Blood Moon

The sun will become dark, and the moon will turn blood red before that great and glorious day of the lord arrives. (Acts of the Apostles 2:20 NLT)

I wasn't able to see the beautiful Blood Moon last night due to extreme weather. But I promise that I spent many moments pondering on what this meant. Is the end of the world here? Does this signal the beginning of the end? Or is this just a random scientific occurrence? 

I would be crazy not to see the significance of this. Especially with the moon coinciding with Passover. After all, it's 30 degrees tonight...in April...in the Deep South. Get real!

See, for as long as I can remember, I have been obsessed with End Time prophecy! I have researched and studied and studied and researched. What did I find out? Do you really want to know?

What I learned is that while the end of the age is important, what's most important is that we are prepared for Christ's return at every moment. We as a people are always looking for signs. Jesus said that it is a wicked and adulterous generation that asks for a sign (Matthew 12:39). Why did He say that? Because we want to know how much time we have left so that we can get our fill of sin and then repent at the last possible moment.

How arrogant of us. How do we know we will live to see the end. We could die tomorrow. I could die while writing this. You could die while reading this. We are but a vapor, a mist. Here today, gone the next. We have to prepare for our eternity NOW. Don't wait until it's too late. Tomorrow may never come. 

Yes, the end of the world is surely coming. Christ's return will be glorious!! But it could be 100 years from now....or it could be one year from now.

I still research and study, because it's important to know what will happen. But it's more important to know where we will spend eternity. I want to spend my forever always with Jesus. Do you? Invite Him in and be sure.......

Sweet Temptation

I've been a candy connoseiour for as long as I can remember. I remember my Uncle Junebug (yes, Junebugs actually exist) bringing me caramel candies on a regular basis. That led to lemon drops, red hots and my all-time favorite--Hot Tamales. Y'all, they are my weakness! Everyone who knows me closely can attest to that! 

It didn't stop at just candy, it carried over to all sweets--cakes, brownies, etc. I literally could go an entire day eating only sweets. Although I could, it's definitely not beneficial. It reminds me of a scripture--

You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is good for you. And even though “I am allowed to do anything,” I must not become a slave to anything. (1 Corinthians 6:12 NLT)

It's true. I admit. I have an addiction to sweets. I became a slave to it. I'm a slave because I allowed something to control me. And although sweets are okay in moderation, it's definitely not okay in large doses. 

What's your addiction? It doesn't have to be something bad. It's anything that you can't control, something that takes your focus off of priorities. Is it social media? Alcohol? Gossip? Money? 

I invite you to give it over to God. It won't be easy. But it will be worth it. I'm on my fifth day without sweets and it has been tough. But God's Grace is sufficient in my weakness.

Can't Get Right

I gathered all of my newly purchased water jugs. I labeled each in ways so that I will have guzzled down a full gallon of water each day. I knew it was a stretch because I'm not particularly a water fanatic. 

I was determined that hunger would catch me off guard, so I unthawed my already-seasoned chicken breast and prepared the salad to go long with it. 

I was determined to eat healthy and live healthy. There was one thing standing in my way--the leftover cake in the fridge and the gallon of Blue Bell ice cream in the freezer. Panic started to set in. What would I do? Well, a little cake wouldn't necessarily hurt. Except I knew I would never probably have just a little. It wouldn't necessarily throw me off course. 

I played scenarios out in my head. The right way seemed boring and constrictive. The wrong way--to eat just a little cake and ice cream seemed justifiable and not too bad. While weighing the pros vs. cons, I never thought about the consequences of negative actions, I only saw that I would be scratching that sweet itch and satisfying my flesh. I decided to eat the cake. 

And afterwards, I felt absolutely horrible. I decided that the day was already ruine and that I might as well fully indulge in bad behavior. It was at that point that the consequences began to cross my mind. The fact that heart disease is so prevalent in my family. It was then that I recalled the new study that said excessive sugar could lead to heart disease. And that cake and ice cream was excessive. 

Isn't that how Satan does us when we are struggling with sin? After all, in the Garden of Eden, he presented Eve with the "good side" of disobeying God. He failed to mention the consequences. Once we give into sin, we can feel helpless and hopeless. In our minds, we might as well fully indulge, since we gave in already. Romans 6:1-2 says, "What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?" 

We have to pick ourselves up and try again. Continue on the with good fight. It's hard to resist temptation, but it's so worth it. "Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded."  (James 4:7, 8 NIV) God wants to take us to higher heights and deeper depths. We can't allow tricks of the enemy to block our blessings. Stand strong and tall and fully depend on God. 

It's not worth the low feeling of guilt that we feel after we fall. But we know that He's right there to pick us up. We don't deserve a love like that, but He's willing to freely give it to us. 

 

And remember, He provides a way of escape...we just have to want to accept the way out. "No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it." (1 Corinthians 10:13 NIV)

What does it mean to "love the world?"

"Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them." (1 John 2:15 NIV)

It's a Bible verse that we all have (or probably have) heard. It's mentioned in our churches. In our conversations. We can quote it verbatim. But do we REALLY understand what it means? 

What is "the world?" Does John (the writer of 1 John) mean the earth? No. What is it then? The world, in this writing, means the evil in the world. This is the world that Satan dominates. It includes things that oppose the Kingdom of God. 

1 John goes on to say, "For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world." (1 John 2:16 NIV)

So the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride if life are things that oppose God. 

The lust of the flesh is pretty simple to describe. It's the desire for anything that is forbidden by God. This can be fornication, adultery, homosexual sex, drugs, drunkenness, hatred, jealousy, etc. "The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God."  (Galatians 5:19-21 NIV)

The lust of the eyes is also something many of us can describe. It's desiring the things that we see in the world. Let me clarify, there is nothing wrong with desiring a better life. What makes some desires wrong is our motives. There's one thing to want more money in order to provide for our families. It's a completely different situation when we desire more income in order to place ourselves above others. When we desire to be "big shots" in order to "stunt," we turn money into an idol. The Bible says we can't serve God and money. And it's absolutely right. The love of money positions itself as a total opposite of the love of God. Check your motives. 

There are many different theories as to what "the pride of life" is. I believe that the pride of life is a life saturated with arrogance. One that is totally self-centered and does not glorify God for it's accomplishments. 

All of these things are in direct violation of the word of God. Thankfully, we serve a mighty God....one who loves us. Let's turn our backs to the things of this world and serve God wholeheartedly. After all, "The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever." (1 John 2:17 NIV)