Category Archives: SPIRITUAL INTEREST

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A Muddled Life & Sacrifices of Praise

“Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise, the fruit of lips that confess His name. And do not neglect to do good and to share with others for with such sacrifices God is pleased.” Heb. 13-15,16

This post is going to be a little different. I’ve been struggling some with my emotions. I’ve been going through something that’s personal that involves someone precious to me. I’ve spent a lot of time on my knees praying for a break-through, for wisdom, help, and God’s intervention.

I’m going to share some verses that have helped me keep my mind focused on Father God. I hope you will see their power. What is odd about this battle is that I feel weakened. That’s something I rarely experience in my spiritual life, and it makes me extra vulnerable. Also, it seems like I am dealing with life in a fog. No doubt, there is an enemy undercover attack in all this.

“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” Jn. 8:36

Yet, I am determined that God will get the victory. That I will give Him praise in all things. That my tears will not be wasted. That God is at work in this situation and in people’s hearts (including mine). I am trusting in my Savior to do what only He can do.

“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generation, forever and ever. Amen” Eph. 3:20,21

As I pray, I imagine God caring for the ones I pray for and bringing His life before them in a clear way. I know, I believe, I trust in the power of God. Yet, I stumble and muddle through my days. The other day, I asked my sister to pray, but I couldn’t pray. I was too emotional to pray. My heart is tender right now.

“When faith ceases to pray, it ceases to live. Faith and prayer move God, which is our part. God moves mountains, which is God’s part.” E.M. Bounds

I was wrestling in prayer. I knew this was biblical. I would wake up in the early hours and go straight to prayer. God kept me, and helped me, and comforted me. I was reading in the Word when this verse touched me.

“The battle belongs to the Lord.” 1 Sam. 17:47

We don’t know what God is doing or going to do, so we pray, trust, and believe. It is when we realize that God has allowed every circumstance in our life for a reason that we can accept it and give Him praise for the outcome.

“To live a life of uninterrupted happiness in God, looking on every circumstance as coming form God, and thanking Him for it — That is Christian perfection.” Merlin Carothers, Power in Praise

I was praying this morning when my spirit began to lighten. I imagined myself in a field of flowers, wearing a cotton print dress, and twirling as I lifted my arms to the sky. I was saying words of praise and thanksgiving. All day I kept that image in my mind for when the depressing worries came to defeat me. I smile when I see myself abandon to Him in joyful praise.

“Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.” Phil. 2:5

Today was an errand day, and my last place to visit was the optometrist’s office. The guy who helped me had helped me a month ago. He remembered me and said I’m very calm, that it is remarkable considering the hassle I’ve been dealing with regarding replacing my dad’s glasses.

When he said that, I thought, what he’s seeing in my demeanor is God, because God is helping me. In retrospect, I should have said, “I have a secret.” Then he would say, “What is your secret?” and I would say, “God,” because it’s true. Very true indeed.

Would you pray for me? Thank you.

I wish you well on your spiritual journey.

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LIFE as a SEED PLANTER

One of my missions as a writer, parent, leader, friend, Christ-follower, and caring individual is to plant seeds. Each seed is true to its own nature. When it grows, it matures and bears fruit. Some plants grow faster than others. Christ-followers plant a lot of seeds in their lifetime. Sometimes the seed takes and grows, and sometimes it doesn’t. I see things that concern me, but I can’t plant the seed until it’s the right time.

My farmer dad always said that it’s easy to be a farmer. He said, you only need to know three things. (!!!) What to do. When to do it, and How to do it. That tidbit of wisdom is true for many things. I know it is true in education. You can’t hammer facts into student’s brains when they don’t know the steps that lead up to it. You can’t teach multiplication facts until they’ve mastered addition and subtraction.

A seed planter knows what, when, and how. First the soil is prepared to receive the seed. As Christians, we do this through prayer, conversations, spending time together, reading the word, sharing Christ and whatever God brings along. We pray for opportunities to share, where God makes a way, an opening, to say something spiritually meaningful.

The art of knowing when or when not to speak is a skill refined by the Spirit. Our words flow forth in power when the Spirit of God goes before us, preparing the way for us to speak. At times, our silence says more than our words. We communicate best when we have learned to listen well and respond accordingly.

Twitter Exchange with Sy Garte

Sy Garte is a biochemist scientist, a former atheist turned Christian. He is somewhat new to the faith. God drew him in through curiosity and circumstances. He was raised by communists that didn’t entertain there being a God. Sy has written a book entitled The Works of His Hands and this is my review. His book can be purchased here on Amazon. He also is on several YouTube interviews.

One day I saw Sy’s tweet and took the opportunity to ask him something I’d been thinking about for quite some time.

Twitter, March 10, 2022

SY’s original tweet:

“Dawkins told his followers to reject tolerance for religion, and be evangelists for atheism. Now many new atheists do just that on social media, sometimes with vicious attacks on believers. My own goal is to buttress the faith of Christians, not to attack or convert atheists.”

I respond:

“One can’t help but wonder why Dawkin’s felt and others feel so strongly. When you were an atheist, did you crusade against belief in God, against those who believed? Did you view it as some sort of war? Or were you passive (to each his own), not adamant or defensive nor on the offense.”

SY’s answer:

“Very good question, Norma. Neither I, nor any of the atheists I knew ever went on the attack against people of faith. That is part of what makes “new atheism” new. It has become a crusade, and a very strange one, since it’s not for anything, only against God.”

Sy has to block some atheists when they’re hostile, belligerent, demeaning and/or hateful. Yet, they can’t hear it if their minds can’t or won’t absorb the unwelcome thought. If they’re blocked in their thinking, if they’ve already decided and made their choice to not believe, if they’re happy being an unbeliever, then you learn to pray for openings. The gospel is foolishness to the unbeliever…until a window to their soul starts to open a smidgen.

That is why the soil must be prepared, the seed must be planted at the optimum time–not in the wintertime–in the springtime, in the growing season, when its warm and the sun penetrates the earth. Then the plant is nurtured, irrigated, and left to God to grow until harvest. The growing season is a time of the elements working together to produce a healthy crop. If the agricultural practices are not correctly done then the crop will be puny and weak. ‪

You see, maybe it’s something you said months or years before that is heard coming out of your child’s mouth. Then you know the seed took root, grew, flowered and is bearing fruit. Maybe it’s someone you’re sharing life with on a regular basis. There’s wait time involved, a time of suggesting, growing, learning, apprehending, and sorting through. We may get impatient, but God calls us to be faithful. Ultimately, it’s God who grows until harvest time, and it’s our job to help out.

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I wish you well on your spiritual journey.