Tag Archives: freedom

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Book Reviews for “Divergent”, “Insurgent”, and “Allegiant”- YA Dystopian Fiction

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Divergent-
One of my new favorites! I so love this book. I know I will read it again. Dystopian at it’s finest. Easy writing style. Well rounded characters!! Flawed and real. There is violence, but no swearing or sexual content. Set in a futuristic society where people have been grouped by their character traits. I’d give it 6 stars if I could. That good. On to book two.

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Insurgent-
At first I thought this one wasn’t as good as book one, but as I got farther along in the story, it was just as good! A great dystopian book set in Chicago. Society is set in “Factions” that dictate pretty much everything in your life. This story is about those who don’t fit the mold. More plot twists in this one. Looking forward to starting the final book. One of my new favorite authors. I give it 5 stars. No swearing and no sexual content. Just good drama and action, with some romance (the non-sappy kind) thrown in. Great read!

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Allegiant-I finished the last book of the “Divergent” series! I loved this series. It was all about loyalty, sacrifice, love and human nature, the good and the bad. Veronica Roth is now one of my favorite authors and I will be looking for more from this author. I can recommend this book for High School age and up. No swearing, or sexual content, there is violence. I give it a solid 5 stars! (These books have to be read in sequence.)

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My Whole Heart

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My Whole Heart

Deuteronomy 6:5 (KJB), “And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.”

God wants our whole heart. He won’t be satisfied with anything less. I used to read this verse and think to myself “how do I even do that?” Another issue I used to have is that if I gave my whole heart to God, what would be left for all the others that I love. In my immaturity I was thinking with my natural brain, and not seeing with my spiritual eyes.

First off let me say when we love God first, with all the love we have, our love is so multiplied that there is more than enough to go around for family and friends. In fact we will find ourselves loving strangers, enemies, and many others that the world deems as “unlovable.” As to how to love God with your whole heart, with all our soul (mind, will, and emotions), and all our strength, it is so simple that it can confuse our foolish minds. We have to start by giving God the rule of our lives. We can’t stay on the throne and think somehow we are giving Him all. It’s not by our belief in Him, or our faith. It is by simply allowing Christ to dwell in our hearts and live in us. We have to be truly submitted to His will and His way. There is no room for “self” in this kind of passionate abandon to Jesus.

Andrew Murray, in his book “The Kingdom of God is Within You,” puts it this way, “I do not ask. Are you believers? Are you sure that your sins are pardoned? Are you seeking to live a Christian life? But have you given your heart to Christ to possess, to rule, to renew, to dwelling all alone, to fill with the will of God? Have you given it away, out of your power into His? Your self-confidence, your self-contentment, your self-pleasing, your self-will, has it all been laid at Christ’s feet? So that He can cast it out, and fill the heart with Himself. If not, let nothing keep you back from giving what belongs to God, and what Christ came to win back for Him. Your heart was made for God.”

King David understood it. Even though he didn’t walk perfectly, he did not always do right, God called him a man after His own heart. David writes in Psalm 84:1 (NIV), “My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.” That is passion for Christ.

Do you have that passion?

Have you completely surrendered your heart?

Won’t you give Him all of your love? Allow Him to work in you and through you, as he did in David.

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By Many Or By Few

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I Samuel 14:6 (NIV), “Jonathan said to his young armor-bearer, “Come, let’s go over to the outpost of those uncircumcised men. Perhaps the LORD will act in our behalf. Nothing can hinder the LORD from saving, whether by many or by few.”

I Samuel 14:20-23 (NIV), “Then Saul and all the people who were with him rallied and came to the battle; and behold, every man’s sword was against his fellow, and there was very great confusion. Now the Hebrews who were with the Philistines previously, who went up with them all around in the camp, even they also turned to be with the Israelites who were with Saul and Jonathan. When all the men of Israel who had hidden themselves in the hill country of Ephraim heard that the Philistines had fled, even they also pursued them closely in the battle. So the LORD delivered Israel that day, and the battle spread beyond Beth-aven.”

It doesn’t take a great army to destroy the enemy. It does take a great God and a willing heart.
Jonathan, King Saul’s son, took it into his heart to allow God to use him, and when he told his armor bearer, the young man was willing to follow. When they did, God came through in a miraculous way. There was so much confusion in the enemy camp, that even to this day, the word “Michmash” still means utter confusion and chaos. By the time Saul showed up God had already thrown the enemy into disarray.

What happens when a few willing souls step out in faith? Others follow. They come out of the enemy’s camp and fight on the side of good. They come out of hiding, out of the dark woods. They lift their heads up out of despair and have hope. They join the battle.

Never despise small beginnings. God uses the small things and the foolish things. He uses us! That’s how He gets the glory. Nobody in their right mind would ever think that we could do it. It has to be God. It doesn’t matter what those around us are doing. Saul was a mess. He was in direct disobedience with God. He spoke curses over his troops, forbidding them even to eat. Yet, Jonathan stood up for what was right and just. No wonder he later backed David, and the two young men became fast friends. Jonathan knew in his heart that God would save by many or by few.

Never feel alone! So maybe you don’t have an armor bearer, then be one for someone else. Say to that man or woman of God, “do what seems right to you, I am with you.” Follow those who follow Christ. Be a Jonathan, or be an armor bearer. We may not know that armor bearers name, but he has been remembered all of these years. God made sure he would be written into the scriptures for our example.

We have work to do, and a battle to fight. The victory is ours, the outcome is sure. The joy of the Lord is our strength. Psalm 3:3 (NAS), But You, O LORD, are a shield about me, My glory, and the One who lifts my head. Our battle cry is “LOVE.”
Will you join us?

Jesus, You are my Mighty Warrior King. You go before me and make a way where there is no way. You set the enemy in confusion on my behalf, yet You give Your soldiers perfect peace!

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A Life Worth Living

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God has called us to a life worth living. He never intended for us to go from one meaningless task to another. Sometimes on our walk, we tend to get caught up in one aspect, such as parenting. All our time and energy is put into our children. Or maybe it is our ministry, or our job, or a hobby. Worse yet, we try to have our irons in too many fires and nothing worthwhile is ever accomplished. That’s why it is important that we simplify our lives as much as possible.

So how do we live this kind of life that matters?

We don’t have to be perfect Christians! There is no such thing! We strive to be better, but we live where we are. God uses us no matter our immaturity, no matter our faults, or our failures. If God was waiting for us to be “perfect” before He used us, nothing would have ever been accomplished in the Kingdom. Let’s take a look at some imperfect people that God used.

Elijah- we all know he was a great prophet of God. He challenged the prophets of Baal in boldness and power, only to run away from an evil queen and have the world’s biggest self pity party. God had to correct him.
Moses- God’s chosen deliverer. He brought over a million people through the wilderness. The Bible tells us he was the most humble man. Yet he made excuses to God, killed a man, and never got to see the Promised Land himself due to his disobedience.

David- He was a man after God’s own heart. Designed the temple, initiated praise and worship, fought the giant in strength and honor. Yet he committed adultery, had the woman’s husband killed, and neglected to teach his sons the way of God.

Rahab- Was a prostitute. But the woman saw God for who he was and ended up being in the lineage of Jesus.

Then we all know about the disciples. They lacked faith and discipline. Often, they seemed baffled and confused about everything Jesus tried to teach them. Some were stubborn; one was a robber and took silver to betray our Lord. Yet God used them all, even Judas.

We know all of this, so why do we think we aren’t good enough, mature enough, smart enough, or whatever, to be used in a big way by God? Why do we judge others as unworthy to be used? I think it is our expectations that are messed up. There is a huge difference in expecting better, looking to improve, and striving to be more like Jesus, and expecting perfection. Jesus was the only perfect person and even He had His “hour of flesh.” In addition, I think our idea of what make a perfect Christian is totally different that one another’s, and definitely different than God’s idea. We know that He sees the end from the beginning, but don’t be confused, and never let Satan lie to you about that. It doesn’t mean God is expecting you to be that end product right now. He is conforming us into the image of Christ.

Romans 8:29 (NIV), “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.”

I heard this on a radio program yesterday, “God loves you for who you are, not who you should be.” Let that sink in. Before we were saved, when we were still living according to our flesh, in darkness and in this world, we found out that God loved us. Despite the mess, despite the condition of our hearts, He loved us. We accepted that love and He adopted us into His family. Then somewhere along the way we decided that He loves us because He knows our end from the beginning. That He loves who we are going to be. That is not the whole truth. No wonder He tells us that the truth will set us free! God loved us when we were ugly in our sin, He loves who we are going to be, and most importantly He loves us know, just as we are. That old hymn, “Just as I am” holds profound truth.

Never allow that to be an excuse to stay the way we are. He wants better for us. His plans for us include great things. We have to allow change to take place, but be patient and allow the Holy Spirit to work your life. He has given us gifts and talents to do wonderful things for the Kingdom.

I Peter 4:10 (NIV), “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”

Let’s look at a few people who used their gifts for God.
Acts 9:36-42 (NASB), “Now in Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which translated in Greek is called Dorcas); this woman was abounding with deeds of kindness and charity which she continually did. And it happened at that time that she fell sick and died; and when they had washed her body, they laid it in an upper room. Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, having heard that Peter was there, sent two men to him, imploring him, “Do not delay in coming to us.” So Peter arose and went with them. When he arrived, they brought him into the upper room; and all the widows stood beside him, weeping and showing all the tunics and garments that Dorcas used to make while she was with them. But Peter sent them all out and knelt down and prayed, and turning to the body, he said, “Tabitha, arise.” And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter, she sat up. And he gave her his hand and raised her up; and calling the saints and widows, he presented her alive. It became known all over Joppa, and many believed in the Lord.”

Tabitha made clothes for the poor. To some people that might not have been a “big” deal. Her kindness touched the heart of God and He sent Peter to raise her from the dead.

Then there were the two women who cared for the prophets of God. The first was a widow who lived at Zarephath. She only had a little oil and flour and was preparing to die, but she gave to Elijah first and God blessed her with enough to last through the famine. The second, a barren woman, set aside a room for Elisha so that whenever he passed through he had a place to call home. God blessed her with a child, and then when her son died, God used Elisha to raise him from the dead. These were small things that these women did each for just one man, but God saw them as great deeds.

When we help just one person at a time we are working for Him. When we do an outreach that reaches dozens, hundreds, or even thousands, God doesn’t see that as any more significant. We need to stop looking at our shortcomings, our lack of recourses, or our seemingly lack of time. It’s not us, it’s Him. He gets it done. We commit our way to Him and He does the behind-the-scenes work.

So maybe we are afraid of failure. We may have thought we heard God and stepped out only to find out it wasn’t Him after all. It’s happened to us all. If we let that stop us, we will never get anything done. If you missed His voice, you don’t remedy that by deciding to not listen to any voice. The answer is to practice hearing Him. Get to know Him better. Start small and do the things you know He has asked, like paying tithe, reading your word, giving to the poor, raising your children in the admonition of the Lord, and loving your neighbor. When we obey in these small things, we learn to hear Him. Our flesh is crucified and our spirit grows not only stronger, but closer in relationship with the Father.

There is risk in everything! Which do you think God is more pleased with, someone who steps out and stumbles, or the one who sits on his rump and refuses to step out at all? Be a David, be an Esther. The world needs more Corrie Ten Booms, more Tabitha’s, more like the widow at Zarephath.

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Which King?

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There are only two kings, two rulers, two masters.
Both of them want your surrender.

One came in with deceit, stealth, and craftiness. You thought he was an ally. He tricked you into thinking your life would be better. It all seemed to be going well until he began the hostile takeover. He raped, pillaged and plundered. He took your stuff, your dreams and your children. He shed blood and broke hearts, destroying relationships. It became obvious that he only came to steal, kill, and destroy. He fights against you. Now you are his slave, your burdens too heavy, the shackles and chains too strong. His kingdom is darkness, without love and affection, without any of your true needs being met. You are without hope. Or if you aren’t there yet, you soon will be. The day will come that you will despise your king and the life he has coerced you into.

But, there is another King. He comes in with Truth. You thought He only wanted to control you- but He came to set you free. He doesn’t come in by force, except the force of His great love for you. The only blood shed was His. He mends and heals the broken heart, the broken bodies, and the broken lives. His greatest desire is to give you a life full of blessings, abundance, and joy. He not only wants to meet your every need, he also wants to give you your heart’s desire. He has come to give you eternal life with Him, the one who loves you more than any other ever could or would. His burden is light. He will break every chain that binds you. His Kingdom is Light, Love and Peace. His is our Hope! You will never regret the day you surrender your heart and life to Him!

There are only two kings, two kingdoms. You will serve one.
Which one will you serve?

Psalm 24:7-10 (NIV) “Lift up your heads, you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is he, this King of glory? The Lord Almighty— he is the King of glory”

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Thank You For Your Grace

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Dear Father God,
I thank You that You have given us mercy and grace. That you are extravagant with both. You always give us so much more than we can ask or think, and most definitely more than we could ever deserve. No matter what we do, how we fail, You are slow to anger and quick to forgive! I thank You for the shed blood of Jesus. That no more do we need to shed the blood of cattle and sheep. That Jesus’ shed blood cleansed us of all sin. I am so grateful that the life and blood of Jesus fulfilled all the law. I no longer have to follow a lengthy list of “do’s and don’ts.” I am no longer bound to the law, but set free by Your grace. Thank You, Father, that I can now come boldly into Your presence. It is so wonderful, Lord, to know You in a personal way, to be in fellowship with you. Thank You, Father, that you speak to me, as I speak to my own child. Thank You for Your love. Thank You for Your forgiveness. Help me to be more like you.
Amen

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Simplify Your Life

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Simplify your life

Luke 21:28 (NIV) “When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

We all can feel the anticipation, the excitement, and the expectancy in the air. Something is happening. Something is changing. What exactly is it? What are we looking forward to?

Isaiah 60:1-4 (NIV) says, “Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. “For behold, darkness will cover the earth and deep darkness the peoples; but the LORD will rise upon you and His glory will appear upon you. “Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. “Lift up your eyes roundabout and see; they all gather together, they come to you. Your sons will come from afar, and your daughters will be carried in the arms. “Then you will see and be radiant, and your heart will thrill and rejoice; because the abundance of the sea will be turned to you, the wealth of the nations will come to you”

Isaiah is prophesying about the future of Israel, but this prophecy is also for the church. This is how things will happen in these last days. We will shine! People will come to us! God is asking for a greater commitment from His children. We need to get serious about Kingdom business. Derek Prince, in his book “Prophetic Guide to the End Times: Facing the Future without Fear,” tells us,
“We often hear it said, ‘God wants our time, our talents, and our money,’…if we give these to God and think we are doing God a favor, we deceive ourselves. God is really saying, ‘what I want is you! And when I have you, I have everything you have.’ In these closing days, God is not going to settle for a lesser commitment. We need to ask ourselves; have I ever totally given myself to God without reservation? Have I placed myself at His disposal? That is commitment.”

Psalm 110:1-3 (NIV) “The Lord says to my lord: “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.” The Lord will extend your mighty scepter from Zion, saying, “Rule in the midst of your enemies!” Your troops will be willing on your day of battle. Arrayed in holy splendor, your young men will come to you like dew from the morning’s womb”

I love the way that is worded. “Your people will volunteer freely!” Isn’t that our desire? To do something wonderful, something big, for God? So what is stopping us? In praying about this, God showed me several things that seem to hold us back, but I kept coming back to this one thing. We, especially in the Western World, are too busy. We run here, go there, sign up, make commitments we can’t keep, and wear ourselves out being so busy. So today we are going to focus on how to simplify our lives.

How many of us watched the “Little House in the Prairie” or read the books and dreamed of a simple life? Sure they didn’t have the modern conveniences that we have, but they had a more precious commodity…time. They worked hard, but they weren’t rushed or stressed. Choices were fewer, obligations were fewer, and their expectations were fewer. How many of us lose sleep over our hectic schedules or feel overwhelmed with life? Be honest, how many of us cringe inside when we hear about another service, an extra class, or some other thing that should excite us, but our minds scream “how can I do one more thing?!” Then we feel guilty, throw ourselves into another obligation, sometimes only half there, half awake, and half committed, only to feel disappointed in the results? This isn’t God’s plan for us.

So what is robbing us of our time? It is more complex than we think. The root is in our priorities. What is important? You would be surprised what is important if you would take a closer look at your life. Let’s look at Luke 21: 28 again. “When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” We need to start here. In the same book mentioned before, Derek Prince says,
“Jesus does not say, ‘Be frightened’ or ‘look for a hiding place.’ He does not say to plans some method of escape and concentrate on survival. His attitude is look up. Things are going to get better. It is very important that we who are God’s people present to the world the picture of confident assurance. (That will impress them, and will make them want to know what we have that they don’t)- enabling us to face these pressures and crisis with calmness and confidence.”

How much of what we do is out of fear, or trying to survive? How many times have we said, “if I can just get through this day, week, month? These thoughts make us run, or hide, or both. We keep ourselves busy so we don’t have to face reality. We think if we can just get the latest new (phone, game, clothes, house, car, gadget, etc) thing, that life will be easier, better. That just isn’t true. When we live like that, we have jumped onto a merry-go-round made by Satan! His plan is to keep us distracted, self-centered, wore out, and trying to do it all in our own power.
That is not God’s plan for us. He wants us to have time for ourselves and our families. To have things we enjoy having and doing. But God never intended those things to rule us or take control of our lives. How can we be committed to Him in the way we need to if we are short on time, short on attention and just plain short on energy? He wants the commitment, expects it. So we need to make some changes.
Let’s prioritize. First make a list. What is the most important things to you? What do you place the highest value on? What are your goals in life? We need to make time for these things. List the top ten. Now take a closer look and cross one of the list. Think of it as surgery. We are cutting of the tumor, the parasite that is stealing your life. I know it is scary, but we all agreed that something needs to give, something needs to go. It is time to start making choices.

Deuteronomy 30:19 (NLT) “Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!”

We have choices to make. Is it part of or important to God’s plan for my life? If the answer is yes, then keep it. If the answer is no, delete it. Simple. Not easy to do, but good for us.

Here is a short list of things you need to consider. There are great websites and book on simplifying your life. Find some, and read them. Most importantly, pray about it and ask the Holy Spirit to show you where the weeding needs to be done.
•Evaluate your commitments
•Evaluate your time.
•Simplify tasks.
•Learn to say no.
•Limit your communications (twitter, facebook, snapchat, iphones, etc) and simplify your computing life.
•Limit your media consumption.
•Purge your stuff and simplify your wardrobe.
•Limit your buying habits.
•Free up your time.
•Spend time with God.
•Spend time with people you love.
•Slow down. Your driving, eating, and any other area where you rush. Give yourself more time for tasks.
•Establish routines. Create a workable system for housework.
•Learn to live frugally. Consider a smaller home, a smaller car, a smaller yard. Live closer to work.
•Do something you love, have a creative outlet.
•Go for quality, not quantity.
•Don’t over schedule your day! Leave time between appointments.
•Whenever you are faced with a choice, ask yourself, “Will this simplify my life.” Always be sensitive to the voice of God, because often He asks us to do things that will stretch us.
This is a great start. Don’t try to do it alone! You need God’s help and guidance to do it. Sometimes we will need to do radical surgery. Other times we need to take baby steps.

One of my favorite sayings is: “I’m not telling you it’s going to be easy, I’m telling you it’s going to be worth it.”

Living freer, having more time for God, and building a stronger commitment to Him will so be worth it!