Being Right With God

As I needed a lot of rest yesterday,
I seized the opportunity of listening to a few sermons.
I absolutely had to take notes on this one...

Being Right With God by Dr.Bill Behrins:

Being 'right with God' is to be 'useable of God'.
When we 'get right with God', we're putting ourselves
in a position where God can use us.
Now, if you have something that isn't useable,
it's worthless, is it not?
A highway is pointless to have if noone can use it.
God says in Isaiah 40:3...
"The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness,
Prepare ye the way of the LORD,
make straight in the desert a highway for our God."
The Lord is likening our lives to a highway.
He wants so much to use us,
but that highway needs to be of quality condition.
Someone may have all the talents in the world,
but that person's abilities are worthless
if he is not right with God.
In the next verse, the Lord gives us
4 things to perpare our highway:
"Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain "
and hill shall be made low:
and the crooked shall be made straight,
and the rough places plain:"


1. "Every valley shall be exalted..."
He's not going down into the depths and then up.
We need to raise the low places in our lives.
We can NOT live in the world with filth and sin
and ever hope to be used of God.
Christians are saying and doing things today
what they wouldn't think of doing years ago.
We have become so accustomed to the sin of this world.
We have truly lost sight of how God looks at sin.
He says in Proverbs 26:11 -
"As a dog returneth to his vomit,
so a fool returneth to his folly."
Think of just how disgusting it is for a dog to vomit,
and then go strait back and eat it!?!
If we'd get just as sick about sin,
we'd have a lot less sin in our lives.
We mustn't compare ourselves to the rest of the world,
but to the Word of God.
We had better worry about what God thinks of us
rather than what other people do.


2. "...And every mountain and hill shall be made low..."
We need to bring the high places down.
Can anyone guess where this might be directed to??
Pride!
Are we looking at other's faults or our own?
Well, we're going to answer for our own problems, not others'!
We have enough in our lives to pay attention to!
We need to really see that God not only doesn't like pride,
He HATES it!
He's not going to put up with a proud person!
"...him that hath an high look and a proud heart will not I suffer."
Psalms 101:5
Pride says "I know an area I need to deal with, but won't do it."
It is a satanic sin saying we don't need God in some areas,
when, in fact, we need Him in ALL areas in our lives!
As soon as the Holy Spirit deals with us and we resist it;
it may seem like a small thing to us,
but we're literally going to battle against God!
"...for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble."
1 Peter 5:5
This is very serious going against God!
We cannot win.


3. "...And the crooked shall be made straight..."
A hard fact of life is, that some people
may never be able to sing,
play music, be good at conversing, be very intelligent, etc...
We sometimes focus on all of the things we can't do.
But there is one thing everybody CAN do,
and that is to DO RIGHT!
It doesn't matter who you are or what your background is,
if you really want to do what's right, you can do it.
We sometimes give the devil too much credit.
"The devil made me do it" is the lamest excuse.
He does not take our free will and force us to sin!
If we really, truly, want to, we can do what's right.
We can be the right daughter, right sister, right friend;
have the right attitude, listen to the right music,
speak kindly, be obedient, tell the truth.
Doing right is always a choice,
which everybody CAN make!


4. "...And the rough places plain:"
So many times we justify some pleasures as 'little sins'.
No sin is little to God.
Who sets the sensitivity level of the Holy Spirit in our lives?
Why is it when a sermon is preached
that it just grips some hearts,
but with others it's like gripping jell-O (... unaffective)?
The Holy Spirit has the same power in everyone's lives...
some are just more willing to let it convict than others.
We need to desire a high sensitivity level.
Sin may seem to start out "small" and maybe "cute" or "fun";
but it doesn't remain small, cute, or harmless.
But maybe we think 'we can handle it'.
Well, The Lord says...
"...And sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death."
James 1:15
It is very important that any 'little' sin in our lives
we must get rid of as soon as possible.

Now, God says
"For he that soweth to his flesh shall
of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth
to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting."
Galatians 6:8
If we are willing to do all of these things, there will be results.
We will have real peace and joy.
We will be a real testimony to the world around us.
One of the biggest reasons that family, neighbors,
and people around us never come to Christ is
because they do not see any difference
or anything they want in us.
But if we are truly right with God, others will notice.
And though at times they may mock, in their hearts
they truly desire the peace and real joy they see in us.

So in order to be right with God,
there are things we need to add and get rid of.

What an admonition from the Lord!

Vacation Bible School...

Last week was Vacation Bible School.
The theme was "Dino Detectives".
I thought I'd share some photos of the great week.
(You can click on the pics to enlarge them)

Mom and I did registration and handed out snacks...

We were wearing dinosaur hats that the
2,3,4 class was so generous to lend us ;)
(Excuse the photo... it's a bit grainy)

All of the children(and adults) had a great time.
We were very blessed to have quite a few visitors!
Here is Carolynne in her class(2s,3s,4s)...


Beth in her class (K-3 grade)...

It is very strange to say that my younger
sister is going into 'first grade'!
It's bittersweet watching them grow up so fast!

Here is Will in his class (4-6 grade)...


I took advantage of the quietness,
before handing out snacks, by reading "A Virtuous Woman"...


I made all of the snacks during VBS
and I think Tuesday's was the favorite...


I'll try to post the recipe for these sometime.
It literally took me almost all day to make them!

In addition to Rally Time (singing, penny offering, etc...)
there was a nightly puppet show...


I did the radio while the others did the puppets...


Here is my dear friend and I...

Miss Stephani in the 2s,3s,4s class.


Miss Ally :)

The last night was an ice cream fellowship.
All of the children (and adults :o)
enjoyed ice cream after the VBS classes.
For every night a child was there,
they were able to get an extra topping.
Mom and I (and 2 other workers)
helped with dishing out the ice cream...


It was a great week of Vacation Bible School.
Sorry it has taken me so long to update.
This week my mother came down with bronchitis/pneumonia.
I believe she is starting to feel better, praise the Lord :)
So we've been pretty busy.
I hope you all are enjoying your August!