Food For Thought Fridays

Caleb is afraid of dogs. He used to love them.

One day while playing a dog snapped at him and ever since, he wants nothing to do with them.

At grandma's house, there is an outside dog and that dog will chase and jump all over you.

One day while we were visiting, the dog started running after Caleb and trying to jump all over him.

What did Caleb do? He took off for Daddy. He jumped in my arms with tears rolling down his face.

At that moment, no dog in the world was going to mess with my boy.

His weakness was met with my strength.

Psalm 5: 1-2 says, "Give ear to my words, O LORD; consider my groaning. Give attention to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for to you do I pray."

The enemy has attacked and continues to pursue, but we have run into the arms of our Almighty God.

When we let our cry, our groaning, our weakness appeal to the strength of our almighty King, no dog in hell can or will overtake us.

Food For Thought Fridays

Have you ever wondered why prayer is one of the most difficult disciplines for believers when it should be the easiest?

I believe that this could be the key: Legalism is the enemy of God.

Legalism is strictly adhering to the letter of the law (the rules) rather than the spirit. Basically, the idea that if I follow all the rules, God will like me and do what I want Him to do.

Many of our brains are so wrapped up in what prayer "should" sound like (the rules of prayer) that we just get bored with it and feel like we are wasting our time.

It has to start with "Dear Heavenly Father" and end with "In Jesus Name" and we have to put a lot of spiritual phrases in like "lead, guide, and direct" or "yea, though thou theeist the thou."

There is nothing wrong with any of that, but how many of your kids talk to you like that?

Again, legalism is the enemy of God.

Luke 11:9-13 says,"And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"

God tells us to come like a child.

The REAL messy you with all your junk and with all the wrong things to say and with all the bad attitudes needs to, no, has to meet the REAL God in a REAL way.

Legalism says clean your self up, get on your knees, say the right things, and your prayer life will be awesome.

I say you will never be able to clean your self, you will never be submitted enough, you can't say the right things, because legalism and false words only bring death.

Food for Thought Fridays

I don't know if anybody even reads this, but I am going to TRY to put some thoughts down on Fridays. Not saying I am right, but just some thoughts.

In Romans 1:1 Paul starts his letter by saying, "Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God. . ."

Paul said he was a servant or bondservant depending on the version you read. We use servant most times in the Bible because slave sounds harsh.

But, I wonder if our prayer life reflects a slave's heart.

Many times I feel like I only make my requests known before the Father without taking time to listen to the Master's voice. What kind of slave tells his master exactly what he wants done and how to do it?

I think it would do us well to take some time to get on our face and seek the voice of the Master.

Romans 11: 34-36 says,

For who has known the mind of the Lord,or who has been his counselor? Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid? For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.

We must realize the Creator of the universe owes us nothing. But, every day, every minute, every smile, every laugh and every tear are by God's grace and mercy.

How small are we and how great is our God that He is mindful of us.