If you are like me, you are absolutely tired of political commercials. Probably also like me, you have already decided who will have your vote, so the commercials are not effective anyway. They are just irritating. Hard as it is for us to imagine here in the U.S., there is a decision that people are making daily that is far more important than who is going to win the next election and control Congress.
Jesus is coming back, maybe not today or tomorrow, but He is returning because His Word says He is and His Word is true. Did you know that thousands today are facing eternity without Him because they have made the decision to turn their backs on Him? There are people, some of them my own family members, who consider the Lord a nice story and believe that there is no such thing as Heaven or Hell. Or, they believe that everyone goes to Heaven as long as they are a “good” person. Unfortunately for them and others who believe likewise, that is not what the Bible says. It clearly tells us that there is one way to Heaven and that is through accepting Jesus. So, how do we change the path that they are on? We use our stories, our own testimony of how God has changed our lives. Yes, it is difficult to do this, especially with family. But do you want to see them for eternity? Then you need to share what has changed your life…actually WHO has changed your life. I was a brand new teacher, minding my own business and unlocking the door to my apartment when the next-door neighbor, a lady a few years older than I, started talking to me about Jesus, her testimony and salvation. She wasn’t pushy, just honest. She encouraged me to read the Bible for myself and she gave me a copy of “THE WAY’, a Bible that was very popular at the time. She told me to read the Book of John, so on Friday night of that long week of teaching, I found myself alone in my tiny apartment, so I started reading the Book of John. Honestly, I am sure that I had read parts of it before because my neighbor in my hometown had frequently taken me to church with her. But this time was different for me. The Holy Spirit opened my eyes and my heart to my sin and Jesus’s sacrifice. I fell on my knees next to my bed, crying and begging God to forgive me and accept me as His child. That night, I was born again. I didn’t feel any great change, but I did feel loved, really loved for the first time in my life. I shared with Verna, my neighbor, what had happened and she invited me to church with her. I told my fiancé what had happened and he was totally opposed to “religion.” He told me that I could forget this “Jesus thing” or I could forget him because He didn’t want any part of it. My response to him was that Jesus had died for me and although I didn’t want to lose my relationship with him, I wasn’t going to turn my back on the Lord. I invited him to church with me. The pastor invited us to his house and there he led Harry to the Lord. So, that is my salvation testimony. I got saved, and I have been doing my best to live for the Lord since then. There have been some really rough times during the years when we were moving repeatedly for the military. I was left alone a lot with small children, but you know what? God always sent a Christian friend and I always sought out a church to attend in the new place. I was never really alone because my Lord made sure that I wasn’t. Even now, in a home that is an “empty nest,” I am never alone because I have my Bible and my family a phone call away. I’m living in a new world in which technology has opened the door for me to have new Christian friends online! But, back to the point of this blog today. We are all living in a lost world and we all know someone who is lost. Some of our friends are seeking salvation, others are running from it. No matter what their condition, they are lost without the Savior and need to hear your testimony, from you, from your heart.
Casting Crowns is one of my favorite vocal groups, and they have a new album coming out soon. I think it’s called “Only Jesus.” Anyway, in my inbox today, I got a copy of one of their new songs on their new album and it goes well with the message that I am trying to get across to you today. People need Jesus, even if it means going through an “Awkward Moment” to tell them about the only One who can change their lives and take them to Heaven with Him. Thousands are in a “valley of decision” and although we can’t do ads on TV and in magazines because that is not our strength, we can tell others personally about the Lord and how He has changed our lives. Don’t let your loved ones, or even strangers and new acquaintances, enter the valley without the Lord. Give them the same chance that my neighbor gave me. She faced that “awkward moment” and those minutes that she spent with me changed my life forever. Please click on the link below to listen to Casting Crown’s new song. I think it may inspire you!
This is a really fascinating tag for me and I would like to thank Stu at 
Unless you have had your head in the sand and earplugs in your ears for the last week or so, you know that we live in a lost world. The only hope that any of us has is our redemption in Jesus Christ. I mourn for the loss of those innocents worshipping in the synagogue and gunned down by a madman who had already lost all hope in his ability to reason. Can you imagine? Someone so filled with hatred that he guns down a 97 year old Jewish woman? What a nightmare of a world that we live in! Politicians who don’t think the way others do are being attacked in restaurants. There is so much frustration in our society that we don’t need to know all of the details…only the headlines will open our eyes to the world’s need for Jesus. I have been reading my Bible more and praying more. We need to have a total devotion to God and His principles of love and forgiveness. Thus we can survive the onslaught of evil in our land. Our hope is in the Lord who will one day return in glory to take us to be with Him. In the meantime, we need to pray for our nation and for the souls of those who are lost. We need to gird ourselves with the full armor of God and stand against the attacks of Satan; the evil that threatens us and our way of life is straight from the pits of hell and I, for one, stand against it. With my helmet of salvation and my breastplate of rightoueous, with my shoes being the gospel of peace, I confront the evil that is prevalent and say that it has no place in our world! I pray for the peace of Jerusalem and for the safety of Jewish people everywhere. I pray for evil to be cast into the light so that people can clearly see it for what it is and stand against it. There is nothing that can stop the Army of God if we stand strong! So far, all I have heard and seen is about the evil in the world and how it seems to be winning. But I know that God is the Victor, and we are part of His victory by being a part of His army. We are on the move, my friends. We are no longer standing still and waiting for the evil to come to us; it is all around us and we must put on our armor and prepare for the fight.
No more excuses! You are either for God or against Him. There is no fence to sit upon. Join God’s army of warriors today and speak up for the truth. Be strong and devoted to His Word and the truth that is in it. Share the gospel as God leads you. And don’t be discouraged. Satan would have you believe that he is winning. Don’t be deceived. We know that God wins in the end. It’s this middle part called our life that may be hard to go through sometimes. But we must go through whatever God has called us to endure. We must continue to live with wisdom and righteousness, knowing that our day of ultimate victory is coming. So, I am calling on my friends online to move with the army of the Risen Lord, to conquer our fears of speaking out and to conquer evil wherever we see it. Don’t let small seeds of evil generate themselves in your life. Rather, water the good that comes from God that is in your life. Read and study the Bible daily. Pray daily. Listen for God to speak to you daily. I encourage you that the battle is ours to win!
God reminded me of His awesome power this morning. I have been feeling discouraged because of the lack of answered prayers in my life. But God reminds me that nothing is too hard for Him, and if He isn’t answering the way I want, He is still answering. Each breath I take is a gift from God. Each step I take is a gift from God. Every morning that I awaken is a gift from God. His answer is on the way because nothing is too hard for Him. I am weak and can’t do a lot in my own strength, but it is God’s strength that I am counting on. Yes, my friend is still in critical condition in the hospital. But she responded yesterday for the first time. So, improvement has been noted. God is answering prayer. I am so in awe of God’s love and power. I hope that you realize how small we are and how great God is. He changed time and sent the sundial back; he parted waters twice; He sent His Son who healed people and represented God’s love and power on earth. Without Him, I can do nothing and I am nothing. But with Him, I can do whatever He asks and I am His child, a child of the King. I hope that you all know who you are in the Lord and how awesome He is!
This is my youngest granddaughter Evie. She is six months old now and is a real joy to be around. 
