It's a Bad Day!

 by Lillian Humphries

Did you ever have one of those days? You know the kind, where you think maybe you shouldn’t have gotten out of bed. You spilled your coffee, the cat throw up a hairball, one of the kids left their lunch at home, you get to work and find out you have two different shoes on, and your boss / spouse is in a bad mood. It still isn’t even noon yet.

Yes we have all had them, and we will continue to have them. Life is hard, that’s a fact. How you deal with the everyday problems determine how hard your life will be. You can take these problems in stride and let them roll off your back or you can embrace them. Hold onto to those problems all day long; tell them to everyone who asks you how you are doing. Hour by hour during the day you will most likely be able to add more things that go wrong to your long list of woes. By the end of the evening you can’t wait to get to bed and pull the covers over your head and start over the next day.

I’m not making light of these bad days. They exist and are very real. Have you ever given thought as to why some days we can handle the everyday problems better than other days.

I believe in spiritual warfare. God is real and the devil is real. The Bible tells us so.

God knows when we are tired, exhausted and our guard is down, so does Satan. When we are at our weakest Satan will seek us out. He will throw every obstacle he can in front of us to see if we will break. Will we over react to some little thing that goes wrong and blow it out of proportion?

That is why God has told us in Ephesians 6:10-13

10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

We must prepare ourselves for these troublesome times. Taking care of ourselves, getting enough sleep, eating well balanced meals and most of all being in constant contact with God’s word. When we are in “the word of God”, we feel stronger, more prepared for whatever comes our way. We need to put on the full armor of God to be ready to face the life that we live each day.

What are some of the ways you put on the armor of God?

Next week I’ll cover some of the ways we can prepare ourselves for the fight.

Memorial Day

by Lillian Humphries

Memorial Day is next Monday, May 25th, 2015. How will you celebrate? Gather with family and friends for a picnic/cookout? Go to the beach or the lake? What memories can you pull from your memory file about Memorial Day?

When I was working and raising my two daughters, Memorial Day was a paid day off of work. A day I could sleep in. A day I could maybe catch up on some things around the house or finish a project.

I knew the real meaning of this special day. I would always stop and teach my children why we had a Memorial Day and to honor the men and women, who gave their lives for us and then go on with my plans. Maybe include a parade later in the evening. Who doesn’t love a parade?

The older you get the more you think about things. I think about things a lot, maybe sometimes too much. That can be another blog sometime. J During this upcoming weekend and the celebrations, I ask you to take a few minutes and ponder some thoughts.

Nothing is free in life. We live in the land of the “free and the brave” What is the “cost” for American freedom”?

• American Revolution: 25,000 lives lost
• War of 1812: 15,000 lives lost
• Civil War: 750,000 lives lost
• World War I : 116,516 lives lost
• World War II : 405,399 lives lost
• Vietnam War: 58,209 lives lost
• War on Terror: 6,717 lives lost

Most likely there is not one of us who has not been touched by one or more of these lost lives. These numbers do not include those who were wounded physically or mentally by the search for our freedom.

There is one more statistic I would like us all to consider.

One life was given on the cross of Mt. Calvary. God’s only son, Jesus died for all of us. Jesus died so we could be free from “sin” and spend our life in eternity.

So this weekend during your festivities, remember those that gave their lives for our country, but also remember Jesus who gave His life so you can be free from sin.

John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life.

Oh Those Children

by Lillian Humphries

Have you ever been somewhere with your toddler or teenager and they have misbehaved? Of course you have, if you have children, then it has happened to you or it will. Those precious little people that you have birthed from your loins can turn into possessed demons in a blink of an eye. It always seems to happen at the most inopportune time, in church, in the grocery store or any public place. They seem to have a 6th sense of when the most embarrassing moments in life will take place.

My girls used to do that to me. I remember one time really well. We were in a line to check
out of a store, I can’t remember what store but none the less, that is where we were. Evidently I wouldn’t buy something for one of them that they wanted so she was really unhappy. Out of that little sweet daughter of mine (can’t remember which one) came the words “you love her more than you love me”. Well what do you say to that? I fixed her tail; I told her she was right, I did love her sister more than her. It stopped her in her tracks. Of course I think the cashier almost picked up the phone and called 911 for child abuse. Later I had a talk with her and explained that was not true. Now it has become a joke with the three of us and we do it for fun.

Whether it is acting up, not using good manners or giving out the family secrets in Bible class, children act up.

I’m sure you know where I am going with this, you are God’s child. Do you think you ever
embarrass God? Ouch. Yup, think about it.

Titus 2:5 tells women that they are to act “so that the word of God will not be dishonored.”

1Corinthians 10:31, “Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

Our actions should always be glorifying God. Does that me we go around singing and dancing to God 24/7? Of course not. But our lives should be to the glory of God. As you go through your daily routine of diapers, dishes, laundry, car pools and work your actions should show that you are one of God’s children.

What your child does is a reflection on you as a parent. What you do is a reflection upon God.

Joy Spirit Check Up

by Lillian Humphries

How is your joy spirit holding up lately? Are we joyous in everything we do? Moms with small children, are you joyous with your babies? Middle aged women; are you joyous with your teenagers? Working outside of home women, are you joyous with your co-workers? Older women are you joyous for those around you? Here is a good one – married women, are you joyous with your husbands?

Webster’s gives the definition of joy as:
A - The emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires.
B - The expression or exhibition of such emotion.

The Bible (ASV) has joy listed 195 times. So this is definite a topic that needs to be addressed.

What does joyous look like to us? It means a little different to each person, I am sure. But overall I like to think of it as our temperature. As woman in the home, our temperature (attitude) makes or breaks our home. The old "saying if Momma ain’t happy, nobody’s happy" really is the truth.

How do we obtain this happiness in the midst of our crazy world and every day business? Our children can’t give it to us; our husband can’t give it to us; our co-workers can’t give it to us, only we can make ourselves feel joy. Unless we are happy within ourselves we can’t find happiness outside ourselves. I’m not saying we are happy with our hair, our eye color, our height, or the big one, our weight those are all things on the outside. We all have good hair days and bad hair days. J

So how do we find the happiness inside ourselves? Of course God has the answer.

Galatians 5:22-25
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, 23 faithfulness, meekness, self-control; against such there is no law. 24 And they that are of Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with the passions and the lusts thereof.25 If we live by the Spirit, by the Spirit let us also walk.

If we walk in the Spirit of the Lord we will have that inner joy that will keep us going all day and night.

Try and sing this little song that we teach the children and see if you don’t feel joy inside when we sing. It works, it really does.

          I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy
          Down in my heart
          Down in my heart - Where
          Down in my heart
          I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy
          Down in my heart
          Down in my heart to stay
          And I'm so happy
          So very happy
          I've got the love of Jesus in my heart
          And I'm so happy
          So very happy
          I've got the love of Jesus in my heart

Lean on God’s words and experience the joy that can fill our life.