Love Never Forsakes

Last year my heart broke when Dylann Roof on June 17, 2015 walked into a Charleston, SC church and began shooting. In less than a year, there have been many more shootings. Mass shootings are described as four or more people shot in one incident. It’s becoming more frequent and more deadly.

On June 12, 2016, in the wee hours of the morning at an Orlando, Florida nightclub, the deadliest mass shooting attack in American history occurred.

I was brokenhearted. For the lives lost, and the man who did this atrocious act of violence. Every deceased person had someone that loved them, and their hearts are broken, too.

On Tuesday, I was standing in line at a store when I overheard a conversation on the shooting. It was ugly and mean. There seemed to be little remorse for the victims, and an almost acceptance of the tragedy. Their laughter caught me off-guard as they speculated that maybe a Muslim could have killed people based on their sexual preference or orientation.

At first, I got sick at my stomach. I knew these people went to area churches. But the absolute worst thing was, for just a moment, I leaned in and let Satan tip my ear to hear their horrible accusations. It was an ungodly conversation with ungodly thoughts. I’m so blessed that I immediately took my thoughts captive, reigning them back under God’s authority.

Folks, John 13:34-35 states:

“Love one another; as I have loved you.”

Jesus does not segregate or isolate a particular people. He said, “Love one another; as I have loved you.” It’s all inclusive. It doesn’t say “leave out the sinner” because if we did that we would have to eliminate everyone, including ourselves.

This mass killing and all the other heinous acts committed across our vast land have left people devastated. Their loved ones are dead. Murder has left fear in the hearts of many. Some wonder if their lives will ever be the same again.

Jesus asks us to love one another as He loves not to justify a killing or a killer’s intentions. There is no justification.

We have to keep our eyes on God, not on sin. We have to preach the good news of the gospel to our hearts first in order to remind ourselves how much Jesus sacrificed for all of us.

At church on Sunday, the Praise Band played Meredith Andrews song, “Not For A Moment”. The words are so right to sing over God’s children who are deceased, and to those who feel they have been left in a dry and thirsty land, wondering how they can possibly move forward.

They can, but it’s with God’s mercy, love, and grace. They need our outpouring of love and prayers.

Hope you are able to view the video and let the words sink deep into your soul. We’ve all been in the throes of heartbreak. Let our heart always break for the things that breaks Jesus’ heart.

Go to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XD0cvWImVjA

Not for a moment will God forsake us. God bless you,

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I'm Ready To Listen

The news on TV can be stifling. People expressing their views about the news can be unnerving. Reading the newspaper is depressing. Magazines distort or embellish even the lies. More and more people wonder what truth really is and where they can we find it. Or buy it. Manufacture it. Make it. Or possibly create it.

I was sick and tired of being sick and tired of it all. So I decided I was better off being uninformed since I was having trouble shoveling through the mirage of “truths” to find a kernel of truth or none.

But let me share something with you. There are several verses the Lord has placed before me recently to pray over and remember as the Truth. I wrote about one in my blog post, Do You Believe.

The second verse God offered me was 2 Chronicles 20:12. I sat with this one a long time, holding it in my mind, and marinating in its profound lesson.

God hit the nail on the head with this one. It wasn’t the first time I had read it, but now its nuances became clearer. The words went beyond a physical army, applying to all aspects of life and living, and wrapping its meaning in the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. God verified this by sending me to other verses about His Truth and Sovereignty.

Proverbs 19:21 Many plans are in a man’s heart, but the Lord’s decree will prevail.

Joshua 1:9 Have I not commanded you to be strong and courageous? Do not be frightened or discouraged for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

Isaiah 45:6-7 This is so people may know, from the rising of the sun and from the west, that there is none besides Me; I am the Lord, and there is no other. I form light and create darkness, I make well-being and create calamity, I am the Lord, who does all these things.

Psalm 22:28 For kingship belongs to the Lord, and He rules over the nations.

Hebrews 2:8 Now in putting everything in subjection to Him, He left nothing outside His control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to Him.

Proverbs 30:5 Every word of God is flawless; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.

John 17:17 Sanctify them in the Truth; Your Word is Truth.

The verses came through devotionals, Bible study, faith-based blog posts, and sermons my pastors preached over a six month period.

The vast army Jehoshaphat faced was fearful. It was vast. The armies coming down on God’s people were fearless, mighty, and evil. Much like those people I heard about on the TV who were doing evil, despicable deeds. And scarier were those heinous crimes committed in my country and worse my hometown.

Jehoshaphat gathered the people together and went to God in a bold prayer-cry. Jehoshaphat asked God, “Are You not the God who is in heaven, and do you not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations?” God’s people knew their God and expected no less than His full deliverance from their attackers.

Here goes several life lessons God placed on my heart:

1.Go to God immediately with your concern.

2.Pray BOLD. Your God wants you to state who He is and then confirm you know He can do all things in His will and timing!

3.The vast army going against God’s people, instilling fear in their heart also occurs today. Satan, our enemy, tries to defeat us and disillusion us by distorting the truth in order to take our eyes off the Almighty God.

4.And don’t think it’s all about the horrid things on the news. That vast army is also the day-to-day mess we find ourselves in – being overwhelmed, frazzled, disappointed, angry, unforgiving, gossiping (yep, that one, too), and faltering in the steadfast knowledge that God is over all things, including rulers and nations. That’s Satan’s playground, too, trying to keep our eyes on worldly things.

The Battle is the Lord’s. Our job is to keep spreading the Good News, and at the same time, to keep vigilant by staying in Scripture to be able to detect lies and deception. We need to lift up our greatest gift to the Father, our worship and praise. Let Heaven ring with our rejoicing. Joy will overflow on us. That’s worth singing about and listening to.

Let God’s blessing flow over you,

(Opening picture is from Dear God Kids series book, Guess What, I'm Ready to Listen Now!; Flying Frog Publishing, 2011)