The Tangled Web

By Lanell Stuart

     Have you ever been caught in a spider’s web? Ewe, we react, “How quick can I get rid of this thing!” It’s sticky and the more we try to resist the more determined it tries to stay on you.

     Life can become entangled like a web. “Just stay away from me,” we tell Satan. The more determined we become to live for Jesus, the more determined he is to make you stay in a sad, miserable state of being.

     We can become entangled with others lives to the point we just want “out”. But God is urging you onward. “Don’t give up on the unlovely. Keep loving them and showing them the way back to God.” I think that is what God would say to us.

     Remember you were once unlovely in God’s sight. Someone took the time to invest in my life to bring me to the a fullness of loving God again. Someone took the time to pray for me that I may be brought to the point of saying, “Restore unto me the joy of my salvation.” (Psalms 51:12, KJV) And it has been restored.

     My web is unraveling, slowly. I am returning to Lord’s way for my life. Returning, to escape the spider’s web that promises rewards for my life, but never succeeded.

    The Lord is restoring to me the joy of my salvation. You also can obtain that reward through loving friends and family.

     Everyone comes into your life for a season and a reason. We can learn through each incident in life. The Lord leads in mysterious ways, Paul announces in his word to the Colossians in Chapter one, verse 27. It says, “To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of the mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” God makes known the mysteries of our life, which is to know Jesus better.

     He says in Ephesians 6:19, “Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel.”

     I pray you will not get caught in the spider’s web of deceit that promises rewards that are not there in the end.

     The promises of grandeur and fulfillment do not lay in the promises of man but in the promises of God. Seek God and all will be added unto you. (My words paraphrasing from Mt. 6:33 NIV)

“Love the Lord with all thy heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5-6, NIV)

Being A Child Of God

You are a child of God! You are to be respected as such. It does not mean that you are to be run over by people. Just let people go if they tend to run over you often. Vengeance is mine says the Lord! What goes around eventually comes around.

God can reassure us that He is by our side in our quest to reach people for Him. “Staying in the word”, what does that mean? It means learning how God works in the lives of believers. It means getting to know who Christ is and applying the scripture to learn how to be more like our Savior.  Even though we fail in our human form we are not lost, only ready to ask forgiveness and keep on living for Christ.

For years I wondered what the Old Testament stories had to do with Christ.  The stories I thought were just childhood stories. NO! They were stories of how God worked in the lives of believers. Yes, the Holy Spirit did come upon people on special occasions. It means the Holy Spirit did exist from the very beginning, like Christ did.

Jesus brought the Holy Spirit on each person at Pentecost after He had gone to be with The Father. He brought the Holy Spirit that we could have an abundant life of freedom. Not just a mediocre life but also a blessed life. Even in the mundane daily life, we live with joy in our hearts that others do not have.

I do not believe God intended us to be so caught up in life that we become discouraged. I believe He gave us His Word to lift us out of the discouragement. Everyday we are to look for the interesting things God has given us to do. Study the Word, memorize it, love it, and practice it. “Stay in the Word.” Learn that The Word is Jesus and he does not condemn us but gives us freedom to be ourselves and love ourselves. Not because of something we’ve done or will do but because He loves us just the way we are.

Remember who you are! You are a child of God! I am a child of God.

NEW HABITS

When we begin a habit we are not conscious of it until we see that habit may be harmful to our health. We became aware of our unconscious habit of overeating salty snacks on our four months check up with our doctor. We decided we had to do something about it.

A new habit can be formed in seven days. I know because my husband, Tommy, and I learned to quit a habit in seven days.

With God’s help and a little determination we managed to see our bad, salty, snacking after seven in the evening in a new consciousness. We began not to think about our salty snack. Our thinking pattern had changed from mindless eating to thinking more clearly about what we were doing. We were not distracted from one another. We began thinking about each other and the evening TV show we were watching. As a result Tommy lost three pounds in six days, I lost two pounds.

Hopefully we can continue our good habit and have a better health report from the doctor on our next visit with him. With God’s help we can consciously continue our good habit of not overeating salty, high carbohydrate food. With God’s help we can gain self-control and be effective and productive in our endeavors.  

7. And to knowledge self-control and self-control, perseverance and to perseverance godliness 8. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Peter1: 6 & 8 NIV)

Lanell Stuart

May 13,2017

He Reveals

As I sit here in this chair
reading book after book
that tell of Jesus' love
as on the cross He stood
loving me forever.
His love never fails
my life should reveal
His light shining through.
In lovingkindness He forgives.
Unconditional love abiding
throughout eternity
His glory He reveals.

LIFE'S TWISTS AND TURNS

He understands
how life's twists and turns
can discourage and deplete us
and emptiness we feel.
His love returns
through reading
The Holy Bible, His Word.
Praying and seeking
we find His love once again
standing forever
through life's twists and turns.

HEAVEN

We leave a life well known

to that one up above.

Where Christ is King

and the victory won

on heights we don’t comprehend.

We stand on solid ground,

as our heart beats to another drum,

on green, green pastures of daffodils

or in the streets of gold.

Where Jesus is told of long ago:

the bittersweet taste of dying

from this earth to a place well known.

Where God and Jesus and the ones we love

who went on before reside.

Be Not Afraid

A friend just told me she “doesn’t worry.” She must have a peace with God that surpasses all understanding.

I have worried my whole life about one thing or another. I’ve always believed in God but worry has taken a large part of my life. I’ve worried about my weight most of my life. (Like thinking about it can change things, right?) Maybe some of my thoughts could have changed, (like make up my mind to change bad eating habits.) Some times I have succeeded in getting things done without worrying about them.

I’ve worried about conversations the day after. Saying things to myself like: I could have told them this or that. We have probably all had conversations like that. There have been situations where I have gone over in my mind trying to change the outcome.

Just think about the things you could have accomplished if you didn’t worry about them. The clothes would get washed in a timely manor. We would get all the other chores done around the house. Things turn out just right without all the worry.

Melinda Martin in her “Musings of a Ministers Wife” says, “There are something like 80 + times scriptures in the context of ‘fear not,’ ‘Do not be afraid’, ‘do not fear,’ and

‘Be not afraid.’”

On the Internet site: kingjamesbibleonline.org the phrase, “be not afraid” is listed as being 26 times. And “fear not” is listed as 62 times. That’s a total of 88 times.

So, I tell myself “Get up off the couch and be active. Get the dishes done, wash the clothes and sweep the floor. Show God he gave me life to live abundantly, without all the worrying.”

2 Timothy 1:7 (KJV) “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power and of love and a sound mind.”

1 John 4:18  (KJV “There is not fear in love but perfect love casteth out fear.”

CHOICES

It was an overcast day and sprinkling rain on and off. I felt miserable. I wanted to sleep, yet had just awakened from an early afternoon nap. We had planned for a week to go out of town to get away for the weekend. The trip had been postponed. It was disappointing.

My husband woke up energetic and had a pep in his step; keeping himself busy with this and with that. He decided to bake a cake. ”Ugh,” I thought, “I’m going to have to show him which beaters go in the mixer, there are three sets. Then I’m going to have to show him how to use it.”

Then the thought occurred to me, “You can choose to sit and be sorry for yourself or choose to get up and do something. You can choose to change your attitude from declining to thriving. I could choose to be mad at him for being cheerful on an uncheerfull day or I could join in the celebration of enjoying the day.

I had just finished reading the book by Joyce Meyer, “Enjoying Where You Are On The Way To Where You Are Going.” So I decided to do something I enjoy doing, “Writing.”

On a rainy, not so cheerful day, I hope you can find hope and something to cheer you and as Joyce Meyer said, “Enjoy where you are on the way to where you are going.”

(By the way, the yellow cake with chocolate icing was delicious.)

Walking And Not Be Faint

It’s not so much soaring with Eagle’s wings, as it is walking and not be weary. We find peace with God in everyday living.

It’s washing the dishes, sweeping the floor and cooking dinner. Every day living can get you down. It’s the hearing co-workers complain and not listening. Don’t’ adhere to the devil’s small voice that says, “Be unhappy with your situation, because others are.”

It’s when you see others in a better place than you are and being happy for them. Seeing others as God’s children just as you are, even with their faults and failures. Who’s to say I wouldn’t fall for the devil’s trap just as others have in being sad or mad or envious?

I pray that you may know the breadth and depth, length, and height to which the mercy of God reaches toward you. Always keep singing and praising God for his good works in you that you may show others the compassion and patience, love and mercy He has shown you first.

“and be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and put on the new nature created in after likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” (Ephesians 4:23-24 RSV)