Last night, Adam had his first AWANA meeting. He is in Cubbies! I have to admit that it was very difficult to leave him at the church by himself. I know he wasn't by himself, but this was the first time I had left him for an organized activity and I wasn't in the building! I can't believe he's three! I feel like I just gave birth to him, and he's already in a school-like group!
He was a bit nervous on the way to the church because I had told him that I would leave him and come pick him up afterwards. But once we got there, he saw the other kids and the books, and he couldn't have cared less if I was there or not! (sniff!) I suppose that's a good thing! I had warned him on the way there that he needed to listen to his teacher and not talk all the time (which he has a habit of doing!).
So I went to pick him up afterward, and he had a fantastic time! His teacher said he was quiet (miracle!) but it was probably because there were some loud, energetic girls in the group! On the way home, I asked him what he had done there. He said they sang songs, played games, learned stories. He said that God loves him (yay!). He made a picture with a big "A" in pipe cleaners to spell Adam, and it said "Jesus loves Adam". We hung it on his wall in his bedroom when we got home. Before bed, we went over his memory verse for next week: "God created the heavens and the earth" Genesis 1:1. I can't believe he's already memorizing Scripture. What a great program! He almost knows it already - with some prompting.
I am so glad that he had fun. He can't wait to get his Cubbies vest after two more nights (they have to go three times before they get their vests). He was looking through his Cubbies book all day today! He is so excited! I am so thankful that Adam has the opportunity to learn about God in this way. What a blessing!
Friday 14 September 2007
Tuesday 11 September 2007
On Being Wise
I've been reading Proverbs 14 - 15, and there are so many things that a wise person does! Here's a list:
A wise/prudent man:
A wise/prudent man:
- fears the Lord
- finds knowledge
- gives thought to his ways
- is upright
- will flourish
- is rewarded for his ways
- gives thought to his steps
- fears the Lord and shuns evil
- is crowned with knowledge
- is kind to the needy
- plans what is good and finds love and faithfulness
- has a secure fortress that will be a refuge for his children
- is discerning
- heeds correction
- spreads knowledge
- pursues righteousness
- brings joy to his father
- keeps a straight course
- has pure thoughts that are pleasing to God
- weighs his answers
Monday 10 September 2007
On Spiritual Warfare
I'm feeling led to share about the topic of spiritual warfare. This is a controversial subject, even in Christian circles, but my experiences tell me that it is real, nonetheless. Since this blog is primarily to document my faith journey for my family, I think it is important to share this because it is a big part of my life.
I discovered early on in my Christian walk that one of my spiritual gifts is discernment of spirits. Particularly, I am able to sense and sometimes see when there are evil spirits (demons) present. This sounds unreal, but I have had many encounters, so it's pretty real to me.
When I was in junior high, I was particularly obsessed with the occult and the supernatural. I wasn't a Christian at this point, which made my obsession very dangerous. I participated in seances and used a ouija board. I watched horror movies and read horror novels. I basically filled my mind with garbage. I was terrified of the evil around me, but I was so drawn to it that I had to keep going. During one seance, my friends and I were in a basement laundry room, and a batch of hangers went flying from one end of their rod to the other. That scared us pretty badly!
When I was in high school, I became a Christian. Shortly thereafter, I awoke one night to find something on top of me. I was suffocating and there was a face right in front of mine. I prayed and prayed until this thing finally left. Then I prayed for God to bind all the evil spirits that I had unwittingly unleashed when I was doing all these satanic thing. He did.
Since then, I have been able to sense when something evil is around. If there is strong demonic activity, I can sometimes see them.
So why would I share this with my boys? I want them to understand that Satan is real. His demons are real. They are in a war with God over our souls. Although I am saved, Satan still wants to prevent me from living a victorious life in Christ and from seeing other people come to the Lord. But this is not something that should scare us, only make us aware. Victory is ours through Jesus Christ. When I see or sense demons, I am able to pray and ask God to remove them. And He does.
I pray every night for the spiritual safety of my children. Adam is now saved and sanctified and protected by the Holy Spirit himself. Noah is sanctified through my faith and Ian's faith. But Satan still wants to defeat them. It seems like a strange thing to be thankful for, but I am thankful for my gift because I know when I need to pray against Satan.
The other night, Ian was out of town, and as I walked past the bottom of the stairs, I had a strange chill. I looked up and I knew something was at the top of the stairs looking at me. I spent a long time in prayer and it left. I know Satan preys upon us when we are most vulnerable, and I am usually more fearful when Ian is out of town. That night, I slept like a log! It was so peaceful in our house!
Anyway, that's what's been on my heart to share. Our God is all-powerful. Nothing can stand against Him. And He's quick to rush in to save us when we need Him. "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand." Ephesians 6:12 - 13
I discovered early on in my Christian walk that one of my spiritual gifts is discernment of spirits. Particularly, I am able to sense and sometimes see when there are evil spirits (demons) present. This sounds unreal, but I have had many encounters, so it's pretty real to me.
When I was in junior high, I was particularly obsessed with the occult and the supernatural. I wasn't a Christian at this point, which made my obsession very dangerous. I participated in seances and used a ouija board. I watched horror movies and read horror novels. I basically filled my mind with garbage. I was terrified of the evil around me, but I was so drawn to it that I had to keep going. During one seance, my friends and I were in a basement laundry room, and a batch of hangers went flying from one end of their rod to the other. That scared us pretty badly!
When I was in high school, I became a Christian. Shortly thereafter, I awoke one night to find something on top of me. I was suffocating and there was a face right in front of mine. I prayed and prayed until this thing finally left. Then I prayed for God to bind all the evil spirits that I had unwittingly unleashed when I was doing all these satanic thing. He did.
Since then, I have been able to sense when something evil is around. If there is strong demonic activity, I can sometimes see them.
So why would I share this with my boys? I want them to understand that Satan is real. His demons are real. They are in a war with God over our souls. Although I am saved, Satan still wants to prevent me from living a victorious life in Christ and from seeing other people come to the Lord. But this is not something that should scare us, only make us aware. Victory is ours through Jesus Christ. When I see or sense demons, I am able to pray and ask God to remove them. And He does.
I pray every night for the spiritual safety of my children. Adam is now saved and sanctified and protected by the Holy Spirit himself. Noah is sanctified through my faith and Ian's faith. But Satan still wants to defeat them. It seems like a strange thing to be thankful for, but I am thankful for my gift because I know when I need to pray against Satan.
The other night, Ian was out of town, and as I walked past the bottom of the stairs, I had a strange chill. I looked up and I knew something was at the top of the stairs looking at me. I spent a long time in prayer and it left. I know Satan preys upon us when we are most vulnerable, and I am usually more fearful when Ian is out of town. That night, I slept like a log! It was so peaceful in our house!
Anyway, that's what's been on my heart to share. Our God is all-powerful. Nothing can stand against Him. And He's quick to rush in to save us when we need Him. "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand." Ephesians 6:12 - 13
Sunday 9 September 2007
Friday 7 September 2007
On the Word of God
One of the chapters I read today for my devotional reading was 1 Corinthians 14, where Paul talks about the gifts of prophecy and tongues. I was thinking that I wouldn't be writing anything in my blog about this, but it brought to mind something that happened to me when I was teaching in a Christian school.
There was a student there who started telling other students that there were only about five people in the whole school who were really saved, and that the teachers weren't really Christians because we didn't speak in tongues. He was of the belief that if you were truly saved, then the Holy Spirit would cause you to speak in tongues, as happened to the early church in Acts. I had several distressed students come to me in tears because they were afraid they weren't saved and were going to hell.
I directed them to this particular chapter. While I have never spoken in tongues, I think it would be amazing to converse with God in a language that I had never heard before - that would be a fantastic jolt to my faith! But I know that even if I don't speak in tongues, I have still accepted Jesus as my Saviour and received the Holy Spirit and I am saved. Paul actually says that the gift of prophecy is better than the gift of tongues (v. 5) because it edifies other believers, but speaking in tongues only builds up the speaker (unless he interprets).
Verse 5 says, "I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy." This would imply that not everyone who believes will speak in tongues, and that's okay. Paul goes on to say in verse 19, "But in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct than ten thousand words in a tongue."
It's funny how God brings about learning - my reading today also consisted of several chapters of Proverbs, which spoke about wisdom and knowledge keeping us from sin. "Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost you all you have, get understanding." (Proverbs 4:7) I also read an online devotional today called "Dying for Lack of Knowledge" about how we can't take God's word lightly. It is important to know and understand His word.
If I didn't have the Scriptures to show the students who were told they weren't saved because they didn't speak in tongues, how credible would I have been disputing the other student's claim?
I have been slacking off on reading my Bible for quite awhile, but I think God is trying to show me that I need to keep reading. I've read the Bible through several times, and I was getting complacent, thinking that I had read it all, so what else could I possibly learn? (Silly me!) God will continually show me more and more. That's the beauty of His word. We can never know all of it - He will always show us something new and relevant if we take the time to just dig in!
There was a student there who started telling other students that there were only about five people in the whole school who were really saved, and that the teachers weren't really Christians because we didn't speak in tongues. He was of the belief that if you were truly saved, then the Holy Spirit would cause you to speak in tongues, as happened to the early church in Acts. I had several distressed students come to me in tears because they were afraid they weren't saved and were going to hell.
I directed them to this particular chapter. While I have never spoken in tongues, I think it would be amazing to converse with God in a language that I had never heard before - that would be a fantastic jolt to my faith! But I know that even if I don't speak in tongues, I have still accepted Jesus as my Saviour and received the Holy Spirit and I am saved. Paul actually says that the gift of prophecy is better than the gift of tongues (v. 5) because it edifies other believers, but speaking in tongues only builds up the speaker (unless he interprets).
Verse 5 says, "I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy." This would imply that not everyone who believes will speak in tongues, and that's okay. Paul goes on to say in verse 19, "But in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct than ten thousand words in a tongue."
It's funny how God brings about learning - my reading today also consisted of several chapters of Proverbs, which spoke about wisdom and knowledge keeping us from sin. "Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost you all you have, get understanding." (Proverbs 4:7) I also read an online devotional today called "Dying for Lack of Knowledge" about how we can't take God's word lightly. It is important to know and understand His word.
If I didn't have the Scriptures to show the students who were told they weren't saved because they didn't speak in tongues, how credible would I have been disputing the other student's claim?
I have been slacking off on reading my Bible for quite awhile, but I think God is trying to show me that I need to keep reading. I've read the Bible through several times, and I was getting complacent, thinking that I had read it all, so what else could I possibly learn? (Silly me!) God will continually show me more and more. That's the beauty of His word. We can never know all of it - He will always show us something new and relevant if we take the time to just dig in!
Tuesday 4 September 2007
On Psalm 147 - How Great is Our God
"He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds" (v. 3).
What else needs to be said?
"He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name" (v. 4).
How amazing is that? There are how many trillions upon trillions of stars, and God knows exactly how many there are and He has a name for each one. WOW! And how much more does He know and care about me, His child?
The Lord delights in those who fear Him, who put their hope in His unfailing love." (v. 11)
To think that in some way, I can bring delight to this God who named the stars just by putting my hope in Him!
What else needs to be said?
"He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name" (v. 4).
How amazing is that? There are how many trillions upon trillions of stars, and God knows exactly how many there are and He has a name for each one. WOW! And how much more does He know and care about me, His child?
The Lord delights in those who fear Him, who put their hope in His unfailing love." (v. 11)
To think that in some way, I can bring delight to this God who named the stars just by putting my hope in Him!
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