“And do not give the devil a foothold…”

I just read through that chapter, and, wow! it’s chock full of wonderful advice and wise words! I would really suggest reading it, all the way from Ephesians 4:17 to 5:21. It’s all good, and stuff that we really need to hear!

But that’s not why I wanted to post. I just wanted to say something about the title I used. “And do not give the devil a foothold.” I don’t know if it was the devil trying to sneak in the back door, but I definitely think I need to keep on my game.

Recently, I’ve been really getting pretty comfortable about wearing a headcovering—just generally, in the house and out of it. I said as much to my family, and then, as those sort of things happen, I suddenly started feeling that itch on my scalp that I had when I first started to cover. (I hadn't felt it for a while now.) I complained about that, in a sort of way that meant I mostly thought it was funny. But I guess that has stuck in my family’s heads. So today, while we were eating family dinner, my headcovering was coming down, and so I completely rearranged it, so that I could be a little more comfortable. But anyway, my sister and mum said, “Why don’t you just take it off for right now?” I did not want to do this—for one reason, because (ironically!) I seem to want to pray more often when I happen to not have my head covered.

But what my point in all this, is that, even if that wouldn’t have been the worst thing to do right then, to just take off my headcovering while I was eating, but it had been made a bad situation because it was brought on by my silly complaint previous to that. I didn’t need to complain! And they don’t know what a blessing and how joyful it is to cover—unless I show them. My mom has told me that she has seen a difference in me. So I’m not doing it for nothing, in that concern.

So all you women out there who cover, don’t let the devil have a foothold. Always be a good example of how wonderful it is to cover. Let us not be like the Pharisees who, when fasting, would put on sackcloth and ashes and moaned and groaned, just to get attention. It’s not a curse to wear a headcovering, but a blessing, to ourselves and to others. So let’s show them that!

 

Shalom

“Therefore keep watch…”

Recently, I came to Matthew 24 in my listening on the “Daily Audio Bible”. I have been feeling, ever increasingly, that this is one of the most important things for we as Christians to keep in mind. I’m sure you all know the chapter, but read it again! We need it. I know my last post was kind of on the same lines, but I’m beginning to feel that that doesn’t really matter! Readers, this is important! Our Lord and Messiah is coming. Don’t be like the wicked servant in this chapter who is impatient and is happy that his master is not yet back.

I have caught myself countless times doing the same thing when I’m left at home alone. Before they go, I tell myself what wonderful and good things I will do, and then by the time they go, I don’t do that and I waist my time and I do things that are not good!

How worse would it be if I did the same thing with my Heavenly Father? What if He found me staring at my computer screen, fooling off? Or what if He found me yelling and getting mad at someone or complaining about how awful this person or that person is? Or what if He found me whining with a crowd of whiners, just because its what everyone else does? Do any one of these apply to you? What if he found you doing something like that? Or something else. Perhaps thinking about how much you hate someone, or thinking about how to slip around something the Lord wants you to do, or avoiding doing a job or even avoiding talking to God about something. I encourage you to leave these things behind. You’ll probably think, “oh, that’s easier to say than to do!” But really, how hard is it? Just think about that one little thing that’s been kind of uncomfortable recently. How hard would it be to step away from it? Do you remember that time when you just left a situation up to God, and let Him tell you what to do? And that time, you just did it. You followed Him. Was that hard? No, it wasn’t! It was like getting a hug by someone you really love. It’s like soaring on the wind or a bright, sweet sunrise. It takes your breath away, and makes you feel that you were and are and will be loved, no matter what stupid things you do. So why can’t you do that again? What’s stopping you from just not letting that complaint out, or stop thinking about that “Christian thing” you can do, or why can’t you stop that little time waster, or stop that insult before you say it? Instead of complaining, consider thinking of how blessed you are, and actually thanking God for that little thing He just did for you. Or instead of doing things for God because you’re just so good at it, consider asking God how you can help in this or that situation. Or instead of wasting you time, try looking for the joy in every job. Or instead of insulting, try thinking of why that person said that thing, and realize that that person doesn’t hate you and probably didn’t mean what they said to be as mean as it sounded.

You can manage to be on your best behavior when you’re out in public, but when you’re at home you just don’t bother. God love you so much that He wants to watch you all day long. He doesn’t just look away when He sees you doing something bad. You’re not a TV channel that He’ll shut off if He doesn’t like. So why not give Him something wonderful to watch, until that time when the Program ends. And readers, we’re coming to the climax of the Show, so lets make this one beautiful finale!

 

Shalom

Safe?

Tell me what your idea of safe is? My parents told me once that, instead of out of love that they became Christians, they said that they were scared out of Hell. When I heard that, I told myself that of course I wasn’t scared out of Hell! That was several years ago, and, like so many other questions in my life, I only left it off at the question part, “Was I scared out of Hell?”, and didn’t look for an answer. I was too scared to find one.

But more recently, I’ve been thinking of that question and wondering why it made me so uncomfortable. Was it because I should have been saved by my oh-so-wonderful love for Jesus? But thinking it over, I don’t think so. I think “scared out of Hell” isn’t a bad thing. My problem was that I wasn’t going very much farther then that sentiment. I was scared out of Hell, but I was only on the border of Heaven.

How many of us live like this—just on the border of Heaven? I don’t know how many people have played the game of “Sorry”, but there’s this part in the game where there are five spaces which are called the “safety zone”, and then if you moved to the next space in, you were “home”. When I was very little, and this game was practically the only game I knew, my siblings and I would call that “safety zone” the dying place or (something like that), and “home” we would call “Heaven”. If you went into the safe zone, you would be safe from any traitorous opponents who wanted to send you back to the beginning, and therefore lessening your chances of wining. But that safety zone is a lot like our lives, isn’t it? We’re just barley safe, but still close enough to be moved backwards by a ruthless card.

And that’s why I felt so uncomfortable about when I thought of that question, “Was I scared out of Hell?” My motivations weren’t wrong at the beginning, but they were wrong immediately afterwards. I needed to then, and still ever increasingly need to change my motivations. My first motives were selfish, but now I need to make my motives into selfless ones. I need to run into the arms of Christ, and I need to run farther and farther into His Kingdom. I need to become more and more His, and less and less that person who was scared out of Hell!

Friends, please push on! Get farther into the “safety zone” of God’s love. Don’t stay on the outskirts, just barley saved. And go out to those people out there—those people who are, so far, on the outside, already starting to feel the clawing grip of Hell. Tell them about how wonderfully safe they can be in the arms of our Savior! We have very little time, because the game is coming to a close, and some of the pieces are left sitting out in the open. They need to know, and we are the only ones who can tell them.

 

Shalom