Give Thanks

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

~Romans 8:28~

Wow!  What a thought!  All things?  Really?  Even the what-we-call "bad things"?  The answer, as much as I sometimes really do not want to admit it, is yes; even the bad things.  You hear people sometimes say, "Why do bad things happen to good people?"  Well, the answer to that one is simply, they don't.  The reason?  There are no good people.  There is only one good, that is, Christ.  We all sin, and, even if there was a person who had committed but one sin in his entire life, what do you think?  The smallest of sins is enough to send us to hell for eternity.  But, praise God, Christ was, is the propitiation for our sins.  All those who call upon His name are redeemed by His blood.  Anyway, I got a little off track, there.

If all things work together for the good of them that love God, can anyone tell me what we shouldn't be thankful for in our lives?  Anything at all?  Yes, that means, I should be thankful that 3 years ago our family was uprooted from our home where we had lived with our friends and family for 15 years, and that we had to move to Colorado where we don't even really know anybody, and can't find a church that preaches the sovereignty of God, even after 3 years.  I should be thankful when the car in front of me is going extremely slow, like 15 miles under the speed limit.  I should be thankful we didn't get to go to that Bible conference for the past 3 years.  I should be thankful I had to quit Tae Kwon Do two years before the rest of the family because of a knee injury that I deemed stupid.  I should be thankful for that knee injury that still bothers me, too.

Well, I guess whoever reads this is going to see that it's pretty hard for me to be thankful in all things.  And I'm sure there are others with "bad days" that have been worse than mine.  But that doesn't change the fact.  The fact that all things, all things, work together for good.  And that we should be thankful in all the circumstances, good, and, especially, bad (and I say that only because it is naturally harder to be thankful for those things that we say are bad).

There is a purpose to everything God does.  If you have read The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom, you'll know who I mean when I say that Betsie ten Boom, when she and her sister, Corrie, were taken to a new prison camp in the middle WWII, thanked God for the fleas that infested the barracks where they were to sleep.  Corrie didn't understand how her sister could thank God for those pesky little creatures.  Shortly after, the ladies realized the reason the German guards wouldn't come into that building.  Why?  Because thy didn't want to risk the fleas.

God is good.  God is great.  Praise God from Whom all blessings flow.  And, just maybe, it's a blessing that God put my family, me, right where I am today.  In Colorado.  Away from everyone I know and care about.  I may not know why.  But I certainly know that God knows why.  He has a reason for everything.  And I know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.

May God help me to accept these things in my life, cheerfully, as of the Lord.  And may He help me to be thankful for them.  And may the name of the Lord Jesus Christ be praised, glorified, and honored throughout the earth!

Pray!

In March of 2010, (and I know I've said before that it was 2009 when I was saved; please excuse the mistake, it was 2010), the month the Savior came into my heart, I prayed - a lot.  I prayed that Christ would use my life to glorify His name.  I kept short accounts with God; whatever happened or whatever I did wrong I was so convicted of immediately after that I would tell the Lord everything right away and ask His forgiveness.  Everything was most wonderful for a time.  It seemed as though nothing could or would go wrong.  But it just seems that when a person is saved, the devil tries harder and more frequently to attack that person, and it seems as though he'll never let up.

The first thing that seemed to put a bridge (which I could have crossed if I wanted to) between me and my God was so small a deal that I'm completely ashamed to bring it to remembrance.  There have come times in my life when I would get mad, or angry, or upset with some silly little nothing and I wouldn't go to the Savior right away.  I wanted to be angry.  I wanted to have my revenge in my mind for whatever stupid trifling thing that dared upset me.  I actually wanted to be mad for a while.  And this is what the devil used to keep me on my own side of that bridge for a time.

As soon as I let my guard down, Satan struck.  And it wasn't a simple little slap.  It was quite a blow.  As I faced trial after trial, I became more and more sick with everything.  And the stupidest part played by me was being too stubborn to ask my Savior to help me overcome the evil.  And because I didn't, I sank into a dark pit of depression all because I didn't carry everything to God in prayer.

My next mistake was being of the mind-set that since I hadn't talked to the Lord in quite a while, that I wasn't worthy to come before His presence.  This is another trick the devil uses to keep us from the Forgiver of sins.  I had come to the point where I was so weary with all my sin that I wanted to go to Jesus, wanted to confess everything, but I didn't.  What would He think?  How would He respond to such a poor wretch as me who had purposely turned my head away from His face so as not to see His pleading look beckoning me, "Come...and I will give you rest."?

O what peace we often forfeit, 

O what needless pain we bear,

All because we do not carry

Everything to God in prayer!

I eventually realized that no matter what, I had to get to the Savior.  No matter what lay in my path, no matter what befell me on the way, I knew I had to pray and pray and pray and not give up until I had gotten through all of Satan's stumbling blocks and was safe in the arms of my Jesus Christ!  I didn't care anymore!  I had to get this infinitely deep ache that was rotting away my soul removed!  And I knew that only Christ could heal my broken spirit.  If it took years for the Lord to turn His head in pity to look upon me, then it was going to take years.  I wouldn't, couldn't give up.

But it didn't take years, or months, or even weeks.  I poured out my soul to the God of heaven and immediately He heard my cries and brought me up out of the miry clay.  I wept.  I was so broken and ashamed that I had denied my Savior for so long and that it only took me asking once for forgiveness and it was granted.

The first part of that verse written above goes like this:

What a Friend we have in Jesus,

All our sins and griefs to bear!

What a privilege to carry

Everything to God in prayer!

But so many times I was too stubborn to trust in Jesus.  I had to do it all on my own.  I so wish I could erase those times, but sadly, it can't be done.  What I can do is pray.  Pray for strength.  Pray for faith.  Pray that the Lord is always near.

If I had only asked God to deliver me of what I was feeling when that anger first crept into my heart, it would have gone much  better for me.  I wouldn't have become so cast down and depressed, which is what will always happen as a result of sin.  Oh, if only I had confessed my sin to Christ the moment I felt it rising, I would not have gone through so much trouble.

But as Christians, there are marvelous, wonderful, beautiful times we spend with the Savior.  What a blessing it is while in prayer to feel as though Jesus is right beside us listening to and caring about what we have to say.  How sweet it is to fall asleep at night doing nothing else than communing with the Father, and then waking to the thought, How Deep the Father's Love for Us!

I have heard of some people saying that the song Sweet Hour of Prayer is not realistic.  They say, "Who actually prays for an hour?"  Well, I would venture to ask that person if they truly believed they were a Christian if they had not spent an hour at one time in prayer to the Lord.  Communion with our Lord and God must be the sweetest thing that we can obtain on this earth.  How can we not but spend an hour, or two, or three, or all night in prayer to Jesus the Christ, the Savior of our souls?

I guess what I'm trying to say here is, well, mainly, pray.  But if you ever find yourself in the position I was in and have it in your head to turn your eyes away from Jesus, don't!  Oh, friend, once you go down that road, it becomes increasingly harder to walk back up to the right path again.  The very moment you find yourself in a spiritual battle, take it to the Lord in prayer!  He will all our sorrows share.

"Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."  ~Matthew26:41

Patience

Definition of the word "patience": the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset.

Some people may automatically think that they have patience, perhaps more than the next person (I know I thought this about myself for a long time).  But when we really stop and actually think about it, what a big meaning the word "patience" has.

I honestly never thought that I would go through a trial where it seemed to be that the main lesson of the whole thing was to gain patience.  I would never have expected it, but there it was, knocking on my door.  And by answering that knock, I let that tribulation get a strong hold on my self, my heart, and most definitely on my mind.  But we are to "glory in tribulations", are we not?

Going through this trial I recognize that patience is something I am going to need dearly.  I know I'll need a lot of it for a long time.  And I recognize also that there is only one way I can obtain it: through continuous prayer.

I suppose I'm naturally a stubborn girl, (and I also suppose that's not really going to shock anybody).  Patience isn't my strong point.  The Bible says "...tribulation worketh patience..."  I can only pray that during this trial period, my stubborn nature won't rebel and toss what little patience I have or gain out the window.

But you know what?  God is Lord, and He is good in all things.  In all things.  What he does for His own children really is what is best for them, whether they know it or not, whether they accept it or not, whether they're willing to wait and be patient for an answer or not.  And the only thing we, as children, can do about it is pray for the right attitude.

I actually know some people who absolutely will not pray for patience because they know that with patience comes tribulations.   This baffles me greatly.  I understand the not wanting tribulation part, but the end result is a fruit of the spirit: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering [patience], gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance..."  I suppose I know what I'm asking for when I pray for patience, but the end result is a blessed sweetness that enables us more fully to trust in the God of our salvation.

God give me the faith to say, Thy will be done.  As I said in an earlier post, we, as man, are sinful even in our righteousnesses; so we ought only to seek the will of the Father, and not what our own wretched selves want, even if we want it really bad.  May God grant me the patience I absolutely know I will need to emerge from this trial a victor.

"By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.  And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;  And patience, experience; and experience, hope..."  -Romans 5:2-4

Blessed be God the Father, Who giveth me trials and tribulations to endure.

Pray for patience.  It's the only way we'll ever get it.

I Almost Pulled My Eye Out!

Ok, so it wasn't that extreme.  However, I did almost pull the cornea out of my eye.  Tuesday morning was just like any other morning: I woke up, studied, did my hair, put my contacts in, ate breakfast.  It around 10 a.m. that I realized that one of my contact lenses wasn't working.  I thought that maybe I had put it in backwards, but still, I should still be able to see ok.  I'd put the lenses in backwards a few times before and nothing happened, so...But anyway, I decided to take out the lens that wasn't working and flip it around just to be sure that wasn't the problem.  Only, the real problem was I couldn't get it out! 

What was going on?  My contact lenses had stuck in my eyes a few times before and it was difficult to take them out again, but not like this at all!  I couldn't even get my finger-nail underneath the lens.   So, I decided to wait a little bit and try to take it out again later.  When I had tried 3 times, I decided I should probably call the doctor to help me get it out.

Now, I did not want to call the doctor.  If he got it out right away, I'd feel, well, pretty dumb for not being able to do it myself.  But I called the doctor anyway and asked if there was a trick to getting a stuck contact lens out.  The lady I talked to gave me a tip.  I hung up and tried what she said.  I didn't get any farther.  So, I called back and scheduled an appointment.

Mom told me that I should try one more time to take out the ornery lens 5 minutes before I had to leave.  So at 10:55, I went downstairs (to my room), got in front of a mirror and tried again.  This time I actually got a finger-nail under it!  So, I grabbed it with 2 finger-nails (they were longer than I usually let them grow) and pulled gently.  But I tell you, it felt like I was ripping my eye out!  I couldn't understand it!

So, I went upstairs and asked Dad to watch and see if he could tell if I was grabbing  the lens.  He said it looked like I had it, so I told him "But it feels like I'm pulling my eye out."  "Ok, lets go to the doctor," he said without any hesitation, and boy am I glad he did!

At the doctor's office I felt even dumber when he said that I was actually pulling on my cornea, that I didn't have a lens in my eye at all!  That explains why that lens wasn't working.  So, yes, I really did pull up part of my cornea!  *Creepy* 

The doctor told me what kind of ointment to get, then and we went home and told everyone that I had tried to pull my eye out.  It sent chills up everyones' spines, especially when Dad said that when he saw that it looked like I had the lens, he thought about telling me to just pull it and get it out of my eye.  That would not have been good.  So it's a very good thing indeed that I said that it felt like I was ripping my eye out!

Last night was the third night of putting the ointment in, and my eye is much better.  But every time I think about what I almost did, I cringe.  Who knows, I could have gone blind!  But God, in His mercy, prevented me, and I thank Him so much!

May God's Will Be Done

Sometimes the Lord intervenes and does the direct opposite of what we wanted done.  When this happens, some may think, "The nerve!  He has no right to intervene in my personal life, especially when I really wanted something, and He didn't give it to me."  But how can we possibly say such things so dishonoring to God the Father?  We may want something, yes; but we should always ask the Lord's will to be done in our life.  And when He does step in and His will is done, we ought not to oppose it.

Think about it this way: if we, man, being so wholly depraved that even our goodnesses are sinful, how can we deliberately blame God, in Whom is no sin found and is completely righteous and is always good, for stepping into our lives and pointing us in the direction that He wants us to go?

It is sad to think about how many times we've blamed God for being in our way, when in fact, He was doing something good for us!  Some may say, "Well, I don't need God's help.  It's my life and I can do whatsoever I please with it!"  My friend, be very careful of what you wish for.  Thinking in such a way will only lead you farther and farther away from the Savior, and that is a truly dark place to be, where no light is found.

'If we would be saved form the destruction which is coming upon the World, we must submit ourselves without reserve to the commands of our Lord Jesus.  We shall not be saved for keeping the commands of God, but if we have true faith we shall prove it by following the Lord's directions.'  That is a quote from Spurgeon.  The Father looks after His children, but if we refuse to heed to His judgment, He may allow us to be led into temptation.  And once there, it is not an easy task to humble ourselves and ask forgiveness of the Lord.

God's Word says in Psalms 119:9: "Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way?  by taking heed thereto according to thy word."

Give heed to the Lord of hosts, and let not the feelings of this sinful flesh get in the way of serving the God of heaven.

The Fifth Commandment

"Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee."
                                                                                       ~Exodus 20:12

That's what the Bible says, God's Word.  And God's Word is not to be taken lightly.  As we see what would happen to a child that does not honour his parents in Deuteronomy 21:18-21, which reads: "If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son, which will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother, and that, when they have chastened him, will not hearken unto them:  Then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him, and bring him out unto to the elders of  his city, and unto the gate of his place;  And they shall say unto the elders of his city, This our son is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton, and a drunkard.  And all the men of his city shall stone him with stones, that he die: so shalt thou put evil away from among you; and all Israel shall hear, and fear."

Jeremiah 17:10 says: "I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings."  We should obey our parents with a cheerful heart.  We shouldn't obey them grudgingly, with the attitude, 'Well, I'll do it, but only because I'll get in trouble if I don't.  As I said a moment ago, the Lord searches the heart.  Even if Mom and Dad don't know what we're thinking or feeling, God does.  And He will reward us according to our doings.

Parents only look after their children.  They usually know best.  If they tell you not to hang out with certain group of people, and you decide to dishonour them by disobeying and you hang out with those people, and they turn out to be a murderous gang, turn around and kill you - what then?  It's too late to go back home, say sorry to you parents and start trusting them.  Or if they say, 'Look both ways before you cross the street,' and you deliberately rebel, look straight ahead while crossing, and get hit by a car, what then?  "Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee."

"Correct thy son, and he shall give thee rest; yea, he shall give delight unto thy soul."  -Proverbs 29:17  It seems that the children who are disciplined by their parents are more honouring, respectful, and obeying to their parents.  But today, the parents who actually discipline their children seem to be in the minority.  But even if some children are not disciplined by their parents, the Bible still says, "Honour thy father and thy mother..." and it ought to be obeyed.

Deletion of Rocky Mountain Maiden Blog

Those of you who read my Rocky Mountain Maiden blog probably can't find it anymore.  The reason is because I deleted it.  I just wasn't doing anything with it, so I decided not to keep it.