter proclaims the prophecy in Joel being fulfilled "And it shall be in the last days, saith God, I will pour forth of My Spirit upon all flesh: And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, And your young men shall see visions, And your old men shall dream dreams: Act 2:18 Yea and on My servants and on My handmaidens in those days Will I pour forth of My Spirit; and they shall prophesy. The question begs asking "When did the last days end?" When did God stop giving His Spirit"?
Another Scripture: 1Co 13:10 but when that which is perfect is come, that which is in part shall be done away. 1Co 13:11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I felt as a child, I thought as a child: now that I am become a man, I have put away childish things. 1Co 13:12 For now we see in a mirror, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know fully even as also I was fully known. 1Co 13:13 But now abideth faith, hope, love, these three; and the greatest of these is love.
My bible does not have a face, nor can it know me, I believe this speaks to the second coming of Christ, or when we meet him face to face.
If you go back to 1 Cor. 1:7 - so that you are not lacking in any gift, awaiting the revelation of our Lord, Jesus Christ, That word revelation is also translated coming.
I've learned over the past year that my life has been transformed since I got filled with His spirit last January, why didn't that happen when I was trying hard for 7 years sitting in church? I thought that I had all the spirit that I was going to get when I accepted Christ. I rejected His Spirit, even though I thought I had it. I couldn't get rid of the sin in my life because I was not walking filled with the Holy Spirit. My life never seemed to make sense because I couldn't live the Christian life the way I was supposed to. I had a form of godliness but denied the power thereof.
I hope that I've not offended you in anyway through this e-mail. I don't claim to have all the answers. You may be right and I may be wrong but I hope that all of us are seeking God and His truth alone because if we aren't we are following a man that taught us what we believe and that is idolatry.

There is a website called http://www.revivalschool.com/. This man preaches repentance like no one I've heard. I've not found anything that he is saying that is against the word of God. If you scroll down on the left side under audio, there is a link called The True Gospel and another Are you walking in Romans 8. I hope that you will ask the Lord for discernment and listen to them. I know Joe doesn't like fluff teachers, and I agree. This guy is anything but.

Again, I felt led to share this and I hope that I, in no way, offended you but this has become a block to us studying the Bible or fellowshipping as a home church with some other people because I feel very strongly about chucking theology out the window and just opening up the Bible and asking the Lord to speak truth. We've not met a person yet, who was willing to pray "Lord strip away what man has taught me and any lies I'm believing and show me your truth."

Have a blessed day rejoicing in our Savior!

That's the end of the letter. Beloved, I beg of you there is a minefield of lies out there in Christianity and Christians who are sound asleep. On judgement day, we will be held accountable for God's truth, not what we chose to believe. WAKE UP AND GET HUNGRY FOR THE TRUTH!!!!! Nobody, including me when I was sitting in church thinks "oh, yes, I'm believing lots of lies"! You will never know unless you ask God, He will not lie!

2Th 2:10 and with all deceit of unrighteousness for them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
2Th 2:11 And for this cause God sendeth them a working of error(some translations say strong delusion), that they should believe a lie:
2Th 2:12 that they all might be judged who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

That is scary, scary enough for you to ask God to show you the truth?

Free Copy of Stay At Home Mom's Guide to Successful Ebay Selling

noreply@blogger.com (all4him) — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 20:30:00 +0000

Suzanne over at Ebay Selling Coach is currently offering a copy of her newly updated book. I just read the earlier edition of it and she has some great information in there. If you've never visited her website you will be thrilled with the selling tips she offers. She makes you think outside the box when looking for inventory. I've been selling on ebay on and off for the last 10 years and I learned some things from her.

Just click on over to her site and get your free e-book.

Win 1 of 11 Prizes from ChristianBook.Com

noreply@blogger.com (all4him) — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 18:51:00 +0000

Click on the link below for your chance to win 1 of 11 different prizes from ChristianBook.com

Some of the great prizes up for grabs are:

Echos From The Edge, Volumes 1 & 2 by Bryan Davis
Kids Valentine Value Pack
The Greatest Words Ever Spoken autographed by Steven Scott
William & Catherine The Life and Legacy of the Booths, Founders of The Salvation Army!

You'll have to click below to find out what the other 7 are!

Giveaways

Free Fireproof DVD plus Clearance sale at Vision Forum

noreply@blogger.com (all4him) — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 21:39:00 +0000

If you read my review earlier today and are planning on buying a copy, first go check out the great deals over at Vision Forum during their clearance sale. They are giving away a free copy of Fireproof DVD with every $100 purchase.

Fireproof - Gotta See it!!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (all4him) — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 14:46:00 +0000

Yes, I know Fireproof was out in the movies in the fall but for us cheapskates, yesterday was an exciting day. Fireproof was finally released on video or dvd as the case may be. God was with me, I figured I'd be waiting a while to rent a copy. I had to stop at Walmart yesterday morning to buy a bubble mailer to ship a book I sold on Amazon. In the entrance area, they have a Redbox machine and low and behold Fireproof was in. By the way if you never tried Redbox, what in the world are you waiting for? For only $1.00 per night using your debit card, you can see all the new releases. Go to the Redbox website to see if there is a location near you. By the way, they often offer free codes. We don't rent many movies because of the content but at least when we do, we can do it cheaply.
Anyway, on to Fireproof. Up until yesterday, Facing the Giants was my favorite movie but Fireproof definitely competes for the #1 movie. It seemed like everyone we knew went to the movies to see it. Some grown men told us they cried along with their wives. Well, my husband did too! That does not happen often.
This movie will renew your faith in God. It goes beyond marriage, to our relationship with God, forgiveness and how we treat others. Toward the end of the movie when Kurt Cameron asked his mom for forgiveness, it really struck a cord in me. I grew up with, let's say, not June Cleaver as a mom and spent many years bitter and angry. The Lord has taken a lot of that away over the years but still it hit a nerve with me.
Another moment that struck me was when Kurt Cameron was talking about his wife rejecting the love he was trying to show her and his father shared that he was doing the same thing to God, that got to me. No Christian would outwardly admit that they were rejecting God's love but I've seen it in my life when I continue to sin after God has convicted me about it. Also, the times where I have failed to show the love of Christ. When we've done it unto the least of these we've done in unto Him. So, every time I'm snotty or short with someone, I'm snotty or short with Jesus! God forgive me and change my heart.
This movie also will renew your strength to keep going in a tough marriage situation. Even if only one person is trying, it can work. I've seen it at times in my own marriage when we were fighting a lot that when I seek God and try to obey Him it softens my husband's heart. At times, it seemed like my husband's heart wasn't softening but you know, I still had joy because I was obedient to the Lord. Our marriage has gone through the good, the bad and the ugly over the last 20 years but praise God, we are still together. When we were young and first married, we were not walking with the Lord. We were both selfish and self-centered. God has been slowly changing our hearts over the last 8 1/2 years and our marriage is better for it.
Please watch this movie, you will be so very blessed. I'm sure you can find a place to rent it. If not Amazon has plenty of copies available. I just checked Amazon, this DVD is #2 selling. If you're planning on purchase a copy, you may want to do it soon, before they sell out.
By the way, side note, has anyone seen Flywheel, it was the other movie put out by the same producers of Facing the Giants and Fireproof? I'm hoping to purchase a used copy on Amazon when we get our tax refund since there is no place that is renting it around here.

What a Year!

noreply@blogger.com (all4him) — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 20:19:00 +0000

I had posted an update on how we're doing earlier this month. I didn't feel quite right about how it was worded so I deleted it a week or two later. So, let's try this again!
Last January, I had made my goal to live my life each day on purpose for the Lord. Around the same time, I really started seeking God's truth in His word. This was spurred on because of all the different opinions out there in Christianity. I became very disillusioned by all the authors "expert opinions". Well, God truly honored both of those decisions.
We found out the truth about not being under the law of tithing. A year has gone by now since we stopped tithing and began what we believe is New Testament giving. To us, that means we give as led by the Spirit to people in need, not institutions. Financially, God has truly showed us that He is our provider. Normally, my husband works 6 days a week just to make our budget. His overtime got cut in the beginning of November. So far, our bills are paid, there is food in the house and gas in the car. We really needed to learn that God is our provider and not my husband's job.
I also learned that the gifts of the Spirit are for today, unlike what I was taught in the Baptist church. I was reading through the Book of Acts and I was just so excited at how the Holy Spirit was working through those believers and had already realized that some of what we were taught wasn't true. I prayed and asked the Lord if these things still existed today. Nobody knew that I prayed that prayer. Within 2 weeks, my youngest daughter who has a heart for the Lord, and I had an encounter with God that I will never forget. Yes, God still does work supernaturally through the Holy Spirit with tongues and prophecy. Maybe someday I will share more about that encounter.
I truly renounced all that I had been taught and spent a lot of time in the Scriptures this past year seeking what God would teach me. I no longer believe the "just pray a prayer" or "once saved, always saved". Among many verses that spoke to me was Jesus saying "He who endures to the end shall be saved". That says to me that if I do not endure to the end, I will not be saved. Like I said, there are quite a few verses that made me question what I previously believed and again, maybe another day I will go further into that.
Our home church group kind of fizzled out. There were differing beliefs and some of us were an hour away from one another. So, in the end, we sometimes get together with another family that lives an hour away. We are looking to have a home church group so, if you live in Lehigh or Berks County in PA(we are near the line) and are interested, leave a comment below.
We tried visiting a church a few months ago but we just couldn't do it. After a month of seeing people having financial problems, the church having financial problems and knowing that tithing was being taught, it was too much for us. We tried talking to the pastor but he believes that tithing is biblical and didn't really hear us. The funny part is that the whole church has been gathering on Friday nights seeking God for what it wrong. They pay people for the simplest things, like locking and unlocking the doors yet they have no money to help the needy within the church. The church is surviving off of savings right now.
If there were ever a time for true NT giving, it is now. If all this money wasn't being given to institutions and salaries, which aren't in the Bible, there would be a lot more available to help each other.
So, this is a bit of where I'm at right now. I look forward to what God will be teaching me this year. Praise Him, He is faithful!

Bless Your Home, Bless Your Husband

noreply@blogger.com (all4him) — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 14:00:00 +0000

I've come to realize that if this blog is going to get updated I will need to be doing shorter posts. I've got a few posts that I started and never got back to. So, today, I will be brief.
We were at a friend's home last night and he was talking about knowing our God-given roles as husband and wife and working together, not against each other. He said, "When I get home, it's like AHHHHH! The air conditioning, the place is immaculate, the laundry is done and the meals are cooked." This morning I asked my husband if he felt that way and he said, "yes, I should say it more often". I wasn't fishing for a compliment, just information. I will add here that this couple's children are grown. I don't think that we have to strive to never have a speck of dirt in our house but God didn't call us to live in squalor either.
It is easy for us to get our priorities out of order and feel like it doesn't matter anyway. I want my husband to feel blessed when he walks through the door. He works 48 hours per week in a hot factory. Yesterday, it was 95 and humid here and it's even hotter in the factory. He looked like he was going to fall over when he I picked him up from work. In a little bit, he was refreshed by the air conditioning in the car. I want to be that to him, that pick me up at the end of the day. I want him to be so happy here that he can't wait to get back home to us.
If you are struggling with keeping up with your house check out flylady.net. I don't agree with all of her philosophies but she'll help you get organized. I was also recently blessed by reading Speed Cleaning by Jeff Campbell. It was a great book for me as I just didn't feel like the flylady system was meeting my needs anymore. Jeff Campbell has some help available on his website as well as a monthly newsletter.
Well, I'm off to clean my house. Be blessed and be a blessing!

Growing Outside of The Church Walls

noreply@blogger.com (all4him) — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 23:32:00 +0000

I apologize that it has been so long since I've blogged. Life has been very busy with winding up our homeschool year and preparing for our evaluations.

For those of you who have been following my story, we have now been out of the "church" for a little over 4 months. We've recently starting meeting with 3 other families in our homes. The fellowship has been a great blessing. I do believe that we need to be meeting together with other Christians. I don't believe anymore that it has to take place on a Sunday morning with 100 Christians, a pastor preaching and a choir singing in an expensive mortgaged building.
The Lord has been growing and changing each member of our family. It is a beautiful thing! I've never been so fully in the presence of the Lord so much of the time. His Word is new and alive and exciting to me. I've come to realize that I used to depend on the pastor for a lot of things that I should have been depending on God for. He is honoring my commitment to Him and my repentant heart toward what I did wrong.
I had made the pastor and the church and idol above Him. Most people would never admit to doing that but I will. I loved my church and my church family and I said that more often than I was saying that I love God. Don't get me wrong, I loved God but truly without even realizing it, I think I looked to the pastor as my spiritual authority or head. There is only one head of the body or church and that is Jesus Christ. Another curious fact is that the Bible talks about the priesthood of ALL believers (never heard much about that). I depended on my pastor for answers that I didn't have, now I'm fully dependent upon the Holy Spirit to reveal truth to me and God is so very faithful when we truly are seeking Him with all of our heart. He is teaching me and growing me and it is amazing!
Financially we are doing better. I know by many comments on my last post, that there are many who support tithing but I just do not see justification for this in the Bible. Malachi 3 refers to those under the law. The tithe went to support the temple priests, the widow, the orphan and the stranger not to pay for buildings and salaries. I see a lot about feeding the poor, clothing the naked, taking care of widows and orphans and supporting those in the ministry who are away from home (but even then, Paul worked to support himself). We are at peace with the Lord to give as He directs. You know, for the first time in years we bought our mothers Mother's Day presents. We couldn't do this before because after tithing we couldn't even meet our own needs. Seems to me that Jesus had something to say to the Pharisees about not honoring your parents by telling them that what they would have gotten was given as a gift to God. We didn't buy our mother's extravagant gifts but we could tell that it touched their hearts. Neither of them walk with the Lord and I believe that these gifts showed them the love of Christ.
I can't believe how much my beliefs have changed over the past few months. I'm closer to the Lord than I've ever been before. I see Him working in my life, like never before. I truly see His word being lived out in my life now. There were so many times in the past that I would read about peace, joy, righteousness, the work of the Holy Spirit, God's provision, just so many things that were not reality in my life and now they are.
I haven't shared a lot of what has gone on since January but at some point I hope to. I thank you for those of you who have checked back in to see if I've posted. I'm hoping to do more of that shortly when school is done.
I would also like to put a challenge to those who have questioned things like tithing, leaving an institutional church setting, etc. to go before the Lord with an honest and sincere heart and ask Him for His truth. For 7 years I readily accepted men's traditions. I never questioned anything because I was taught that this is what Christians do. When I really sought out God and His truth, He flung my eyes wide open. Remember the traditions of men can make the Word of God to no effect!

Hurt Deeply By The Church

noreply@blogger.com (all4him) — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 16:09:00 +0000

Well, I can't believe it's been almost 2 months since I posted. After we found out the truth about tithing, I was really digging into my Bible and was questioning a lot of things. Since my last post, we did meet with our pastor about the tithe teaching. Shortly after that we left the church. That was about the end of January.
I sit here today with tears streaming down my face. When we talked to our pastor, he said that he never taught us to tithe. In the discipleship book (that he made) that he went through with us, there was a lot of teaching about tithing as well as NT giving verses. We were taught that we were robbing God if we did not give 10%. He said all I did was teach what the Bible had to say about money. It was a lie, he wanted us to think we had to tithe. The other people from our church that went through that book confirmed to us that they were taught to tithe. I really believed that if our pastor taught us to tithe then he must believe the doctrine. No, he didn't believe that the Bible said NT Christians must tithe but then he proceeded to say that NT Christians have to give more than 10% because we called to a higher level. I also asked if he was going to tell the people in our church, who tithe and can't pay their bills the truth, and he said, "Why, so they can say 'Whew, I don't have to tithe', no, I will not tell them." It got pretty ugly but we ended on okay terms.
The next day when my husband and I had to time to discuss what was said, we were really angry. There were other things too that made us decide to leave the church. Maybe one day I'll write about that. I just sit here feeling a world of hurt. Things got so ugly trying to leave that our pastor and his wife are no longer speaking to us. The worst part is that our oldest daughter's boyfriend is the pastor's son. As far as other people, I don't know what hurts worse, the people who haven't contacted us in the last 6 or 7 weeks since we left or those who have and argued with us over why we left or what we're doing now.
The other part that hurts is looking at our financial situation. We just kept going further and further into debt while we were tithing. We could never figure out why the Lord wasn't blessing it. It's going to take time just to get caught up. Every time a bill collector calls or a late notice arrives, it's like getting smacked in the face all over again. I saw the Lord bless us when we followed His leading to give to someone in need but He didn't seem to bless our tithing. I'm not saying that He never provided but when we tithed our bill money the money never came to pay the bill. Thanks be to Him, though, that we still have a roof over our heads! He didn't bless it because we robbed from our creditors to give to Him something He never asked us to give. I believe that He will bless us now doing the right thing and I've seen Him work some things out for us recently that could have not worked out so well. I guess I wonder if He's going to help us out of the financial mess that we created while tithing. It's not His fault, it's ours. We trusted our pastor, we followed him, never questioning anything that we were taught.
We are currently at home studying our Bibles. We feel that the Lord is leading us to start a house church. Even though I'm sad over the whole church situation, I've never had more joy and peace. I'm closer to the Lord than I've ever been. People are wagging their fingers in our faces telling us that we are disobedient and that we have to go find a church. Quite honestly, the more I study my Bible, the more I question what goes on in churches. I have quite a few issues surrounding the institutional church. My other big issue right now is how a pastor who loves people so much could stand back and watch us be destroyed and not care. It got progressively worse over the years to the point that we haven't bought clothes for our kids in probably a few years. The girls and I haven't gotten our hair cut in a year. Now that my older daughter works, she has been able to provide for some of her own needs. I still feel bad though, all they have heard for the past few years is "We can't afford it." They had to deal with our attitudes often because we were so stressed out over our financial problems. Meanwhile, we watched our pastor's family go on vacations, always wearing new clothes, signing their kids up for activities, etc.
I think that I've had to repent on a daily basis since we left. I don't want to be angry, bitter and unforgiving. When I keep my eyes on the Lord, I have my peace and joy. When I look at the hurt and the finances, I lose my peace. I know that I just need to keep drawing close to the Lord and He will heal my hurts and that He will provide for us, in His timing, not ours.
I guess that I just needed to vent a little bit. I never realized how much hurt could be inflicted upon you by a group of "Christians".

Modern Christianity vs. Biblical Christianity

noreply@blogger.com (all4him) — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 17:10:00 +0000

Well, for those of you who follow my blog, you know that last week we learned the real truth about tithing. I have been on a journey with the Lord ever since. The Scriptures have come alive to me like never before. I feel the Holy Spirit working through me like never before. I've come to question a lot of what I've been taught as a Christian over the last 7 years. Some of this was from Christian books, radio ministries, TV preachers and our pastor. Before I begin what I have to say today, I want to say that we love God, we love our church family and we love our pastor. He is a man of God who seeks to teach the truth. I'm not bashing churches just questioning some things.
Do you ever wonder why your Christian life just doesn't seem to work? Did you ever wonder why we are supposed to be saving the lost but we are busy trying to fix our marriages, our finances, our kids, the list goes on but I think you get the point.
We recently learning that tithing is not New Testament doctrine. What is New Testament doctrine is giving to help the poor, needy, widows and orphans and giving freely to those preaching the gospel. What I see in modern day church is that we are tithing, giving 10% to the church, to build and maintain a building. We spend more money entertaining ourselves with church functions than we do helping the poor and reaching the lost. We sit in our comfortable seats each week, hoping maybe some lost soul will wander through the door and get saved. Gee, maybe if we lived like NT Christians, we would quickly get discipled and then be out on the streets preaching to the lost.
We are told that as Christians we are going to go through trials. I looked through the NT passages on trial, trials, and tribulations. Guess what I found? All of them relate to being persecuted for your faith. The running joke in church is that you are either going into a trial, in a trial or coming out of a trial. I sought the Lord for answer which is why I studied those passages. My thinking is that we would experience trials if we were defending the faith and being persecuted, how many of us in America are under direct persecution like these people were? Satan can also cause problems because he is "seeking whom he may devour."
I look at every Christian I know and they seem to have a lot of problems, one look around a Christian bookstore will tell you just how many problems we have. I am convinced that the problems we have are because we are not practicing Biblical New Testament Christianity. As stated in my last post, tithing is an OT law. In Galatians you will see that if you try to keep one part of the law, you are held accountable for all and you have removed the grace of Christ from your life. So, are the problems we are all experiencing related to being persecuted or because we are trying to keep the law. If you try to keep it and fail, you are under the curses of Deuteronomy 28. I can't tell you how many people I know that are Christians and feel like it's not working, like they are under a curse.
Every single Christian had better wake up and search the Scriptures for truth. We are not judged based on what we have been misled to believe, we are judged on what we chose to believe. The truth is made available to every single one of us. If you are being deceived it is your personal responsibility to find out what the Bible says.
I felt the Lord impressing upon my heart to call my niece this morning. This is a young women who is sold out for Jesus. She loves Him, serves Him, witnesses for Him and would follow Him to the ends of the earth. I called to tell her what I learned about tithing. The first thing she said is that this was an answer to a huge prayer. Though she was faithful to God in her heart and serving Him, nothing was going right. She was getting behind on her bills trying to tithe. She was praying for an answer and she said she felt God answering by what I was saying. The same thing happened with my brother.
If you don't believe the truth about tithing and the connection to the law then can you explain why we are such a defeated group of Christians. In the New Testament there were thousands coming to Christ. Have you seen that happen lately? Are we limiting to work of the Holy Spirit because of our disobedience in tithing instead of cheerfully giving to the poor. Everybody who is trying to defend tithing is saying, how will the church be maintained and the pastor paid? Where exactly was it in the Bible that God told us to build a church building and to have a full time paid pastor on staff. I believe that if the church repents and teaches the truth that God will take care of the budget and He will use that church in a mighty way.
Part of me is scared to challenge the status quo. This is what I've been taught to believe but this is what God is showing me and "God be true and every man a liar." We haven't been able to speak with our pastor yet, hopefully this week. I pray that those of you who feel that I'm trying to lead people astray here would pray for God to reveal the truth. I don't ever want anyone to take my word for what God's Word says. Each one of us must search the Scriptures to see if it is true. God bless you in your search for the truth!
By the way, another quick note. I was always reading Christian books, listening to TV preachers (not including the name it/claim it group), listening to teaching on the radio. I could never get enough. I haven't even wanted any of those things in the past week. I finally feel full. All those years I kept feeling like I was missing something and now I've found it. I have a great hunger for the Bible and that's it. God is constantly leading me and showing me things now. I'm filled with His peace, joy, love, and goodness, I need look no further!

Grace or Law: You Can't Have Both!

noreply@blogger.com (all4him) — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 12:13:00 +0000

For those of you who read my last 2 posts on tithing, consider this a continuation. For those that didn't, please click here. If anyone would have told me a few months ago that tithing was false teaching, I would have thought that they were guilty of false teaching. If you believe in tithing because of the curse listed in Malachi then I'm begging you to read my last 2 posts and then read this one.
Since discovering the truth about tithing last Wednesday, I've been on a mission and an exhaustive study on the subject, searching the Scriptures to see if it was true. God has shown me the truth like never before, my eyes have flung wide open! By the way, each and every single Christian is responsible for knowing the Bible, not just what someone is teaching you that it says. I relied on other people because I felt like pastors, Bible scholars and such knew much more than I but the Bible says that you have no need for someone to teach you:
1 John 2:26-27 - These things I have written to you concerning those who try to deceive you. But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true; and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.
I'm not going into a thorough study here of why tithing is unbiblical, however, if you check my other post on Tithing and Financial problems you will see links there on the subject. However, I beg of you do not take man's word. It is okay to read those articles but you absolutely must search the Scriptures praying for God to show you the truth.
Now about grace or law. You really can't have both! Did you know that? If you are tithing because of the curse in Malachi 3 you are trying to keep part of the Mosaic law. You cannot only keep 1 part of the law. You must keep the whole law or the curses for disobedience listed in Deuteronomy 28 apply to you. You have removed yourself from the grace of Jesus Christ, yes, even if you accepted Christ as your Savior. And for the sake of your children you had better do some research because you have also cursed your children according to the law!
On Thursday when my husband decided that we would no longer tithe because it was unbiblical, peace filled our souls like we have never known. I thought, "This must be what the original Jews felt like after living for years under the heavy burden of the law and then finding out that Christ died on the cross to free them from their sins under the law". My next thought was "this is what salvation is supposed to feel like."
When we accepted Christ we were set free, praise the Lord. Then as we were discipled we were told that according to Malachi 3 we were robbing God and under a curse if we did not give 10% of our income. I don't want to repeat what was in the last post about the onslaught of financial problems so if you want to read it see my other posts. Not only did we have money problems, we felt under constant condemnation, always feeling like we just weren't good enough. If only we could get rid of every last sin and be perfect then God would take care of us, bless us, give us peace, give us joy, etc. I'm not saying that there aren't consequences for sin but that's not what I'm talking about here. Since Thursday, I've felt His love, peace and joy like I never have before. Also, since Thursday, I've prayed a lot that God would show us the truth as I was reading the Scriptures but I've barely spent any official quiet time with Him down on my knees like we've been taught. Not that that's a bad thing. The funny thing is that I have felt in the constant presence of Almighty God. I can't explain the difference but it's amazing! I have been told so many times that if things are going wrong and you don't have peace and joy it's because you are not spending time with Him.
I've always felt like I should share my faith because I don't want people to go to hell. I was having trouble trying to do it though. Now, my heart is so overflowing I want to shout from the rooftops, "You are under a heavy yoke of bondage because God holds you accountable for the law, but Jesus came and died on the Christ to set you free, you are freed from the law by the blood of Christ."
That is something you would say to an unbeliever who doesn't know Christ, however, how many Christians don't truly know it. Look at these verses:
Galatians 3:10-13 - For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who does not continue in ALL * things which are written in the book of the law, to do them." But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident for "the just shall live by faith." Yet the law is not of faith, but the man who does them shall live by them. Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree"), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. (*emphasis mine)
This tells me, if you are trying to keep part of the law, you have removed yourself from the grace of Jesus and placed yourself accountable to keep the whole law.
This goes so much deeper than money, my friend. It is life or death! There is only death from the curse of the law. For years, I've been trying to figure out why God loved me so much that He sent His son to die for me and that I'm free from the penalty of my sin yet would put a yoke of bondage on me to tithe when I couldn't pay my bills and buy food. Jesus said His yoke is easy and His burden is light. Tithing was a heavy burden on us because we couldn't tithe, pay bills and buy food and clothes. We were constantly in lack. When we decided not to tithe anymore, my husband and I both said to each other that it felt like a yoke of bondage was finally gone. Imagine my surprise when God showed me this verse:
Galatians 5:1-5 - Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a YOKE OF BONDAGE. Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing. and I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law. You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.
In these verses, Paul is speaking to Jews, who though set free from the law, were trying to keep the law along with having Christ. It doesn't work, beloved! You are either free from it all or accountable to it all. I'm begging you, I'm praying, please, please, research this yourself. God will hold you personally responsible for what you choose to do. Just because you believed false teaching does not hold you innocent in God's eyes. We are told not to be deceived. I honestly believe that there are so many pastors teaching this totally unaware of this truth. There are false teachers out there just trying to get your money but the vast majority of our pastors are teaching what they believe is the truth because somebody told them it was. It doesn't matter though because God will still hold them accountable regardless.
Please don't be intimidated about searching the Scriptures, when you are honestly seeking God's truth, He will show up and open your eyes and help you understand the Bible like you never have before. Do it before it's too late, this problem affected our marriage, our health, our children, every single thing in our lives.
We don't feel like we no longer have to give anything, we feel free to give how God teaches. We were not looking to get out of giving, just an answer to our problems. We will now give generously, cheerfully, as we have purposed in our hearts, and as we are prospered. We are praying for God's leading in this area.
We have not felt the least bit cursed since Thursday! By the way, my brother became a Christian about the same time we did and was experiencing a lot of this too. When he decided to stop tithing this week, he felt total peace. If we can ever give what we were giving before, that's great but it will be under the New Testament giving guidelines and not because we fear being cursed!
May God richly bless you in your search for His truth!

Tithing and Financial Problems Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (all4him) — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 14:15:00 +0000

This is part 2. I had no intention of having a part 2 but there is really something that I need to share. To read the first post I'm referring to click here. That post said that I had nothing against tithing but I was so sick and tired of hearing preaching on the radio and tv saying, "your finances are cursed because you don't tithe." We tithe and have repeated financial problems. Someone commented on that post. Here is what it said:

russkellyphd said...
I think that it is wrong to pay tithes and let your family do without food, medicine and shelter. It violates 1st Timothy 5:8.For a completely different view of tithing I encourage you to visit my web site at www.shouldthechurchteachtithing.com. It began as a PHD dissertation.

I have to admit, I've seen stuff like this on the internet and didn't even bother to read it but dismissed it as false teaching because we were taught to tithe. However, when he quoted that verse, it got my attention big time because my husband has said a lot lately that he has been very convicted about that verse. My husband and I have spent the last 3 days searching this person's website and others, searching the Scriptures and praying for God to reveal His truth to us. We are becoming convinced that we shouldn't tithe.

I was actually afraid to write about this for fear of backlash about false teaching because so many of us have been taught to tithe. You must first hear me out and then search the Scriptures and pray. I don't claim to be a Bible teacher, I've just been sharing, on this blog, whatever is on my heart. My husband and I are born again Christians trusting in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. We believe in giving and we take great joy in giving as the Spirit leads us to. We love the Lord and seek to glorify Him. We love our Pastor and our church family. With all that being said, I would like to share our testimony of tithing over the past 7 years.

We got saved at a youth group as teenagers but never fully gave our lives to the Lord. In June of 2000 we really felt led to start going to church. We started attending a Baptist church and it didn't take long to realize that we needed to get down on our knees, repent and fully give ourselves to the Lord. We did. We were baptized that August and joined the church. We went through a discipleship book with our pastor. In that book, it said that we should tithe(using Scripture to back it up). At that time, we had some debt. We had planned to be out of debt in a couple of years. We had a money market account which we put about $100 per week into to pay our property taxes, insurance, etc. This was not just a savings account but more of paying our bills into an account to draw back out of.

We began by giving and then at some point started to tithe. Tithing didn't fit into our budget and we couldn't pay all of our bills. When our property taxes came due, there was no money to pay them. Everybody told us, just tithe and the Lord will provide. Well, we had to take out a home equity line of credit to pay our property taxes, that then became the only way we could pay our taxes each year. We had not expected that the Lord would make us independently wealthy because we were tithing but that He would provide for our needs.

Year in and year out, we have lived in lack. We have lost a few hundred dollars a week in income over the past 7 years. My husband was out of work 3 times, twice for worker's comp. related surgeries and once on disability for 2 months because the doctors couldn't figure out what was wrong with him. Also, my husband and daughter developed medical problems. After all that was said and done we were thousands of dollars in debt with medical bills, at one point paying on 25 different medical bills a month. Add on top of that 200-300 per month in prescriptions for them. We went deeper into the hole each month. The first 12 years of our marriage, we had decent running cars that didn't die on us. We have gone through 3 vehicles in the last 7 years and have only had 1 vehicle for the past year when we previously always had 2. Everybody just kept saying the Lord will provide. And I will say, we have food, clothing and shelter.

Here's the thing that we could never quite figure out. We have felt cursed for years. No matter what we have done to make the situation better, it only continued to a downward spiral of being deeply in debt and always in lack. We kept looking at the Bible where it says to pay what you owe and that you are worse than an unbeliever if you don't provide for your family. The Bible says with God all things are possible. If our God loves us so deeply that He would crucify His son on a cross to rescue us from our sins why did we feel like we couldn't possibly please Him because no matter what we did we could not tithe, pay our bills, buy food and put gas in the car. It didn't matter how hard we worked, how much we trusted. We felt like we were under a curse and couldn't figure out why. We got stupidly meticulous about things because we felt that we were missing something. My husband would frequently say that we couldn't afford to tithe. I'm embarrassed to admit that I judged him as having no faith, not putting God first, etc.

We have been really seeking the Lord for the truth over the past few months because nothing made sense. Near the end of December, I was still reading a lot of Christian books(I have admitted to being a book-a-holic) and I noticed how different authors had different views on the same Scripture. I was so annoyed, I said to God, "I am so sick of this, I just want your truth." I must of said everyday for a week, "Lord I just want your truth." Suddenly one day, it was like He said, "You already have it, read your Bible." I was reading my Bible each morning but I have to admit, I spent more time reading books about the Bible then reading the Bible. So, I stopped reading the other books and have prayed that the Lord would just meet me there each morning and reveal His truth to me.

I was reading in Deuteronomy. I noticed that our life looked like the curses for disobedience listed in Deuteronomy, I even commented on this to my husband.

We concluded that we must be really disobedient for God to be putting these curses upon us. Now granted, we are not perfect people but we love the Lord and are growing more Christlike each day. Just how perfect do you have to be for God to bless you? I was praying about this and God showed me the verse that if righteousness came by the law, that Christ died in vain. He showed me that I felt that He didn't love me. I guess I felt that because of all we had been though that apparently we were not good enough for His favor or blessing. Why were we not seeing Him provide for all of our needs? We assumed that God was angry with us.

At this same time, we started studying Malachi in Wed. night bible study. I was looking at the famous tithing verses found there, I look down below to the study notes and there is a cross reference to a verse in Deuteronomy which I had written down when I was questioning the Lord about what I was reading.

Then, when I posted that post earlier this week and this man responded to me with the very verse that was so convicting my husband, I was blown away. I went to my husband and asked what he was most convicted about. Bring your tithes into the storehouse, not providing for your own household is worse than being an unbeliever or the wicked borrow and do not repay? He said providing for his household and repaying debts. Another thing, that really stuck out to me was reading that if you are trying to keep one part of the law, then you are responsible to keep it all. If you tie yourself to the law then you are tying yourself to the curse of law. That made my eyes fly wide open since we were just talking about it.

Since then, we have been researching all that we have been reading by searching the Scriptures to see if it is true. We have also prayed. The other morning after I prayed, the verse "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus" came into my mind, followed by "whom the Son has set free, is free indeed." I apologize for not listing the reference for each verse but I'm limited with my time. Please do look them up!

We have had a peace in our hearts over the last few days since we've begun our research that I don't think we've ever had! I was thinking, this must be what the first converts felt like, I'M FREE!!!!!!! The law is no longer a noose around my neck! That tells me something. I have felt an overwhelming sense of God's love as well. I am realizing that He did love me all that time, but I was trying to keep the law and God does not lie, if you're trying to keep it then your are held to it. I wasn't experiencing the peace and grace of God and neither was my husband because you separate yourself from Christ when you try to keep the law. Do you know how many times, both of us on separate occasions have felt suicidal with a pile of debt mounting and no way out?

Believe me when I tell you, we love, love, love to give. We have the most joy when we are meeting other people needs. However, when you're broke, you can't do a lot of it! We saw God bless us and meet our needs when we gave to others with a joyful, generous heart by the leading of the Holy Spirit. We did not see that we were blessed by tithing. Don't get me wrong, He has brought us food, when we had none but never the money to pay bills when we took our bill money and tithed with it. I know that you hear testimonials about people tithing and God providing but I can't see God blessing people for stealing from their creditors to tithe. At this point, we have decided that we will follow the outline of New Testament giving: give as the Lord prospers us, what we purpose in our heart and cheerfully.

We took a good look this week at a lot of things. We have been sad, angry and then filled with God's peace. We are now $50,000 deeper in debt then when we began to tithe. And lest anybody tell us we are irresponsible, out of that $50,000(which was a home-equity line of credit that has now been refinanced into our original mortgage), between $20,000-25,000 is property taxes that were put on the home equity line because we couldn't pay them. I will guess that another $10,000-15,000 is medical bills. Have we ever gone into debt stupidly, why yes, we have? All but one of our 10 year old appliances also died in the last 7 years since, we could no longer put any money aside, we charged them. Maybe we should have waited on the Lord and if so then that's our problem to deal with.

We don't blame God for this, we don't blame our pastor for this, however, we are really praying about what to say to him because we feel that he is a humble man who seeks to teach the truth and would not mislead us.

I just have to tell you this! I took a break in the middle of this post to go check the mail. In the mail was an escrow statement saying that our mortgage payment is going down by $9.00 per month and their was a check for twice what our tithe check would have been. It was mailed on Thursday, the day my husband got paid and we decided that we would not tithe but instead buy food and pay our bills. The funny thing about this is that we just received an escrow statement in November that said our mortgage was going up $14.00 per month because they miscalculated the escrow for property taxes.

It has been a rare occasion when we have not tithed. You know, the first week of January, my husband said that we just could not tithe that week because we absolutely had to pay two bills or else. Well, 3 days later, we received a check for $100. Another time, when we had to get something paid and we chose not to tithe someone at church walked up to me and handed me cash for my husband to go to the men's retreat. When we didn't tithe, we felt like "duck and cover, we didn't tithe, the wrath of God is coming, something bad is going to happen." Those seem to be the times that we have witnessed His grace.

I sit hear just overwhelmed by the love of God. We feel like a yoke of bondage has been removed from us. Didn't Jesus say that His yoke was easy and His burden was light and that His commandments were not burdensome.

I have seen testimonies from tithers and that I cannot explain. I just really wonder if when we were taught about tithing and could have done it without stealing from our creditors if that would have been okay. Like for instance, someone hears about tithing and says I would like to give 10% of my income, let me see, if I cut back here and there I could do it, okay, then that's what I'll do. There is nothing evil about the figure of 10%. That person has thought, that sounds good and it fits my budget, I'll do it. I think the danger is believing that we are under the law. I've seen some people say, "If you can't pay your bills, don't tithe, wait until your bills are paid, then tithe." Where exactly does it say that in the Bible? God commands us to pay what we owe and if you believe in tithing then you believe that God commands you to do it so, either way you are disobeying if you don't do both.

We really wanted to do it and did it cheerfully trusting the Lord. But when 7 years pass and you feel more cursed then blessed, something is wrong. We are seeking the Lord as to the next step. Does He want us to give anything tomorrow? We are not sure because we are still a little behind on our bills. We feel at this point, that we will give as God impresses upon our heart. We look forward to being able to give more than we have ever given before while providing for our family and paying our bills.

I hope that you see my heart in this post and do not condemn me for speaking what we feel the Lord has spoken to us. My husband has walked around feeling like a failure for I can't tell you how long because he felt that he was a failure as a provider. For the first time, in I don't know when we have hope and the condemning voice in our head is gone. The only guilt either of us feel is the fact that our church just finally built a building 2 years ago and basically we need everything that is given to cover the expenses of the building and our pastor's salary. Then I had this thought: On judgement day, standing before the Lord what would He say. Well done thy good and faithful servant, you brought your tithe check to the church every week to pay for a building while you paid your bills late with a check that had a Bible verse on it, stood in the doctor's office confronted about your unpaid balance while in your hand you held a Christian book or maybe a Bible; what a testimony! And yes, you neglected the poor and needy, the widows and the orphans, you couldn't even afford to buy tracts at Christmas to hand out, there were times that you and your husband chose not to eat so that your children could eat the little there because you chose not to go grocery shopping so that you could tithe and pay bills. Maybe that's an exaggeration but I can not see Him condoning what has been happening. And by the way, when we see a need we will do whatever we can to meet it and it's those times when God moves on our behalf.
Our other thought sadly, was what will people think if for the next couple of weeks(until our bills are caught up) we put nothing in the offering plate. What will the church treasurer think when our check isn't there. That has made us wonder if we really just need to be putting cash in plate, doing our giving secretly. We have never given to be seen by men but this sure made me think. I have peace with God but I'm worried about what man will think.

Here are websites that we looked at, I suggest you look at them too. Dig into your Bible and pray for God to reveal the truth to you. He is faithful and He shows up and speaks when you seek Him with all of your heart.

Shouldthechurchteachtithing.com

Tithing, Giving, Sowing and Reaping

Letusreason.org

nomoretithing.org

Tithing: Low Realm, Obsolete and Defunct

SeekGod.ca

What Does the Bible say about the tithe?

The Curse of Tithing

AGAIN, PLEASE SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES TO SEE IF IT IS TRUE, DON'T TAKE MY WORD OR ANYBODY ELSE'S!

Cocaine and Heroine Safer than Prescription Drugs

noreply@blogger.com (all4him) — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 23:25:00 +0000

I am always blown away by the health information posted on Mercola.com. He is truly an advocate for educating the American public with the TRUTH! I have gotten to the point that I don't believe anything the government, drug companies and food manufacturers say is good for us. I have been learning about the dangers of prescription drugs and don't take them unless there is no alternative. I have seen healthy people start out with maybe some pill for depression. Well, that keeps them up so now they need a sleeping pill, that bothers their stomach so now they need a pill for that, meanwhile this combination of drugs is having an all out assault on their body. They then develop asthma, allergies, fibromyalgia and on it goes. For every new ailment, they need a new pill. The sad part is they don't know any better because nobody tells them. If they went off everything they would probably feel better.

I'm not a doctor so you need to check with yours before going off any medications. My husband starting having severe allergic reactions a few years ago, most likely caused by a massive amount of processed foods in our diet. My husband's asthma which had barely bothered him, really started getting worse after taking 3 different allergy medications (to prevent allergic reactions). One of those medications was a generic of Zantac, it was supposed to help with the histamine blockers in his stomach, that medicine in turn gave him acid reflux. One day he just went off them all and carries and Epi-pen. He has been doing fine. He's happier without all the nasty side affects. Again, check with your doctor before just going off medication.

Here's part to the article that Dr. Mercola had posted on his website today:

While approximately 10,000 per year die from the effects of illegal drugs, an article in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) reported that an estimated 106,000 hospitalized patients die each year from drugs which, by medical standards, are properly prescribed and properly administered. More than two million suffer serious side effects.For the rest of the article, click here.

Tithing and Financial Problems

noreply@blogger.com (all4him) — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 18:02:00 +0000

Have you ever heard a radio broadcast give a preview for an upcoming show which promised to show you from the Bible the source of your financial problems and what to do about them, only to tune in to hear them say that your financial problems are caused by the fact that you don't tithe and that if you start, everything will be wonderful. I have nothing against tithing. We do tithe and give. What I have a problem with is a constant stream of sermons on the fact that you are robbing God and that's why you have financial problems or even that you don't give to others and that's why. While I listen, I sit there thinking "We've been faithfully tithing for years yet, we have financial problems." There have been many times where we chose tithing whether we could pay our bills or not. They act like tithing is the only thing that you need to be doing or that not tithing and giving is the only thing that causes problems.

If you are tithing, please continue to do so and if you're not, please do! I do believe that God commands us to do that. But please don't stop there! Ask Him for wisdom in how to manage what He has entrusted to you. Ask God to show you why you have the problems and what He wants you to do about it. One thing that He brought to my mind recently is that in the Bible, people sold their belongings to pay their debts. I have sold some of our stuff on ebay and would like to get more listed. We are also looking at ways to earn money on the internet. We are also looking over our budget to see what changes we can make. At this point, we probably just need a little more income because we don't have much more to cut.

The other thing that God showed us was through Haggai 1:6. Though we felt that we were putting God first in our finances by tithing, we were not putting Him first in every area of our lives. Too many times, we get distracted by the things of the world and don't stay focused on fully living for Him in every area of our lives. God has also tested us and grown us by the financial trials that we have had since we became Christians. Sometimes, He has something to teach us that can only be taught through financial trouble. Sometimes, I also think that maybe that's the only way He can get our attention, that or something happening with one of children will stop us dead in our tracks and bring us to our knees or even on our faces together before Him.
I hope that if you know someone struggling financially that you don't just assume that they don't tithe and give. I guess we really never know what God is up to, we just know that He is working it out for our good. We just have to do what we know to do and trust in the sovereignty of God.

Win up to $500 in homeschool curriculum

noreply@blogger.com (all4him) — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 12:31:00 +0000

Click on this contest link and register to win $500 worth of homeschool curriculum and other prizes. No purchase required, just register. Good Luck!!!!!

The Homeschooling Family - Funny!

noreply@blogger.com (all4him) — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 12:02:00 +0000

I saw this link on daddyontheroad and had to link to it. You must check it out, it is so funny!

Personal Responsibility

noreply@blogger.com (all4him) — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 18:34:00 +0000

I woke up with a migraine headache this morning. My headache got my thinking about taking responsibility. It's been on my mind lately due to blog posts I've read and radio shows I've been listening to and obviously reading my Bible.
What does a headache have to do with personal responsibility you might ask? Well, three years ago I was rear-ended in a car accident and since then I've had problems with migraine headaches. After going through physical therapy for I don't remember how many weeks I thought my shoulder and neck were better. The problems flared up again shortly after ending physical therapy. Around that same time, I started having aches in my joints and feeling very tired. I'm not sure if it was the beginning of fibromyalgia or not. It doesn't matter. Anyway, I got desperate and called my friend's chiropractor. That was big for me, I had always considered them quacks.
He started adjusting me which helped my shoulder, my neck and somewhat with my headaches. He taught me a lot about nutrition. He told me to get white sugar and white flour out of my diet. He also told me to drink plenty of water each day and take high quality whole food vitamins. In the process of learning, I started doing research on processed foods, something we were not eating much of at this point due to my husband's and my daughter's medical problems. You can read about that here.
So, as I did all these things plus cut out all processed foods, I felt great. I had less headaches, less aches in my joints, more energy and I started losing weight. When you do all those things and then you eat processed foods boy, do you feel terrible! I began to notice that certain things gave me a migraine. If I accidentally ate something with artificial sweeteners in it, I would get a migraine. Those sweeteners are actually the worst thing you can put into your body. Other patterns emerged with food colorings, chocolate chips, foods containing nitrates, etc.
So, yesterday I ate what I should not have eaten and woke up with a migraine that doesn't want to go away. I get angry when I do this because it's so stupid. There are times when I will get one out of the blue even though I've been eating good. But I know this time was my own doing.
How many of the problems in our life are of our own making? I didn't want to eat right yesterday so now I have a headache. I didn't want to take proper care of myself and now I have less energy and I'm achy. I didn't want to wait for something that I couldn't afford so now I have debt. I didn't want to do the housework so now my house is a mess. I didn't want to obey God's biblical commands to me as a wife so I don't have a good marriage. I didn't want to obey God's commands for child rearing and now my kids are out of control. All of those are not true in my own life but some of them are. Whose to blame? Me! Who can fix it? Me!
Do you get the picture? If we don't do things on purpose to fix the problems in our lives, we will forever be stuck in the same place feeling like a victim. When we actively, on purpose, set out to fix our past mistakes by doing the right thing today, we feel empowered to turn around a bad situation. We are going to eat whatever fruit we plant. Do you want rotten fruit: far from God, in a bad marriage, disobedient children, a pigsty house, failing health, and bankruptcy? Or do you want good fruit: peace with God, a wonderful marriage, children who obey and love God, a clean home, boundless energy and a feeling of well-being and financial stability?
What are you going to change today to have a better tomorrow? As my pastor said recently, "you are creating your past today." Please continue to follow with me on my journey to turn my life around. Subscribe to the feed or bookmark this page.

For further help with migraine headaches and fibromyalgia, please check out mercola.com. If you are willing to change your behavior you can have amazing results!

New Vision for a New Year - Finances

noreply@blogger.com (all4him) — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 14:18:00 +0000

Welcome to post number seven in this series. Where are you at in your finances? Do you have financial peace or financial nightmares? At this point, we are still working on our 2008 budget. We really haven't had much time to sit down together and go over everything. No matter what mess you have made just start today with what you've got and pray for wisdom and a plan. That's where we are at right now. We got a little behind on some bills due to hubby losing overtime back in September. We've been scrambling ever since. It was the overtime loss, on top of everything going up in 2007, on top of unexpected expenses on top of really not knowing what to do. It's difficult to get back on track when you live on a really tight budget and then something goes wrong. It just seems to have a snowball effect! I think that at some point we gave up hope and just muddled through. That's not good enough. Intentional living calls for us to actively try to fix the situation by earning more and spending less.
I'm not going to go into great detail in this post but I plan to post more in the coming weeks on the subject of stewardship, getting out of debt, frugal living and basically making your money stretch further.
Here are the highlights of our financial vision for 2008:
1. To glorify God in our finances.
2. To tithe faithfully and give generously.
3. To have our bills paid on time faithfully.
4. To be debt free by the end of 2008. (not including the mortgage, but, hey, who knows, miracles happen!)
5. To have money in savings for an emergency fund and irregular bills.
6. To pray harder for wisdom instead of wealth. (God will not entrust us with more if we are not managing well what He has already given us.)
January Goals:
I have more than one for this area because it is more urgent than the other areas of my life:
1. To get caught up on the bills by the end of January.
2. To be ready to file our taxes by the end of January.
I'm really bad at keeping my bookeeping up-to-date for my ebay business so, I'll work 15 mins. everyday this month on getting that done. As long as all of our other statements come in on time we should be ready to file by Jan. 31. I don't necessarily have a daily plan yet for how exactly we are going to be caught up by Jan. 31 but when I do I'll edit this post or address it on another post. The steps we are taking so far are: going back to our cash envelope system for groceries, gas, etc. Making changes in our phone service and other utilities by seeing what we can do without. Like I said, I'll be posting more on this subject in coming weeks.
January Verse:
Ps. 37:21 The wicked borrows and does not repay, but the righteous shows mercy and gives.
I believe that God takes it seriously when we are not diligent in getting our bills paid on time and so, we should take it seriously.
Prayer:
Father, help us to glorify You in our finances. Help us to tithe faithfully and give generously. Help us to never close our ears to the cries of the poor. Help us to live within our means, to get our bills paid on time each month. Help us to not give into the temptation to take on new debt but to work diligently to pay off the debt that we owe. Pour out your wisdom upon us to manage well what you've entrusted to us.

New Vision for a New Year - Health

noreply@blogger.com (all4him) — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 19:46:00 +0000

Welcome to the 6th post in this series of living life on purpose with the intention of glorifying God in each area of my life. Today, we'll be talking about health. Though I could stand to lose about 20lbs, my goal is not weight loss but health. When I was eating healthy, drinking my water and exercising, I began to lose weight but more importantly I felt great. Sadly, I've really slipped lately. I cannot stay motivated simply with a goal of weight loss. What does motivate me is when I have more energy and feel good and know that I am gaining health.

Here is my vision for health this year:
1. To glorify God in my body by taking care of myself.
2. To have an abundance of energy to serve Him.
3. Feeling great with no aches or pains.

My January goal:
My goal for January is to feel better and have more energy.
My first step in that direction is to drink my allotted amount of water each day.
To figure out how much water you should be drinking, divide your body weight in 2 and drink that many ounces per day. I do very good with this goal in the summer but not in the winter when it's cold out so, this is a challenge for me.

My January verse:
1 Cor. 6:20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.

My prayer:
Father, help me to glorify you in my body. Help me to develop good, healthy habits. Help me to drink my water, eat healthy, and exercise at least 3 times per week. Father, please help me to be strong and healthy, abounding with energy to serve You and others.

This One Thing I Do - Busy Days

noreply@blogger.com (all4him) — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 23:18:00 +0000

Today, I knew, would be a crazy day. It was our first day back to homeschooling after Christmas break, had to take hubby to work, chiropractor appointment, take older daughter to work, younger daughter to drama class, pick up her Bible at house we were at yesterday(1/2 hour away), pick up older daughter from work, pick up hubby from work and in the course of the day, stop by bank, put gas in car and stop at the store. All this on top of the usual, clean the house, do school, ship ebay package, blog, cut coupons, etc. To make things a little more interesting, we got home late last night and then I had to get up at 4:30am.
Many times, when I have a day like this, I give up before it begins. I just figure, I'm not getting much of anything accomplished today. I was so tired when I got back from dropping hubby off, I laid down for about 20 mins. and prayed, I really needed some energy and motivation! I got up and decided to write a little list on a post-it note divided by the areas that I needed to work in today: ebay-ship package, blog-post, cut coupons, school - assignments and correcting papers, and home-my Monday routine.
Then I looked at which areas I could quickly eliminate and be done with for the day, all the while remembering Paul's words "This one thing I do". I got the ebay package done and cut the coupons, two areas crossed off. Then I started on housework. The other thing I have a tendency to do is say, "I have to leave soon so, I don't want to get in the middle of doing that and then have to leave." Well, I reversed that with an attitude of making the most of every moment and challenging myself to see how much I could get done in the time I had to be at home. I'm happy to report that I got my morning, afternoon and evening routines done. I didn't get my zone work done (Flylady.net), or my 27-fling boogie but I was very happy with what I accomplished today. I will try to get those 2 things done tomorrow since I have no where I have to be tomorrow during the day. The girls had their assignments but I didn't get any papers corrected, another thing I'll deal with tomorrow.
The other thing that helped was working as fast as I could and still do a good job at each task. Sometimes, we can suffer from IGAD syndrome (I've got all day) and not move at a steady pace with our work. Well, I'm off to pick up older daughter from basketball and then I'll be going to bed early!

New Vision for a New Year - Home

noreply@blogger.com (all4him) — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 22:52:00 +0000

Welcome to the 5th post in my series on having a New Vision for a New Year. I have set out to live my life intentionally. My purpose in life is to glorify God and do the work that He has me here to do! Today, we'll focus on the home.

Here are the highlights of my vision for my home:
1. That people would sense the presence of God in our home by the peace and joy that welcomes them.
2. That our home would be a peaceful haven from the world.
3. That we are hospitable. We really need to use our home more for the Lord.
4. That it be clean, clutter-free and organized.

My January Goal:
To stick to my Flylady system, especially the decluttering - get everything done each day or at least by the end of each week.
If you don't know who Flylady is, please check out her website. I don't agree with everything she says, however, she gave me the structure that I sorely needed, it was a springboard, a system for me to tweak to fit my needs. If you just don't know where to start with your housework, she will give you a starting point.
My January Verse:
Matt 6:19 - Do not lay up for yourselves treasure on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal.
I don't want my home filled with clutter, that could be blessing others and meeting their needs.
My January Prayer:
Father, help us to glorify You in our home. Help us to take care of it and keep it clean and clutter-free. Help us to open up our home on a regular basis to friends and strangers. Use our home to encourage believers and reach the lost. May your presence always fill our home and may everyone who enters our home sense it.

If you need a little motivation, read my last post about the sluggard, it has kept me moving. Also, this morning I was reading in Deuteronomy and came across 23:14: For the LORD your God walks in the midst of your camp, to deliver you and give your enemies over to you; therefore your camp shall be holy, that He may see no unclean thing among you, and turn away from you. I know that all of these old laws for being clean and unclean don't apply to us today but it made me think that God sees everything, even what we may be able to hide from company. Is He pleased, as He dwells within us, He walks in the midst of our home, is it a pleasing sight? For other posts in this series, click on the Intentional Living link.

Need Some Motivation?!

noreply@blogger.com (all4him) — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 00:35:00 +0000

I came across this study of the Sluggard in Proverbs on www.bible.org. I was looking for something else but I couldn't help stopping to read this. All I can say is wow! There is not a person on this earth that would want to admit that they can see part of themselves in the sluggard. For the most part (hey, we all have our moments), I feel like I'm going all day, that I'm hard working but boy, did this study speak to me and convict me. You really can be lazy in any area of your life. Do you ever procrastinate, well read on, you sluggard! Just kidding but really, it's a great eye-opening study!

The Sluggard by Bob Deffinbaugh , Th.M.
We should not be mislead by the humor with which the sluggard is described, however. The Book of Proverbs uses humor for at least two reasons. First, the apt way in which the truth is humorously portrayed makes it difficult for us to forget. The teaching of Proverbs on the sluggard has, as it were, “mental hooks” which deeply imbed the truth in our mind. Second, humor is often employed to disarm the reader, setting him up for the full force of the indictment which lies just below the surface. While we are still laughing, we begin to realize that the point of the story is aimed in our direction. By laughing, we have already admitted its truth in principle--at least as far as others are concerned. But now we are faced with the uncomfortable necessity of facing the truth ourselves. For the whole article click here.

New Vision for a New Year - homeschool, Parenting, Children

noreply@blogger.com (all4him) — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 14:23:00 +0000

This is my 4th post in this series on New Vision for a New Year. You can check out the first 3 by clicking on the links below.
Today, I will be sharing the highlight of my vision in the area of homeschooling/parenting/children. I want with all of my heart to glorify God in every area of my life. That is my purpose in doing a vision for each area of my life and setting goals. In the past, I've written things down but wasn't so good in the follow through!

My vision:
1. That our daughters love the Lord with all of their heart and serve Him and others.
2. That our children are self-disciplined, self-motivated and responsible.
3. That they are prepared to deal with adulthood: being a wife, being a mother, handling finances, running a home; basically all the things that I didn't know when I got out on my own!
4. That they are hard working and diligent.
5. That we consistently lead, guide, and train them.
6. That we consistently hold them accountable and consistently discipline them.

Our biggest issues with them right now is keeping them accountable. I tend to get busy with my own agenda and don't make sure that they get their room cleaning, chores and schoolwork done. This goes for just so long and then I start yelling at them. Not the ideal way to parent for sure. I want it to be different not only because it doesn't please the Lord but because I see major irresponsibility in our younger daughter (second child syndrome?).

My goal for January:
I will teach them to be disciplined by checking up on them everyday in the three areas mentioned above: room cleaning, chores, and schoolwork and disciplining them if these things aren't done.
My husband and I were discussing this last night. We are coming up with a plan of action should these things not get done. Sadly, my last plan in this area fell flat because I came up with it myself (I'm the one with them all day) and my husband didn't totally agree with it and let my younger daughter out of the prescribed punishment. So, better to work it together and present a united front.
My verse for January:
Prov. 13:24: He who spares his rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him promptly.
My prayer for January:
Father, please give us wisdom as we parent these children. Help me to always point them towards You. Help me to disciple them and teach them your ways. May they love you, glorify you and live every day of their lives for you. May they be disciplined, diligent, and responsible. may they have Christlike character and a desire to serve you and others.

You'll notice, I don't have much in the way of academics listed. My oldest daughter is in 11th grade and does great with her schoolwork. My younger daughter is in 8th grade. She struggles with her schoolwork but I think that it is more of a character problem than an intelligence problem. She scored well on her standardized testing so I know that she can do it. She just doesn't want to or can't be bothered to look up the answers. I feel that by working more on the character side, that the academics will follow. The end result that I do want academically, is for her to have a strong foundation of grammar, writing and math to build on through her high school years and be able to do well with in life. To me, those three areas are the most important because everybody uses them in daily life. It's not that I don't care about science or social studies, I just feel that the other three are more of a concern with her right now.

New Vision for a New Year
New Vision for a New Year - Walking with the Lord
New Vision for a New Year - Marriage

Craigs List

noreply@blogger.com (all4him) — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 14:59:00 +0000

Craigslist.com. Have you checked it out? I haven't used it yet, to buy or sell but I was checking it out this morning. I found a vacuum that powers up but has not suction for FREE!!!! I'm waiting for a return e-mail. Our beloved Kenmore canister that was 17 years old vacuumed it's last in December. I loved that thing, you could tell by the amount of duct tape holding it together. I have not been able to replace it yet. My brother gave me an upright vacuum that is driving me a bit crazy (I think I've got wrong attachments with it) so, if this other one is better and we can unclog it, that would be a blessing.

I also e-mailed about a printer with ink for $10. Our printer bit the dust a couple of months ago. It is really hard with school and ebay not having one. A friend gave us an HP printer without ink. We went to buy the ink and it was $60 for both cartridges. We didn't have the money at the time or since then. I'm still wondering if it would run with just black. I know that you can print without color but we don't even have an old cartridge to stick in it's place. It was funny because as our jaw was dropping at the ink prices, we turned around to see one of those printer/scanners for $10 more with ink. That is what our goal is to have. Our scanner bit the dust this year too, along with our washing machine. I'm only 38 and I often find myself thinking, they just don't make 'em like they used to!

Anyway, check it out, it looks like a great place to buy, sell and give stuff away! I just may start selling there instead of Ebay.

How to Organize Your AOL Favorites

noreply@blogger.com (all4him) — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 14:52:00 +0000

Well, I'm just thrilled. I've been trying for a really long time to figure out how to organize my bookmarked websites in AOL favorites. It was to a point that I couldn't find the websites that I was looking for. I did a google search last night and found this website. You can go there to read the complete article, you'll need to scroll down the page. The basic instructions are to click new at the bottom of your favorites box, click on new folder, name it and presto, you've got a folder. Now drag and drop which websites you want in that folder. I'm still working on mine little by little but so far I've set up folders for ebay, favorite blogs, homeschooling, cooking, frugal living, coupons, and marriage & parenting. Yeah! One more step on the road to organization!

Updated to add: Half of my folders suddenly became empty. I lost the bookmarked sites that I put in them. I've lost my favorites temporarily in the past due to reinstalling AOL. I'm slightly irritated but hopefully they will show up again soon. Does anyone out there no how to recover them yourself?