What is Right and What is Wrong???

We are going to show The Truth Project at our house beginning October 5, at 6 p.m. (this is a change from the 5 p.m. time -- we are NOT GOING TO have dinners before any more --).

We will start PROMPTLY at 6 p.m. and go til 7:30 -- this is an AMAZING series -- please try to come! 

We will have them every other week through December 7, and then pick up January 4 and go every week.  

Be ready for an awesome experience!

Real JOY!!!

Thanks Kim for this awesome study on JOY!

"You have made known to me the path of life; You will fill me with JOY in Your presence..." Psalm 16: 11

JOY...the acronym we usually think of for the word JOY is..Jesus...Others...You!
In a devotional I was reading a different acronym was suggested,
Journey Outside Yourself!!!
It sums up the way we experience Joy perfectly, because Joy does not come from anything we do, it comes from outside ourselves!

True Joy comes from TRUSTING God (not ourselves!) to be our guide in every
aspect along our journey!
True Joy is JESUS (not us!), whose life, death, and resurrection offers us forgiveness
of sins and eternal salvation!
True Joy means CONTENTMENT and PEACE even during the darkest hours! We try
and make ourselves happy with the stuff of this world but JOY only comes through
God, which is outside of ourselves!

Almighty God, please increase our Joy as we study Your Word and let it guide our days!! Your Joy is extraordinary!! It is just Amazing how we can have Peace and Joy and Contentment during such troubled times!!! You are Incredible! Thank You for Your gifts! JOY is way better than happiness! Happiness is fleeting!!! We have it one minute and it is gone the next! Only when things are going our way can we be happy!!

But, we can be Joyful in all circumstances because...

"The Lord has done GREAT THINGS for us, and we are filled with Joy." Psalm 126:3

Father, we Thank You for the great things You have provided for us.... including; Forgiveness of the evil we do, Hope that gives us renewed energy, Your Unconditional Love that covers over all the hateful things we are exposed to and Your Promise of Life Everlasting with You!!! Thank You for these constant, never changing gifts that bring us great Joy!! They are gifts we can grab onto and take beyond this world!! They are eternal gifts!

Repentance: Key to Victory

Thanks to Kim for the much-needed study!

"...also, I preached that they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds." Acts 26: 20b

Not too long ago we looked at forgiving others, today we look at the other side, being the one asking for forgiveness. Before we can even ask for forgiveness from someone, we need to repent- meaning that because we feel regret and sorrow over something we have said or done, we want to change our behavior!! It means we will not continue doing the same thing we are sorry for! How can we ask for forgiveness while continuing with the same sin?

"If you repent, I will restore you that you may serve me..." Jeremiah 15:19a

How can we be an instrument for God to use if we don't repent of our sins? God will restore us when we turn back to Him!

"Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish." Luke 13: 2-3

Our LIFE is at stake! Unless we are truly sorry for all sin that separates us from God and turn from them, we WILL be separated from Him!

"I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus." Acts 20: 21

God knows what is best for us and living in sin is partnering with the devil himself! God is telling us to TURN BACK to Him and have faith in Him alone!

"Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place." 

Revelation 2: 5

Father God, we have fallen hard and from very high over and over and over again! We are so sorry for the terrible acts we all have done and ask for Your Forgiveness!!! We NEED Your help and Strength Father to even be able to do better! Please put a spotlight on the things we are doing wrong and lead us to repentance!! May our eyes be open to what You have to show us!!

Please be with everyone engrossed in sin and aren't seeing clearly- may You be able to OPEN our eyes to the drastice effect our sin has on everyone.

What is your WORLDVIEW???

See this post about more information on how to join in our Truth Project!!!

The Truth Project

We are going to have this AMAZING series at my house beginning October 5, beginning PROMPTLY at 6 p.m. til 7:30 p.m.  You will NOT WANT TO MISS THIS -- it is amazing and information we ALL need -- demonstrates how our "worldview" has been impacted without our even realizing it!  We will get together every other week until December 11, when we will break until January, at which time we'll meet each Sunday til we finish the series.

If you want to come for pizza, come at 5 p.m.

Please check here for updates on dates and times!!!

Forgive Us Lord in the same way as We Forgive Others...

Thanks to Kim for this great reminder on forgiveness!

"Then the master called the servant in. 'You wicked servant,' he said, 'I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you? In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.
This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart." Matthew 18: 32-35

The more we understand God, the easier it is to forgive!! How can we not when God has shown us His Great Love? When He forgives us daily for all our transgressions? Are we really better than the next person? No!! It only takes one sin to make us imperfect, only one sin to keep us out of Paradise, only one sin to break our relationship with God, only one!! Only through Christ are we forgiven for ALL of our sins, they are ALL bad!!

We can forgive because He has forgiven us! Easily said, but easily done? What about forgiving...
...someone who bad-mouths you all the time?
...someone who is abusing/using you?
...someone who is cheating/lying to you?
...someone who gets on your last nerve?

When we decide not to forgive we are becoming judge and jury (we decide they are guilty and deserve our punishment) and we are taking God off the throne! Do we want that responsibility?

Our Heavenly King, our sin separates us from You! We are unable to THANK YOU ENOUGH for Your great gift of Forgiveness!! May we use Your example to treat others the same! How could we not Father?
Even when others hurt our feelings, help us to be the person who shows them Your Love!! Help us to let You be the One in control! Let us leave it in Your Hands!

BE ALERT!!!! BE ON GUARD!!!

Words of Wisdom and Warning are waiting for us!!! Let us take these words seriously!

"Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to DEVOUR!" 1Peter 5: 8

"We need to WAKE UP!" We need to BE AWARE that the EVIL ONE is REAL!!!
He is out there in our lives!
He is very dangerous!
He is scheming for our lives!
He is ready to go to war for our souls!
He is the father of LIES!
He is fighting against us 24 hours a day!!

We need to be on guard and alert to his cunning ways!!
We can't go through another day without remembering what we are up against!

So, we will try and be more watchful of how the evil one is
trying to trick us with his lies!
But we are scared! We are terrified!
We feel helpless and unqualified!
We don't like confrontation!
We aren't the fighting kind!

Our Heavenly Warrior, we come to You for help! We turn to You in prayer right now! Help us to see the sneaky ways satan is trying to influence us! He will sound so close to the Truth that many times we will be confused! Grant us Wisdom Father!!!! Help us to remember that we are NOT in this fight alone! We have You fighting for us!! You, who is much MORE POWERFUL than him!! You, who will Rescue us from his wicked hands!!

"For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves." Colossians 1: 13

Thank You for FIGHTING THIS WAR for us Father!!
Only with You are we VICTORIOUS!!!

We come to You in the MIGHTY Name of Your Son, Jesus. Amen.

What Separates us from God's Love???

Thanks to Kim for the following reminder and great Bible study:

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?" Romans 8: 35

Well, I think that about covers everything that could possibly happen to us!!
trouble- situations that are caused by making unwise decisions and/or others doing the
same.

hardship- situations that are caused by living in this world (loss of a job, being sick,
being falsely accused, home burning down, being hit by a hurricane, ....)

persecution- being made fun of, losing a position at work or in the community, friends, etc.
because of our belief in the risen Lord.

famine- being totally without (even though God has supplied the world with the means to
provide for everyone, some of us just hold onto too much!)

nakedness- our wretchedness being exposed!

danger- our lives (physically, emotionally, mentally, and Spiritually) in danger of
being taken from us.

sword- threats of conflict and/or harm.

Paul continues with,
"No, in all these things we are MORE THAN CONQUERORS through Him who loved us. For I am CONVINCED that
neither death not life,
neither angels nor demons,
neither the present not the future,
nor any powers,
neither height nor depth,
nor anything else in all creation,
will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
ALLELUIA!! AMEN!!!! PRAISE THE LORD!!!


Our Heavenly King, THANK YOU for Your undying LOVE!! It is so Powerful!!! Nothing can stop it!! May we never take it for granted but just REST and take COMFORT in it!!

Where did the FIRE go???

A few days ago, I met with an amazing saint of God who is 77. He is STILL so "ON FIRE" for God, and so CONSISTENTLY "zealous" of the things of God! His beloved wife of over 55 years of marriage + just died last week. Sitting with him over lunch (a lunch I almost cancelled because I was so busy) was amazing -- afterwards tears rolled down my face because I felt as if I was in the presence of God Himself...

As we were talking and he was sharing how he was going to minister at a Church by visiting newcomers again, we were talking of his dismay at the compromise of so many "Christians" today that want to "water down" the gospel. And I realized that the reason his FIRE and PASSION for the things of God is still so strong is because he lives a life without compromise. He hasn't been drawn away by things that bring so many into bondage -- by things that NEVER ADD positively to life. (Are YOU caught up in the crowd thats defiantly asking: "what's WRONG WITH IT?" -- or are you living for over-the-top excellence and measuring things up by asking "what's RIGHT WITH IT?")

I realized WHY THE FIRE and zeal and passion has DIED DOWN in so many lives: because COMPROMISE is the WATER that DOUSES fire and zeal for Jesus!

A few years ago, I kept telling my kids that if there wasn't a FIRE lit in their generation, following Christ without compromise -- is headed to a STOP. MY generation has compromised SO MUCH it is NAUSEATING TO ME - I know why Jesus said LUKEWARM is VOMITED out of His mouth. I have seen LEADERS and those in authority compromise and fall away from the zeal and fire of living for Jesus 100%. I have seen the fractured lives as a result of what began with a little compromise. WHY has fire has gone out? In each situation it started the same way it did in the garden: "Has God REALLY said...?" COMPROMISE is WATER that puts OUT the fire and zeal for Jesus.

With a drink in one hand, gambling, cussing, and looking just as much like the "world" as like Jesus, I have seen person after person challenge me to say that their compromise is "sin": I have been challenged to "judge" them. Yet time after time, what followed on the heels of the compromises was a DOUSING OUT of their fire and zeal for Jesus and the things of the Lord! And here we are sitting with a Laodicean Church and fractures as a result of it:

““I know you inside and out, and find little to my liking. You’re not cold, you’re not hot—far better to be either cold or hot! You’re stale. You’re stagnant. You make me want to vomit. You brag, ‘I’m rich, I’ve got it made, I need nothing from anyone,’ oblivious that in fact you’re a pitiful, blind beggar, threadbare and homeless. “Here’s what I want you to do: Buy your gold from me, gold that’s been through the refiner’s fire. Then you’ll be rich. Buy your clothes from me, clothes designed in Heaven. You’ve gone around half-naked long enough. And buy medicine for your eyes from me so you can see, really see. “The people I love, I call to account—prod and correct and guide so that they’ll live at their best. Up on your feet, then! About face! Run after God! “Look at me. I stand at the door. I knock. If you hear me call and open the door, I’ll come right in and sit down to supper with you. Conquerors will sit alongside me at the head table, just as I, having conquered, took the place of honor at the side of my Father. That’s my gift to the conquerors! “Are your ears awake? Listen. Listen to the Wind Words, the Spirit blowing through the churches.””
(Rev 3:15-22 MESSAGE)

The GOOD NEWS is that a FIRE is starting in the next generation! There are a BUNCH OF YOU who have seen the disgusting results of compromises of MY generation and who WANT something more -- you want to be seeking God and living for Jesus 100% again! I am SO EXCITED!

Listen my Collegiate Wonders -- GET INTO IT or GET OUT OF IT! Don't settle for 1/2 way --

I love what Mike Moon was telling me about sin... He never grew up as a Christian, and he started realizing that a lot of Christians call sin "missing the mark," giving the illusion that it's like a big bulls eye and your arrow lands just a little to the side of the bulls eye. Sin is NOT "missing the mark" Mike says -- it's MISSING IT COMPLETELY! I also love what another young man told me the other night -- he is SICK of the "Christian" club -- he wants to burn with passion with a relationship with Jesus and show Jesus to a world that NEEDS TO SEE HIM!

Stay a mile AWAY from things that are a FLOODGATE to destruction. You newly marrieds, ban alcohol from your homes. You WILL GO THROUGH trials and tribulations and hard times with each other -- do NOT add alcohol to the mix -- it is a POISONOUS combination and has been proven to be so OVER and OVER and OVER again!! Keep PLUGGED IN to your church as PARTICIPANTS not spectators: MAKE TIME for your spiritual life ahead of ANYTHING else! Pursue God passionately!

And WATCH and EXPERIENCE and ENJOY a life WITHOUT COMPROMISE -- and show the world that when the Lord wants to make our days on earth like "heaven on earth" -- the ONLY things that stops Him is COMPROMISE and YOU!

Love to all!
a.k., Mom, Mrs. Budz.