Stuck? It's Not God's Fault.

"Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them ... I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses."   --- Joshua 1:2,3

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Last year I wrote that a local group holds weekly car cruises. I shared this photo with you--

-- and stated Tom and I planned to attend someday. But yeah, we procrastinated and never made it. Er hem. 

Anyway, this year due to we-all-know-why, their first cruise wasn't till July 6th. Yet days afterward? They received a mayoral executive order declaring car cruises are not allowed.

&!%$#

For goodness sake, we're in Stage 4! Even malls opened. The cruises are a 100% outdoor activity, the cars, spaced well-apart and (a modest amount of) people just walk around gazing upon them. Food is served, yet again, social distancing is a cinch out in the large parking lot and field.

But the mayor says no.

I spied that post at Facebook and you know how sometimes you can't explain your reactions? Well, this shutting down of an event I'd not even attended (only online via photos) defeated me. 

Suddenly I became a balloon whose air seeped out slowly until it lay flat.

I whined. Complained to Tom and myself. Sulked on the red couch. In my heart, called the mayor some naughty names. Cursed covid-19 (not for the first time) and felt like we only move backwards, not forward and never will Life look like it once did.

This went on for 15 (20?) minutes--and then God played the Moses Is Dead card. 

What's that? That's reminiscent of when-- after one month of mourning for Moses--God told Joshua, "Moses is dead. Mourning time is over. Stand up, gather people, and follow me: I'm moving on."

Did Joshua argue? Ask for more crying time? No, he wasn't stupid. He knew what happens if you stubbornly remain after God steps forward--only bad stuff. Boredom, unfulfillment, confusion, weariness--and worse.

And who wants those?

So I pulled myself together. Walked to the freezer, grabbed a popsicle, watched Rockford Files with Tom and thanked God that He'd decades ago, via Joyce Meyer, taught me the Moses Is Dead principle. And that I'd learned to practice rather than ignore it.

Oh, and I made plans for letting the mayor know of my displeasure regarding the car cruises.

It's remarkable how soon I felt better. Remarkable, but not surprising. Peace, courage and hope swirl constantly all around God: oh, that we would always remain close enough to enjoy Him. 

Yet forget or ignore our lessons? Sulk/sleep/wander/remain behind? Oh dear. Life morphs into something sad it need not ever have become.

"The Israelites grieved for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days, until the time of weeping and mourning was over."   ---Deuteronomy 34:8

Oh and as I wrote a few posts ago, when something is done away with, it's not just me I'm considering. It's those folks who need those things much more than I do for their physical, financial and mental health.

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Probably there are 1,000 ways to move ahead with God, to overcome what could bring us (and others) down. Here's one:

"I'm not old enough to be in a political party but I have been an American citizen since I was born on may 5, 2005. This is not about the president. This is about being an American. 

The CEO of Goya Foods called our president a leader and like him or not that is what a president is. But because some people hate him they told every one to boycott this company. It is an American company. It is the biggest minority owned company. They have lots of minorities that work there. Even in the Coronavirus they kept over 4000 people working. 

They donated over a million pounds of food to food pantries in American cities for Americans who can't buy food and lots of them are minorities. A boycott of Goya does not hurt the President, it hurts an American company. It also could make Americans not have jobs. It also can make hungry people not have food. 

A true American does not do this to other Americans. It is wrong and mean and also people have a right to free speech even if you do not like it. 

So I used my money and my parents gave me money to buy lots of Goya stuff and donate it to food pantries. Because I am an American and I love Americans and guess what I don't care if this food feeds democrats or republicans. We are all American and that is what should matter."

---Jack Fleming

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Do not let your heart be troubled..... be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might..."

---don't let anything keep you down! God wants to use you in mighty ways.

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"For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." ... Matthew 6:14,15

Haven't Started Yet? Please Start Now.

"For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”   --- Esther 4:14

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So last week Tom and I figured nearly 4 months ago the world changed and-not-for-the-better. One-third of a year, can you believe it?

Perhaps you can. Every moment has probably felt eternal if--mostly--you've:

Felt sad. Overwhelmed.

Complained. Consistently name-called rioters and others.

Yearned for the Good Old Days.

Repeatedly stated, "Maybe this'll all be over next week."

But hey, good news! Alternatives exist. Always.

Especially when we've got the Holy Spirit living inside (plus a guardian angel or 2) nudging us with, "For heaven's sake, give us stuff to do! Something to supernaturally help you with. We're bored already."

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These past nearly 4 months? Oh, the possibilities for action to:

Return to fervent prayer.

Become acquainted with our neighbors.

Finally learn to become preppers. How to store food, water and all that one needs in times of crisis.

Read Bible portions where similar times as ours occurred. 

Discover the preachers, teachers and pundits sent here to encourage us for these exact moments.

Start a garden.

Buy groceries/supplies in an orderly fashion from lists. Create ways to store them for easy access.

Become more self-sufficient, less dependent upon this failing world.

Learn our nation's history.

Fight for what we believe. Push back the darkness.
Start a group to help us stand for truth.

Become more bold. Courageous. Determined.

Learn how to better cook. Make meal lists/plans so to simplify things.

Create a savings plan.
If a post/video blesses you, share it!

Encourage those who are flailing.

Encourage those who are fighting.
Boycott a business who pushes what we feel is wrong. Frequent a business which we want to survive.

Do the tasks around the house we've procrastinated for years.

Give more. Your local food pantry is a good place to begin.

Improve upon our special set of skills. Our gifts, our callings.

Learn how to mend clothes.

Find kindred spirit Youtubers to encourage us in our journey.
Speak light into the darkness at every God-nudge.

And this, being only a blog post not a book, I'll stop there. But seriously, we're limited only by our imagination, our lack of listening to the Holy Spirit and our fear.

Fear ruins everything, as does discouragement. Both paralyze us into wimping-out as non-doers. 

Please don't let either ruin you at the time God intended you to shine. With His glory. For seriously, you were born for such a time as this.

No really, you were.

"Focus on the solutions more than the problems!"   ---copied

Why Every Person In America Needs To Become A Prepper During The Second Half Of 2020

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And I'll end this with a mini-post--

Some folks who're struggling the most mentally? Those who haven't made-up their minds. Rather like this:

"Elijah went before the people and said, "How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him." But the people said nothing."   ---1 Kings 18:21

As James 1:8 says? A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways. Please make firm decisions, God-led ones about subjects like these, below. You'll notice a difference in your emotions: I guarantee it.

The intentions of your local government.

The mandates on mask-wearing.

Social distancing.

School children having to mask-up and stay 6 feet apart.

Churches being told to stay closed or not to sing if they do meet.

Rioting, looting, burning down businesses for any reason.

Any group which preaches against the nuclear family.

Any group teaching one race needs to apologize for their ancestors.

Any group leading its followers to disobey what the Bible teaches.

Hear from God.

Know.

Be certain.

And you'll find calmness even in the storm, even while fighting for truth.

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"Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might... Do not let your heart be troubled ..."   --- Ephesians 6:10, John 14:1

"For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." ... Matthew 6:14,15

Well, If You Wanna Waste Your Time ....

"We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check.... Beware when everyone speaks well of you, for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets."   --- James 3:2, Luke 6:26


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So over at Facebook I posted what 'Joe Schmoe' had written. Awesome thoughts! Words I agreed with totally. 

Soon, someone left me a link stating, "Joe Schmoe is a false prophet."

I laughed aloud! Thought, "Honey, did you eat the whole batch of Rum Cookie Balls or something?"  ツ

Seriously. Do you know how many online pages proclaim my dearly-loved Joyce Meyer is a false prophet? Do you believe they mean anything to me?

Ha! Twenty-five years ago--

I checked-out Joyce Meyer for myself.
I watched her show.
Sat there with the Holy Spirit beside me. Listened. Laughed. Learned.
Painted whole rooms while playing Joyce cassettes.
Took her with me on car trips, even, via recordings.

Oh, what the Holy Spirit taught me those early years!

And I thought for myself. Didn't listen to words about Joyce, but rather, listened to her.
I made up my own mind.

What if, instead, I'd let some goofball prophet-hater guide me elsewhere? Oh, what I would have missed! I'd be me still, but a limping sort of me. A wonky, weary, Spirit-not-led Debra. Yikes.

An interesting fact? 

All of my favorite Bible teachers (and pundits) are on websites blasting them, labeling them as false.

All. Of. Them. So don't waste your time leaving me links to them.

People labeled as false prophets are not automatically a false prophet to God. Let's all get a clue, ok? Let's run past that weird quasi-Christian fear that whines, "Oh! If you hear something new, it'll lead you astray and the Holy Spirit is too weak to bring you back."

It's that waiting for a perfect man or woman who never makes a mistake that screws us up. The world did have that one-and-only perfect person--and they killed Him.

But not before He said, "If they hated me, they'll hate you. Count on it."

The ones we need to beware of today? Those with no online false prophet pages, only accolades. 

Think about it.







"Folks is too ready to call other folks crazy."  --from The Golden Road by Lucy Maud Montgomery

Oh, that we all would return to making up our own minds, thinking things through, being Holy-Spirit-led rather than following the loudest voices ...






Oooooo.... This video did my vintage-loving heart much good. Happy sigh.



"...those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires."   --- Romans 8:5, James 1:19,20

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"For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." ... Matthew 6:14,15