Tuesday, December 22, 2015

And the winner is.....

Monday night my sister sent me a text at 9:04 p.m. Her exact words were “Oh my gosh, they made a huge mistake on the pageant.” (She had texted me earlier to let me know the Miss Universe pageant was on but my mom and I were too far into a Hallmark movie by then.)

My initial thought was what can go so wrong in a pageant that could be such a big mistake. So I asked, “What happened?” She went on to tell me that the MC announced the winner as Miss Colombia. They crowned her and she actually took the walk down the walkway only to be told by the MC as he addressed her and the audience again, he had made a mistake and Miss Colombia was the first runner up with Miss Philippines being the actual winner of the Miss Universe pageant. She went on to say they took the crown off of Miss Colombia and put it on Miss Philippines. My stomach sank for a second because I could only begin to imagine the awkwardness between the MC and the contestants and the two contestants themselves. Then I saw it on the news a little later and my heart sank again with compassion for both of them caught up in the MC’s human error. I say human error because the MC acknowledged his mistake and even held up the announcement card to the cameras to show the truth of what he was saying regarding his mistake.
 
Can you just begin to imagine what that would be like to have all the emotions of victory, knowing what you went through to get there, excited that it all was worth it and paid off and then have someone step up just as quickly and say there has been a mistake, you didn’t win? Whew!

Immediately, after seeing that on the news a thought came to me that made my stomach sink even more. There are a lot of people in this world who are being told by the MC of this world (Satan) there are many ways to heaven, pick one. Good works will get you there. Your parents were Christians therefore you are one too by osmosis. Just go to church and read your Bible. Be nice. The difference between the MC of the pageant and the MC of this world (Satan) - the MC of the pageant made a mistake. The MC of this world (Satan) is very intentional about deceiving people.

As we gather our families together this Christmas season with those we love may we be reminded that the Christ Child was sent into this world to defeat the enemy so that you and I could be crowned victorious in Christ, through the shedding of His blood (the perfect Lamb) on behalf of the guilty (sinners) that we may have eternal life. 

Oh, what a terrible thing to stand before the audience of God someday and hear Him say...

Matthew 7:23 (ESV)
‘I never knew you; depart from me…’

God’s word is clear... There is one way to victory and eternal life.

John 14:6-7 (ESV)
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” 

Ephesians 2:8-9 (ESV)
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

John 11:25-26 (ESV)
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.”

My precious ones.  God’s word is clear, it is truth, and it is life changing. I pray that the day we stand before the audience of God we will not be left bewildered as Miss Colombia was Monday night as they removed the crown from her head. But we will rejoice together as we exalt and praise the Most High God!!!

Love You All,

His,
Vickie
   
       Merry Christmas to You and your Family!

Wednesday, December 16, 2015

He knows You....

Stop! Before you start thinking this is going to be a blog on how God knows and cares about you, it’s not. Even though those things along with many more are true of His Goodness towards us, that isn’t what this blog is about.

This blog is about something that really got my attention this morning (Tuesday) around 5:10 a.m. I was on my way to walk with my walking partner. I turned the radio on to listen to a little praise and worship as I drove to our walking area. Immediately, I was caught up in the middle of a conversation where a man (a believer now) was sharing about how he grew up in Palestine. He ended up joining the Hamas Palestinian Islamist militant group. As he and the talk show host talked, the host asked him how many people he had killed. He stated he didn’t really like to talk about that but he remembered the first time he had ever killed someone and how he felt. The announcer went on to encourage him to discuss how he had actually become trained as a sniper for the militant group. As the man told his story the thing that grabbed my attention was listening to him share how as a sniper he came to know the person (his target) better than they knew themselves. He learned everything about them - their habits, where they worked; where they went; and their friends, family, and schedules.

Then a passage spoken of so often in the church realm came to my mind in a whole other perspective. The thief comes to kill, steal, and destroy - John 10:10. Satan and his demons are trained snipers. Wow! They know us better than we know ourselves. They know our habits; where we work; where we go; our friends, family, and schedules; what is coming out of our mouths; lies we believe; things that discourage us; things that cause us to have fear/anxiety; things that cause us to doubt; the people we are leading and or following; our ministries, etc. Like a sniper he and or his demons are just waiting to take us out! 

One might say, “Well great, Vickie, thank you for sharing that with us.” You’re welcome. Because the truth is we do not take seriously enough that we have an enemy who is stalking us daily and wants to destroy us. The good news is that in the spiritual realm we have a better chance of distinguishing the sniper (enemy) than in the physical because God’s Word exposes the workings of him and his demons. The following are just a few of the verses that speak to the identity of our sniper. He is crafty, a deceiver, prowls like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour, masquerades as an angel of light, and is a liar.

Genesis 3:1 (ESV)
Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?”


2 Corinthians 11:3 (ESV)
 But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.


1 Peter 5:8-9 (ESV)
Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.


2 Corinthians 11:14-15 (ESV)
And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.


2 Corinthians 11:3 (ESV)
But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.


John 8:44-45 (ESV)
 He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.


How do we overcome this sniper? John tells us we overcome Satan when “the word of God abides in you”. Jesus cited scripture in Matthew 4:1-10 when the enemy addressed Him in the desert. Paul tells us in Ephesians 6 that the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God, is our only offensive weapon against the enemy.

I say this all the time and I say it again today. My precious sisters in Christ you must be in the WORD! The Word must be in you! There is no other way to Overcome and have Victory in your life!

Love you all,

His,
Vickie

James 4:7 (ESV)
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.