"I CHOOSE LIFE!!"

I know that my purpose in life is to reach out to God’s people and share his love with them. I find myself kind of “feeling people out” so to speak… as to how they feel about God. I try really hard to portray someone who is good at heart to all I encounter. As I become friends with them… I share with them that I love to write. Then they ask me… “What do you write about?” I tell them that I like to write things to inspire people. I tell them that it’s “God stuff”. (and funny stuff and serious stuff and just stuff) but… I like to hear and see their reactions to that statement. You can tell the people who could care less… just by their first expression on their face. Then there are those who are shocked… but interested. Then there are those who think it’s the greatest thing in the world. I don’t like to “shove” my beliefs on anyone. I let them know that I am just as horrible sometimes as anyone… but I talk to God about it… and I work on being a better person… and I know that God forgives me. No one is perfect… and I am always the first to stand up in the imperfect group! God is so gentle when it comes to matters of the heart. To reach out to others is a very sensitive process. For me it is anyways. A lot of times people will say to me… I was raised in a Mormon church… or I was raised this… or that. (Not to be picking on Mormons… because I am not)

Let me tell you of the conversation I had today with a friend at work. This lady is a funny, caring, smiley, generally happy lady… who I feel has a really good heart. I respect her views on things… and I cherish her as a friend. I brought a silly thing I had written about Wal*Mart (where we work) and I was telling her that I had posted it to my web log. She told me that she would like to look at my website someday… and asked me how to get to it. I told her that I would have to send her a link because I couldn’t remember all of the (http://) stuff. I told her that she might be surprised by some of the stuff I had written there. She asked me why. I told her that there is a lot of “God stuff” there… and stuff about when I was a kid… and stuff that my mom went through. She still said that she would like to read it. We talked a little bit about “beliefs”. She told me that she believes in God… but she doesn’t agree with some religions. I told her that I am the same. I told her that for me there is only one way to get to heaven… and that is believing in Jesus. She then told me that she was raised in Utah… and she didn’t agree with the Mormon religion. She said that when she went to that church she didn’t ever feel like she was “at church”. She said that when she went to a catholic church… or a Greek orthodox church… she felt like she was “in a church”.

((For me, a church does not feel like a church if the Holy Spirit is not present. You can feel the presence of God when he makes an entrance! A church is not a building… a church is a group of people who worship God… they can do that in a barn if need be!))

I don’t know about a lot of different religions… and I do not want to know about them. All I know is that God is very real. His son Jesus, he died on the cross to save us from our sins and give us a chance to spend eternity in heaven with him… if we believe in him. As I have said in the past… there has never been a day in my life that I have not believed in God. I believe in heaven. I believe that you need to believe in Jesus as God’s son… and ask him to be your savior by asking him into your heart. Jesus is real. He is alive. You may not see him like we see each other walking down the street… but he very much alive and real.
How do we tell people we care about that God loves them? How do we convince them that they NEED to be saved to get to heaven? How do I let my friends and family know that my heart will break in two if we don’t all get to go to heaven together? I almost want to beg them to believe and be saved. Heaven wouldn’t be the same without those we care about not getting to be there.

As for religion… when you stand before God on judgment day… you are not going to line up with the Catholics… or the Mormons… or the Jehovah Witnesses… or the Assembly of God… or the Methodist… or the Baptist… or whatever! You are going to be one on one with God himself. You are going to have to account for everything in your life. But it is through Jesus… that all our sins are forgiven! He died so that our sins would be completely washed away.

I have spent time as a child in a couple of different churches. Now my deepest desire is to just spend time with Jesus. To let God envelop every part of my life. I yearn for more of Jesus and the word of God every day. It frustrates me when I can’t get it. It seems like when we are desiring to be closer to God… all kinds of things creep up to try and distract you or keep you from it. I desire to receive the promises God has for me! I want to share him with the world! I am ready to witness miracles and see God working in my life and the lives of those around me! I want to be a partner in the war on sin with Jesus fighting side by side with me! I want to tell Satan to keep his hands off of God’s children! To release the hold that he has claimed on some people’s life. I saw my mama fight first hand for her soul… and she never gave it up!! She may have lost her body; and for an instance in her life she lost her mind…. BUT SHE NEVER GAVE UP HER SOUL!
Some people I know are stricken with diseases that have no cure… and because the doctor said so… their mind remembers… “There is no cure”. But… “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.” 1 Peter 2:24 So why should our bodies have to suffer? Why can’t we receive miracles in our spiritual, mental, and physical health? I recently had a burden in my heart for a lady that I know from church. Her laugh used to radiate so loudly and vibrant… you could hear her comin’! Her laugh was contagious to everyone around her. She used to sing up in front of the church and praise and worship. She has been diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Disease, or Lou Gehrig’s disease. She is now bound to a wheelchair… and cannot hardly speak or move. When I have “heard” God in my heart… his voice has been very strong but gentle and ever-knowing. He told me to “Tell Satan in my name to leave Sue Murphy’s body… he has no rights to it.” Ok… wow! I loudly let Satan know on the way home from work the other day what God wanted him to know. I am impatiently waiting for a miracle for her! Can you imagine what a miracle she could glorify God with to get up in front of that church and sing and laugh and praise God again!!

Satan wants us bound. He does not want us to let people know about God. He wants to steal our promises and ruin our lives and souls. Well… I have news for him! I refuse to be destroyed! I refuse to be bound to a wheelchair! I refuse to keep my mouth shut! I refuse to give up the use of my body and mind… because I intend to tell anyone and everyone about how wonderful God’s love is!! So back off Satan!! With Jesus… I will win!

Tuesday night I had a strange dream. Let me tell you about it. My mom had died… and my twin brothers were about 10 years old and I had to take them in. I wanted their beds in our room with us so that I could protect them through the darkness. Then it moved to me being sentenced to death. There was a man in white with a white beard. He was not a good man… white usually symbolizes good and purity… but this man was the executioner. He stood before me and made me give up my wedding ring… and my books… books that I had written. He then had two dark figures bind up my hands behind my back with white cloth and the same type of cloth was put in my mouth like a gag. He was about to give me a lethal injection… but I woke up. Immediately I sat straight up and the only thought that went through my being was “I CHOOSE LIFE!!!!!!” and I said it out loud. Satan was the executioner… he wants my hands bound so that I cannot write what God puts in my heart… and he wants my mouth shut… and I REFUSE IT IN JESUS NAME! It may have been just a dream during my sleep… but wow! I rely on God for everything in my life. He is my grace. “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.” Romans 16-20 ((It would be my pleasure to see this happen… can’t be soon enough!))
My hope is this… I want my life to shine brightly with the love of God… and I want that light to reach everyone around me. I want to touch the lives of others in a positive way… and share all that God has for us! I want to join Jesus in heaven one day and have my friends and family around me. It is so easy… all you have to do is ask. “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks recieves; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 7:7-12