Stop Listening to the Lies

We all have weaknesses - we are human, after all - and I feel a little vulnerable telling you about one of mine; but maybe if I share, some of you can relate. Maybe I'm not alone in my weakness, and maybe this can help some of you. So, here it goes...

More often than not, I am insecure in who I am as a wife, mother, sister, or friend. And, occasionally (or maybe even a little more often than occasionally), I allow my insecurities to get the upper hand in my life, causing me to go into seclusion mode and wallow in self-pity. Yep, I sure do. It all starts by comparing myself to others, and then I begin thinking I'm not good enough. Can you relate?

What exactly are insecurities? They are the things that make you lack confidence in your abilities, to be hesitant, indecisive, or doubtful. To put it another way, though, they are lies from Satan meant to disable Christians in their service for the Lord.

Satan loves to whisper in my ear and tell me:

• You're not important.
• You have no real purpose in this world.
• If you were to disappear, no one would really notice.
• Compare yourself to HER. You should be doing what SHE is doing.
• You are ruining your children's lives.

Why does he love to whisper these things to me? Because I tend to listen. (After all, everyone likes to be listened to, right?) And, when I listen to him, I stop listening to God. And, when I stop listening to God, I become useless as His servant. That's Satan's goal! That's what he wants to make happen in EVERY. CHRISTIAN'S. LIFE. He knows that he can't take away our salvation, but what he CAN do is put lies into our heads and make us feel worthless. Can you relate?

How do we combat the lies, then, and STOP listening to those negative thoughts? 

1.  STOP AND THINK. Does this thought agree with Scripture? If not, then it is not from God.

2.  STOP AND PRAY. Ask the Lord to help you think only on the truthful thoughts that HE gives us in His Word.

3.  STOP LISTENING TO THE LIES.  Look up Scripture verses that tell you the truth, and let your mind dwell on those things instead. Philippians 4:8 - Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.

Should we be listening to "the father of all lies" or should we be listening to our Creator? Our Creator knows us. He formed us in our mothers' wombs. So, why on earth would we choose to listen to anyone else!

Its hard sometimes, but it has to be a conscious decision to dwell on truth rather than lies. It is something I still struggle with. But, when I listen to what God tells me about myself, I am much more content.

What does God tell me about myself?

• He made me. (Psalm 139:13)
• He made me for a purpose. (Colossians 1:16)
• He loves me. (John 3:16)
• He cares about me. (1 Peter 5:7)
• He will help me through the difficult times. (Isaiah 41:13)
• I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. (Philippians 4:13)

I may not be an "important" person by some standards. I've never done anything AMAZING in the eyes of the world. But, that doesn't matter. What matters is that God has ME here for a reason. I'm not supposed to compare myself to my mom, or my sister, or my friends, or to the pastor's wife, or to  anyone else who I come in contact with. I only need to do my best at using the gifts and talents that have been given to ME to serve the Lord on this earth.

One reason I am sharing this is so I can have something to refer back to when my thoughts take me in the wrong direction. This world is only temporary, so I don't want to be wasting my time listening to the lies. I want to focus on the truth and be busy for my Lord. I hope you can relate.

 

 

 

Linked up with:

HYMN: What A Friend We Have in Jesus

John 15:13 - Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends.

Proverbs 18:24 - A man who has friends must himself be friendly, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. (NKJV)

It is hard to go through difficult times in our lives - illnesses, betrayals, fears, deaths, and so on - but, even in our grief-stricken loneliness, the Lord can use our circumstances to help bring encouragement and support to others. One example comes from Joseph M. Scriven, a natural born Irishman who later moved to Canada. When his mother became ill, and he could not return home to Ireland to be with her, he wrote her a poem to encourage her in her time of distress. He never would have been able to write these words if he had not understood what it was like to share his sorrows with the Lord. In fact, great sorrow encompassed his life through the loss of two different special ladies (whom he was engaged to be married to). It was his faith in Jesus Christ that helped get him through his grief. 

Joseph's poem to his mother was never intended to become a hymn, but it's definitely a memorable one that is still loved by many today.

WHAT A FRIEND WE HAVE IN JESUS

Words by:  Joseph M. Scriven

Music by:  Charles C. Converse

 

What a Friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.

 

Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged; take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness; take it to the Lord in prayer.

 

Are we weak and heavy laden, cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our refuge, take it to the Lord in prayer.
Do your friends despise, forsake you? Take it to the Lord in prayer!
In His arms He’ll take and shield you; you will find a solace there.

 

Blessed Savior, Thou hast promised Thou wilt all our burdens bear

May we ever, Lord, be bringing all to Thee in earnest prayer.

Soon in glory bright unclouded there will be no need for prayer

Rapture, praise and endless worship will be our sweet portion there.

 

 

For more information, you can watch a 10-minute video on You Tube about Joseph Scriven and THE STORY BEHIND THE HYMN.

 

 

HYMN: I Gave My Life for Thee / What Have You Given Back?

Last Sunday, my husband preached at our church to fill in while the Pastor was out of town. He spoke about the question, "Why are we here?" In other words, what is the meaning of life? Is it meaningless?

The answers can be found by looking into God's Holy Word. Take a look at these verses: 

1 Corinthians 8:6 - yet for us there is [but] one God, the Father, from whom are all things, and we [exist] for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we [exist] through Him. (NASB)

Colossians 1:16 - For by Him all things were created, [both] in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things have been created by Him and for Him. (NASB)

1 Corinthians 10:31 - Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. (NASB)

Ephesians 2:10 - For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (NIV)

2 Corinthians 5:15 - and He died for all, that they who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf. (NASB)

These are just a few of the verses that actually tell us what our purpose is here on this earth. It really can't get any clearer. We are here for God's purposes. We aren't here to just have fun, live for ourselves, then die and no longer exist. We are meant to worship our Lord, serve Him with gladness, and glorify Him in all things. THAT is the meaning of life! So, no... if you believe in what the Bible says, life is not meaningless.

In that case, here's another question:  What are you DOING for God? How are you living your life? What have you given back to Him for all the gifts He has brought to you? Think about the ultimate gift He gave... Our Heavenly Father not only created us, His unfading love also sent Jesus to DIE for us. Why? Because, when sin entered the world, we were separated from God, and He hated that! So, He sent Jesus to provide a way for reconciliation to take place. That means, because of the ultimate gift of Jesus, we can now have a relationship with God. (For more information about this, click over to one of my informational pages about WHY WE NEED SALVATION. My husband gave a more detailed explanation of it there.) Have you placed your faith in Jesus and what He did for you on the cross? If not, don't put it off any longer. God gave the ultimate gift for YOU, and He's waiting for you to accept it.

The hymn we sang at the end of the message on Sunday gave a good summary of all of this. It was written in 1858 by Frances Havergal, an English poet and hymn writer. I like this hymn because it reminds me to ask the question, "If God gave the ultimate gift to me, what am I giving back to Him?"

I GAVE MY LIFE FOR THEE

Words by Frances R. Havergal
Music by Philip P. Bliss

 

I gave My life for thee,
My precious blood I shed,
That thou might'st ransomed be,
And quickened from the dead;
I gave, I gave My life for thee,
What hast thou giv'n for Me?

My Father's house of light,
My glory-circled throne
I left for earthly night,
For wand'rings sad and lone;
I left, I left it all for thee,
Hast thou left aught for Me?

I suffered much for thee,
More than thy tongue can tell,
Of bitterest agony,
To rescue thee from hell;
I've borne, I've borne it all for thee,
What hast thou borne for Me?

And I have brought to thee,
Down from My home above,
Salvation full and free,
My pardon and My love;
I bring, I bring rich gifts to thee,
What hast thou brought to Me?

 

HYMN: Trusting Jesus

Edgar P. Stites was not a famous preacher, and he wasn't considered to be one of the most popular hymn writers. He was an ordinary man (yes, ordinary, like most of us in this world) whom the Lord used throughout his lifetime. He was faithful in serving in his church for many years - serving because of his TRUST in the Lord. One of his hymns, Trusting Jesus, conveys the type of trust he had, and it continues to encourage Christians today to have that same kind of trust.

Just put your TRUST in Him, that is all. Sometimes its easy to say, but hard to do. Sometimes MY faith is small and I question "Why?" But, trusting in Him is what we NEED to do in order to accept that everything we go through in life happens for a reason. Trusting in Him helps bring us peace.

Psalm 37:5 Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him... (NASB)

Philippians 4:6-7 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (NKJV)

The lyr­ics to Trusting Jesus first ap­peared as a po­em in a news­pa­per. The words were giv­en to Dwight L. Moo­dy, who then asked his ministry partner, Ira Sank­ey, to write the mu­sic for them. A beautiful hymn was the result...

TRUSTING JESUS

Words by:  Edgar P. Stites

Music by:  Ira D. Sankey

 

Simply trusting every day,
Trusting through a stormy way;
Even when my faith is small,
Trusting Jesus, that is all.

 

Refrain

Trusting as the moments fly,
Trusting as the days go by;
Trusting Him whate’er befall,
Trusting Jesus, that is all.

 

Brightly does His Spirit shine
Into this poor heart of mine;
While He leads I cannot fall;
Trusting Jesus, that is all.

 

Refrain

 

Singing if my way is clear,
Praying if the path be drear;
If in danger for Him call;
Trusting Jesus, that is all.

 

Refrain

 

Trusting Him while life shall last,
Trusting Him till earth be past;
Till within the jasper wall,
Trusting Jesus, that is all.

 

Refrain

ANOTHER GOOD CHECKUP - Anything is Possible With God

I had another checkup today with my Oncologist, and everything is going well! My energy level is mostly back to normal, my bloodwork was good, and I am tolerating the Tamoxifen well. The doctor was happy to see I had NO swelling in my left arm where the arm port was placed, and where a blood clot had previously developed. He told us today that he was inwardly worried about that arm, and was afraid the swelling would not go down. But, it did, praise the Lord. Anything is possible with God! 

Matthew 19:26 - Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." (NIV)

My next checkup is in 3 months. I will continue going back every 3 months until it has been 2 years post chemo. Then, it will change to every 6 months.

HYMN: My Anchor Holds

William Clark Martin was a Baptist minister in the late 1800's and early 1900's. This hymn is one of several he wrote. It is about how our Anchor holds, and is based on Hebrews 6:19:  This hope we have as an anchor of the soul...

We all know what an anchor is - a heavy metal hook used to secure an object, such as a boat, so it won't sink or float off to sea when it isn't supposed to. The anchor, when hooked to a sturdy rock, provides support, stability, and security for the boat. 

In this hymn, my anchor is a symbolic picture of Jesus Christ who, when we are attached to Him, provides the same type of support, stability, and security in our lives, especially in the midst of dark and stormy seas.

When the angry waves (Satan and his demons) are trying to cause us to shipwreck, we can be at peace, knowing our Anchor will give us the support we need to remain intact. He is there to help us in our time of need. 

But, remember... it only works when we are ATTACHED to the Anchor.

Are you attached to Him? Are you trusting in the only One who can keep your boat secure? If not, I encourage you to take that step of faith today. 

MY ANCHOR HOLDS

Words by:  William C. Martin
Music by:  Daniel B. Towner

 

Thou' the angry surges roll
On my tempest driven soul,
I am peaceful, for I know,
Wildly though the winds may blow,
I've an anchor safe and sure,
That can evermore endure. 

 

Chorus
And it holds, my anchor holds:
Blow your wildest, then, O gale,
On my bark so small and frail;
By His grace I shall not fail,
For my anchor holds, my anchor holds.

 

Mighty tides about me sweep,
Perils lurk within the deep,
Angry clouds o'er shade the sky,
And the tempest rises high;
Still I stand the tempest's shock,
For my anchor grips the rock.

 

Chorus

 

I can feel the anchor fast
As I meet each sudden blast,
And the cable, though unseen,
Bears the heavy strain between;
Through the storm I safely ride,
Till the turning of the tide. 

 

Chorus
 

Troubles almost 'whelm the soul;
Griefs like billows o'er me roll;
Tempters seek to lure astray;
Storms obscure the light of day:
But in Christ I can be bold,
I've an anchor that shall hold.

 

Chorus
 

Our New Rock Garden

The area around our air conditioner was not in the best shape. It was bare, muddy, and mossy in various areas, and filled with twigs and other debris. So, over the Summer, David and I worked on getting the area cleaned up. We wanted to change the appearance without spending a lot of money, and without it needing a lot of upkeep. Neither of us has much time to keep a flower garden in decent shape, so we decided to use a pile of river rocks we already had in another section of our yard, and transplant them to make a rock garden. Here is the progression of our project... 

The way it was before we started working on it.

We removed the large rocks and debris,

then laid out some paving bricks where we wanted them to be.

The grass and dirt was dug out, and the pavers put in place.

 

Black weed barrier was laid down.

River rocks were transplanted and the larger rocks put back in place. We may eventually add some decorative garden ornaments or artificial flowers, but this is what it looks like for now.

Every time I look at our new rock garden, I will be reminded to put my trust in the "everlasting rock." Isn't it great that we have a God who is our refuge and strength? He is the only "rock" that can truly take care of us in our times of need. 

Psalm 18:2 - The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

Isaiah 26:4 Trust in the LORD forever, For in GOD the LORD, [we have] an everlasting Rock. (NASB)

HYMN: Under His Wings

I have started going through various hymns for some of my quiet times with the Lord. I know, in these days, hymns are considered old-fashioned and outdated by some; but, if you take a closer look at them, you will see how full and rich they are of words that comfort, encourage, strengthen, worship, praise, and bless the soul.

Any hymnal and Bible version can be used, but for my own research and study, I am using the following:

• A physical copy of:  HYMNS FOR THE LIVING CHURCH
• Online:  NET HYMNAL
• Online:  SONGS & HYMNS OF REVIVAL
• Online:  ONLINE HYMNAL
• Online:  SONGWRITERS HALL OF FAME
• Online:  WIKIPEDIA.ORG
• On my computer:  POWER BIBLE CD

If you would like to know which hymns I am studying, I am hoping to post a new one each Sunday. Today's hymn is Under His Wings, written by William Orcutt Cushing. Af­ter William's wife died in 1870, he re­tired from the mi­nis­try and be­gan writ­ing hymns. Under His Wings is one of the 300 he wrote. It coincides with these three verses (I'm sure there are more, but these are the three that stand out to me the most.):

Psalm 91:4 - He shall cover you with His feathers, And under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler. (NKJV)

Psalm 17:8 - Keep me as the apple of Your eye; Hide me under the shadow of Your wings,

Psalm 46:1 - God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.

UNDER HIS WINGS

Words byWilliam O. Cushing

Music by Ira D. Sankey

 

Under His wings I am safely abiding,

Though the night deepens and tempests are wild,

Still I can trust Him; I know He will keep me,

He has redeemed me, and I am His child.

 

Refrain

Under His wings, under His wings,

Who from His love can sever?

Under His wings my soul shall abide,

Safely abide forever.

 

Under His wings, what a refuge in sorrow!

How the heart yearningly turns to His rest!

Often when earth has no balm for my healing,

There I find comfort, and there I am blessed.

 

Refrain

 

Under His wings, oh, what precious enjoyment!

There will I hide till life’s trials are o’er;

Sheltered, protected, no evil can harm me,

Resting in Jesus, I’m safe evermore.

 

Refrain

 

 

Be encouraged today, knowing that in your fear, worry or distress, you can run under the Lord's wings for refuge and strength. 

Good Reports for EL, and a Sleep Apnea Update

In the past 3 weeks, we have had 4 different appointments for EL. Three of them were follow-up appointments, and one was a new consult...

(1) She had a checkup with the Sleep Clinic, and we discussed the results of her recent Sleep Study. Apparently, when the doctor previously called us with the results, she did not explain everything to us over the phone. We found out more details, and the results showed EL's obstructive sleep apnea is a bit more severe than we had originally thought. So, we were referred to an ENT (Eye, Nose, Throat doctor) to evaluate her tonsils and adenoids.

(2) At the ENT appointment, the doctor said EL's tonsils are small, and are not the cause of her sleep apnea. He also took an X-ray of her airway/nasal passages, and those are fine. He also cleaned wax out of her ears and did a hearing test. Her hearing is also fine. So, all went well with the ENT, and we shouldn't need to be seeing him again. We are glad for the good report, and happy she does not need surgery to remove her tonsils. However, there is still the issue of how to treat her sleep apnea. We will probably be trying SINGULAIR, a prescription allergy medicine to reduce inflammation in the nasal passages. It is supposed to help with mild sleep apnea. If it doesn't help, then we will need to consider a CPAP machine. 

(3) After the Sleep Clinic, she saw the Ophthalmologist for an eye check. Thankfully, they did not need to dilate her eyes this time to get a good look inside. Her vision is good and she does not need glasses; but, most important, the optic nerve is in good shape, which means her pituitary tumor has not caused any irritation to the nearby optic nerve. That is great news!

(4) The Endocrinologist also saw her. We mostly just discussed whether or not we have seen any changes since we last saw him. Then, we were sent to the lab for a blood draw. It is always stressful to hear EL scream through a needle stick. She doesn't understand why she is being hurt, why they need to take her blood. This time around, it was especially difficult because her blood was coming out very slowly so it took a lot longer before they could remove the needle. Even if it doesn't hurt, she still screams at the sight of them sticking a needle in her arm. Her anger burned at us, and it was very stressful, but we made it through it. We were thankful to find out the lab results are all normal. Again, this shows the pituitary tumor is not causing any problems. Great news again, thank the Lord!

As far as it looks right now, we should not need to return for any more check-ups until the end of November, although I am waiting for a call from the Neuro-Oncologist to see when we should see him again, and also when to schedule the next MRI. The LAST ONE one was done in November 2013. I do not look forward to another one, but I know we will get through it, just like we always do.

VACATION Part 4 - Beech Bend Amusement Park

This is the 4th and final post about the fun things we did on our vacation this year...

 

On our last day in Bowling Green, KY, we decided to go to BEECH BEND AMUSEMENT PARK. They open at 10:00 a.m. and close at 7:00 p.m. There are two sides to the park:  One for rides and shows, and one for Splash Lagoon Water Park. We spent a couple of hours on the rides, and went to a magic show before lunch. After lunch, we changed and went to the water park. I don't have any pictures of us in the water park side because, while we were there, JJ's ear began hurting him terribly. We ended up leaving at 3:30 and took him to a quick care clinic. They said his ear was red, a sign of infection. So, we gave him pain meds, packed up the car, and headed home.

 

For the amount of time we spent there, it was a nice enough amusement park. Our biggest complaints were that they didn't have enough workers to run all the rides, a couple of the rides were run down and not working properly, and the park closes too early for a hot summer day. However, they do provide free parking, free sunscreen, and free glasses of cold water. Under other circumstances, we would have stayed until closing time.

 

JJ and I went on the Log Ride

JJ and I on the Crazy Bus

JJ, EL and I in a teacup

EL and I on the Carrousel

At the magic show, I was chosen to help

EL and I on the swings

EL is driving!

JJ is driving!

Back at the hotel, getting ready to head home.
JJ was not feeling good.



Sunset on the way home

Psalm 113:3 - From the rising

of the sun to its setting the name

of the LORD is to be praised.