WHILE WE WAIT FOR JESUS

Well, another year has passed. Can you believe it? Last year flew by so fast. I’ve always heard “Time Flies When You’re Having Fun.” Well, if that’s true, we must be having a blast. But, really, we should be. The Christian life should be one of joy and peace and happiness. I know things aren’t always good, but the Bible says, “All things work together for good to those who love God…” (Romans 8:28).

The Bible also says, in Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” These two verses from God’s word should fill us with hope, and give us determination, and strength to live life while we wait for Jesus to come back and rescue us from this sinful world. With everything that’s going on in our world, we need all the hope we can get. Jesus said, “Those who endure until the end will be saved” (Matthew 24:13).

There are many other promises in God’s word to give us hope while we wait for him, if we will just read the Bible, and believe that he is faithful. We can have “unspeakable joy” just as the Apostle Peter said in verse eight of his first letter to God’s people.

Many people ask others, “Are you a Christian?” The answer is usually “Yes” here in the South where I live. Many people consider themselves to be Christians just because they believe there is a God, but the Bible says that’s not enough. James said, “The devils also believe, and tremble” (James 2:19). The question is not “Do you believe, or Are you a Christian?” The question is “Have you been born again?”

Jesus said, “You must be born again” (John 3:7). He also said, “Unless you are born again you can not see the kingdom of God (John 3:5).”

Believing is the first step, but that alone will not save us. We must be born again. Those who are born again have been given the promise of eternal life, and an eternal home with our Lord, and Savior, Jesus, the Messiah. Someday he’ll return in the clouds to rescue the faithful, “and so we will be with the Lord forever” (1 Thessalonians 4:17-18).

Think about that; Forever. That’s a long time. The pains and sorrows of this present age will soon pass away, and we’ll live in a perfect world with our perfect new bodies, forever and ever. No more crying, no more pain, and no more death. I’m looking forward to it more and more each day. How about you? Are you ready? If not, it’s time.

———————————————–
My Blogs
https://teddylynn.blogspot.com
https://teddylynn.wordpress.com

© 2015 Teddy Lynn – All Rights Reserved

My books are available in paperback and digital format on Amazon @
https://www.amazon.com/Teddy-Lynn/e/B01MZDB6L6

DREAMS FROM GOD

I’ve had many dreams in my lifetime. Some, I didn’t remember at all when I woke up, and some faded soon after I awoke, before I could think too much about them. But, many of them, I still remember, like it was yesterday.

I remember some dreams that I really don’t think meant anything, and I’ve had several where it was pretty clear why I dreamed them. I’ve had many dreams that I’m sure came straight from Satan, or at least from his evil forces, and I’ve had several dreams that I know for sure came straight from God.

If you’ve been following my blog you know that I was raised in church. When I was sixteen years old, I quit going to church and began a three-year romance with alcohol and drugs.

One night I had one of those dreams that I know came from God. I remember it in great detail. In the dream, it appeared to be mid-afternoon in late Spring or early Summer. It was a lovely day, and everything was so green and beautiful. The sun was bright and warm, but there was a nice calm breeze. I was standing outside near a big oak tree, next to a field connected to the wood line. The wind started blowing a bit harder and quickly grew. It soon became so windy that the big oak tree was being blown back and forth like a small bush.

I heard the long blast of a trumpet. At that point, I knew exactly what was happening. Jesus was returning for his people. As I looked up, the sky changed color, and I saw the Face of God filling the sky. Then I saw Jesus descending from heaven.

I fell on my knees and cried out to God. I said, “No! Please, not now, God! I’m not ready! I’m not ready!”

That’s where the dream ended. I’m sure no one needs a degree in dream interpretation to understand what God was telling me.

Then, one day cousin invited me to go to church with him, so I did. Later that year I met Jesus and gave my life to him, and then I received another dream from God.

This time the sky was clear and everything was calm and so quiet. I was walking over some big white rocks beside a body of water. Jesus was walking with me, holding my hand. I could feel his love for me, and I felt so peaceful and happy. It was the best feeling I had ever felt. That was the dream.

Many years have passed since I had that dream, and Jesus has never left me to walk alone. At times, I’ve let go of his hand, but he’s always been there to pick me up and dust me off when I’ve fallen. He’s always there for me; when things are going well, and when the road gets rough. Things are not perfect, and I know they never will be here in this sinful world, but someday the troubles of this world will be over, and we’ll live in a perfect world with no more tears, no more pain, and no more death. I’m longing for that time, more and more each day.

———————————————–
My Blogs
https://teddylynn.blogspot.com
https://teddylynn.wordpress.com

© 2015 Teddy Lynn – All Rights Reserved

My books are available in paperback and digital format on Amazon @
https://www.amazon.com/Teddy-Lynn/e/B01MZDB6L6

SELF-PITY

Have you ever heard of something called Self-Pity? Have you ever experienced it? Have you ever had a pity party? Webster’s dictionary says self-pity is “a feeling of pity for yourself because you believe you have suffered more that is fair or reasonable.” *

We don’t realize it when we’re feeling sorry for ourselves, but pity parties are very destructive, not only to ourselves but to everyone around us. Here’s why.

Self-pity drains us of our physical energy. It slows us down, and we lose motivation. It affects us emotionally and often leads to depression. It affects us spiritually as well. We don’t have the energy, or the desire to do the things God wants us to do. When we’re focused on ourselves we’re not thinking about others, so our relationships suffer.

I remember a day, several years ago, I started having pains in my chest. I also had trouble breathing. I didn’t know what was going on so it scared me to death. In a few minutes, I began feeling better and in a little while, it was like it never happened. A few days I experienced the same thing again. I thought I was having heart problems, so I went to the doctor. After a thorough examination and a stress test that I thought was going to kill me, I found out it wasn’t my heart at all. I was having anxiety attacks. When I better understood my condition, I was able to deal with it differently and the attacks became less frightening and easier to handle, and soon they were coming less often. Being informed about something helps us to deal with it more effectively.

Self-pity is something that everyone can and should live without. It’s really a tool of the devil. Not just a tool, but a weapon. The sooner we realize that fact, the sooner we can be on our way to deliverance from the oppression of Satan and his evil forces.

If you ever end up in a situation where you’re feeling sorry for yourself and throwing a pity party, here are a few things that will help get you back on the right track.

Think about Jesus and the sacrifice he made so we could be free from the power of sin and oppression. Don’t allow that sacrifice to be for nothing in your life. Both God, and Satan want our allegiance, and contrary to what some believe, we have to choose one or the other. It’s a daily choice, too, not just a one-time thing. Self-pity takes our minds off this fact and puts it on ourselves. Get your mind back on God.

Change your attitude about self-pity. Ask God to help you to stop feeling sorry for yourself. Ask him to make you sick and tired of it. Ask him to deliver you from it. Recognizing where self-pity leads, and what the end results can be, we must refuse to go down that road.

Refuse to dwell on bad thoughts and feelings. That’s a hard one, but once again, the answer is found in God’s word. Philippines 4:8 tells us to think about things that are true, things are honest, things are just, things that are pure, things are lovely, things that are of good report, and things that are worthwhile and worthy of praise.

When we do this, we will not have time for self-pity. We won’t even be thinking about ourselves and our problems when we give it all to Jesus. Kick self-pity to the curb. You know you need to. Just do it. You’ll be glad you did.

* http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/self-pity

———————————————–
My Blogs
https://teddylynn.blogspot.com
https://teddylynn.wordpress.com

© 2015 Teddy Lynn – All Rights Reserved

My books are available in paperback and digital format on Amazon @
https://www.amazon.com/Teddy-Lynn/e/B01MZDB6L6