by Barbara Latta @barbaralatta
An election year is always a prime soup of opinions. Everybody
has one. Political arguments, polls, speeches, and spin can stir the pot with a
lot of spice, some more fiery than others.
Heated conversation can be found in a host of places from
restaurants, stores, and sadly even church.
Even when we think we are not affected a mood change can be a key we are letting coals of anger or depression grow in our emotions.
by Barbara Latta @barbaralatta
An assassination attempt on our former president, Donald
Trump, ended up in victory for him and our country. Although he was hurt his
life was spared.
I believe this was divine intervention of protection on him.
We may ask, “How and why did this happen?”
by Barbara Latta @barbaralatta
Are you an empty nester? Has your life changed since adult children have flown the coop?
You may be rejoicing that this time gives you more freedom
and space. Or you may lament the silence in the house that no longer rings with
video game sound effects or the never ending question, “What do we have to
eat?”
Edie Melson’s newest book in her soul care series, Soul Care When the Nest is Empty, confronts the emotions and circumstances that
can afflict us when we no longer have our kids at home. You can find a cure for
the empty nest syndrome. (click to share on X)
Even if your heart doesn’t have that desolate feeling, this
book can bring to light some emotions you may not have recognized. Edie
combines devotions and prayers with simple creative exercises that are fun and
relatable.
You don’t need to be an artist or professional photographer
to complete these. Doodles, drawing, pictures, stickers, and coloring
stimulates different parts of our brains. We can find healing, rest, and
relaxation we didn’t realize we needed when we take the time to stop and let go
of burdens.
Soul Care When the Nest is Empty is the fourth book
in the soul care series. Others include Soul Care When You are Weary, Soul
Care for Writers, and Soul Care When You are Grieving.
I recommend all these books. They are short, easy to read,
but inspirational and thought-provoking.
You can find more about Edie at her website, www.ediemelson.com.
Join the conversation and share your thoughts about living
in an empty nest.
Image by Pete Linforth from Pixabay
.jpg)
by Barbara Latta @barbaralatta
Some theologians have declared that American resistance to
British rule was unscriptural and that the founding fathers acted in
disobedience to the Bible by fighting. However, by doing so they are using
selective reasoning and taking Scripture out of context to support their views.
Over the centuries, the British monarchy became a
self-appointed god. James I introduced the Divine Right of Kings which states
that kings stand in the place of God, representing Him to the people. Complete Submission and Non-Resistance to
Authority states that kings have an allegedly divine position and are not to be
resisted ever for any reason. This principle was carried out to the point of
torture and murder of those who stood for biblical rights according to Scripture.
The Bible teaches us in many places to obey civil laws
except when those laws resist God’s Word. When the Israelites were under the
rule of heathen nations, God raised up judges and prophets such as Gideon,
Samson, and Deborah to fight against lawlessness and free his people so they
could worship Him again.
Peter and John were arrested for breaking the religious laws.
But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: “We
ought to obey God rather than men.” (Acts 5:29 NKJV)
Paul was imprisoned numerous times for preaching the gospel
despite the religious laws. God’s laws supersedes those of mankind.
Our forefathers followed these biblical examples to stand
against an abuse of power by a man who ruled as a god. Because of these brave
men (and women too), we now have the right to worship God. (Although some laws
passed in the last few years seek to inhibit that ability).
Soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines, and coast guard personnel fight battles all over the
world while we rest safely in our homes.
Jesus suffered in ways we can’t comprehend to release us
from the debt of sin.
Freedom is not free for those who pay the price to release
others from bondage. But it is free for those who enjoy the benefits.
Our military paid the price for our political freedom. Jesus
paid the price for our spiritual freedom.
Christ gave us the right to use His authority and live in
His identity because He wiped away the debt of sin for us.
America is a free nation today because of the men who opposed
a king who ruled in the place of God. They stood on biblical principles and
founded our country with godly wisdom.
Happy Independence Day! God bless America and may she
continue to be a beacon of freedom and hope to the world.
Join the conversation and share your thoughts.
by Barbara Latta @barbaralatta
The lights are out. The house is quiet.
Yet sleep evades us.
The mind wanders and finds things we hadn’t even thought
about for years or invents possibilities that haven’t happened yet.
There are some physical things we can do that will relax our
bodies such as limit screen time, avoid foods that disagree with our stomachs, and
stay away from violent movies and TV shows that raise emotional responses.
But the minute the room is dark and the TV is off, even if all these physical requirements are followed, thoughts of disaster still race through the space of our brains like a rocket on a mission to the moon.
by Barbara Latta @barbaralatta
Our Bible study is a never-ending adventure with God. We
need His Word in our souls more than our bodies need food.
Yet we do sometimes stray away from feeding on His abundant
harvest. This can bring us into soulish malnutrition.
We may wonder why anger flames up so quickly.
Where did the fear come from that gnaws at our minds?
by Barbara Latta @barbaralatta
How much more
does our heavenly Father desire what is best for us? He doesn’t want the enemy
of our souls to grasp us with his talons of evil works.
Paul’s
instructions to the church in Ephesus told them not to grieve the Holy Spirit.
And
do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of
redemption.
(Ephesians 4:30 NIV)
All sin
grieves the Holy Spirit. We will focus on 6 behaviors that can cause pain to
the Spirit of God found in the book of Ephesians.
1. Negative Speech
Do
not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful
for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who
listen. (Ephesians
4:29)
The Israelites
complained about everything while they were in the wilderness.
The same
heart-breaking attitude can be reflected in our words if we don’t keep a watch
over our mouths.
2. Uncontrolled Emotions
All these words
sound like the same emotion, but they are different in subtle ways.
Bitterness is a
root formed by unforgiveness that can produce other sins.
Wrath is
indignation that can rise gradually and then subside. These are feelings that
come and go due to thoughts and exposure to actions of others.
Anger rises
when we abhor injustice. This feeling can be used righteously as in Jesus’
cleansing of the temple. But we must guard ourselves that we don’t use anger in
a vengeful way when we feel that we have personally been wronged (Ephesians
4:26).
Clamor is a
deep crying or wail in distress, like self-pity.
Malice is the
destruction of a person’s character through slander or to blaspheme and give no
respect to God.
We can all be
guilty of these emotions at times, and we know how destructive they can be to
our lives.
Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,” for we are members of one another. (Ephesians 4:25 NIV)
Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. (Ephesians 5:6)
Jesus warned about wolves in sheep’s clothing coming in with false words (Matthew 7:15). The Galatians swallowed the lie that they also needed to obey the Law of Moses along with belief in Christ to be saved (Galatians 5:4).
Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. (Ephesians 4:28)
Robbery is not part of the lifestyle of Christians. We don’t hold up banks or stores and ride off into the sunset with the loot. But the size or value of an item is not what determines theft. Even if we didn’t intentionally take money or products, keeping incorrect change, or not returning an item a clerk mistakenly places in our bag is defrauding the store.
Cheating on taxes or falsifying business documents could also fall under the category of lying.
These are small indiscretions, and these behaviors may seem insignificant. But they do matter. God sees all, and He is saddened when we don’t reflect His character.
Do not get drunk on wine,
which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18)
The debate about Christians drinking alcohol will probably continue until Jesus comes back. But the Scripture is clear about drunkenness. This is another problem Paul addressed in several places due to the background the new Christians converted from.
The same principle can apply to alcohol as to the eating of food outlined in Romans chapter 14. We are not to judge, but we are also told not to be a stumbling block to another person’s faith (Romans 14:13). We should consider how all activities and attitudes we engage in can be interpreted by others.
Live in the
Fruit of the Spirit
We are forgiven
for all these soul wanderings, but that doesn’t give us a free pass for
committing any fleshly act. Living in the fruit of the Spirit will
keep us sensitive to God's voice and will empower us against any temptations.
Rather than
grieving the Spirit, we can praise and thank Him.
Join the conversation and share your thoughts.
Forgiveness doesn't give us a free pass for committing any fleshly act. Living in the fruit of the Spirit will keep us sensitive to God's voice and empower us against any temptations. (share on X)null
This post is an excerpt from an article that appeared on Crosswalk.com.
