Category: Admonition

Believe, Receive, Act

On By vickleaIn Admonition, ScriptureLeave a comment

The steps to becoming a Christian can be broken down into these three simple actions. First, you have to believe that God sent His Son to die for you and that He was resurrected, thus making eternity with God the reward.

But if all you do is believe it, that won’t help much. The Bible says that even the demons believe, but they are destined for eternity away from God, not with Him. The next step is very important because it puts you in the driver’s seat of making the right choice. If someone gives you a gift, they have it in their hand and are holding it out to you, and you just walk away, did you receive it? Of course not! That is what God is doing; He gave His Son Jesus and you have to receive the gift of His love, mercy and grace in order to partake of the salvation that He wants to give you. The choice is to turn away from sin, repent and receive the free gift of God. Many people, including some of my family members, think that they are good and don’t do bad things, so that means that when they die, they will go to Heaven. I have multiple friends who believe that if they go to church and confess their sins weekly, they are good to go for eternity. Unfortunately, these people are trying to make up their own rules for getting into God’s presence and He has already firmly established what it takes. He doesn’t expect one thing of one person and another thing of another. Everyone has the same expectations.

Each individual has to believe and receive on order to have the promise of eternal life.

The third part of salvation is to start doing the things you read in God’s Word that you should be doing. And, it goes without saying, you cannot do what is in God’s Word if you aren’t reading it to find out what is there. If you are making a brand new-to-you recipe and never look at the instructions, the chances that the dish you are making will turn out the way it is supposed to are slim to none. God’s Word is our instruction book for our lives, so if we never read it, how will we know how we are supposed to live. How do we do what it says when we don’t know what it says?

When I was a pre-teen, I remember that one day my mom came to my bedroom door and was talking about something. I had no idea what she said because I didn’t really listen since I was reading or doing homework at the time. I do know that she ended with, “Well, get started and do what I told you to do!” I had no idea what she had told me to do, so I had to ask her, a question that made her very angry since I had missed an entire speech about what she wanted me to accomplish. That’s what it’s like, I think, when God is telling us to do something and we just tune Him out because we are preoccupied with other things. We need to tune into God and His Word and tune out the world and all of its distractions. That way, we can truly LISTEN to what He wants us to do, including how to act and react.

One of the most important instructions in the Bible is to GO. This is a command, not a suggestion. No matter where we are going, we should have in mind that our directive is to make disciples. We cannot follow through if we are not open to the leading of the Holy Spirit who will tell us plainly what to say and to whom, if we are listening. I have discovered that most people don’t have the time or desire to listen to me tell them all about the Roman road to salvation, but they usually listen intently to personal testimony backed up with scripture. Maybe I am doing things all wrong, but I consider what I do to be planting seeds. God will send someone else to plant more seeds and to water and He will harvest. Sometimes, I get the privilege of seeing the person again and planting more seeds or even doing the watering. Whether that is true or not, I hope and pray that what I do is beneficial to building God’s kingdom and fulfilling His command to “go and make disciples.”

Finally, there are a lot of commands in the Bible. We can read them and obey them or we can choose to ignore them and be disobedient. Obey is one of the actions that we are to take once we believe and receive. Seek God and His truth and then act on what He tells you to do. The same God who made you wants to spend eternity with you. It’s your choice. Do you want to believe, receive and act? Dust off your Bible or pick up your phone and install a Bible app. I recommend the YouVersion, but there are many different apps you can use. Just start, take one step at a time in this walk of faith that starts with believing. God bless all who have read this blog post today and may the Lord lead you and guide you to follow His instruction book to eternal life.

Jumping Off the Bridge

On By vickleaIn Admonition, Scripture3 Comments

When I was growing up, during my teen years, I remember multiple times asking my mother if I could do something that all of the other kids were doing, like stay out all night with a group of boys and girls. The answer was always “no” because my mom said it wasn’t “proper.” My argument would be that everyone else was doing it. And my mom’s reply was always, “If everyone else goes ahead and jumps off a bridge into a rocky water, are you going to be foolish and do the same thing?” I didn’t think at the time that made much sense, but with many years and raising my own three children behind me, I finally understood what she was saying.

God basically tells us the same thing in His Word. He took us out of Egypt, which represents sin, so why do we keep wanting to go back there? The answer is the same as what I gave my mom: everyone else is doing it. It seems that the whole world minus the practicing Christians have decided that wrong is right and right is wrong. You can be any gender you want, you can have sexual relationships with anyone you want at anytime whether you are married or not, and you can generally do anything that makes you feel good. That is what the world teaches. But it isn’t what God says.

“You must not do” is a strong admonition to not choose to sin. The land of sin that we left behind when we chose to follow God didn’t disappear. It is still there, enticing us to join in and enjoy all of the pleasures of sexual immorality and idolatry that the world has to offer. But God says “no.”

This scripture verse is spoken to the Israelites, but God also calls His chosen people to be holy. We are to be set apart, to be different rather than joining in on the destruction of our own souls.

God repeats His admonition to be holy in the New Testament, just in case we are deceived into thinking that the Old Testament regulations don’t apply to us. God didn’t say to “try” to be holy. He said to BE HOLY. This is a daily choice we make to walk away from sin, even if everyone else seems to be doing it.

How are we able to walk away in the face of constantly being bombarded with temptation? It takes a daily renewal of our mind through God’s Word and spending time with Him. How much time do we spend filling our mind with garbage from the internet and from our televisions and radios? Turning them off and focusing on God is what will help to renew our mind. Remember the adage: GIGO (garbage in, garbage out). The temptation to sin is everywhere so we have to turn away and focus on what God says, not what the world says is acceptable.

So, what is the reward for turning away from sin and walking with God? We are blessed. If we walk with the sinners, we will sin. If we keep company with those who mock God and our faith, we will be more and more tempted not to stand firm because the natural human tendency is to want to fit in. It’s a hard word, but we are to be separated from the world and its enticement to sin, not align ourselves with it. But, you say, we need to witness, to be ambassadors for Christ. That is absolutely correct! But do you recall one instance in which Jesus sinned? Of course not! He never chose to sin; He admonished others to “go and sin no more” but not once did He ever join in with their debauchery or sinful behavior. He made the same choice we have to make. We are in the world, sharing His Word with others, but we don’t join the world in making sinful choices.

God is our Lord and we have to choose to act like He is our Sovereign King in every choice that we make. The customs of today’s world are detestable and despicable, an affront to our Creator. We cannot in good conscience join in on the sinful revelry and not expect to suffer consequences and a distance from God. God doesn’t move away from us, so we should never choose to move away from Him.

Keep the Fire Burning

On By vickleaIn Admonition, Scripture1 Comment

Do you remember when you first became a Christian and there was a fire kindled in your soul to tell others all about your new relationship with Jesus? God started that fire burning, and the Holy Spirit helps us to keep putting wood on the fire, but we have to participate actively in keeping the fire in our soul going.

When the Israelites offered sacrifices on the altar in the tabernacle, God established that there would be certain priests who would be in charge of keeping the fire on the altar burning.

We each have an altar to God inside our hearts that we are each responsible for and should not be letting that fire go out. How do we do that?

Jesus was our living sacrifice to the Father and we are each a living sacrifice to Him. Our lives and the way we live them keep that fire burning in a way that pleases God.

Adding Wood to the Fire

There are some steps we can take to make sure our fire never burns out.

~Read and study God’s Word daily. Have an established place to do this and a time that works for you. Your routine may have to be adjusted occasionally due to other commitments, but make sure that time with God is your priority time, not the leftovers at the end of a busy day.

~Talk to God every day, throughout the day. You would not have a very good relationship with your spouse or best friend if you never talked to them. Tell God honestly what is going on in your life. It’s true that He is omniscient and already knows it all, but He created us to have a relationship with Him. Part of that relationship is to talk to him. Frustrated? Tell Him. Angry? Tell Him. Sad? Tell Him. He can handle it all and you will feel better after being honest with our Creator.

~Take time to listen to God. God does still speak to His people, but sometimes I think we get too preoccupied with other things to wait and listen. Sometimes He will speak to me through His Word, sometimes I will hear a voice speaking to my heart and giving me directions or comfort. If we don’t take time to listen, we are missing out on a real relationship with God.

~Worship God every day. Your worship can be words of praise, a song or a hymn or just saying to Him praise words from the Bible. However you worship, remember that He is God and deserves awe and reverence in our every day life. Just as I pray all day, I also worship all day. Little things happen and I know it was God working, so I praise Him for it. Answers to prayers that I didn’t even know I needed to pray come, so I worship. Worship must be from the heart, not just from the mind or tongue. You will know when you are truly worshiping because you will feel a deep connection to God.

~Take God with you everywhere you go. He is not my co-pilot but rather my pilot. Someone cuts you off in traffic? Do you forget that God is right there and say or do something you should not do? Or do you think, pray, bless and move on. The line at the store is long and you are in a hurry. Use that time to notice other people and to pray for them. God is right there with you. He may even prod you to give someone an encouraging word or share the gospel with them. If God is always with you, you can expect Him to use you to reach others.

Are there other ways that I have not listed that you use to add wood to your fire? We are a living sacrifice, not a burnt offering, all burnt up and useless. God uses us right where we are as long as we are ready to be used. That’s why it’s important to keep our fires burning.

Keep the Fire Burning

No Perfect Church

On By vickleaIn Admonition, Scripture9 Comments

In moving twenty plus times, my husband and I have also been to at least that many different churches. And although you may not agree with my title, I can assure you that there is no “perfect church” this side of heaven. After all, the church here on earth is made of imperfect people doing their best to strive for perfection, but our humanity keeps getting in the way.

We have been attending a local church for almost four years now and have been basically content with the teaching, the fellowship, and especially the worship. That changed a few weeks ago when I had to leave the service in tears because the bass was set too high and it was hurting my brain. Literally! I know that is hard to understand, but since my stroke, heavy bass and extremely loud noises cause me to cringe and sometimes cry out in pain. My brain seems to be almost bouncing inside my head and I just cannot cope with the pain. My neurologist said that is not abnormal for stroke survivors and suggested noise canceling headphones when I need them. I got several really good pairs of headphones but I had not had to use them for several years except for occasional birthday parties with grandchildren. I had my headphones with me in church that day, but they did not block the reverberation in my brain, so I ended up leaving the service. I came back in for the sermon and then left before the closing song since it was too hurtful, also.

My husband, ever protective of me especially since my stroke, called and spoke to the senior pastor. He suggested that we go to the “Common Room” which is usually used for overflow from the services when they get too crowded. There we would have access to closed circuit TV broadcasting the service. That has been better, but it certainly is not providing the fellowship I would like.

The problem started when we got a new worship leader and apparently his way of doing things is louder. I have asked that the audio person adjust the bass because it affects my health. The reply was that others are affected too, those with heart monitors or pacemakers. And yet the problem continues.

Yesterday was a bad attitude day for me. I didn’t want to sit in the room with just my husband. One of my friends from our small group joined us, saying that she was going to be our fellowship. Harry went into the auditorium and got our communion for us, so everything went okay. But I was still feeling excluded over a problem that I have no control over. I have prayed and prayed about what to do and the answer came this morning. I am to be quiet and to wait for God to take care of it.

Since I am a big proponent of spreading life, I know that I have to be quiet in this situation because my negativity is doing the opposite. Instead of calling the worship team a “garage band on steroids” I am choosing to call them the worship team or praise team. The fact that I cannot be in the auditorium to participate does not take away from the service that they are providing. And I am trusting God to take care of me and my needs, whether in the auditorium or a side room.

I am not sure what calamity could come from my voicing my opinion about the bass being too high, but I don’t want to find out either. I just know that I cannot be in that room because I don’t want to take a chance on having another stroke due to the irritation of the bass. So, I am guarding my mouth. Why? Because there is no perfect church and I cannot change hearts and minds by complaining since no one seems to comprehend the damage the overly loud bass does to my brain. My husband and I briefly considered looking for a new church. But we love our Sunday school class and get fellowship there and from our small group that meets each Monday evening. We have made friends there, people who check on us in bad weather and are willing to help out when we need it. Unless God specifically says to move on, we are staying put and trusting Him to take care of things there. Would I prefer to be able to be in the regular service? Of course! But rather than call the Common Room my “exile island” I am choosing now to call it my “refuge island.” Attitude makes a difference, especially when dealing with imperfect people in an imperfect world. God is taking care of me just as He always has and I am thankful for His concern and compassion.

Really Listening

On By vickleaIn Admonition, Scripture, YouVersion App2 Comments

Hearing vs. Listening

Throughout the pages of Scripture, there’s a word that gets repeated:
“hear,” or a related word, “listen.” In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word “Shema” translates into English as “hear” or “listen” and is often used to emphasize the act of listening, understanding, and obeying.

Today’s culture places value on doing many things at once; we often try to listen while focusing on other tasks, which divides our focus. The sound of someone’s voice might come into our ears, but if we’re also scrolling social media, doing schoolwork, or making a meal, we might not fully understand their words.

But in the biblical context, “hearing” does not simply include sound reception; it also involves active obedience and an effort to understand.
In Mark 4:9, Jesus invites us to listen—to hear and obey, encouraging us to pay careful attention to His words: “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
Jesus isn’t just asking us to audibly hear His words and carry on with our personal agenda; He’s urging us to actively listen and obey, to live by His truth. Listening and obeying are what build our faith in Jesus Christ. Hearing the Word of God should lead to a transformed life marked by fruitfulness.
As you reflect on the idea of listening in Scripture, consider your heart and spiritual receptivity. Are you attentive to God’s Word, allowing it to transform your life, or is your hearing divided, causing you to resist His call?

What I Think

My focus word for this year is “listen” so how appropriate that today’s scripture verse and teaching is about listening actively, a skill that I am working on since that is something God told me I need to cultivate. I am one of those multi-taskers. I scroll through my phone, straighten up something around the house, have the TV on in the background, and all the while my husband is talking to me. I must confess that a lot of what he says is repetitive since he is at the age that he cannot remember saying things previously. But that is no excuse not to give him my full, undivided attention. I used to (before I was prompted by the Holy Spirit to make “listen” my focus word for the year) play games on my phone as we went on errands together, or even long trips. I realized when I was the driver for my husband after his surgeries how lonely it must have been for him for me to always be occupied while he was busy keeping us safe as he drove. You see, after his surgery, he slept, and I had no one to talk to. So, that was the beginning of being prompted to be an active listener, not just of my husband but of everyone.

I also noticed that since I am a Type A personality and have difficulty sometimes with my words (since my stroke), I am often forming a response in my mind while someone is speaking. The Holy Spirit admonished me, reminding me that He will help me speak when it is time, but my job when someone else is talking is to listen attentively and trying to understand what they are really saying, not just their words but their hearts behind the words.

I am discovering that listening is not always automatic or easy. Most of the time, at least for me, I have to discipline myself to focus. One of the things that has helped me is imagining that it is Jesus talking to me. Would I tune Him out, be disrespectful to Him? I hope not…nor should I be so to others. I never know when God might have a message for me in the words that someone else is speaking.

The Scripture today says that “He who has ears, let him hear.” We all have ears, and unless you have a hearing impairment, you can hear. But hearing the words or the sounds of the words isn’t enough. We have to really listen, strive to understand and if the word is from the Lord, to follow through with obedience. I know that I feel better about myself and the other person when I am really listening and responding appropriately to them. God listens to us, and I am sure at some times, He would prefer to tune out our whining, complaining and constant requests. But He never does…He models listening for us. He is always there, always ready to answer and He always understands our needs, our frustrations and our basic weaknesses of just being human. Can we not extend that same grace to the people all around us?

Listening is a skill, but it is also a privilege. Think, if you can, of someone you know with a hearing disability. What they would give for the gift of being able to hear clearly! We have that ability and misuse it or ignore it, in favor of our own selfish desires and needs. I am so thankful that God is leading me this year on a journey of self-discovery as well as finding out about others by really listening to them.

How about you? Do you really listen or are you preoccupied and multi-tasking? Hear…really listen…and then your actions will make more sense to you and to the other people with whom you are interacting.

Happy Inauguration Day!

On By vickleaIn Admonition, prayer, Quotation and Citations, Scripture1 Comment

My prayer is for the healing of our nation as we turn back to God. We need to look forward and not back, forgiving as the Lord forgave, and pray for our new leaders. The new President may not be the one you wanted in office, but he is the one that God allowed to be there, so the commandment is to pray for those who lead us. It doesn’t say to pray for those you like and agree with…pray for the leaders.

I spent the last four years praying for President Biden even though he was not my choice. I believe God had a purpose in allowing him to be in office. And since I don’t have God’s mind, I cannot tell you what that was. But I prayed, sometimes begrudgingly and sometimes half-heartedly, but I prayed.

Today is a new day and a new administration. I hope that you will join me in praying for President Trump and his family, for Vice President Vance and his family. May all they do be for the good of the nation and the people that God loves.

Outside and Inside

On By vickleaIn Admonition, Scripture1 Comment

I don’t know about you, but I am guilty of judging people by the way they look. If a big, hulking man is coming near me, I tend to shy away and look for the nearest “safe-looking” person. You may say to yourself that’s just my natural instinct to protect myself. But what if, instead of shrinking away, I were more accepting of differences and looked at others the way God sees them.

Every person is worthy of God’s love, not because of what they have done or because of what they look like, but only because they are a special creation of God. He made each of us, even the scary looking dudes, to have a relationship with Him. If not one of us tells them about the Lord because we are afraid to talk to them, then they may never hear the gospel. Let that sink in. Our fear may hurt someone for eternity. I don’t remember one single passage in the Bible in which Jesus avoided someone because their appearance wasn’t acceptable to Him. Jesus saw their hearts and called the Pharisees a brood of vipers. But it wasn’t because of what He saw on the outside.

I want to take the time to stop, pray, ask for God’s vision for each person I encounter and follow through with sowing His seeds for them. God chose King David, a young boy hardly worth noticing, to start the royal lineage to Jesus. He saw David’s heart, not his youth or impetuousness or even how small he was compared to his brother. It’s time for me to start looking more carefully and stop judging from the outward appearances.

Grace and Being Gracious

On By vickleaIn Admonition, Scripture, Song2 Comments

Watchman Nee (1903-1972)

Watchman Nee became a Christian in mainland China in 1920 at the age of seventeen and began writing in the same year. Throughout the nearly thirty years of his ministry, Watchman Nee was clearly manifested as a unique gift from the Lord to His Body for His move in this age. In 1952 he was imprisoned for his faith; he remained in prison until his death in 1972. His words remain an abundant source of spiritual revelation and supply to Christians throughout the world. (From Watchmannee.org)

Watchman need had a lot to say about many Christian topics, including grace. He was wise in saying that those who have received grace, which is all of us who proclaim to be Christians, should learn to be gracious to others. What is grace and what is being gracious?

According to Christianity.com, “grace can be defined as ‘God’s favor toward the unworthy’ or ‘God’s benevolence on the undeserving.’ In His grace, God is willing to forgive us and bless us, even though we fall short of living righteously.” Grace is God’s forgiveness and love for us even though we don’t deserve it.

Grace is a free gift from God. We are forgiven by the grace of God, not because we have arrived at righteousness, but because He gives us the righteousness of His Son. We are not worthy, but God calls us worthy and forgiven.

So, how do we show grace to others, i.e. how are we gracious? We must show the love, mercy, compassion and forgiveness that God has shown to us. Judging others, declaring our hatred for certain groups, turning away from people in need and holding grudges or bitterness are all the opposite of grace. We have been shown grace by a compassionate and loving God, so how can we do any less than extend grace to others? In so doing, we show the world who Jesus is inside of us and how Jesus would treat them if He were meeting them.

I don’t know about you, but I often fall short of being gracious to others. I get impatient and short-tempered about the same people wanting the same help all the time. Sometimes, it is hard for me to let go of offenses. I say I hate the sin and love the sinner, but sometimes, I am not really sure that’s true since I don’t want to be around the sinners. I am particularly offended by all of this transgender foolishness, but I have to keep reminding myself that they are sinners to whom God offers grace and I should do nothing less.

My word study today has brought me full circle, It starts with God who shows grace to us and then I am supposed to show grace to others in the hope that they, too, will get to know God and His grace.

Grace-Laura Story

Secure in God

On By vickleaIn Admonition, Scripture, Song1 Comment

I was reading in Genesis today about Noah and the ark, and I once again noted that God closed the door of the ark, sealing out the floods that were to destroy the earth.

Just as God separated Noah from the judgment that was about to take place on the earth, He calls us to be separate from sin in our lives so that we aren’t not judged unworthy on the great Judgment Day.

Jesus is our door to eternity with God and when God executes judgment on all of mankind, the time for making the right choice is over. The door is shut so that the evil of the world is not welcome in the new heaven and the new earth.

Many people are enjoying prosperity today, the kind that the world gives…fame, riches, and all the trappings that accompany it. But where will they run on the Day of Judgment, the day when it will be too late for them to declare their loyalty to the One True God? What will happen to all of their riches then? Jesus said repeatedly that we need to leave the things of this world behind and concentrate on our walk with God. There will be a day of reckoning, and God will not want to know how much money you made or how successful you were in your own eyes. He wants to see you clothed in the righteousness of His Son, and if you are not, then the judgment of His wrath that He had been holding back will become your new reality.

Are Christians the ones who are wailing? I think we will be the ones around the throne singing a new song of rejoicing, but those who have not accepted the Lord as Savior will be wailing for their destruction is absolute and certain.

There were many in the days of Noah who ridiculed him for building the ark. They drowned in the flood of judgment that God sent. Don’t let the ridicule of the world keep you away from making the choice that will keep you safe in God’s arms for all eternity. Choose life…choose Jesus! He is the only secure place in a world that is overrun with evil. He is the only door to the Father, and He has invited everyone to come in before it is too late.

The Old Rugged Cross-Alan Jackson

Come to Jesus-Sidewalk Prophets

Banished/Driven Out/Cast Out

On By vickleaIn Admonition, ScriptureLeave a comment

These verses are very sad, aren’t they? Adam and Eve were living in a perfect world, in total harmony with God and nature. Then, they sinned and God banished them from the Garden of Eden that He had created for them. Not only that, God put cherubim with a flaming sword to guard the tree of life. God, who made man in His image, casts him away from the closeness that he had enjoyed since creation. The hopelessness and despair must have been overwhelming.

Lest we decide to blame Adam and Eve for all of mankind’s problems, the Bible is filled with reminders that we are ALL sinners. Not one of us would have been allowed to stay in the Garden of Eden! We can now stop pointing that finger at Adam and Eve and point it back at ourselves. We are sinners. We are the reason that Christ had to die for the sins of mankind.

Aha! Hope follows despair if we know that Jesus is our Lord and that He died for us. God didn’t just send man out of the garden. He already had a plan for the redemption of mankind, if man would only believe and accept His free gift of salvation.

Like many of you, I have been watching with horror as a great swath of Los Angeles burns. I have been praying for the people there and for the firefighters and rescuers. But I have also been praying that no one has to suffer the eternal fires of hell. These fires in L.A. look hot and unrelenting. Imagine if you can the torment of eternity in a fire created by God for those who choose to go there. Yes, that’s right. If we don’t repent and ask Jesus to be our Savior, we are choosing to spend eternity separated from God and in the eternal fire of damnation.

As you sit mesmerized in front of your screen, please pray for all the people in L.A. But, more importantly, pray for the souls of all those who have not yet come to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Let’s pray together that they come to salvation before Judgment Day.