Are you ready to die for your faith?

An interesting scenario- how would you answer the question?

John MacArthur confronts emergent church

MacArthur expresses many of my concerns about the emergent church that I have harbored for the last five years. Many of these concerns I have presented as I questioned some of the posts in emergent blogs and whatnot on the net. These issues where basically commented on and explained away at in multitudes of posts until everybody simply got sick and tired of talking about it. This is a huge concern...that there is NO concern for TRUTH! Let's just ask questions, give vague responses until everyone gets tired of talking. The following video by Driscoll does a good job explaining (for those still trying to figure this confusing picture out) the different streams of postmodern Christianity out there today. I believe we are in the "house church" category (yay!).

sometimes we need a reminder of just WHO God is!!!

Right now we wonder if God remembers us and is actually working. Then I came across this video...when the people of God testify...there is no doubt. He is always working!

"Bring them hither to me." Matt. 14:18

Are you encompassed with needs at this very moment, and almost overwhelmed with difficulties, trials and emergencies? These are all divinely provided vessels for the Holy Spirit to fill, and if you but rightly understood their meaning, they would become opportunities for receiving new blessings and deliverances which you can get in no other way.

Bring these vessels to God. Hold them steadily before Him in faith and prayer. Keep still, and stop your own restless working until He begins to work. Do nothing that He does not Himself command you to do. Give Him a chance to work, and He will surely do so; and the very trials that threatened to overcome you with discouragement and disaster, will become God's opportunity for the revelation of His grace and glory in your life, as you have never known Him before. "Bring them (all needs) to me." - A.B. Simpson

Where do we put our trust?

It's been a while since we have blogged on here, we are so sporadic partly because it seems nothing is happening. I should say nothing that we can see. We are still here and still striving to draw closer to God. That's where we are on this journey.

We have not been on health insurance for almost a year now. We have had an allergy type cold once during that entire time and that was it. It has been a miracle none of us has had any major illness or injury. Friday, JP made the kids scrambled eggs for breakfast. They were barely through eating when Daniel starting breaking out in a rash. Daniel has suffered from eczema since he was a baby but it has not flared up in over 2 years. He has complained of a tummy ache lately and I could see a connection to him drinking milk with his meals and his tummy hurting. So a week ago, I stopped giving him milk and his complaints got fewer while his appetite increased. Then Friday. He still has the rash. We have been giving him Benadryl (only when we see itching or complaining) since Friday night when his whole body was covered with the rash. Right now it has improved greatly but is still there. We get on JP's insurance in two weeks so I called today to make an appointment with an allergist. In the meantime, we are not giving him anything with eggs, milk and to be on the safe side peanut butter in it. We went to the grocery store and got some foods that we know are safe until we see the doctor. I do not want to aggravate the situation until then.

Since, Friday I have had a tough time emotionally. I have bee allergies and have had an anaphylaxis reaction as a child. I was so stressed out Friday when JP went to work, because I wasn't sure how bad it was going to get. It peaked about 11:30 PM right as JP got home from work, we didn't have any Benadryl so he ran back out to get some. It took him an hour to get back. We didn't get in bed until after 1:30 AM. The entire weekend we watched him closely. It was very stressful. We are still dealing with it but he is a whole lot better and probably won't have a reaction worse than the one he already has had since we are avoiding the foods we suspect are causing the problem.

I have also dealt with the spiritually significance of all this, this weekend. If our trust is in God why am I so worried over this situation. I was reading in my devotion Bible the Scripture in Mark where Jesus calms the storm. The disciples had Jesus in the boat with them yet they felt abandoned and scared. When we are a Christian, Jesus is even closer to us so why do we feel scared and abandoned. Jesus rebuked the disciples and said "Where is your faith?" They had seen Jesus work miracles before and so have we. So I have been asking myself-"where is your faith?" I have to admit that I am still wrestling with this. I know worrying is wrong but I find myself falling into it. I just had to begin to pray- "Lord, I believe, but help my unbelief". And I have to trust that He will answer that pray.

I found a lot to praise the Lord about during this situation though. I praised Him for Daniel's protection through this ordeal. I thanked Him for a car and money to buy medicine. I thanked Him I wasn't alone but had a loving husband who came home after work on a Friday night physically able to go and get medicine. I thanked Him this happened now when we are very close to being on insurance so we will not have a lot of medical bills. I thanked Him that we had money to buy extra groceries for Daniel to eat these next two weeks. These are all things we sometimes take for granted but God is good and although I am still stressed and worrying, He is right here and taking care of us anyway.

Opportunity in Closed Doors

As I was reading today in Streams in the Desert devotional book, this thought was the theme.

Acts 16:6: They were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia.

"Beloved, whenever you are doubtful to your course, submit your judgment absolutely to the Spirit of God, and ask Him to shut against you every door but the right one. Say,

'Blessed Spirit, I cast on Thee the entire responsibility of closing against my steps any and every course which is not of God. Let me hear Thy voice behind me whenever I turn to the right hand or the left.'" It goes on to say when you are listening to God and following Him-"Do not be surprised if the answer comes in closed doors."

What a thought. What opportunity awaits us when we are obedient to God. Waiting on God is a hard thing to do. Sometimes it is discouraging but hold on-don't run ahead. Wait. Ask God to shut from you everything that would cause you to turn aside from His course. He is so faithful and keeps us. That is exciting.

Faithful to God's Call

It's been a while and to be honest that is probably because of discouragement on our part. To quote an old theologian: "I'm in a hurry and God is not". It amazes me just how much God wants to speak to our situations in life. I read through several devotion books as well as a read the Bible through the year devotional called My Utmost Devotional Bible. This is today's reading just for us at this time. God is so awesome.

"Faithful to God's Call- Jonah 1:1-3

The discernment of God's call does not come in every moment of life, but only in rare moments; the moments our Lord spoke of as "the light." We have to remain true to what we see in those moments; if we do not, we will put back God's purpose in our life. the undercurrent of regret arises when we confer with those who have not hear the call of God, and if we listen to them we get into darkness. (NOT KNOWING)

Arguers against obeying the call of God will arise in the shape of country and kindred, and if you listen to them you will soon dull your ears to God's call and become the dullest, most commonplace Christian imaginable, because you have no courage in your faith; you have seen and heard, but have not gone on. If you accept sympathy from those who have not heard the call of God, it will so blunt your own sense of His call that you become useless to Him. (NOT KNOWING)

You hear the call of God and realize what He wants, then you begin to find reasons why you should not obey Him. Well, obey Him, because away in some other part of the world there are other circumstances being worked by God, and if you say- "I shan't, I wasn't made for this" you get out of touch with God. Your "goings" are not according to your mind, but according to God's mind. Remain true at all costs to what God is doing with you and don't ask why He is doing it." (NOT KNOWING)

Friend, remain true to what God is calling you to do. It may be hard but God is always faithful. We feel we are on a threshold at this point in time. Waiting is hard to do but God is drawing us ever more into His presence. Don't give up the call even if it seems strange or crazy to you. If you have given yourself to God, He decides how you are to be used. Just be available and don't quit.