NCarolinian

Why do we wait until it is too late in many instances to act in a situation? Procrastination causes more issues than if we were to at least attempt to take care of matters ahead of time. I don't mean to portray a sense of being an overly controlling person. I do mean to picture the many of us who miss the opportunities to ward off or as the Western movies say, "Meet 'em at the pass" concerning potential problems in our lives. As Christians, prayers to the Lord should not be a choice or option but the first and forever go-to in any situation. Why do you think the Lord and the Holy Spirit have the title/name Wonderful Counselor if they don't hear and answer our prayers. I certainly can testify to my Savior as my Wonderful Counselor. The spear of the Roman soldier is the weapon that is alluded to in Ephesians 6:18-20 as pertaining to prayer. With all the other pieces of the Roman soldier's gear named and paired with a spiritual application, there was one piece ...

There is nothing quite like having the perfect example supplied for a concept or instruction or lifestyle that is being presented for consideration. I have always been a pretty good copy-cat, so when I saw someone play sports or taught me - if they played or taught well then I did well. Same with many other facets of my life. The idea of needing better examples in our lives and being excellent emulations in the lives of others should come as no surprise. First Impressions and the subsequent display of our lives become all the more important. The challenge and encouragement this brings comes via some familiar phrases. Ever heard - "If you don't stand for something or someone, you will fall for anything"? A purpose driven life will be a rewarded and fulfilled life, but also many times a blessing to others, so look to stand for something or someone or both. When those that surround you, whether familiar or strangers, notice that you - "Practice what you preach or believ...

Have you ever heard the phrase - "Don't get your hopes up." This negative vibe surrounding one's future expectations can be found many places and one place is the movies. In the movie "Shawshank Redemption", the character named Red says, "Hope is a dangerous thing, my friend, it can kill a man...". Red's friend Andy replies, "Hope is a good thing, maybe even the best of things. And good things never die." The dictionary defines hope as the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best . So hope here is pictured as a feeling of relying on chance for a certain outcome.  However, hope as more than a feeling has been brought to the world and given to the world, as a gift, through Christ Jesus and the Holy Spirit. All the work of securing humanity's salvation and multitude of promises has been completed through Jesus Christ.  Jesus sealed everyone's spiritual, physical and mental salvation, empow...

There is the occasional forgetting of something. There are those people who are battling with memory loss naturally with the advancement of age. Then there are those who struggle with Alzheimer Disease - a whole other level of memory retrieval challenge. However, while I think and believe that I have the majority of my facilities in tact - I pray that my forgetting or ability to remember does not fall in the line of Israel. Passages such as Deuteronomy 6:12, 8:11, 32:18; Psalms 103:2; Judges 3:7; 1 Samuel 12:9; Isaiah 17:10; Jeremiah 3:21, 13:25, 18:15, 23:27; Ezekiel 22:12, 23:35 and Hosea 8:14 attest to not only Israel forgetting God but a down-right purposeful shunning of God and His ways for lesser, substitute gods and their ways. What befuddles me is not only the grandeur of Yahweh's deeds for Israel as He led them out of slavery toward the Promised Land, but the quality connected with His deeds. God loved and cared so much for a million plus people that He parted a sea deep ...