Hello 2011!
Hello 2011! I am so excited for this new year! I can’t wait to see what God has instore for me and my family! The Lord has done some amazing things in 2010. I am hoping and praying the Lord will bless us with a house near my family and Church. An hour drive to Church is rough. We have been doing it since May of 2009. But it is worth every minute of it! God saved my husband there on Feb.15,2009. I love my church and my family there. If I didn’t have God and my church, there isn’t no telling where I would be. Praise God for a wonderful church. I am not as close with the Lord as I should be. Last night at church, God new just what to put on my pastor’s heart. It was definitely meant for me and my husband! I pray this year in 2011, I can get a closer walk with the Lord Jesus Christ. My goal this year is to witness more to people, read my bible like I should and pray more. For all that He has done for me, that is my duty to Him. I am still a mess, always will be as long as I am in this flesh, but with His help, I will do better this year! Thank you Jesus for putting up with a mess like me!
Homeschooling
I grew up going to public school. I seen some pretty nasty things and also saw things I shouldn’t have. But with God’s grace i made it through. (if you read my other blogs, you will know I grew up without the Lord.) So to make through public school and survive, you know God was watching over me. He knew my future! About 3-4 months after I was saved, the Lord convicted me to home school my kids. On top of that my oldest son also told me that he wanted me to be his teacher. That made me delighted! I knew after that, that I had to because God told me so. I was the one who said I would never home school my kids because I didn’t want to deprive them from the world. I didn’t want them to not have any friends. Well here’s a little info for you, the world is wicked and these public schools are a breeding ground for trouble. The public school systems have gotten so bad over the years especially since they took God out. I know what I saw and heard and DID when I was in public school and I don’t want my 2 boys to go through that. Of course people say well you have to let them learn on their own, they need that exposure. Sorry but I will not get my kids go out on a rope to hang themselves. The Lord says “Train your child in the way he should go:and when he is old,he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6 “And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.” Deuteronomy 11:19 I want my children to be brought up by the bible and to love the Lord whole heartedly. I want them to experience live with the Lord because I didn’t have that. Just since i was saved, I have learned so much. I wish I could go back sometimes knowing what I know now, but I can’t, it’s all in the past. So now I live my life for Jesus day by day. I couldn’t imagine my son sitting in school right now and not being able to talk about the Lord or not being able to carry his bible with him. I couldn’t imagine my son sitting in school and me not knowing what other kids are teaching him. Like bad words, or making fun of other kids. Just the thought of being bullied for not having the name brand clothes. Yes people it happens even in elementary school. There is meth that looks like rock candy in middle schools. I just saw the other week on nancy grace a teacher broke a little girls arm. Please mothers and fathers, teach your children at home where you know they will be getting the attention they need and the proper education with having the Lord. I am using the curriculum A.C.E. Accelerated Christian Education. It is wonderful! My son is doing 1st grade and he is 5 1/2. He is doing math and word building. He has already learned so much just since the first of September. At least he can work in a Godly atmosphere where he won’t be sidetracked by other children. If he needs help or needs extra attention in certain areas, at least I can work with him one on one for how ever long it takes. The school system does not have the time to individually work with each student because they have only so much time to do their curriculum. They are pushing kids too hard and too fast. With ACE, it also teaches them little scriptures along the way. It does a lot of repetition. Which helps the child to remember. I am so blessed to be able to stay home and raise my kids plus home school them. My youngest son like to think he is schooling too. He will get his crayons and coloring book and act like big brother. I really encourage you parents to pray about homeschooling your children. I know the Lord will also tell you its His will for you to. And I want to obey the Lord in whatever he says. “Grace be to you,and peace,from God our Father,and from the Lord Jesus Christ.” Ephesians 1:2
Growing as a Christian
When I was first saved I was so on fire for the Lord. But as time goes by it seems as if the new wears off. We Christians cannot let that happen! We have to stay focused on God’s word. Strive everyday to wake up, get in prayer and read our Bible. I am one who has got to comfortable in my flesh. Yes I am saved but it doesn’t give me a right to have the attitude that “well I’m saved so it doesn’t matter what I do God forgives me.” That’ a poor attitude. I struggle with this flesh everyday. This flesh is wicked and the devil will do everything in his power to see you fail. “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7 So this morning I got one of our Church hymnals out and started singing. “Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.” Ephesians 5:19 Boy does that get your day going good! If I can keep putting God first, reading my Bible daily and spending time in prayer, it will get the devil behind me! AMEN! It’s been a little over a year since I was saved and I have grown a lot in the Lord. But not like I want to be. I want to more about my Lord! He has done everything for me. Why can’t us Christians give Him what he deserves? He wants us to spend time with Him. praise HIm, worship Him. “O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker.” Psalms 95:6 When I mean spend time with Him in prayer, I mean more than just praying over our food, or asking prayer for someone. Really get in deep with Him and just thank Him for what He has done for you. I’m guilty for not doing that but today is a new day. Today I will start giving Him more of my time. He gave His life for me! For 3 hours He took on everyone’s sin but we can’t even give Him a few minutes. I have been so disgusted with myself. I can’t believe I have let this flesh take away from my God! I want to be the most Godly mother and wife and woman I can be. But if I can’t give Jesus all of me I will never be able to become those things. “According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love.” Ephesians 1:4 So I am writing this blog to let you Christians know that we have to stay firm on the Bible, give God the time He deserves! Stay true to Him and yourselves so you can be that light to others. “And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.” Romans 8:10
Modesty
When I first was saved I had a lot of things going through my head. It’s like someone took the blindfold off my eyes for the first time in my life. The Lord was showing me so many things I was doing wrong and the first thing was my clothing. I always wore tight jeans so that was the first thing to go. “The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman’s garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the Lord thy God.” Deuteronomy 22:5 Think about it for a minute, when a woman wears jeans or shorts it shows off her figure and her curves. That then makes a man look or lust after her. When a man lusts after a woman (if he is married) he is committing adultry. Yes it’s true! So why would a woman want to do that? Not only does it cause people to commit adultry, it causes people to have unmarried sex. That’s what is sad, is these teenagers who are having unmarried and some unprotected sex. If people would just listen to the word of God. Is fornication, drinking, drugs, partying, disobedience worth going to hell over? NO ITS NOT! The Bible says ”Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenant-breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.” Romans 1:29-32 So why do so many people in this world want to commit their soul to hell? The Lord has paid in full for our sins, salvation is free. All you have to do is give your life to Him! “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. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness: and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” Romans 10:9-10 “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins me be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.” Acts 3:19 I have had quite a few convictions in just a year. First was my clothes, then my music. I was one who listened to country music and hip-hop. That had to go! Why would I want to fill my head with wicked thoughts from that music? Most ALL country music singers are hypocrites. How can someone sing in one song about God and Heaven then in another song sing about fornication and drinking? That is a hypocrite. This is my motto: I might live in this world, but I’m not of this world. This world is wicked! Trying to fill our kids minds full of junk. ”And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Matthew 24:51 Why would you want your mind on things the bible says is wrong? I want my mind on the Lord and how to please Him. So there went the music. Television is next. I always watched soap operas. Ever since I was young, I would watch them with my mom. This is back to the scripture Romans 1:29-31. Soap operas is full of liars, fornicators, adulterers, hypocrites, homosexuals, murderers, whoremongers, I could keep going so hopefully you know what I mean. There again why would I want that in my mind? That conviction was hard cause my flesh was so addicted to them. I have caught myself a few times flipping over to that channel or tuning on the radio to country. But as soon as I did the Lord quickly reminded me that it was wrong. The flesh is so wicked and the devil would love to seem me slip away back into sin. True christians have to keep a straight walk with the Lord. It is easy to give in to this flesh. By writing these blogs it has helped me remember what all the Lord has done for me. I’m blessed to be in a church were people really pray for you and love the Lord. It keeps me on track. I struggle sometimes with being lazy when it comes to reading my bible. I think well I’m to tired tonight or I can to it tomorrow. We need to read our bibles every day so we can grow with the Lord in knowledge and strength that we can do anything that comes our way, because with Christ all thing are possible. ”The word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” Psalms 119:105 “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.” Psalms 1:1-2 Meaning we have to study God’s word everyday, not just in church or every now and then. By studying His word we can fellowship others and with sinners so we can witness to them about the Lord. We will have the knowledge to tell them it’s not to late to repent and give it all to the God. Now back to a woman being modest. It’s very important for ladies to present themselves in a modest way. If there was 2 women standing in a line, one had on shorts and a tank top and the other with a long skirt and decent skirt, who do you think would likely end up getting LESS looks? The answer would be the lady with the skirt. I don’t want men to look at me that way, it’s disgusting. Be modest ladies please! Don’t reveal yourselves so men can gauk at you. It’s degrading and down right wrong. My little boys need a Godly mother who will set an example. I wouldn’t want my sons looking at my body or my curves. See people some boys do that! They are flesh even though they are little boys. Their minds are curious and the devil will use them too! The devil is sneaky and rotten. He will get in any way he can even if its our children! Ever heard the saying honesty is the best policy? Well that is true but to me Modesty is also the best policy. I am so thankful the Lord didn’t give up on me. I can’t imagine living me life the way I used to. Now when I am faced with temptation or worldly things I can turn my eyes to the Lord to pull me through it.“There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” I Corinthians 10:13
Putting Christ first!
When the Lord saved me a year ago on May 1,2009, that meant he TOTALLY forgave me what I had done in the past. He gave me a clean slate. I was born again. “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away;behold, all things are become new.” II Corinthians 5:17 So that means I have to step up and be the Godly mother and wife he wants me to be. Yes it’s hard. Very hard sometimes and I am still struggling in some areas. I am still flesh, I will always struggle with worldly sin. ”But if I live in the flesh,this is the fruit of my labour:yet what I shall choose I wot not. For I am in a strait betwixt two,having a desire to depart,and to be with Christ;which is far better.” Philippians 1:22-23 As long as I give into my flesh I will receive nothing good! Thank God he loves me enough to pick me back up when I fail. I will always choose Christ! I know that as long as I put him first, he will bless me and give me the desires of my heart. That’s why it is so important to be in church and be with Godly people. To always know and remind myself what God has brought me from: a life of sin and wickedness, doing what ever pleased me not him. He bought and paid for my salvation. He went through dying on the cross for ME! I didn’t do nothing to deserve his love, but he loved me first! When the devil tells me I am worthless and no good, the Lord takes me back to the day he saved my soul from hell. I have to set the example for my boys. I want them to say ” I have a Godly mommy.” My son is almost 5 got saved April 27th of this month. People might say well he’s to young to know what it means or something silly like that. My son knows the truth, because he has been taught the truth. In just a year of being in church, he has learned the truth about or Lord. The night he got saved he was watching a little girl get saved and we started talking about it. He knew what hell was and he knew he wasn’t saved. He has told me many times he wasn’t saved but he wanted to be and be baptised. Well next thing I knew he looked up at me and started crying saying he was scared of going to hell. I asked him if he wanted to go to the altar with his daddy and he said yes. Then all these men started praying over him. When they got up he ran to me and said “MOMMY I GOT SAVED!” We asked him how he knew he was saved and he said “cause Jesus touched my heart.” What would have happened if I wouldn’t have listened to the Lord that day he met me in that truck? What would have happened if my husband wouldn’t have listened to the Lord calling him? We would have kept living in filthy sin and my son would not have been saved that night at such a young age! THANK THE LORD! What would have become of my kids? I really don’t even want to think about how my life would have turned out if I didn’t get saved. We have to put Jesus first! I wouldn’t be able to get up in the morning if it wasn’t for Him. I get so eager when it’s time to go to church because I know I’m gonna get some help from the Lord. To me when someone is truly saved, you will want to go to church. A christian means being Christ-Like. I have to be on my toes everyday making sure I am being Christ-Like. When I am watching t.v, I think to my self, “would Jesus want me watching this?” Thats why the flesh comes back in. Sometimes this wicked flesh takes over and I catch myself wanting to watch something I shouldn’t, or saying something I shouldn’t. Here is some examples: When you cuss are you being Christ-like? When you tell a dirty joke are you being Christ like? When you drink alcohol and party are you being Christ like? The answer is NO! We are all born sinners. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23 But there is hope! “For the wages of sin is death;but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23 ”For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Luke 19:10 There are so many people who get too comfortable in their sin. there is still a chance! Repent and see what God has for you! Always put him first in your life. Let him be your light to guide you. I’m so thankful I did. Now my kids can see there mommy and daddy living for Christ.
God’s Grace
The Lord has been so good to me. What have I done to deserve his love! On May 1,2009 is the day I gave my life to the Lord. That was 2 days after my granny was buried. I fell under hard conviction! It basically started when my husband got saved on Feb. 15,2009. I always thought we were saved. I always thought as long as you lead a pretty good life and say a few prayers here and there you was going to heaven. Boy was I wrong! “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3 I was so consumed in the world and what other people would think. I had to be doing what everybody else was doing. Smoking cigarettes, cuss, where my tight jeans. I was so blinded. “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If a man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.” John 2:15-16 So from February to April I was watching my husband take my oldest son who almost 4 at the time to church. I used my youngest son as an excuse not to go. You see our church is an hour away. So I would say “thats too hard on him to drive that far” and “I’ll go when hes older.” But when my granny died, my Pastor preached at her funeral. He is also my brother in law. He preaches hard! And he preaches the whole truth from Genisis to revelation.(KJV of course.) Well that day of May 1st I was sitting at a redlight in my husband’s truck listening to a preaching cd.(which I never did) It was “When will a sinner get saved?” Well the good old Holy Ghost fell in that truck, conviction took over me and I remember praying to God “Please forgive me, I don’t want to go to hell, I want my boys to have a Godly mama! I want to live forever in heaven!” I don’t remember anything that was outside that truck, everything was a black blurr. After that I remember feeling a sense of peace come over me, the light turned green. I WAS SAVED!!! GLORY TO GOD I HAD BEEN REDEEMED! “But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:22-23 I want every one who reads this to know that God is alive and He is coming back to get those who are saved! If anyone is lost it’s not to late. Repent now and see what God has in store for you! “ For all have sinned and have come short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23
Growing up without the Lord
Growing up as a child I was never in church except when my mom and dad were married, then only on occassion when we went with my dad. My mom and dad divorced when I was like 3. He took us to church when he could, before he moved to Florida. ( I have the best memories of him and my papaw singing in the choir and my meemaw playing the organ.) I can remember going to church with my neighbor a few times too but that was it. In my house growing up there was never a prayer said at the table, no going to church, and no conversations about Jesus. Of course my mom told me His name and I knew he was in heaven. I remember sometimes saying the old prayer “Now I lay me down to sleep…” You know the prayer I’m talking about. Anyways so I went my whole child hood not knowing who Jesus REALLY is!! I was a pretty good girl, made good grades, never got in trouble at school, but I did hang around some that got me doing things I never did before. In high school I started smoking cigarettes, and even experienced marijuana and alcohol. My mom never had a clue. That’s the bad thing about public school. It’s nothing but a breeding ground for TROUBLE! Kids are experiencing drugs in the middle schools now and even in primary school! Just a little insight, my 2 boys are being home schooled. Anyways I ended up engaged in 12th grade to a guy who was pretty descent but smoked pot, so of course I did to. We dated three years and broke up. That’s when I met Terry (my husband now) We started off rocky, doing things that was pretty bad. But God knew exactly what he was doing when he brought us together. We went through alot , but we always managed to pull through. This whole time my mom still didn’t have a clue as to what I was doing bad. Of course she didn’t like me dating Terry(because he is 7 yrs older) let alone me quitting my job in the mall and moving to S.C with him. I always thought Terry was saved cause he knew a lot about the Bible, his brother is a preacher (our pastor now.) I always thought if you did good things for people and lived pretty good, you was saved. Well we got married Sept. 20,2003. In June 2005 we had our first son. Still living pretty good but without the Lord. We went to a few churches here and there but something wasn’t right. We just thought to ourselves “This church isn’t right or the preaching was boring.” Well in July 2008 we had our second son. In 2009 my husband started going to church. (where we go now.) He would take my oldest son with him. I didn’t ever go because I said the drive was too hard on the youngest son.(the drive to church is a hour) ALL EXCUSES. What it was , was conviction! Well on Feb 15,2009 my hubby came home from church on Sunday morning and was all excited! He had this look on his face I had never seen before. He said “Honey I got SAVED!” I was in shock because I thought he was. Well that was the start of the heavy convictions! On April 25,2009 my granny died. She was saved I know. She had more faith than anyone I knew. Her funeral put me under the hard convictions! I was so sucked in to the message. Our pastor now(my brother in law), preached her service. Then 2 days after she was buried I got saved in my husband truck! “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9 “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.” John 6:44 (It is a whosoever but not a whensoever!) You can read about that in my other blog. So here it’s been almoat a year now sinced I have been saved. WOW! How my eyes are no longer blinded by wicked sin! Its amazing how the Lord works. How through all of my life growing up, I would be born again, living my life for the Lord, raising my boys the way the Lord would have me to. I’m so blessed to have a Godly husband, a wonderful church, an awesome preacher (who is also my brother in law) who preaches the whole truth out of the KJV! From the front cover to the back cover! Oh and I can’t forget to mention that I now sing in our choir which I have dreamed since I was a little girl! GOD IS SO GOOD! “For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withold from them that walk uprightly.” Psalm 84:11
