Praise and Glory to God above! One of my most favorite, touching songs is on by John Mark McMillan, How He Loves. What a song. Saw him in concert. A different kind of music for us Christian contemporary music followers. That was my first concert of any sort of this kind of music. That was this summer. Where have I been? It matters now that I have arrived!
Are Sundays sometimes a challenge for you as well? Do you feel evil swirling around you and your family, as you try to get to church? Today was an interesting one, and finally by 1pm, I broke down and cried about how evil had tried to ruin the day already. We then got on our knees and prayed for God's help, along with casting out Satan from our day. Then, by 4:15, I still felt broken down by defeat. So, I took charge again. Started singing out loud great songs full of scripture, then turned them on loud in the house. Then, got busy to get my work done. I was remembering that Satan can plant thoughts in our minds. I also remembered that he can recognize when we are strong. So I got strong.
It all started with my older son being disrespectful this morning. And then, at church he forgot his eyeglasses, so he couldn't enjoy singing or seeing the scripture on the screen. Then, he still was grumpy at me. I guess he was not able to express that he was somewhat sad to go back to college, along with being stressed with a drive ahead of him, to get there. I discovered that my family has a problem with producing an emotion that really isn't consistent with how we feel. It messes everyone else up. Why do we do that? For example: When sad, we act short and testy to those around us to avoid crying or letting us look emotional. Not a good trait. I am working on this myself.
In general, I bet Sunday mornings are interesting in most households. Why not track this progress? I started a few journals of nightmare situations that I tracked backwards and gave the recognition to the king of deception. Not in a good way. A glory of triumph, that I recognized his attempts to ruin our peace, even on a day we are going to praise God.
Look at your Sundays. Hard to get kids up. They are crabby. Running late. We are putting all the energy into getting there, looking perfect, and worrying about details instead of preparing mentally to give your total self to God in worship. Try to arrive at church 15 minutes early. Try to talk as a family about your Sunday mornings and how you can work as a team to see what can fall apart so quickly and why that happens.
There was a New Years Eve I will not forget. It was 2010. My love and I were planning on staying home, making appetizers and just stay home and relax. Well, my girlfriend calls. She wants us to meet her. We end up at a Mexican Restaurant. She is there with a new girlfriend of ours. They are both single. So, the first margarita was very strong. Then, we order another. And our entire night shifted.
I ended up texting my sister (I don't remember this). I don't know who else I text. I didn't even know I was that tipsy. But, the alcohol monster hit strangely that night.
We end up at a party of a distant friend of my sister. Every time I go to this house, something bad happens. Some old boyfriend shows up at the party, or someone is extremely inappropriate, or worse yet, I smoke. Well, this night, New Years, both me and my love got jealous of silly things during the party and we left at 10pm. He drops me off at home. I try to call and text him all night. He does not respond. I spend midnight crying alone.
Well, that is what we get for not sticking with solid plans. That is what we get when we throw that much alcohol onto a relationship with two people that have a jealousy problem. And also, that is what we get we we don't set ground rules for parties, who we spend time with and what is the escape plan and recovery plan.
We did make up, but it was a tough lesson. My love promised never to ignore me again in that type of argument where someone wants their space. And we decided to never attend a party at that house again. We have labeled it the "dark house", because it seems to have enabled many bad situations to occur there. A fun artsy couple owns it, but they are non-believers. It is a historic mansion. I guess I've seen enough of their antiques for this lifetime, thank you.
It took us a few months, but it was wise to rewind the night and see where it went wrong. I can tell you, and I believe I have mentioned that if I could have removed the alcohol from my life as a woman, I would have avoided so many bad decisions and situations my entire life, starting at age 15.
I can't rewind those decisions about alcohol, but I can learn from them and the destruction. And I can now journal days that went wrong, vacations that went wrong and Sunday mornings that went wrong.
My love and I bought the book "The Screwtape Letters" by C. S. Lewis recently. He had started to read it years ago. We thought maybe we would read it out loud, to try to assist with understanding and interpreting it.
If you are not familiar with it, the book is a series of letters from a senior demon "Screwtape" to his demon nephew, "Wormwood". They consider God to be the "Enemy", and "Our Father Below" as Satan. Screwtape is instructing Wormwood how to continue to secure the damnation of a man known only in the book as "The Patient". He does this by writing 31 letters. You will see that it is truly just humorous, but really quite enlightening. If you ask me, this is exactly what goes on, every minute. We see the results, we just don't see the workers.
Please look into C. S. Lewis and his biography. What a game changer for Christians and non-Christians in the 40's, 50's and 60's. We get so narrow minded that we don't spend time to look back in history to see many Christians were extremely radical in pointing out the obvious, that few will proclaim. There is so much more going on in our unseen world. Clive Staples Lewis became an atheist at age 15, experimented with the occult, but later converted, and became one of the most influential Christian writer of his day.
I have only just begun to dig into his works. He was really on to something, and his books are there for all of us to savor. I did find Mere Christianity for $5.00 at the bookstore once. You will find his books very affordable, anyhow. You won't find them easy to just pick up and start again. I find I need to be very focused, and need to stick with it.
Praise to you in your journey, where ever you may be. Please understand, if you are concerned about your progress, just keep reading your bible daily, spend time with God daily and keep searching and praying for His presence. You will find your relationship growing if you seek. And forgive all those in your heart that need forgiving. This is a must. Ask God to search your heart and expose what is standing between the two of you. Don't be afraid. I did it. I had 42 years in my pile for Him to expose. I did it! He is my Father and I have a relationship with Him more intimate than any other. I will never turn back. And He will never let me go. You can do it!
Ephesians 4:25-27 Therefore, each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. In your anger do not sin. Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry and do not give the devil a foothold.
1 Corinthians 6: 12 "Everything is permissible for me"--but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible for me"--but I will not be mastered by anything.
Luke 10:20 "However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven".
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