faith

Above All, Trust Him

/ The WheatandTares

 

proverbs-3-5-6-2

TRUST

For so many, this can be a scary word. This simple word can be bring up memories filled with disappointment, heartache and even anger and despair. This word can cause a person to scowl, cry and even turn away. Why does this word cause such trepidation?

I’m not sure I can speak for every soul that might read this, but I can definitely answer for myself… Trust can be the one thing that, when placed in a human being, can be built up like a mighty tower, only to be torn down in the blink of an eye. It is the one word that,  when placed in the hands of another, can be cradled and cared for like a child or can be dashed against the rocks of life without a second thought or concern.

Trust can be placed by a loving child into the neglectful grasp of an adult, and that adult can be reckless, rebellious. Thinking only of themselves, they carry on, never considering the heart of that child , they never realize their waywardness has left irreparable damage behind. That child can be scarred for life, being conditioned by broken promises and ill spoken words, never recognizing there is a better way.

Trust can be planted in the fist of a broken love, destined for failure, yet having faith that this time might be different. Being fleshly and human, they carry on, never acknowledging the wounds, the actions and glances that bring more pain. That love can be scarred for life, being conditioned by broken promises and over zealous musings of commitment, never recognizing there is a better way.

Complete TRUST should always be placed in the hands of the One who is forever faithful and true. When our trust is in Him, it does not mean people will never let us down. It doesn’t mean all things are made new, and all of a sudden, we live in a perfect world full of trustworthy friends and foes. However, when our trust is in Him alone, His love and faithfulness shields our soul from the death of disappointment and pain. For His grace and mercy brings life, love and hope to TRUST once again.

jeremiah17-7-8

 

 

Choose Your Weapons Wisely

/ The WheatandTares / 2 Comments
lion1

pinterest

Monday I posted about winning the battle against the enemy, but it made me wonder…Sometimes, I wonder if we, as Christians, give the right answers to those who feel like they are losing the battle of life. I mean, to the common reader on this site, what does this mean, “winning the battle”…”we’ve been given the weaponry”…”pick up your sword of the Spirit and your shield of faith?” I know for those of us who have grown up around church and the things of church and Christianity, these words might be a common vernacular; however, for others, these might make as much sense as a foreign language.

So, today, I’d like to share a little of what I have come to know. I want to share a little of my story, what He means to me, and how I have learned to fight and stand tall in this fight of faith. I hope it will help you, whomever you are, and I pray you will be encouraged to seek more of Him to find the truth and love that I have found.

TRUTHS:

Life can be hard sometimes, and being Christlike doesn’t necessarily change that.

Being a Christian does not cause our lives to be perfect.

Loving God does not make all bad stuff go away, never to effect us.

Relying on Him doesn’t mean we won’t have doubts and fears.

Trusting in Christ takes just an ounce of faith and a whole lot of surrendering of our will.

Once you decide to trust, He makes up the difference between our ability and lack of faith.

Our Christianity isn’t based on good feelings, happiness or getting what we want.

He has given us promises on which to stand and build up our faith.

His promises are true, steadfast, uncompromising and unchanging.

He is a God who is full of unconditional love, unwavering mercy and unrelenting faith.

He is a God who is forever reaching to us and eternally seeking to draw us back to Himself.

I could quote Scripture after Scripture of who He is and what He is about. I could recite verse after verse of His goodness, His promises and His commands; however, unless, you actually develop a relationship with Him my words won’t make much of a difference for you. Until you come to know Him, truly know Him, as your Savior and your King, as your Refuge and your High Tower, and as your Prince of Peace, what I have to say will not really make an impact on your heart and mind.

Oh, but if you can just have a moment with Him. If you can call on His Name just once, and grasp even a glimpse of the love that He has for you, I promise you, you will be forever changed. All I can tell you is just try Him. Reach out to Him. Call on His Name, and see what He might do.

 

 

Like a Lion

/ The WheatandTares
pinterest
pinterest

Too often, as Christians, we allow the enemy of our soul to defeat us, because we forget the promises we have been given. Too often, we lie down in the muck and mire of our lives and allow our circumstances to overwhelm us to the point of suffocation. We lay down our weapons, and we back away from our destiny, because the way seems too long and the fight appears too hard. We read the Scripture that the enemy is like a lion looking to devour us and we believe it, forgetting the rest of the verse that tells us to “resist him, standing firm in the faith!”

We have been given the weaponry to defeat what comes against us! We are not meant to be wimpy, noodle-spined children of God. We are children of a risen KING! We are destined to win this thing, not because we are so strong nor because we are able to be perfect. We are destined to win, because HE HAS ALREADY WON the victory! The Book has already been written. The end has already been determined!

All we have to do is stand firm in His Word. Ephesians 6:13-14 reminds us, “Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore…” So, if you are feeling weary today, be encouraged! Take up your sword of the Spirit and your shield faith one more time and slay that giant before you. God is with you, and with Him, you cannot fail!

pinterest
pinterest

 

 

 

How’s That Breath of Yours?

/ The WheatandTares

 

Have you ever been talking to someone, and you feel like holding your breath, because theirs is so overpowering? Have you ever tried to keep your composure while the person speaking to you is breathing an aura of STANK all around your head? Oh! It can be downright suffocating, can’t it? You just want to put a clothespin over your nose, a mask over your face, or even just hand a piece of gum to the person as a great big sign that says, “Please! Go brush your teeth!”

5d10e5a9a3c0f525123ffbbb8c3c474a

pinterest

Did you know, HOW we talk can provide this same type of atmosphere? Our words can create an air of pleasantry or putrid disgust around the person to whom we are speaking. It is all in what we talk about. If our talk is of positive things, the atmosphere we create will be like a breath of fresh air, a mint filled aroma or even bubble gum popping fun. However, if our conversation is filled with negativity, gossip or the tearing down of another, it can be as if we just bit into an onion, forgot to floss for a year or even had a mouth full of rotten garbage. Nobody wants to smell that mess!

fullsizeoutput_919

pinterest

Let our words be pleasant. Let our speech be charming and cheerful. Let our conversations fill the air with a beautiful aroma, one of which everyone will desire to be a part. There’s actually some truth in momma’s old adage, “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all!” 😉

pinterest
http://fbccrothersville.org/sermons/2015/5/3/the-tongue-has-the-power-of-life-and-death-may-3-2015
il_340x270-515826714_qt44

easy.com

 

 

 

Our Heart’s Desire

/ The WheatandTares

The soul longs for solitude; yet, it loathes the loneliness. We seek out friends to fill the empty space only to push them away when times get tough. We pull them close for the thrill seeking adventures and shove past them for the broken dreams and torn up paper houses. It’s a constant push and pull to gain the happiness for which we seek.

The mind yearns for stability; yet, it rejects true wisdom and grace. We search for the highest success and desire the richest affairs only to plummet to the depths of despair as we fail the test over and over again. We chase after dreams and compare with the elite, always trying to get ahead only to cheat and compete, biting and clawing at anything or anyone who might come close. It’s a constant push and pull to gain the happiness for which we seek.

The heart cries out for peace and comfort; yet, it wars against silence and truth. We wander, wonder, wishfully believing the noise will bring answers. We go to this philosophy and that fountain of knowledge, always avoiding the absolute, the only true Way. We grasp at this intellect, that debate, and those arguments, never embracing the very One who died once and for all. It’s a constant push and pull to gain the happiness for which we seek.

Can you not feel your soul reaching for His righteousness?

Can you not hear your mind shouting for His faithfulness?

Can you not see your heart bleeding for His unconditional love?

 

He simply stands there, arms outstretched, awaiting your release.

 

 

For What Are You Searching?

/ The WheatandTares

I watch you from a far

You scrap and scrape for the par

They are all like crabs within the barrel

Pulling you back, never caring your life is imperil

 

You wander from place to place

Always wondering how to save face

This life you’ve contrived is only a game

Always shielding your heart but finding the same

 

Lost and confused, bended and broken

Those you gathered only gave you a token

You thought you were reaching your highest goal

Only to find all the searching has only found an empty soul

 

I long to help you, to lend you a hand

Yet, you push me away, stating it is alone you must stand

My heart cries to see your stubborn desolation to stay

Praying one day you might realize He is the Only Way

 

Penned – MG – 1/24/17

Are You A Fan?

/ The WheatandTares / 1 Comment


As I was reading this Scripture today, it made me think of being a fan. Not an electric, “cool you off fan,” but a “I am so excited! I am going to scream and holler for my team” kind of fan.

When you’re a true fan, you follow the team. You get excited when they are on the tv screen, playing national championships or in town for a big game. When you go to the game, you shout, you raise your hands, you get excited over the good things they do in order to win the game.

When we’re a fan, no one has to tell us how to get excited, how to cheer or even how to clap when our team scores. Noone has to instruct us, because we love our team. No one has to encourage us to cheer, because we are passionate about who and what we love!

Yet, too often, when we come to the House of God, we allow our mood to dictate how we react. We allow the circumstances of our lives or the people around us to influence how we worship. We my sit through a whole worship set, and even half the sermon, before we allow our face to crack a smile.

Yet, we say we are “fans” of our God. We tell other people we are passionate about the man who saved us. We express to those around us how we love Him, the man who gave His life that we might live. We share with new converts how we must reach out, share the gospel, and tell the world of the good things He has done, because He brings hope to all.

Really??

If you call yourself a Christian, could you ask yourself today, “Am I really a fan?”

Be Still

/ The WheatandTares / 2 Comments

Psalm 46:10 (NIV)

“He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

Can you hear Him today? He is whispering to your heart. Take minute to listen…

Do You Have Presents or Presence?

/ The WheatandTares / 1 Comment

Taking time out with family and friends does a body good…and the mind and the soul… If you’re the type who has to work, work, work, and you never take time out to relax, to spend time with family and friends, and just to simply take time out to think, you are really robbing yourself and the ones who love you. When you consume your time with “presents” (of wealth, fame and power) with the lack of presence (of people), you will find your life full of emptiness.

It’s so sad to me to watch people who filled their life with agendas and ambitions, and then, when they grow older and aren’t in the work force anymore and aren’t able to accomplish what they once did, they find themselves sitting alone in a room wondering when someone will come to visit. You can simply walk through the assisted living facilities and nursing homes and see countless men and women waiting alone.

The presence of relationships is so important in this life. You don’t have to have a ton, but the ones you have must be deep. They have to be meaningful. They have to be full of love and life. When you have these, you have something to hold on to when the days grow dark and the nights grow lonely.

As this new year approaches, ask yourself, are you ambitious about the presents 🎁 or are you ambitious about the presence (of relationships)? Let’s make this new year meaningful and full of life…

 

 

I Want to Love Him

/ The WheatandTares / 2 Comments

Wow. I was challenged and convicted as I read this blog this morning. I wanted to reboot it, but I couldn’t find that options; so, I’ve cut and pasted the URL for your reading: 

https://gleaningthescriptures.wordpress.com/2016/12/26/love-hate/

This blogger shares how he has found that true love causes a person to sacrifice time, energy and personal comforts, and it will always spur you to action. It leads me to these questions, “How often do we truly sacrifice our time, our energy, maybe our food, our lifestyles of comfort, etc., for Christ?” and “What are my actions portraying to this world about my love for Him?” 

Can you ask yourself that question today? If you find that the answer is a little on the ‘skimpy side,’ and you still believe that you love Jesus, and don’t just need him, maybe you need to reevaluate somethings… I know I do. 

I want to love Him, and I want to show Him that I truly love Him, but I truly need Him as well. I need Him with every breath that I breathe. I don’t think I can ever love Him enough, nor show Him enough love, but I believe, just as a child can show a parent their childlike love, I can try my best to show my Heavenly Father that I love Him more and more each day. ❤

Would you like to join me? 

YouTube