Determine To Be An Overcomer

Just as Christ is, so too determine to be an....

https://youtu.be/R8DIvyBf


"You, dear children, are from God
 and have overcome them (who oppose Him),
because the One who is in you
 is greater than the one who is in the world.
They are from the world, and therefore,
speak from the viewpoint of the world,
and the world listens to them.
We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us,
but whoever is not from God does not listen to us.
This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth
and the spirit of falsehood."
I John 4: 4-6

Walk the Truth stated in the Word:
Those in Christ HAVE overcome!

Be on guard to whom you heed,
for these are treacherous days indeed!

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If you missed the last post, check it out HERE:

Do You Have THE Counterbalance?

Every good leader (that would be you and I, as we do lead, at a minimum, ourselves) needs a counterbalance, and when that is either absent, devalued, or eradicated, chaos and strife are not only birthed, they thrive.

We have collectively turned our back to God, and in so doing, we have forfeited our Counterbalance as a people. When one has no Counterbalance, all that is left is one's own fallible, feeble musings to decree what is right.

Reminds me of Deuteronomy 12:8, "You shall not do at all what we are doing here today, every man doing whatever is right in his own eyes..."

But it does not stop there.

Our own perceived thoughts and rights when challenged almost always breeds offense first and foremost. When offense is the first leap, it is a fatal leap. I would encourage everyone to read "Bait of Satan," by John Bevere.

We have an epidemic of offense in our society that not only prevents, but shuts down *respectful* exchange of ideas, observations, and thoughts; and as a result, we have indeed become a royally lost, stunted, obstinate people.

When one combines the absence of God as mankind's Counterbalance while so quickly taking the bait of offense, we have doomed ourselves to utter darkness, save Christ.

Bases Loaded, Home Run!

I came upon the video posted at the end of this writing and was so taken by its pointed accuracy.

Here's the thing, ladies, I'm here to tell you you can and will live through the deconstruction Patrick hits on in the video and be stronger on the other side. There is nothing more strengthening than to have everything shaken to pieces only to find the bedrock of Christ beneath your feet.

You cannot love someone to righteousness! Let me say that again: you cannot love someone to righteousness. Only God can bring real change to mankind's heart.

Christian men, here's my message to you: God gave you a beautiful creation HE made to be your wife. It is not your place to critique her, to demand change, complain, grumble, nor use her like a commodity in an effort to take the heat off your plank. (Matthew 7:3) That said, it is your place to provide a covering for her, to edify, nurture, and protect her into the fullness of Christ her Maker as He designed.

I am beyond fed up, having heard the "oh, he's just such a nice guy" deception too many times through the years as so many spectators fall under deception's spell. Do YOU live with these men? Because until you do, you have no idea the battle Christian women fight to see their husbands grow up into Him and own outside their walls what they so carelessly vomited on those within their walls.

Ladies, if you fall under this societal epidemic, REACH OUT....for you are not alone! There are strong sisters who have risen out of dark water who can be with you as Christ takes YOUR hand, as He did ours, and lifts you up out of the drowning. You are beautiful and beloved!

The point here is not to advocate for divorce as the first nor the only option, but one must put into place strong Godly boundaries. Secondly, the point here is not to tear men down, but to say loud and clear to the men: the way UP is most definitely NOT in the tearing down of God's beloved daughters in an effort to shift blame off personal sin and deflect responsibility! The path for us ALL is humility, deep personal inspection, and dedicated growth towards righteousness.

Oh, my God, El Shaddai, come -- destroy deception, denial, deflecting, and gaslighting; heal the broken hearts, drive strife far off, bring unity back to hurting families...for only You can!

(If you received this post via email weblist, please visit

HERE and listen to the linked video.)

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The Shape of Your Life Will Always Be About Choice

Writing has long been very cathartic for me. A long week has come to a close. I have fed the dogs and fed myself. Here I sit in the quiet of the house. Alone.

I have never shied away from being alone. Truth is I am a closet introvert. These days I hold a senior leadership position in a large corporation that equally compels me into times of solitude to recharge as did my many years homeschooling my three adult children. As I told a dear girlfriend tonight, “I am peopled-out, but would welcome quality time with you.” She responded, “I understand that.” How I pray everyone is blessed with such a deep relationship. They minster to the soul in a way shallow relationships never will.

This month I turned fifty. Fifty years on this planet. Fifty years of memories. Oh, the memories. Even the once-tormenting memories bring a grateful smile now to my countenance. 

Why? Because I lived through them, and greater still, because they compelled me out of the boat and ON to the deep waters with my Savior.  I did not sink! 

Experiencing walking ON the angry, death-seeking waves of life with my Savior has brought the following truth home to me in ways saying or reading them would never have achieved!

The higher the waves, the higher the walk;

the higher the walk, the higher the dependency ON Him;

the higher the dependency on Him,
the higher the victory IN Him!

Today, I look for opportunities to infect others with boldness to believe in Him; His ability to cause those who believe in Him to rise above the dark, the deep, the menacing ugly waves of life; for I ask you, what good are life's lessons if kept in secret and taken to the grave?

Life is a long series of choices we are GIFTED to make. We are not at the mercy of life's events (waves). We, being created in the image of God, are granted the amazing ability to choose how we process and subsequently respond to life's events, both those we plan for and those that come at us full-force. The gift of choice has to be among the greatest gifts granted to us by our Creator.

While it is true I have gleaned valuable wisdom from the full-force, unwelcome waves of life, the greater truth is I am not bitter.

I sit now, and I allow myself to meditate on that sentence I just typed. I see God smile. I smile back.

“I'm really not bitter, am I, God?”

“No, My beloved, you are not.”

Wow. Ten, even five, years ago I would not have thought myself capable of typing such a sentence with truth, but God.

“For You have been my hope, Sovereign Lord,

my confidence since my youth.”

Psm 71:5

Forever grateful.....
forever.

Determine to make life choices that OPPOSE hate and bitterness, that keep both your hands and your heart open. 

Remember: 

The higher the waves, the higher the walk;

the higher the walk, the higher the dependency ON Him;

 the higher the dependency on Him,

the higher the victory in Him!  

To God alone be all the glory!

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