NCarolinian

All of who I was, all of who I am and all of who I am to be - Christ Jesus has orchestrated. God saw my unformed body and my unmade days beforehand ( Psalm 139:16 ). Then the Lord took great care in creating all of who I am in my mother's womb ( Psalm 139:13 ).  He made me - a human saturated with rebellious tendencies but with the potential for a radically changed lifestyle. He placed me in an environment that fostered Christian growth and development. At age nine, I decided to follow Jesus. I am now 50 and cannot imagine life without Christ Jesus my Savior. He has been, is and will always be The Lover of my Soul. With nothing short in supply to worry about these days, having not only someone but the Lord of all creation as the lover of your soul is extraordinary. Anxiety about anything and everything is easy and commonplace for many people now-a-days. North Carolina experienced a tropical storm and an earthquake within a week on top of dealing with a world-wide virus. I even have...

I'm so glad that worship is not pigeon-holed into one category of our lives such as singing. Worship is a Christ-like lifestyle. That being said, I am also grateful for the specialization or Calling that God places upon the believer's lives, including that of music. Some worship and serve Christ through teaching, others through the children's ministry, some through the janitorial needs of the church and still others through the administration, but I fall into the music Calling and ministry.  I feel blessed to have been gifted by God a voice to sing. I have sung non-Christian songs that bring joy into the lives of others as well as myself. However, the ability to sing is an honor and privilege as I sing for, to and about my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  I have sung in choirs, I have sung in teams or smaller groups and I have performed solos. I am thankful for all these different types of scenarios but any song I sing does not bring full meaning unless I can share it with so...

Our brain is an awesome creation of God. Our mind is a terrible thing to waste. David knew all too well the struggle of keeping a mind in right standing with The Lord. In my favorite Psalm, David penned about having and surrendering "anxious thoughts" (Ps. 139:23) . David also admitted to an enemy who influences our thought life, he said, " How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me?" (Ps. 13:2) However, David also wrote about a God so personal that The Lord's thoughts were precious toward him and us and knows all about our dealings. Psalm 139:2 says, "You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar." And Psalm 139:17 says, "How precious to me are your thoughts God! How vast is the sum of them!" This personal interest in my thoughts and own precious thoughts toward me by God strongly encourages me to get my mind right and try to keep it ...

Jesus was gracious enough to appear to Paul. Christ knocked him off his donkey, onto the ground, introduced Himself and blinded him until he met Ananias in Damascus. Then Paul understood who he just encountered and how his life must change.  For many Christians, not only is our personal salvation or conversion story a mighty convincing proof of Christ's love for us, but in many life challenges afterward as well. The accounts I have heard from the testimonies of others meant the provision of protection, deliverance and resources came only from God. The same can be said for Paul.  One of Paul's well known phrases that proclaims this and that I love is  "I am convinced..." .  It is one thing to hear a silver-tongue orator who is excellent at the word-smith skill to persuade his/her audience. It is another to hear a well educated speaker present his/her findings on a topic for our information or enlightened purposes. There is a totally different and convincing...

Is it better to have never loved at all than loved and lost? I know that saying is switched, but the following is the same mentality. Is it better to stay a sinner, in disobedience to God, than to accept His salvation gift - Christ Jesus - and His lifestyle only to return to your old nature through a powerful, sinful enticement? Peter says, yes, these individuals should never have known, tasted or experienced right standing with God. In Peter's second letter, he defended and explained the role of prophecy in Scripture while revealing there were past false prophets who did harm and there are still future, harmful false teachers to come - " there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you." The deceiving, manipulative and enticing power these false teachers within the faith will have is staggering. This second chapter of Second Peter lines up with the lukewarm church that is depicted to be present at the end in Revelatio...

God's love reaches side-by-side with His justice as He gives us the choice to live this life and the next with or without His presence in our lives. Because of the belief in a lie, humanity disobeyed God and ever since, our relationship with Father God has been torn asunder. Then Christ Jesus was sent and has restored ALL of humanity's relationship with Father God. No matter the degree - past, present and future sins have been forgiven through our faith in His sacrifice.  Yes, from birth we are the walking condemned . However, since Christ's sacrifice the same walking condemned are walking saved individuals. These people just have to accept His free gift of love. What will you activate and live out of - a disobedient, rebellious nature OR acceptance of a Christlike lifestyle. The degree of God's love is unfathomable, but I still set my mind, heart and imagination on it. The degree He gave up, the degree He suffered and the degree He will still go to love on ...

Ever since the virus of 2020 hit the globe in March, I have been questioning God -  Where are you Lord? What are you doing? I have listened out for His voice in my spirit for the answer. I have listened in the sermons and teachings of others for His answer. I have asked others on a one-on-one level and listened for His voice in that setting.  Many of the answers I receive are appropriate due to the omnipresent, all-powerful, all-knowing God that Christians put their faith, trust and hope in. Answers like God is on His Throne, everywhere and inside of us. Answers on the line of God is orchestrating history and this virus is just a step toward the chaos of The Tribulation Period.  However, just like a two-year old in the faith, I always come around to the "why" question. I ask God, "But why Lord, knowing you are all that we need, you are All-in-All, and we have been crying out to you, will you not respond favorably and rescue the world from this virus and not...