On to the New Year

Today is the day after Christmas. All the hype that has been happening is 
over. The gifts have been unwrapped. There have been some disappointments 
and some grand surprises. There have been family gatherings, and there has 
been loneliness. There are those who wish the Christmas season didn't have 
to end and others who are glad it is over. 

But in the midst of all the festivities, did you remember to give a gift 
to your beloved Savior? 

At any rate, Christmas day is gone for another year and our focus is now 
on the New Year. People are making plans for parties and thinking on 
resolutions. Why do we even try to make resolutions? They never seem to 
last very long, at least mine never did. That is one reason I don't even
bother. That way, when whatever I resolve to do doesn't work out, I don't feel 
so defeated.

However, there is one resolution that I make every New Years Eve. It is one 
I have yet to fail at, and that is to make a resolution to my God to get to 
know Him better. You see, when God sees a heart that is willing to be open 
to Him, He empowers you to fulfill that resolution.

As the year comes to a close, let's take this week to reflect on where we 
have been and where we would like to go. We may not be where we want to be 
but at least we're not where we used to be.

May you all have a blessed, prosperous New Year! 

Happy New Year 2012!

The Christmas Season

Wishing all our friends a blessed, merry Christmas! May this season be filled with love, joy, hope, and peace to you and your families. And may the fruit of the season be carried in your hearts and lives throughout the coming year.

Christmas is becoming one of those political holidays. People debate about it not being the day Christ was born, or that it is based on a pagan holiday or it has become too commercialized and is all about money and gifts. Christmas is what you make it. It is a day that has been set aside to honor the birth of our Savior. How you chose to celebrate it is up to you. You don't have to buy into all the gift giving and spending. Why would you allow the world to dictate how you celebrate?

This year we have chosen to decorate minimally, just enough to remind me of what Christmas is really all about. We are not exchanging gifts. We are focusing on our greatest gift, salvation. The gifts we will give to our friends and family is the gift of love and the gift of time. Love is one of the greatest gifts we can give. Our time, I believe, is the second greatest. You see, time can never be replaced. So the time we spend with others is priceless.

Why not consider taking a little bit of your time, even an hour, and visit the shut-ins in the nursing homes who have no visitors. Or the sick in the hospitals and give them the gift of hope. Or help at a homeless shelter or soup kitchen to those less fortunate? Or invite the widow across the street that is all alone to join you for dinner? These are the gifts that touch people's lives forever, not the watch that you bought for Aunt Sue or the shirt for Uncle Bob.

While we are on gift giving, why not consider giving a gift to Jesus also. After all, its His birthday we are celebrating. Give Him your life, spend time with Him, get to really know Him. These are the greatest gifts we can give our Savior. These are the gifts He desires.

However you chose to celebrate Christmas, may the blessings of God be added to you.

Merry Christmas!

Challenge your Mouth

Our words are powerful. Think about it. God spoke and it was. In Genesis 1:3
“And God said, Let there be light; and there was light.” In John 1:1 “In the beginning [before all time] was the Word (Christ), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God Himself.” Just these two verses tell us how powerful words are. 

As children of God, our words are no less powerful. Look at Proverbs 18:21 “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits”. Imagine that! Our tongue contains the power of life and death!

Have you ever said something to someone only to see the look of hurt on their face and wish you could take those words back? Have you ever told someone you would do something but never followed through? Of course you have, we all have. Think about the times words were spoken to you and they cut into your heart. Or the times someone promised you something only to let you down. This is the power of words.

It is our responsibility to be aware of what comes from our lips. Someone hears every word we speak. What you say can tarnish your witness, your character. As someone once said, we need to say what we mean and mean what we say. We need to think of what is going to come out of mouths. And let me tell you first hand, that is not as easy as it sounds.

So what do we do? As with everything else, we need to begin with prayer. We need to ask God to remind us to think before we speak. Even Jesus, the Son of God, did nothing but what He heard from the Father. If we call ourselves Christians, and God dwells in us, should we do any less than Jesus did?

Secondly, practice, practice, practice. What are we practicing? The art of thinking and speaking good, uplifting words. And yes, this means to everyone, even those you don't particularly like. If we think on things that are good, holy, pure, lovely, they will overflow out of mouths. Go on, I challenge you to try it for one day.

Do You Want to Play a Game?

The other day I was sitting at my computer playing one of those games where you shoot the colored balls at like colors to make them disappear. I have to admit I was feeling proud that I was already at level 5. Then, on level 6, I made a few stupid mistakes and lost. I remember thinking to myself that is what happens when you get cocky. But Not to worry, I will just start again. At that point, God chose to chime in and said that is exactly what happens in our spiritual life, too. Now I don't know about you, but God has this way of taking my everyday situations and using them to show me valuable insights. This was one of those times.

Here I was, slowing chipping away at this big block. And I might add, being very successful. But then I messed up, not really paying attention to the screen and keeping up with the colors. Bam! “Game Over” pops up on the screen, then “Replay?” Of course I want to replay! I want to win this game.

Now God steps into my game. Our life is like that big block and both God and the enemy are constantly chipping away at it. God wants to destroy those blocks in our life that hinder our relationship with Him. As the larger block becomes smaller, the obstacles in our sight become less. Once all the blocks are gone, we can move on to the next level. Of course the next level is more difficult, but we bring with us the strategies that helped us destroy those blocks in the previous level.

However, we have a tendency to get boastful and think we can do this without much thought. That is where the enemy slips in. Instead of destroying that block, it starts to become larger and more difficult. The larger it becomes, the more defeated we begin to feel. You see, the enemy wants to keep adding blocks so that our focus is on how large that block is and not on God. Them BAM! We get knocked down but in this scenario, we don't lose. We just get to replay. 

No matter how successful we are at defeating obstacles in our life, we must never think we can continue being successful without God. Pride will do us in and we will not be able to advance in our relationship with our Father until we once again realize we can do nothing without Him. 

God is with us always, even when we are playing computer games. Remember, the next time you think you are just relaxing and playing, God can take that game and turn into a life lesson.

Thankfulness

Like many other Americans, we have recently celebrated Thanksgiving. We gathered with family and friends and stuffed ourselves with turkey, vegetables, potatoes, and pies. There was probably enough food to feed a small army. We watched football and enjoyed a day off from our normal work routines. But did we remember to be truly thankful for our blessings?

Some times we take our life for granted. We assume we will have a hot meal or warm clothes to wear. Instead of being grateful, we complain about not liking something or our lack of. We complain about our jobs. We argue with our families. We complain about our difficulties. It is so easy to look at the negative things and get sucked up into that black hole of ungratefulness.

When you find yourself drifting towards that black hole, stop. Just stop and try to see it from another perspective. Perhaps that difficult person is in your life to teach you tolerance. Or your “lack of” is to teach you humility. Or a lack of finances is to teach you to be more dependent on God. Whatever the situation, try to see what you can learn from it. Ask God to help you see it from His perspective.

Remember, there were thousands of Americans that didn't have a warm house or a turkey to eat. There were those that spent Thanksgiving day alone. And yet, there are still reasons to be thankful. Sometimes we just need to look for them.

In difficult situations, it is sometimes hard to find your blessings, but they are there.

Keep on Keeping on

There are some situations in my life that I have earnestly been praying about. I have prayed, cried, and begged God to answer them. Yet I have not seen any changes. The other day, as once again I prayed, I also asked, “Why are my prayers not being answered?” Lo and behold! I felt God answer my question. He asked me how I knew they were not being answered. Well, duh, I am not seeing or experiencing any answers. It must have been the way Adam and Eve felt when God asked them why they were hiding themselves.

God reminded me that His ways are not our ways. He also reminded me that we are dimensional beings with our lives divided up by time. God is omnipotent, He was, He is, and He will be. He sees all time at once, not in segments. He is not limited by time.

So while we are praying, He is already answering. We may not see the results of our prayers when we are expecting to, but we will see results. I think about how my grandmother always told me she was praying for me. She was asking God to grab hold of me and help me to know Him. Her prayers were answered, but it wasn't until years later. Although she was no longer on earth, I believe she saw the answer to her prayers.

Some of our prayers are answered immediately, some when we least expect it. Several months ago I was praying and whining about a situation, when God spoke the answer very clearly. My first thoughts were “this could never happen”. But now, almost a year later, it is happening. For me, it has been a long time. But for God, it was a blink of an eye.

So when you have something you are earnestly praying about, remember that God is answering.

A Woman of Worth

As a wife, a mother, a woman, have you ever had days that you just felt worthless? Days where your self confidence hit a new low? I have. One day while I was in my pit of self pity, I picked up the bible. What a revalation God revealed! No matter how bad things in my life seemed to be, they were a lot better than the days of old where considered lower than slaves.

Throughout the old and new testaments women were generally considered property. The world at that time did not view them as much more than slaves. Yet, the times the bible talks about Jesus being ministered to, it was by angels and women. They followed Him and ministered to them. They were taught by Him and loved Him. A lot of these woman were healed but more importantly, they were treated with love and respect.

Look at what Jesus did for Mary Magdalene, the crippled woman, the Samaritan woman, to point out just a few. He talked with them, he healed them, He loved them. He didn't them like an outcast.

Are we any different than these woman? Their self-worth was defined by society. They were considered inferior and acted as such. Do we let society today define our self-worth and beauty by using this product or that? By knowing and socializing with the 'right' crowd? By how much money we have or don't have?

We all have a need to belong, to be accepted, to be loved. And that is what Jesus did. He looked past the social stigmas and treated them as people, as “daughters of Abraham”.

Let our prayer be that God would allow us to see our self-worth and beauty through His eyes.

Be a Verb - take action

When you see someone going through a tough time, have you noticed how easily the words “just have faith”, (or something very similar), come out of your mouth? Or you pat them on the back and tell them things will work out. But is that really helpful to them? Think about the times you were troubled and someone said that to you? Did it help you feel at peace, or did it make you feel more troubled, irate, or bitter? Sometimes the best meaning intentions are not really helpful at all. I know that when I am in a tough spot, my perspective is blurred and my confidence is usually lacking. Instead of speaking mere words to someone, try doing something.

You can be a good listener. Sometimes all that person needs is for someone to listen, to actually hear them, to know that there is someone that really cares.

Be encouraging. Perhaps you can share a difficult time you experienced and how you got through it. It may not work the same way for them, but it gives others hope.

Offer some practical help, if possible. For example, someone is distraught because they broke their leg and can't get around. Perhaps you can offer to do some grocery shopping. Or prepare them a meal.

Most importantly, put yourself in that person's place. How would you want others to respond to you?

Remember, James 2:14-16 “What is the use (profit), my brethren, for anyone to profess to have faith if he has no [good] works [to show for it]? Can [such] faith save [his soul]? If a brother or sister is poorly clad and lacks food for each day, And one of you says to him, Good-bye! Keep [yourself] warm and well fed, without giving him the necessities for the body, what good does that do?"

Halloween – Good, Bad, or Ugly?

This is on of those holidays that always seem to spark debates. Is it really a pagan holiday? It has its root in Paganism, as does a lot of the holidays we celebrate. Does that make it bad if I join in the Halloween festivities? Lets look at how halloween began.

Way back, about 2,000 years ago, it was a Celtic festival to celebrate the end of the year. It was the end of the harvesting season and a signal that the cold, harsh winters would begin. They believed it was a day the world of the dead opened. By leaving 'treats' and disguising themselves, they hoped to ward off the evil dead spirits. Over time, as Chrisitianity spread, the church, mainly Catholic, replaced the pagan practice of All Hallows Eve with All Souls Day. It was a day to pray for the souls of those who had passed on.

In the early history of the United States, this was not observed as the majority of people were Protestant and All Souls Day was considered Catholic. However, as the country grew and immigrants came, the traditions of Halloween and All Souls Day also came. Eventually, Halloween became a holiday that was more community based than religious. There are parties, parades, and costumes where a good time is had by all.

Granted, this is a condensed history of Halloween, but perhaps it will shed some light on its history. As to whether to participate or not, I believe the answer is in the intention of your heart. Do you dress up and trick or trick for the gathering of your neighbors and for fun? Or are you participating in the pagan rituals of warding off evil spirits? In the end, we must each make our own decision.

When Times are Tough.....Quit

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where it seems like everything is going wrong? Perhaps you find yourself struggling with a particularly rough circumstance, where no matter how hard you try, it doesn't get any better. If that is the case, just quit. Yes, you read that correctly, when things are falling apart around you, quit.

Quit looking at the negative. Quit whining and complaining. Quit trying to change something that is out of your control. Quit worrying.

Think about it, when was the last time all your worrying changed a situation? If your funds are low, did worry give you the additional money to pay that bill? Of course not! So why waste your energies on worry? Instead, work on shifting your focus on something positive. Think back to the times that God has come through for you. As His child, He has always provided for all your needs. Perhaps not all your wants, but all your needs. Its not easy going through tough times. You need to re-train your mind. Go to your quiet place and reflect on Him. You will be pleasantly surprised how your perspective changes.

The Bible is full of promise and instruction. Here are just some Scriptures to reflect on.

Matthew 6:31-34; Luke 12:25-26; John 14:27; Philippians 4:6-8; Hebrews 13: 5-6; 1 Peter 5: 7-10; Psalm 34:17-19; Jeremiah 29:11

A Moment of Praise

Our lives are busy, busy, busy.  So busy, that at times we neglect the most important necessity...praising our God. We always seem to remember to pray, especially when there are problems. But how often do we take the time to just sit in His presence? I invite you to take just a few minutes out of your busy schedule. Turn on your sound for a moment of praise. You will be glad you did.

When the Answer is "No"

Have you ever prayed and not get your prayer answered? How do you react to that? You have put your tears and whole heart and soul into your request to God. You may have even fasted. Yet God does not answer it. Do you turn away? Do you get mad at God? Do you feel as though God wasn't really listening?

What is prayer? Simply put, prayer is communicating with God. But remember, communication is a two way street. When we pray, we must also learn to hear. God is the Creator of the Universe, the ultimate authority. Sometimes when we ask, His answer is 'no' or 'not now'. And just like children, we pout and have spiritual temper tantrums because we didn't get our way.

We talk with God, we praise Him, we make our request, we ask for help. Sometimes He does, and sometimes He doesn't. But just because He doesn't, doesn't mean He doesn't care. It just means the He knows what is best for us. Perhaps what you are asking for isn't the best for you. Perhaps He HAS answered, just not in the way you wanted Him to.

Our prayer time with God needs to be open communication. When prayers do not seem to be answered, we need to ask God to open our minds and hearts to understand why. Remember when you were a child and your parents told you 'no' to a certain thing you wanted? They were also trying to tell you why you couldn't have it but you were so busy crying and pouting and being mad that you didn't hear them. It's no different with God.

Next time it appears that your prayer is not being answered, sit quietly in His presence and listen. Just be honest about what you're feeling. Tell God that you are disappointed, then ask Him how you should pray. He will tell you.

Autumn is Here!

The change of seasons are wonderful! Right now, the fall season is upon us. In another week or so, the trees will be showing all their vibrant hues. The roadside, the mountains, the forest, and parks will all be breath-taking with color. But the leaves are more than all that color, it is a sign of change. The days will become shorter and temperatures will become lower. Fall is a sign that the warmth of summer is over and the cold of winter is soon. It is a time to prepare, to dig out your winter clothes, to gather firewood, etc. Watch the animals, especially the squirrels. They are all scurrying about collecting nuts and such to keep them through the winter months. They know if they don't prepare, winter will be brutal for them. As a Christian, we also go through seasons.

Your seasons may not correlate with the physical seasons, but they are seasons just the same. We may be in a Spiritual autumn; preparing, studying, refreshing. This is a time to reflect on what we have learned over the previous season. As we gather our thoughts and store our experiences, we prepare for the coming Spiritual winter. If we have done all our preparations, we can rest in the knowledge that we can snuggle up and enjoy the winter season.

Life is Like a Football Game

People have a tendency to think that as Christians, we should have no problems or troubles. Oh how I wish that were true! You see, once you wear the badge of Christ, you become a target. Since football season is here, try looking at it this way. You're like the guy with the ball in a football game, running toward the goal and everyone else is out to stop you. But just like a football game, you are surrounded by your team who block and tackled for you. You have coaches that push and train you. You practice and practice until the plays are perfected. Then the big day comes to put all your practice into action. Sometimes you lose but sometimes you win. And if you lose, you pick yourself up and go at it again. Your focus remains on the goal line, you never give up until the game is over.

Our walk as a Christian is very similar. Our goal is to be like Christ; to be obedient to the Father as we learn to hear His voice; to love one another. However, none of this is achievable without lots of practice. That is why is why it is so important to spend time with God. We sit in His presence and let His Spirit refresh and renew us as He teaches us His ways. As we learn, we begin to think we are ready to go out into the field. But we are forgetting other very important factors, our team members, our coaches, etc. God knows all this is important, that is why His Word says to gather together to encourage and pray for one another. That is why He has ordained some to be preachers and teachers.

No one Christian is better than another, we just each have a different position to fill. The truth is, we all fall short. But we pick ourselves up, refocus on our goal, and ask God for help. With enough practice, we will eventually cross that goal line and score the big touchdown.

An "Off" Day

Who knew that writing a blog for a website would be so challenging? After all, it I only update it weekly. I thought it would be a piece of cake. What I am learning though is to be more in tune with God. Although I must admit, some days are better than others.

Take today for instance. I am feeling thoroughly and completely drained, wiped out, unmotivated. I want to scream, “stop this ride, I want to get off!!”. Why do I feel this way? I have no idea. God has blessed me many times over this week and I know that beyond any doubt. Yet I still feel like yuk.

However, I have lived long enough to know that what I feel isn't always real. Our emotions sometimes strive to overtake our mind and spirit. The key is to stay focused on God and His goodness. Which I have to admit isn't always easy. But I have resolved that no matter what, I am going to do all that I can do and let God take care of the rest

After all, everything we do is a commitment, and commitments come with a price. Perhaps they all don't have high price tags, but nonetheless, they each have one.

Disappointment

Have you ever been disappointed? Why? Disappointment is typically when we desire something or want circumstances to go our way and when this doesn't happen, we get disappointed. I had this experience just this past week. There was something I wanted very badly. On the surface it looked great and the price was exceptional. I was excited about it! The day after I spotted this opportunity it came to a screeching halt and my hope sunk. I told myself that God led me to that circumstance and all the “signs” pointed to confirm it. So what happened? Now I had a decision to make. How was I going to handle this disappointment?

You see, I was believing that God led me there. Perhaps He did, and if He did, why didn't it happen? Did I wait too long, pondering all the facts? Was I too hesitant to jump on it? I guess there's a good chance I'll never know the answer to that question for sure. But what I do know for sure is that God has my best interest at heart. I have to trust that if this was truly something He desired for me, it would have happened. For on the surface it appeared to be a sure-fire thing. But underneath, it may have been a disaster. Then again, perhaps I missed the boat because of fear and doubt. In that case, I cannot “beat myself up” for missing it. I need to learn from it.

Either way, I trust that God has an even better opportunity in store for me. And when that circumstance comes around, there will be no doubt or fear, for God has not give me a spirit of fear.

Smile

A little girl walked to and from school daily. Though the weather that morning was questionable and clouds were forming, she made her daily trek to school. As the afternoon progressed, the winds whipped up, along with lightning. The mother of the little girl felt concerned that her daughter would be frightened as she walked home from school.She also feared the electrical storm might harm her child.

Full of concern, the mother got into her car and quickly drove along the route to her child's school. As she did, she saw her little girl walking along. At each flash of lightning, the child would stop, look up, and smile. More lighting followed quickly and with each, the little girl would look at the streak of light and smile.

When the mother drew up beside the child, she lowered the window and called, "What are you doing?" The child answered, "I am trying to look pretty because God keeps taking my picture."

Acknowledge and Re-focus

Its okay to feel anger, disappointment, and hurt. After all, God created us with emotions. But its how we handle them that makes the difference. Often times we choose to dwell on our anger or our hurt which turns to anger. Here’s what God shared with me: acknowledge your feelings then re-focus. Its like someone telling you not to think about pink elephants. No matter how hard you try, you still think about pink elephants. The only way to not think of them is to refocus your thoughts. Start thinking about what to have for dinner and soon you will find that you are no longer thinking of those elephants.

That same principle works with our emotions. When something angers you, hurts, you, or disappoints you, acknowledge it. Allow yourself to feel that emotion for no more than 3 mins. (Which is actually a long time, just sit still for 3 mins and see how long it feels.) Then start thinking about how God has blessed you, about His greatness, His mercy, His love. Soon you will have gotten past all those ugly feelings. One thing I have discovered since putting this into action is that there is great freedom in allowing yourself to be angry, hurt, upset, etc. And my 3 mins has not lasted more than about 30 seconds.

Learning to Look

God is so good!! And I am a work in progress. Following God's direction, I have been looking for at least one thing that is undoubtedly His work. Some days its just little things like avoiding a near accident or getting work done that seemed impossible to finish. Other days its bigger, like when He changed the time of a presentation I was scheduled to give to a more favorable time.

But no matter what it is, I am learning to look for His hand at work which makes me more aware of His presence. The benefits of listening to God's direction are multifaceted. Not only am I more sensitive to the Spirit, I am more positive. This new awareness will change your entire outlook on life. Each morning brings a new excitement. It makes the proverbial "be joyous in times of trials" become more attainable.

Once I realized God really does have my back and wants the best for me, nothing else seems to matter. Its all a matter of learning to trust. The times I slip back into worry and stress, God reminds me that I switched my focus. Like Peter when was walking on water and took his focus off of Jesus.

I used to think that in order to walk with God you had to be some sort of super spiritual person and walk around saying things like 'praise the Lord", “bless God", etc all the time. Now I know I can just be me.

An Eye Opener

Here is how I got to this point. Things just have not been going well and I was feeling miserable. Last week when I was asking God what the problem was, He told me I didn't trust Him enough. I was taken aback and mentally rattled off various scenarios of how and when I trusted Him. Again He said, "You don't trust me enough, you don't trust me 100%". Wow! He was right! Imagine that! I didn't trust Him 100%. My God Who controls all things, and I don't trust Him. I know that I have built walls around me because of being hurt and feeling scared but I realized that I liked being behind those walls because it was safe. But wouldn't being in God's hands be safer? Agghhh! I know that I need to take that plunge into His arms, into His will.

Its like that time mom or dad took the training wheels off your bicycle. They stood behind you, balancing the bike and encouraged you. The fear of falling scared you but you were determined. As you start to peddle, you glance behind you and they are there, balancing you. You start to feel confident, peddling faster. Suddenly, you realize you are actually riding your bike on your own. What a feeling that was!

That's what I need to do, plunge into the midst of my Father's will. With all that being said, my main prayer now is that He will help me to take that plunge; to tear down the walls and let Him in. And that is exactly what He is doing.

Getting Humbled

God has been telling me that I needed to start a spiritual journal perhaps not on a daily basis but regularly. And me being me have been putting it off and putting it off. He has also been telling me that I need to remove myself from weather, the news, my silly games, etc in the morning until after I spend time with Him. That too, I have been putting off. Until this morning. And to be honest, it was because He forced His hand and made me.

I woke up and read my daily devotional first thing, as always, because that was the promise I made to God when I bought it. Then I went and spent a few minutes with Him and headed out to the internet to read the news and stuff. God was still on me about how I needed to spend more time with Him. My reply was that I would but I needed to start slowly. LOL. Right

At that moment, the power went out and He commanded, not asked or suggested but commanded, that I go and spend that time with Him. I did. What choice did I have at that point?

I can't say I got that 'ooey-gooey' feeling you sometimes get when God is working but He was with me. He took the time to make me spend time with Him, and for that I was heartbroken. That the God of the universe, the Creator, the Almighty, had to MAKE me spend the kind of time with Him that He wanted. Lesson learned.

The Beginning

I am a child of God, hence my pen name, Batia. It is a Hebrew name meaning "daughter of Jehovah". I am embarking on a new adventure. I am starting a website, under what I believe to be God's direction. Like me, this is a work in progress. I don't know where this might go but I'm going to give it a shot. I have taken the first step, the rest God, is up to you.