Heads Held High

I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt so that you would no longer be slaves to the Egyptians; I broke the bars of your yoke and enabled you to walk with heads held high.

~ Leviticus 26:13

The Israelites were being oppressed and enslaved by the Egyptians, but God miraculously freed them. You may not be a slave to people, but what ARE you enslaved by? Jealousy? Temptation? Feelings? A sin that won't go away? Maybe all these things. I find I'm enslaved by little bitty sneaky things and don't know it until it grows and goes on and on - then it's harder to beat. But the good thing is... we don't have to beat it alone! It is much easier to talk to Jesus about your slavery than to try and free yourself (it worked for the Israelites didn't it?)

Ready to walk with your head held high?

Almost Pure?

Disclaimer: I address my sisters, because I believe this needs to be addressed. I am not implying that I think guys are any better at this, but I will leave them to their own kind for the moment :)

Most of us have made a commitment to God and maybe our parents to remain pure until marriage. This could mean something different for each of us. For some there are other rules like don't hold hands with guys, don't even TALK to guys, or for some it's ok to get a new boyfriend every Thursday as long as you're technically pure. To each her own--I am not addressing the rules and wherefores of our commitments. Whatever you've worked out with the Lord and your parents if fine with me. But as far as I am concerned, purity, means keeping my body, heart, and mind only for my future husband.

But this is what I have seen recently from Colorado to Arkansas--some are missing it.

Our bodies our pure. Maybe our hearts haven't even been very fiddled with. I'm not going to go into big details about who's doing what and what's wrong when, but here is what I think is going on in this world among the pure--our MINDS are going CRAZY!!!!!

• Guys = toys
• We judge guys by their looks, good or bad (though we all do this with any sex, but it needs to stop)
• As soon as we meet a guy, they are a new plaything or potential relationship
• A guy cannot even TALK to us without our minds playing crazy games

What is our excuse? Not only are these mind games unfair to our commitments--they are unfair to guys. I love guys and I have great guy friends. Call me crazy, but I think a guy should be able to be friends with a girl without her building castles in the air all around him. It even FEELS stupid to type, but we all do it, including me. It's not fair and it's wrong to let our brains do things like that. Not to mention that EVERYONE can read this. Just because it's in our heads doesn't make it a secret. It shows itself in our actions to everyone but ourselves - we all know it is easy to see when a girl begins to drool over a guy behind his back. Or worse, to his face.

I have addressed the least vile and offensive of our shortcomings involving purity. But it is the one I have noticed more than anything else, and besides, if it were anything worse I don't think it would be my place to talk about it :) Can't we just be friends with guys? Is it impossible in this day and age? The brain plays around in every girl - what are we to do?

Thoughts anyone?

I'm doing the Lucy thing

When my lil sis Lucy started out posting bible time stuff she began by posting a scripture and ending with "I don't know what that means". We always kinda give her grief, but now I'm gonna try it out.

"Let him who does wrong continue to do wrong; let him who is vile continue to be vile; let him who does right continue to do right; and let him who is holy continue to be holy." ~ Rev 22:11

This is in the last chapter of Revelation where it is talking about the end being near. So why should the vile ones continue to vileize? Why should they not repent? I'm probably missing something really obvious here, but this is a mite confusing. Any thoughts?

Mighty To Save

Everyone needs compassion,

Love that's never failing;

Let mercy fall on me.

Everyone needs forgiveness,

The kindness of a Saviour;

The Hope of nations.

Saviour, He can move the mountains,

My God is Mighty to save,

He is Mighty to save.

Forever, Author of salvation,

He rose and conquered the grave,

Jesus conquered the grave.

So take me as You find me,

All my fears and failures,

Fill my life again.

I give my life to follow

Everything I believe in,

Now I surrender.

My Saviour, He can move the mountains,

My God is Mighty to save,

He is Mighty to save.

Forever, Author of salvation,

He rose and conquered the grave,

Jesus conquered the grave.

Shine your light and let the whole world see,

We're singing for the glory of the risen King...Jesus

My Saviour, He can move the mountains,

My God is Mighty to save,

He is Mighty to save.

Forever, Author of salvation,

He rose and conquered the grave,

Jesus conquered the grave.

My Saviour, you can move the mountains,

You are mighty to save,

You are mighty to save.

Forever, Author of Salvation,

You rose and conquered the grave,

Yes you conquered the grave

"Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades." ~ Revelation 1:17-18

Just ordinary dudes

Today Jesus left his disciples. But before he left, they recieved the Holy Spirit for the first time. Now I came to Christ when I was too little to really know/remember the difference, and I can't imagine NOT having the Holy Spirit. Check out how radical it was here in Acts:

Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. Utterly amazed, they asked: "Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language? Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome both Jews and converts to Judaism Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!" Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, "What does this mean?"
Some, however, made fun of them and said, "They have had too much wine."

Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: "Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It's only nine in the morning! No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:

" 'In the last days, God says,

I will pour out my Spirit on all people.

Your sons and daughters will prophesy,

your young men will see visions,

your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women,

I will pour out my Spirit in those days,

and they will prophesy. I will show wonders in the heaven above

and signs on the earth below,

blood and fire and billows of smoke.

The sun will be turned to darkness

and the moon to blood

before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.

And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.' "

I can't imagine how amazing that would be and how many nights I would be not able to sleep just thinking of all this meant to the world from there on out.

Through the Gospels at the speed of light

My reading plan is ruthless - it has me reading Jesus's death, resurrection, and birth all on the same day in different books! It's a crazy ride, but reading different people's accounts of the same thing is interesting, because I remember what Matthew said about the rich young ruler fresh when I'm reading it in Mark 30 minutes later :) But anyway, reading through them this time I noticed much more emphasis on John the Baptist than I'd noticed before. Take a look at these quotes by Jesus about John...

"What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind? If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear fine clothes are in kings' palaces. Then what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written: 'I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.' I tell you the truth: Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it. For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come. He who has ears, let him hear."

And then later...

"But I tell you, Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but have done to him everything they wished."

John had a neat life - he was born to his parents in their old age and he is famous for his time in the desert baptizing and eating bugs with honey. He was Herod's favorite speaker (even though he didn't understand him) and was beheaded because of a woman who had some problem with him. This? This great prophet that was to come before Jesus? He certainly didn't have the most glamorous life. Most of the prophets in the Bible have this common theme of prophecying and then being persecuted normally like everybody else. But John is a little different than all these guys. We talk about Moses being loved by God and all that, but check John out! I look forward to talking to this guy in heaven one day.

Please pray for my focus (yes, again). I'm feeling a bit flurried and/or distracted in my spiritual life.

This is really all I have to say. 90 day reading is going well, I am staying caught up and all. I think I'll like taking it slow when this is done and actually really STUDY the stuff.