Tag: spiritual

Our Battle

On By vickleaIn Admonition, Dr. Denison’s Forum, Scripture4 Comments

I hear a lot these days about the “culture wars” and I want to explore that idea today. According to Wikipedia (not a source I generally use, but it does have a better than adequate definition):

A culture war is a form of cultural conflict (metaphorical “war“) between different social groups who struggle to politically impose their own ideology (moral beliefs, humane virtues, and religious practices) upon mainstream society. Wikipedia

So, the social groups that are in conflict, in my opinion, are those who believe in Biblical moral values and those who do not. This is not a war that we can win with armchair politics and by always insisting that we are the ones on the right side. The right side, of course, is God’s side, but we win over others by being loving and kind, not by being vocally obnoxious.

Remember who our fight is against, and it’s not against other people or even what they believe. It is against Satan who has influenced them to remove God from their lives and be free of His restrictions. We end up pushing people away because what we usually expound on are the restrictions that they absolutely, positively must adhere to if they want to be a Christian. Pause and think about that. Did God meet you where you are or did He want you all cleaned up and totally presentable before He saved you?

We try to impose a standard on others that God did not impose on us. We want to see change first, but that comes gradually as one accepts the truth of salvation being a free gift. If change came immediately, we would all be perfect right after salvation and we know that’s not true! So, why do we expect others to change their social beliefs before they can become a Christian? Why do we strive to change the outward when God wants the heart and will work on the rest once He has it?

Dr. Denison had a great article in his forum today about the cancellation of Colbert’s show. Basically, he is spot on about the fact that we are each drawn to the media that supports the beliefs we already have. If I watch news shows (rarely), I tune to Newsmax or Jesse Watters on Fox. My husband prefers to watch BBC and CNN, both liberal channels because he wants to hear “what the other side is saying.” Dr. Denison has a point about the great divide between us all and I want everyone to think about who is causing that great divide. Hint: It’s NOT God!

Denison Forum-Colbert-July 22, 2025

I hope that I have given you food for thought and perhaps a desire to approach those who think differently than you in a whole new way. We are all sinners…some of us have been saved by grace while others still need to come to the Lord. But we are all sinners who should not be battling against each other but against the true enemy of our souls whose main purpose is destruction, not life.

My Cravings

On By vickleaIn Scripture, YouVersion AppLeave a comment

I have a lot of cravings, like chocolate (which I eat in moderation), cold water and cheesecake. I can satisfy those cravings easily enough with a trip to the store. But I have a deep craving in my heart to know more about God and to be more like Him. That one desire means that I have to expend some effort in order to satisfy my craving. A few minutes here and there and once in a while just aren’t working for me anymore. I’m not sure if it’s because of my age or the many hours in solitude because our children are grown and gone, but whatever the reason, in the quiet space of my heart, I crave to be with the Lord. I want to spend more time discovering new things about Him. It seems that every time I pick up my Bible, I find something new that I never saw before even though I have read those exact same verses multiple times. A trip to the store will satisfy my physical cravings, but only time dedicated to the Lord and His presence will satisfy my soul’s longing for fellowship with my Maker.

Every day, multiple times a day, little alarms are triggered inside your brain. They make your stomach growl, your mouth water, or your mind become fixed on that which you crave.

God gave us physical needs that mirror our spiritual needs, too. Needs that must be met to stay healthy and alive. Needs that must be satisfied over and over again. In fact, food is often used in the Bible as a metaphor for our spiritual needs (it’s called “our daily bread” in Matthew and the “pure milk” of the Word in 1 Peter, to name a couple.)

In the fourth beatitude, which are a series of promises Jesus made about God’s Kingdom, Jesus said this:

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”
Matthew 5:6 NIV

Do you long for righteousness and justice? Do you desire the ways of God? Do you yearn for His kingdom to come? Do you want to be someone who chases after that which can never truly satisfy, or someone who hungers and thirsts after God?

In this upside-down kingdom where Jesus is Lord, the poor can be rich, the weak can be strong, and the empty can be filled.

Jesus Christ not only holds the keys to “living water,” but He is the “Bread of Life.” So, when you feel Him prompting your heart—to fight for justice, to love the unloved, to stand up for what’s right (even when it’s not popular)—pay attention.

He stands ready to fill you with everything you need.

Blinded

On By vickleaIn Scripture4 Comments

There are multiple ways to be blind. One, of course, is physically being unable to see. That condition sadly is happening to my sister now as she has macular degeneration. I have watched her go from seeing well, to seeing poorly and now to having difficulty seeing things at all. She uses a huge bold font on her e-reader to be able to read her beloved books. It breaks my heart that she is losing her vision in such a stealthy manner.

Others are blind and don’t know it because they are spiritually blind. That is what I think God is referring to in this Scripture.

I’m glad that God takes our hand and leads us when we are blinded to His truth, smoothing the way before us to accept Jesus as Lord. And the promise that Jesus made in Matthew is here, too. He will never leave us nor forsake us.

One of my heart’s desires is to see my sister come to salvation so that although her physical sight may be diminished or gone, her spiritual sight will be just beginning. I’m spending the week with her and trying to be a good witness. She is so depressed about having to move to NC after living in VA for almost five decades. I don’t know how to help her, but I can pray and I hope that you all who believe in the power of prayer will pray with me.

I hope that each of you has a blessed day, clearly seeing the path that God has established for you for this day. Each new day is a miracle, so reach out to others and start working with God!