It's on Us

 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own
selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;" ~2 Timothy 3: 1-4

In one way or another, every human life on this earth has been touched by CV-19.

However, there are many plagues/epidemics existing today that are far more dangerous, doing far more damage than we can even grasp. And no country is immune to these ever-growing sicknesses. The list of some of the plagues/epidemics that have spread - and continue to spread - over the earth today are:

*The plague of pride

*The plague of hatred

*The plague of willful ignorance

*Contentious hearts

*Deceit

*Apathy

*Discriminating ideals

*Blind obedience

*Lack of common sense

*Belief that our individual opinion is the only one that counts

*Putting ourselves above others

*Dark hearts

*Unrighteous use of agency

*Unrighteous judgement

*Unrighteous dominion over others

*Selfishness

*Idol worship (This mean making idols of things and people).

*Leaning on the arm of flesh

*Fearing man more than God

*Placing other gods before "The God" (Money, power, prestige, material possessions, etc.).

*Acceptance of sin (Not naming a particular sin because sin is sin).

*Placing our own will ahead of the Lord's

And many more . . .

If we give it some serious thought, we will come to understand that every plague listed above has been brought about by one of two things: fear and unbelief. And it is fear and unbelief that morph these plagues into full-blown pandemics.

True faith in God crowds out fear and shifts our focus. Concentrating on the Lord and His power diminishes Satan's power, because we will no longer be giving him that power over us.

The Lord is our protection and our strength, and only He can truly heal us and help us through whatever will come.

May we all be continually prayerful, that we may no longer take part in any of the plagues assailing the children of God.

Happy Sabbath!

Living by Faith

 "Living by faith isn't living with certainty, It's trusting God in spite of unanswered questions and
unresolved doubts." ~Rick Warren

Like all of you, I have days and weeks of trials and struggles. This has been one of those many weeks when I have been stretched emotionally. Because of this, I have been clinging for dear life to the truths and promises of the Lord, and His comfort helps me make it through one day at a time. I understand even more that that's how we are meant to handle trials - one day at a time. It's the only way any of us will get through the days, weeks, months, and years ahead.

I continue to relearn that the times when I give my heart fully to my Savior, there is no doubt or despair in me. Yes, there is pain, but there is also gratitude for His help through the rough times and I'm always thankful for the lessons. When I allow Christ to have full claim on me, He is able to do amazing things. Then my faith and hope in Him is strengthened, and I rejoice in God's eternal plan for me.

God is real. His Son is really our Savior and our Lord. And His plan for each of us is real.

May we all strive to align our will with God's, that we may fulfill the His plan for each of us.

Happy Sabbath!

A Blessed Journey!

"My prayer was, ‘Give me a miracle. Solve this problem,’ and it took a while to finally come to the point
of saying, ‘I’m content to get a daily help’ and let it take what time it takes knowing that I can rely upon God. It’s been a blessing to me ever since to have that rather harrowing experience. Because of what it meant for my relationship with him. Maybe the greater blessing for us is to have to walk through it with him.” ~D. Todd Christofferson

I've pondered this quote deeply and asked myself, "Could I honestly do that? Could I be content with walking my own life's roads with the Savior?" And the answer is a big, "Yes!" Because I'm already doing that with every trial that comes! We all are. But the most important part of learning how to walk with Him is being grateful for the walk, and accepting the lessons that have come from that walk with Him.

This past year has taught me so much about myself.

Things I have learned or re-learned:

1. If the Lords commands me to do something, I can accomplish it, no matter how hard or impossible it may seem.

2. To never lean on the arm of flesh. His is the only sure arm, one that will never weaken or let me fall.

3. To never fear man more than God.

4. That when it comes to the gospel of Christ, I am SUPPOSED to go deeper, because as I do, He will in turn deepen my understanding.

5. I can do without so many things that I once put importance on, but I can NEVER do without my Savior.

6. That there will always be voices of deceit, but as long as I stay close to Him, He will help me discern what is real and what isn't.

7. That His warrior angels are present, watching over me 24/7 because I am constantly praying for assistance. The Lord knows I need His strength and He provides it, especially during those moments when my soul is so weighed down by adversity.

8. That no matter what, His plan for me is still in force, pointing me in directions I would never have thought to go.

9. That no matter what is going on in the world around me, He is God, and when I allow Him to, He will lead me exactly where He wants me.

10. And finally, to always be grateful. The importance of our gratitude to God is beyond description.

The Lord overcame the world, and because of Him, so can we. That is definitely an act worth our never-ending gratitude.

Happy Easter!