When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed.  Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

I really love this one.  It shows massive accountability.  Have you ever done something and said well God is tempting me to sin, he wants to see what I will do?  Then they do the thing and then they blame God for tempting them.  I've heard it a million times, and probably did it a million times.

Well, here we are being taught that it it simply our own inner desires that are dragging us away and are begging us to sin.  Satan simply uses our temptations to help lead us to fill it out.  Once you ACT on that temptation is when it becomes sin.  Sin then leads you to separation from God and without repentance can lead you to an eternity in hell.  Yes friends, there REALLY is a hell and yes friends, you really can go there.

Let's stop sugar coating everything friends.  Let's stop changing the word or arguing about what might be ok and what isn't.  Do you really want to play with your eternity?  Do you really want to play with your children's eternity?  Alcohol always comes up and people like to debate, what is ok with drinking and what is not.  Well Jesus's first miracle was turning water into wine and he drank, so it must be ok...that's the famous argument. Everyone and everyone says it.   Well, let's take a look at what we do when we drink...we say things we normally wouldn't, we do things we normally wouldn't, we act in ways we normally wouldn't, and most don't stop at a sip of wine.  Unless YOU are going to act in the same manner as Christ did in full capacity, when you say his first miracle was changing water into wine...and that is what you are basing your debate, then you really cannot compare the worlds drinking to it either.

I also (sarcastically) love how people make jokes out of the fact they are already going to hell, so they might as well live how they please.  It's an excuse.  No different than someone trying to quit smoking....you've heard all the excuses until they end up on an oxygen machine, fighting for a simple breath.  Sin is the same...

Friends, the word of God is never there to condemn you, and neither are your Christian friends.  The word is to enrich your life, provide fullness where emptiness once crept in.  It is to bless you and keep you and your family in eternal safety.  It is applied to daily life and you can tease and put down those doing it, but one day there will come a time where you are not going to be able to handle something alone, and you will understand the power of repentance and what sort of transformation it can do in your own personal life.  God is amazing...and his lessons are worth it! 

AND SO ARE YOU!

The Message 13-15 
Don’t let anyone under pressure to give in to evil say, “God is trying to trip me up.” God is impervious to evil, and puts evil in no one’s way. The temptation to give in to evil comes from us and only us. We have no one to blame but the leering, seducing flare-up of our own lust. Lust gets pregnant, and has a baby: sin! Sin grows up to adulthood, and becomes a real killer.

Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.

Today will just be brief.  I think about those suffering from ISIS,  and I pray for them....

We talked about David last night at Bible Study.  The common story is David and Goliath. David was just a small boy who defeated Goliath with just a sling and a stone.  In order to take on that challenge, however, God had already prepared David with having him fight a lion and a bear first....

What lions and bears might you be fighting before you have to face your giant?

The Message: James 1-12 
Anyone who meets a testing challenge head-on and manages to stick it out is mighty fortunate. For such persons loyally in love with God, the reward is life and more life

Believers in humble circumstances ought to take pride in their high position. But the rich should take pride in their humiliation—since they will pass away like a wild flower.  For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich will fade away even while they go about their business.

Ok, I'm going to be honest, I have no idea what the first sentence means, and nothing inspiring was coming to me, so I had to do a little research.  Basically what I found is first off it is the "believer" that is being spoken to, and this particular believer must not have much money, because it is being contrasted against someone with much money in the next sentence.  When you think back to many of those that God called in the Bible, Esther, Daniel, Joseph, these people were poor in finances and in family status but did great things for God.  So what a great encouragement for those of us that are poor in finances and family status...rejoice, because your financial or birthright, or popular status does not mean anything to what a person can do through Christ!

Next, we are told that if you have plenty of money, you should be humble about it.  I've seen far too many families destroyed over money.  I've seen far too many relationships destroyed over money.  And I've saw money disappear out my hands faster than I'd hoped. I believe that is what is trying to be said here.  It doesn't say money is bad, it says don't let money control you over what God wants to bless you with.  

What does a good life look like to you?  I remember as a little girl, I wanted a castle, with a pool, I had drawn out my house and planned it out to be just like Cinderella.  I was going to have Prince Charming and all his wealth scoop me up and take me away so all I had to do was sit around and look pretty.  Maids and Servants and the whole 9 yards.   When I grew up, I still had some of that stuck in my head.  At age 31 I gave my life to Christ...and the entire story took on a new meaning.  I have absolutely all I've ever dreamed of.  A strong family, amazing boys, a heart for Jesus and a "Daddy" (God) who owns it all.  He knows what I need before I ever ask or think, and more times than not it looks more like love than gold.

THE MESSAGE: 9-11 
When down-and-outers get a break, cheer! And when the arrogant rich are brought down to size, cheer! Prosperity is as short-lived as a wildflower, so don’t ever count on it. You know that as soon as the sun rises, pouring down its scorching heat, the flower withers. Its petals wilt and, before you know it, that beautiful face is a barren stem. Well, that’s a picture of the “prosperous life.” At the very moment everyone is looking on in admiration, it fades away to nothing.

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.  Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.  If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.  That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do. 

James, always challenges me.  It is the book I go to when I want to straighten my attitude out.  I really love the book of James, and I like what it says.  Let's go through it together.  Well, I will go through it and share my thoughts and you can comment if you wish.  :)

Consider it pure joy when you face trials.  That's sounds odd, so why do it?  Because it says that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.  Have you ever done something over and over and over and over and over and over and over....yeah, me too.  And you get frustrated because every time you do it, over and over and over and over and over...you feel like a failure? Yeah me too.  But consider this, what if the very next time you got it.  You nailed it, you handled it.  Then the next time after that you did the same and the next time you didn't even notice it happened.  That's how it works, it's like practice, or quizes, we just get to keep taking them until we've perfected them then we don't have to take that test anymore and we advance a grade and move on to the next quiz.  Yes, that's life.

Next, it says, if anyone lacks wisdom, you should ask God.  I like that, it doesn't say you should ask the opinions of all your friends, or family, it says ask God.  I like that it even gives a reason.  It says that God will give freely to you without finding fault.  Have you ever had a relationship or friendship that after awhile, just doesn't work out anymore.  Mostly it's because, someone got hurt, or angry and they've let you go because of it.  God doesn't work the same...he doesn't hold grudges and you can be sure when HE provides wisdom it will be in your best interest.  SO...how do you ask God for wisdom and find the answer?  Get into the Bible.  Every question you have is answered there.  You just have to want to find it.

And finally, this verse in James tells us how we need to prepare to ask.  You must believe and not doubt.  You can't ask God for something and then think to yourself that "God doesn't answer prayers".   You can't ask for your marriage to be saved and then go flirt with someone else.  You can't go to church on Sunday and tell God you love him and then kick him out of your house the rest of the week, so you can feel like he doesn't see what you are doing.  :)

So we should goal it to be challenged to count it all joy when trials come...just to see what God is trying to strengthen us for.  God can turn all things around, and he can overcome anything.

The Message:
Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way. If you don’t know what you’re doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You’ll get his help, and won’t be condescended to when you ask for it. Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought. People who “worry their prayers” are like wind-whipped waves. Don’t think you’re going to get anything from the Master that way, adrift at sea, keeping all your options open.

Have you ever been set free of something, but you never shared it with the world?  Why or why not?

Today is your story day, please take a couple minutes (as you would on FB or Twitter anyway) and tell me why you would or would not share a testimony?

Oh and have a great day!
Ang

Ok...here is my Angela rant for today! And if you know me, you can just see my face and hear my passion in this!!!   Every time you scroll over a status telling you how sick someone is of certain FB posts they are, et al. food pictures, pet pictures, God things, Motorhead things,  new toys you get, whining, venting, perfect lives, perfect pictures, remember this: KEEP POSTING THEM...you were created to be who you are, with different likes, different personalities, different connections.  Your world is yours to walk out, as you wish...sometimes it's good, sometimes it hurts others, which is why we walk it out together with others who are willing to love us no matter what.  DARE TO BE YOU, DON'T FIT IN SOMEONE ELSES BOX!  We learn from you!!!  Be proud of who you are and your talents, share them with others!!!  Post it!!!  Be in community with others who will lift you up...ENJOY YOUR LIFE...Don't be ashamed of who you are, or the mistakes you've made...just be TEACHABLE!!!  I love the things you share about your life with us on FB.  I'm a people person, so I crave relationship!  Keep posting, keeping pressing forward, KEEP BEING YOU!!!

I just wanted to share a moment with you why I don't give up, and stop writting, whether it's a Facebook post, a Twitter Tweet, a Blog, or a Book.  I might not have anyone that reads it and maybe I do...but the fact is, I will never know for sure, until others speak out.

Yesterday, someone said to me, "I like your book...I've read it twice so far.  It got me through."https://www.tatepublishing.com/bookstore/book.php?w=978-1-60799-485-5

Friends, you will receive no greater reward than to know that through Christ, you are helping someone GET THROUGH.

Thank you for blessing me with that testimony, and God, thank you for answering her prayer!

In Jesus name,
Amen

I'm still hung up on judgment.  I want to talk with you a little bit about my thoughts on it.  I think judgment is good.  I really do.  I'm not with the majority that continually screams out "DON'T JUDGE ME, or "YOU CAN'T JUDGE ME" or a Christian's biggest mistake is that they judge.  I wholeheartedly disagree, and I think we are living in a DANGEROUS world if we continue that view.
  
Accountability is the one thing that keeps us humans in check.  Our flesh continually wants to do the things we shouldn't do.  It's been that way forever, it will continue to be that way.  It's like that song "Counting Stars"  by One Republic, where he says:   I feel something so right by doing the wrong thing.  And I feel something so wrong by doing the right thing.  I couldn't lie, couldn't lie, couldn't lie, everything that kills me makes me feel alive.  I absolutely love how Paul words it in Romans 7:14-20.  It sounds like a jumbled mess when you read it, but when you think about it, it is exactly what we do as humans, waging war with what we want to do and what we should.  He says: "We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.  And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good.  As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me.  For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.  For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.  Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it."


The  same thing occurs when it comes to judging sin.  Let me try to explain my views on this.


Spiritual Judgment of your soul and where it spends eternity is STRICTLY up to God.  No priest, no pastor, no person will EVER have the authority to put you in a place where you must wash yourself of your sins before you can go to heaven.  It doesn't work that way.  The Bible says after death comes immediate judgment by Christ.  This is why it is so important that we start a relationship with Christ BEFORE worldly death, because there is no way to do it AFTER.  Therefore, this is the reasons Christians PUSH SO HARD for you to accept Christ, they want you in HEAVEN.  Jesus will either say to you at judgment, 1) Well done you good and faithful servant, enter the kingdom of heaven or 2) Depart from me you worker of iniquity, I never knew you.  GOOD NEWS IS:  YOU get to make this choice BEFORE your worldly death.  Since you don't know the time nor the place, and taking your own life is not an option, it's important you make that choice.


Now Christian judgment can look tricky and it can make you angry, and guess what, as humans, we are going to mess up, because judgment is up to God.  We were simply given guidelines in God's word to judge SIN.  Now that's a tricky mess, but it has to be done and it has to look like love and not the world's judgment.  Have you ever tried to point out sin in love as carefully as you can, and it still backfires and causes angry and hurt feelings.  Yep, I sure have, but that doesn't mean it shouldn't be done.  Sometimes it's going to go back and forth between Christian judgment and world judgment, because we can never do what God does, we mess up, but that's where YOU come in.  What is the Christian speaking into your life?  Is it God's word?  Discern it.  Check it with God's word.  If it is God's word, YOU will only benefit by asking God to help you fix it in your life.


Worldly judgment is just this, pointing out failure, showing everyone "WHAT YOU'VE DONE" Calling you a failure.  Telling you there's no hope for you, it is nothing but negative, negative negative.  Sometimes we even throw in a couple Bible verses to make you feel really guilty like God won't love you if you don't change.  Let me tell you this is WRONG!  God loves you no matter what you do.  He will never leave you or forsake you, even down to your last breath.  But here's the catch, he can't change his word to get you to heaven.  You have to accept Christ and you have to pick up your cross and die daily.  What does that mean, that means that every morning you have to ask Christ to lead your life.


Christian Judgment helps you see sin.  Worldly judgment tells you you can't change, and Spiritual Judgment determines where you spend eternity.


Have a great a day friends, you are loved!

Someone came up to me and wrinkled their nose and said in a not nice manner "What is a life coach".  Another grabbed a sheet of my paper and laughed and said "life coach huh" what's that, and laughed.   Now if you know me, you know my heart crushed.  When someone says negative things, I tend to dwell on them.  I am not sure why we allow negative people to dictate our direction in life, but we can and a lot of times do.  Then we can spend loads of time dwelling on what they said instead of moving forward with our dreams and desires.

Remember your dreams are not other people's dreams and they won't understand.

I was blessed to have a boss that made a lot of money and was very successful.  He was successful because somewhere in his brain circuit, he told himself that the negative voices didn't get a vote and only those that stood behind you and push you forward get the attention. He followed a path most don't.  The squeaky wheel didn't get his attention; he actually just bought a new wheel.

We have to be respectful friends, but don't limit yourself in such a small box that you think that the 3 people that don't believe in you get a vote.  This is between you and God and God says you are an over comer!

Oh and by the way, a life coach, to me, is someone you trust to speak truth into your life, whether you like what they say or not.  It's someone that will encourage you when you need it, kick you in the tail when you need it.  It's my dream to love on people and help them believe in themselves and trust God....and I won't let anyone crush my dreams, those people that try ...don't get a vote.

Well, I had an interesting dream last night.  I specifically saw a person at concert, sobbing, and accepting Christ, but then got scared at "who would see her" and ran out.  First off, my thought was, since I know specifically who this person is, will God end up putting me in contact with this person or is this just metaphorically speaking?  Next I remember the point where she started crying and it was at a point of the song that said something about "God please take me home".  I have no idea what song it was, but I remember that line.  So of course I got to thinking about suicide.  With the Robin Williams suicide and depression talk going around, and just watching God's Not Dead, I could be stuck in those thoughts and it was released in a dream or it could be a message.

Suicide is nothing to take lightly.  Depression is nothing to take lightly.  It's also not something that we should conform to.  Don't take on the spirit of depression, it is not your friend.  It is not there to comfort you or to make things better, it is there to destroy you.  Now, I made it through my depression without medication, however it wasn't easy.  I am not a Dr. and I won't be at risk to tell you what do you with depression, but what I know for sure, is you can not allow depression or thoughts of suicide to stay.  Those are not spirits that have come to take you home to heaven, they have come to destroy you.  I also know that medication alone does not cure depression, it masks it, so somewhere with the help of medication or not you will have to get to the root of the issues and pull them out. 

I remember in specific the night that I wanted to "go home and be with God".  I was going through, at the time, the worst spot in my marriage.  It was about to end, and I wanted to give up on life.  With the means to do so in my hand... I audibly heard God's voice say to me.  "You won't get to heaven".  I argued and pleaded and told God it wasn't fair.  Again, God said "you won't get to heaven".  The voice was very matter of fact.  It was stern but comforting.  It made me angry that I couldn't release myself of this issue in my life, I was mad at God for telling me that, but I listened.  Instead of ending my life, I chose to walk through.  I had not given my life to Christ and I wasn't living for Christ at that time.  You can sure bet, however, I gave my life to him after.  I'm glad I got a second chance.

Now listen, I'm not throwing out there that people that commit suicide don't go to heaven.  I can't see people's hearts and God is the one to make that decision.  But I can say is that God saw my heart that day and apparently it wasn't good.  This changed how I view suicide.  I never say things like "oh all their pain is gone now" or "they are in a better place".  Why?  Because I would never want to convince someone else that a choice of suicide will get them to heaven, simply because God told me I wouldn't have made it.  Now instead I trust God's choices and I pray against the spirit of suicide and of depression.  I know that I didn't see a way out back then, but that God made a way for me where there was no way.  I know that back then was the darkest hour I've ever felt, but that God restored what the spirit of depression robbed from me 7 fold!  I also know that I walked through depression for nearly 3 straight years.  Life is pretty blurred during those years, there's things I can't quite recall and times and dates are all scrambled together.  Today, however, I am a new creation and I don't carry the spirit of depression or suicide.  I don't allow it to cling to me, and I don't cling to it.  They are not my friends.

I know it's a heavy conversation for a Monday, but when God talks, I listen.  You are loved friends, no matter what you are going through, no matter who is in your life, Christ is always there and you are never alone.