abandoned to Christ.

Many say that the true character of a person is most clearly evident in the midst of trials. I suppose it’s similar to when someone is hungry, in physical pain, or even, inebriated. In all cases, a person hasn’t the physical strength nor mental ingenuity to put on airs. But rather, they’re only capable of being genuine and honest about how they perceive their immediate situation. As a matter of fact, it seems that anytime we’re in a position of various physical deficiencies or discomforts (minor or major, fictitious or true), who we really are, spills out. In these mortal bodies of ours, that is, common jars of common clay, all people either carry within: the life of Christ or the death of sinful man. In recognizing these truths, we can reasonably assess, that just as the essence of an olive uninhibitedly flows out when its pressed, so also, it is with all people. The heat and pressures of trials from without, will prove the essence of a person, either the Treasure (Spiri...

Let love be genuine.  Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection.   Outdo one another in showing honor.  Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and  seek to show hospitality. ~Romans 12:9-13, ESV So often (too often, for my liking), we compete. We participate in inane, daily competitions with one another. Especially us women. I can rarely be in a group of women where most, if not all, are sizing each other up. Who's the prettiest, who's the most fit, who has on the cutest outfit, who has the most perfect family? And nowadays, the most common competitions are: who has the most friends/followers, likes, comments, and social media birthday wishes (insert eye roll). The list of self-exalting, sinful comparisons, is endless. But our God and Father says the only "competition" we ...

Part of my Scripture reading and study yesterday, was 1 Samuel 4. Verses 3 and 4a, in particular, piqued my interest. And when the people came to the camp, the elders of Israel said, 'Why has the LORD defeated us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD here from Shiloh, that it may come among us and save us from the power of our enemies.' So the people sent to Shiloh and brought from there the ark of the covenant of the LORD of hosts, who is enthroned on the the cherubim. The first thing I noticed and found interesting, was that though the Israelites didn't know  why the LORD allowed their defeat, they rightly discerned that this was done by the sovereign hand of God. The second thing I noticed, was that admitting they didn't know why God allowed their defeat, they never prayed to seek His counsel. Rather, they arrogantly behaved like the pagans they were at war with, by treating the ark of God with contempt...

This is the first of many articles I'll be writing on the dichotomic definitions between God and the world. Why am I writing articles on this matter? Because there are so many words we use today, in which the convoluted connotations of our world, have crept into the church. The tragic outcome is that now, precious and beloved children of the Most High God are being more and more conformed into the image of the prince of darkness, rather than into the image of the Prince of Peace (Eph 2:1-3). Rest. When the people of this world say they want or need rest, what they mean is that they want time (whether five minutes, five days, five weeks, etc.)  to spend on the desires of their heart, which in reality is, the vain, and possibly, wicked desires of their flesh (1 Jn 2:16). Unbelievers want to rest in themselves. They want to rest in self-indulgence. They want to rest in self-exaltation/esteem (feigned as "encouragement"—another dichotomic definition I'll co...

We all study…something...daily. We study things we must study for school or work. And we also study the things that excite our hearts. The latter is what vividly displays the fruit of what we most love, cherish, and value in life. Regardless of what we profess with our mouths, what we choose to study, without any external prodding, discloses the deepest desires of our heart. What we choose to study is what develops our character—establishing how we think, act, and feel about every aspect of our lives (people, places, and things).  If you love food you will research and study it: nutrition and caloric content, medicinal uses, flavor profiles, food prep, and cooking methods. If you love photography you will research and study it: best camera to use, best indoor and outdoor lighting, editing software, and angles. If you love your spouse and children, you will research and study how to best love and care for them as God commanded: how to keep the home, how to budget a...

"I'm so excited and can't wait to share the Gospel! It's so much fun!" said no true, nor sane Christian ever. Yet, sadly, many Christians, like those of the world, say this about marriage—that they can't wait to be married because it's going to be so much fun! Not that it isn't fun, but that's not the focus and should never be the foundation of a Christian marriage. Marriage is the only earthly relationship God uses as a paradigm of the Gospel. And therefore, as God's holy and dearly loved children, we shouldn't enter into marriage like those of this world: with self-focus and selfish affections. But we should enter into marriage like Christ: with self-denial and selfless service, first to our King, and then to our spouse. Anyone who is intimately acquainted with the Gospel of God's grace—granted through God's gift of repentance and saving faith in Jesus Christ, echoes what the Apostle Paul wrote in his first letter to the...

I love Psalm 29:11 because it reminds me that true peace is not the absence of conflict with people. True peace, is the absence of conflict with God. And for anyone who has received the peace of God through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, know that there must be conflict with people  in this life, for the Gospel is an offense to all who live in their pride, rather than in Christ. For 45 years, God has granted me His peace, and considered me worthy of sharing in the sufferings of my Savior. For 13 years the Lord graciously endured me through brutal persecutions, beatings, and slander for proclaiming the Gospel of God's grace, and refusing to denounce the name of Jesus Christ. Because the Spirit of Christ lives in me, I couldn't deny my Lord who suffered and died to be the propitiation and expiation for the sins I committed against the one and only living and holy God. In the past 14 years, God has considered me worthy of bearing the scars of my Savior. The scars...

If I [Jesus] am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father. ~John 10:37-38, ESV Even our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, said that we shouldn't believe Him—that He is the Son of the Most High God, if His works do not clearly manifest the character and power of God. But for some maniacal reason, we're supposed to believe everyone and anyone who professes Christ as Lord, even if their life (that is, their works) clearly do not manifest the character and power of God. The Almighty is greater than all. And if His Spirit truly dwells within our souls, then we will bear His fruit of repentance, trust, submission, and obedience to His Word. But if the majority of our time and energy is spent on our will and desires, we may deceive ourselves and others, but we will never deceive God. True joy and p...

More than a couple of decades ago, I cultivated a habit of praying before I have my morning Bible reading time. I was encouraged to do this after reading Exodus 16:4, 14-18; John 6:32-36; Psalm 1:1-3; 1 Corinthians 2:9-13; John 1:1; Hebrews 1:1-2 and 11:6; Psalm 119; Psalm 139:16, Galatians 6:9-10; Ephesians 2:8-10 and Proverbs 3:5-8. Based on these Scriptures and many others, I pray a simple prayer of faith in my God to do what He promised, "Holy and gracious Father, as I open your Word, teach me all that You see fit for me to know and understand today . And open the eyes of my heart to see every opportunity You've prepared beforehand, that I may live for your glory this day." As I prayed this morning before I read my Bible, I meditated on the holiness and awesomeness of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. And I thanked Him for who He is, and all that He has done for all His creation, especially those made in His image. While in prayer, I was reminded of ...

I love my life. I really do. What I love most may seem boring to many, and possibly absurd to others. But still, I love everything the Lord has given me—especially the simple, daily pleasures many miss because we think we deserve any good we receive. I love sunny days because they remind me of the warmth and awesomeness of God's grace; His face that cannot be seen by any human lest we be destroyed. I love cloudy days because they remind me of the cool covering and gentle relief of God's mercy. I love that though my body is severely broken, weak, and in constant pain, my Father gives me the strength to get out of bed. And if that weren't good enough (which it is), because my Father is so generous in His love toward me because of Christ, I get to do other "ordinary" tasks. I get to wash laundry for my household. I get to fold clothes and put them away. I get to hem tears and sew buttons. I get to be a diligent keeper of my home with weekly dust...

Twenty-eight years ago, the Lord moved me to Southern California as an answer to my cry for help. My faithful and merciful Father God had graciously and mercifully endured, preserved, and persevered me through 13 years of severe and brutal persecution. But because I did not heed His exhortation and admonition in Deuteronomy 8:11-20, I forgot that it was by His mighty hand that I received relief from my enemies. Much like the Israelites whom the LORD kindly saved and freed from the bondage of Egypt, I fancied that this reprieve was due to something good I had done—and for three years, I entertained the fallacy, that I deserved every good I received from the Lord. I behaved as if God owed me for my obedience, rather than remember that even my obedience was a gift from Him, through Jesus Christ; who through His death and resurrection, freed and enabled me to do what I could never do on my own—please and honor the one and only, holy and righteous God (Heb 11:6). During th...

This exhorting article from R.C. Sproul took me back to a time nearly 30 years ago, when I was quite discontented with being single. I'd wanted to be married as long as I could remember. I was also discontented with my job, believing it wasn't using all my God-given computer skills and causing them to wane (because I didn't have to use a computer, I had secretaries for that). But that wasn't all; I was quite discontented with a number of things. It seemed everyone else around me was generally, happier than me because they had all they desired...and I felt owed, though I'd never admit that. I'd properly admit as a Christian, I know I'm only owed Hell. Yet, my discontented state proved my words of religiosity, to be false. Then I came to the throne of grace, as did Asaph when he was miserably discontented as I, "But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task, until I went into the sanctuary of God... ...

I love this quote from Spurgeon. Every time I read it, I'm grateful for a wonderful time more than a decade ago, when the Lord Jesus stood before me and protected me, as I stood before someone else, to protect them. I was the Volunteer Coordinator/Trainer (and a volunteer myself) for nearly 100 volunteers at a mega-church (28,000 members at that time). I was in charge of training, coordinating, and managing the volunteers for tickets sales for a large, yearly, community event. One day, a woman who was purchasing tickets began yelling at one of my volunteers. I went to where they were so that I might shelter my volunteer from this irate woman. When I stepped in front of the volunteer to shield her from the woman that was yelling at her, I asked how I could help. The irate woman told me, "I want to purchase tickets, but I don't have the money to pay for it at the moment. I know the seats I want will go quickly, so I need you to make a transaction as ...

As many of you know, I've been very ill for the past 13 years. I have more specialists than there are colors in the rainbow. I've had countless procedures, many emergency room visits and hospital admissions. I've had nine surgeries in eight years and I have at least one more to go. It hurts just to be alive. And often, I want to give up. I'm in constant physical pain all over my body, and I hate the perpetual weakness I feel daily. I have to take medications, vitamins, enzymes, and eat and drink certain things daily in order to help my organs function. It's annoying. It's depressing. It makes me grumpy. But then, there is God, who is far greater than any trial or tribulation I encounter in this life (2 Cor 4:16-18). My Father's love, grace, extreme kindness and faithfulness always lifts my heart to praise and thanksgiving. My body may be weak, but indeed, the Spirit of Christ that dwells within me is more than willing to carry me out of my miry pit ...