Being double minded....

   Some professing Christians, as I have noticed lately, have two standards of living, thinking, the opinions they have, their desires, ... They have a double life without noticing it.

   I want to think it is not on purpose, but is that sense of godliness that is not promoted within many churches today. So when speaking of Bible issues, they have little knowledge of Scripture, but they would agree with most doctrines. But when they are living their every day lives, then they agree with other point of views with out  giving it a second thought  whether it is something that goes according to the doctrines of the Bible or not. They can have an independent - personal opinion outside the Bible.

   For example, on issues of "accept yourself as you are" they take it and agree on it... with out knowing or really understanding that the Lord does not want you to "accept yourself", but to come to the realization that you need a Saviour!. That nothing in you is worth accepting unless He changes you completely!.
Like these, there are many issues that some Christians will have a double opinion, a double standard and a double life.

   I wanted to write this post, as a warning to me first ...and  to you if you want to hear it... to search our hearts.. to see if there is double mindedness in us.

   This double mindedness, has a great hold on many professing Christians today, deceiving them. Making them comfortable in their Christianity and never challenged in their faith. These are often miracle searchers, prophesy hungry people... and/passive Christians that are willing to part with many "opinions" as long as is not too offensive to the church... without realizing that their double mind is more dangerous to the church, than the one loud man attacking directly Christianity.

Oh! Christians of today!... for how long will God be patient with us! When will He say: Enough! Are you not afraid? Have you not heard? Have you learn nothing from the stories written in the Bible for OUR learning? Because your life is easy now, you find you have peace... but, should you not be growing in holiness every day? And yes! It does matter which movies you watch, which music you listen, which words you write on your FB page, which links you press "like", which words come out of your mouth, which opinions you have, which desires you struggle with, which clothes you pick to wear and why you wear them, it does matter what you do with your free time, it does matter whether you pray and study your Bible every day or not... IT DOES MATTER!

It is a matter of eternity!. It is a matter of holiness, it is a matter of either believing in God or not. ALL our opinions, on any given subject, should be based on the Bible...  and the Bible ALONE!

Do I trust that You are Good?

Do I trust You Lord?...
Do I love You?... You know I do. You know how much I love you, and yet fall so short.

 Do I REALLY trust Him with the things I love the most? Do I really believe He is good? or  do I try to do it on my own?

I thought I trusted Him... until He challenged me once again in my love and trust for Him. I know He is Sovereign and does as He pleases, He does not need my "OK" or permission. He does what He wants and nothing can stop Him.. How much I love that! ... How much I rest in that truth, and yet, I have been praying for this one thing that I want the Lord to do Sovereingly .. and yet He has not done it. Why? I just got it!, after many years I think I got it!

He is working in me... and showing me that in  this particular area, I rather God do it, than me deciding, because then it would involve my decision... something I cannot make. But in his sovereignty, He is working in me.. not using His sovereignty as an engineer uses a machine, but as a father working in my heart, and showing me that it is in these areas, that I need to trust Him. Believe that He is good... really good. That He wants to sanctify me and make me like Jesus... and my heart needs to be change in my life! And if He wills, it will come to pass.

OH my Lord!!! You, only You know the deepest thoughts of my heart!, Only You, know how much it is a struggle.. and yet, you have been gracious enough to work in me.

Oh my Lord, how much I love you!!! How much I desire to do Your will, and to be purged of all that is in the way. How much I hurt to see that I have not trusted in You alone.. that I have kept this area to my self, thinking higher of myself  even higher than You Sovereign Lord!!

Help me dear Lord, help me to love you more, help me to search my heart and not hide behind my sin. Help me to trust You... I want to trust You above all things, even those things that I love the most.

Help my unbelief.. help me in this area that my heart fear so much.

You know how dear this is to me, and yet You have required of me to love You above all things, and treasure nothing more than You.. how incredible hard are some battles of the flesh and the heart.. how hard to yield my will to Yours. And how foolish at the same time it is for me to hold on to this, when You, and I know, are so good!

May Your will be done... and in the process... please, sanctify my heart. Please make me clean of this and as You work in me, ...that I may die, so that You may live in me the more!

total depravaty...

Oh! How important it is to teach our children the doctrines of the Bible! Their sin, OUR sin, our need of a Saviour!, How many times, Christians that grow up in the faith fail to teach faithfully to their children the condition of men before God!, How sinful our hearts are, How there is nothing good in us that made God look down on us and have pity on us! YES! PITY... this word we hate to use because it speaks of a poor person that has nothing to offer... we need pity from God!

How little some Christians know about this doctrine of total depravity!, how high they think of themselves!... if only they could see their estate before a Holy God!, if only they could understand their heart and how it cannot be trusted!... they would fear the Lord.

Oh! how dangerous it is to avoid teaching about sin to our kids, not just that steal is wrong, but that we are not as bad as we could be for the pure will of God.. that is Grace!. How often we take for granted where the Lord saved us from!... the Israelites did not forget. They were reminded over and over again that one day they were slaves, and it was God that freed them!... so it is today, we are to remind ourselves and our children, so that the can remind their children, that once, they were in sin - slaves of sin- and were bought to freedom!

Oh! how sweet truth!, How sweet the understanding of that freedom.. that is not to do as I please, but to please Him!.. But remember those years of slavery and live my days setting my mind in things above... seeking to be holy in all my ways and mortifying the sin in me, because I hate every time I see how much my heart wants to cleave to it.

Parents, teach your children, learn the scriptures, understand this vital doctrine if you love your children!.

Love me or hate me!

Who am I?

I am a reformed (Calvinist) Christian, who believes in the authority of the Bible as an absolute. I am saved by grace and not by works. There was or is nothing in me that attracted God to have pity on my soul.
I love Jesus Christ and His teachings. I love them as the most precious treasure I will ever have.
I long with all my heart to go to heaven; be with my Lord and sin no more!
I believe in teaching my kids to love the Lord, and yet only God can give them that love for Him.
I believe  in teaching children to honor and obey their parents. And respect authorities.
I believe in the 10 comandments.
I am 100% pro life.
I support mariage between a man and a woman only. And that marriage, to last "until death due us apart".
I believe in helping the poor, the orphans and the widows.
I believe in modesty of speech, dress and thought.
I believe that women are to be homemakers, lovers of their homes.
I believe that children are a blessing from he Lord and never a burden.
I believe that men are the head of the home.
I believe in hell.
I believe in heaven.
I believe in eternity.
I believe in grace, repentance, salvation, justification and sanctification.
I believe that God is 3 persons in One.
I believe He will come back again for His chosen ones and to judge the world. And Everyone will see Him.
I believe in a literal creation of the world (6 days and rested on the 7th)
I believe that I live, because He lives!

That is me...

Norma.

begining of the year!

Ok, so school will start soon!!!. The beautiful routine that I love so much!!, the busy days, the extra curriculum classes,... all fun and good! I am looking forward to start as new stage with my family. First grade of highschool and fifth grade.

I am nervous, excited and nostalgic... elementary school is going to be over in a couple of years for us. And the preparing for college and university is around the corner.

But this year, will be different. I have one in highschool and that will impact our days. I have to decide to register the boys in those sport activities that they enjoy so we decided to register them in hockey, French, piano... We need to decide if they are swimming or playing indoor soccer (or one thing each), there is skiing/snowboarding in the winter, ... The problem is that the week has only 5 days that I'm willing to drive them to activities and only 24 hours each!

What about socialization? some ask... Tell me about it!, I need to cut on socal activities to do the actual school work!.  I always start the year, hoping to spend more time at home, and when I least realize it, my schedule is full! How does that happen!?

And this is just the begining of the year... some activities will come up during the school year!. Hmmm... I hope that this year I can spend a bit more time at home (here it goes again), but I really need to be wise with my time, say yes to the things that are important and no to the ones that can wait.

I need to pray.

I need wisdom. Even in something so trivial as which classes we need to sign our kids and which not.

First Day of School

First day of school after vacations, and the comment you hear the most is"Yes!, finally, I get my life back!", or "great! I can't wait for them to go back to school" , or the "best" excuse I heard: I cant wait for them to go to school because I can't stay too long with them, we are too similar in personality and we crash too much!. How sad!, How sad it is to live in a society that value our time alone so much that spending time with our kids is a burden... Parents have lost that desire to be with their kids, to raise them, to enjoy spending time with them!. Weekends and nights is enough! Oh! how blind we have become!

Yes, it is hard sometimes, it is hard when I want my house spotless or I want silence! But wanting that every day? Putting my house and comfort above my children? Desire for them to go to school  because it is the time I can do "MY things"... Shouldn't OUR things be our kids?

When was this desire to be with them lost? When was it sold to us that mentality? Oh! that we should be awaken to see the society that we are living in! Oh ! that people could really see how much we agree with a corrupt society!.

But instead, being with them should be what we find joy in. And IF they need to go to school, it is because we worked in that relationship enough, we have worked out our differences and he goes to school because it is best for them, never as a way to have a break from them, NEVER! as the time of the day that you love the most.

Why is it then, that families find it hard to be with their kids? Because their kids are not well behaved. Because it is easier to send them and put the responsability on the school, that to take it on ourselves. Kids are hard to be around because parents are not taking their role as parents, teaching them to respect and honor authorities and so, they talk back, they are disrepectful, rude, disobedient, pushing the limits all the time... and so, it is hard to be around them. No wonder parents are happy to have a break from them for a few hours every day!. Who's fault is it?

Oh! that parents would have that love for their families again!, that going for morning coffes with friends or shopping to the mall and going to the gym every morning wouldn't be the thing we live for! But instead, find ourselves filled as mothers, as home-makers, that our houses would have noises of kids laughing constantly and the smell of home made cookies. And our husbands come home from a busy day at work and the house smelling like a welcoming dinner, with our best smile, not because your house looks like a magazine or us as models, but because we are happy! happy to have that family that is so great and so special, that all the rest is extra.

Oh! that this time of the year we would not hear every minute the releif on peoples voices that their beloved children are  finally going back to school!

Best advice I ever got: Be friends of people who love to be with their children... those whom their children are not a burden but a delight!. It is contageous!

You do not undestand!

Why do I use this blog to write about me, my struggles, my thoughts, my reflections?... Why do I write about the Lord when there are millions of other subjects I can write about. I can write of a new way of thinking or an idea or a business.... the possibilities are endless. But why about God and the more personal things I go through?

You don't undersatand... He saved me! He saved me from a vomit pile.. He saved me when I was nothing. If you could just see my heart, my desires, what I could have become if it wasn't because of Him! He saved ME! He saved me, even though I did not asked for it... He saved me without my opinion or my wants.. He just did. He saved me for the pure pleasure of His will. I did not deserved being saved.. I did not deserved any of His goodness, and yet, He saved me, and gave me life when I was dead.

How can I use facebook or this blog for other things other that to speak of Him. That Jesus of Nazareth who willingly went to the cross, took my punishment and the shame that belonged to ME. He took it all. He forgave me of all my sins, of the ones I had not commited yet, He took them upon Him, He got the crown of thorns, the beatings according to the prophecies; He drank the vinegar; He was stripped of all His clothes, so that I might be clothed in righteousness. He died so that I might live. He was buiried and He rose again.... And God, the precious Father, accepted the sacrfice as His pay for my redemption. You don't understand.... HE SAVED ME!

How can I be quiet?.... How could I not use every moment and way to speak of Jesus who saved me! 

Oh! that I might be bolder!, Oh! that I might not be afraid so much !... Imagine....having such a great and sovereign God, and ... I am afraid? How ridiculus!..

Oh! If I could truly beleive and see the size of God, the power and the glory....but when  I see the works of His hands as I am writing this, looking out of the window and see the sky so black and the stars .. so many!, and the trees and flowers, ans sand, and how big and perfect all is... gives me a little glimps of the size of my Lord.    

This is my Lord, the One I cannot be quiet about!..
Why?........ because... HE SAVED ME!