Out of Alignment

Out of Alignment

Have you ever thrown your back out of alignment? It is a pain unlike any other. Sometimes a quick trip to the chiropractor will take care of it. Other times, it may require rest and a few more trips to the chiropractor before things are back to normal.
One of the common reasons for your back going out of alignment is improper lifting. The injury from that can leave you with a pain so intense that others can hear it in your voice.

Our spiritual lives can be much like this. We begin to carry heavy burdens, but we do so improperly. We aren’t to carry these loads ourselves. We are to turn them over to the Lord, for He tells us to cast our burdens on Him and He will sustain us. (Psalm 55:22)
Other times we find ourselves dealing with a lot of stress, but fail to come to Him and find rest. (Mark 6:31) This too, can cause us to be spiritually out of alignment.

There are also times when we are weighed down with worry. Instead, we should be praying and giving our requests to the Lord. He will then give us peace that passes all understanding. (Philippians 4:6-7)

Humans have a bad habit of trying to do everything for ourselves. We think we need to be busy all the time. This dependency upon ourselves can be destructive and cause us to be out of alignment. There are times when the Lord tells us to simply be still before Him and rest in the knowledge that He is God. (Psalm 46:10)

One of the best things you can do to help keep your back strong and healthy is to exercise and keep your core strong. In a spiritual sense, our exercise would be to stay in the Word and pray.

Have you let your spirit get out of alignment? If so, get back into the Word and let the Lord ‘align’ you again.
© 2018, Stacy R. Miller

Approaching the Throne of a Laughing God

This is one of the best messages I’ve ever heard!  Get a box of tissues before listening because you may need them!

2 John

This is a EXCELLENT message for these times when so many churches are compromising and speaking of how we just need to love everyone.

“I Do It Myself!”

“I Do It Myself”

When my daughter was a toddler, we would often try to help her with things, and hear the words, “I do it myself!” Can you relate?

In our Christian walk, we sometimes take on that same attitude of “I do it myself!” We may struggle in an area, and we don’t want anyone to know. It can be the shame of our sin, but most often, it is our own pride, which stops us from opening up to anyone.

However, there are times when we really need to reach out to a trusted friend who will agree with us in prayer. Sometimes our friend, who isn’t caught in the middle of the issue, can have valuable, wise insights to help us.

James 4:6 tells us that God opposes the proud but gives grace to those who are humble. James 5:16 tells us to confess our sins to one another so that we may be healed.

Sometimes, by simply being willing to step out and admit openly that you are struggling with something, the power of that secret sin begins to lessen. It can be much like someone who was sexually abused. Once they speak out, exposing the abuse, the power their abuser once had over them, diminishes. Many former victims admit that by speaking out, they finally felt like they had the power. The abuser lost his power over them.

It is often the same when Satan has lied to us about our own sin. I remember learning years ago that Satan’s greatest weapon against us is a lie. Don’t let his lies hold you back any longer. If you need help, pray for the Lord to lead you to a trusted friend who can help you get out of his web of deceit.

Don’t be like a toddler, who adamantly declares, “I do it myself!” Let Jesus help you! He is waiting and willing to set you free!
© 2018, Stacy R. Miller

 

 

Winnie the Pooh and False Doctrine

My friend, Kathy, sent me this insightful information.

She was listening to the history of how Walt Disney put Winnie the Pooh together. Pooh was a popular story in England but not the US.  He introduced it with short, 30-minute features. After we got used to it, and fell in love with Pooh,  we were ready for a full feature film.  It was a smashing hit.

That got her to thinking… That was a very smart tactic and it worked. Give people small doses of something and it’s not a shock to the system.  The church had been giving its people small doses of false teaching for so long, it’s no wonder they can’t see error.  They enjoy the new full length feature now.  And looking at the mega churches, it’s a smashing hit.

Machine Gun Mouth

Machine Gun Mouth

I have to thank Dan, who leads the Sunday school class I attend. He used this phrase to describe himself in earlier years. I loved the phrase because it gives us such a good word picture for how our words can be! So thank you, Dan, for the inspiration behind this devotion!

Sometimes we are on the receiving end of a ‘machine gun mouth.’ David felt the oppression from this scenario in Psalm 64. He described it as his enemies sharpening their tongue and bending their bows to shoot those bitter words like arrows into his soul. However, David found his refuge and hope in the Lord. He chose to glory in the Lord, and doing so changed his outlook when others were wounding him with their words.

Isaiah 32:6-7 gives a good example of a ‘machine gun mouth’ by mentioning those who speak foolishly, making evil plans, and speaking falsely about the Lord.

In dealing with others who may have a ‘machine gun mouth, we find that we shouldn’t cast our pearls before the swine.  (Matthew 7:6)  Proverbs 26:5 tells us not to answer a fool according to his folly or we will be just like him.  Clearly, there are times when we need to keep our pearls to ourselves and not share them.  We must use wisdom and discretion when dealing with others who ‘run at the mouth.’

When speaking of the last days, Timothy warned us in 2 Timothy 3:1-5 that we will see many in the church who are boasters and blasphemers. They will have a form of godliness, but deny its power. He gives a strict warning for us to stay away from such people.

Regarding our own tendencies to be a ‘machine gun mouth,’ we are warned that our foolish talk and godless chatter can destroy relationships.  (Proverbs 11:9)  1 Timothy 6:20-21
admonishes us to avoid foolish discussions with others who have so-called knowledge. People who engage in that have even wandered from the faith.  2 Timothy 2:16 advises us to avoid worthless foolish talk because it only leads to more ungodly behavior.

Colossians 3:8 warns us to put off anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, and filthy language.  I like how it words this, like these characteristics become a part of our clothing.  Have you ever met someone who just reeks of anger?  When you encounter someone like that, you likely want to run the other way!  I also found it interesting that every word listed here has to do with what comes out of our mouths. Obviously, our words hold a lot of power.

Proverbs 10:19 tells us that when our words are many, sin is not absent.  When you think of having an argument with someone, have you noticed that the longer, and more-heated the argument gets, the easier it is to start sinning with your mouth?

Another scenario where words can be many, thus leading to sin is in a group setting with several women.  If one begins to speak ill of her husband, the others tend to join in.  Next, each lady tries to outdo the others with her comments.  Before you know it, the room is filled with negativity and sin.

I have to admit, I have had many times in my life when I spoke with a ‘machine gun mouth.’ I have struggled with a bad temper for many years. If I don’t keep myself well-grounded in the Word, it is so easy to slip back into that nasty habit of letting my words be like a machine gun, wounding others, killing relationships, and putting chinks in my spiritual armor.

I noticed something else about our words when researching this topic. Proverbs 31:26 tells us when she speaks. This implies that we don’t always need to be talking! We don’t always need to share our opinions on every topic. We don’t need to vent every frustration we faced throughout the day. We don’t need to voice every burden we are carrying to everyone we meet.

Scripture shows us some beautiful ways to use our words and the results that come when we choose to allow the Lord to have control over our tongue.

·         We become wise and our tongue can bring healing to others. (Proverbs 12:18)
·         When we speak at good word at the right time, our words are like apples of gold in settings of silver. (Proverbs 25:11)
·         When we speak edifying words, it can impart grace to those who hear. (Ephesians 4:29)
·         Our words can feed many. (Proverbs 10:21)
·         God can give us an instructed tongue so we will know how to speak a word to those who are weary. (Isaiah 50:4)

Matthew 12:34 tells us that out of the abundance of our heart, our mouth will speak. This implies that our words hold a lot of power, as well as revealing what is truly in our heart — good or bad. I want my words to be the kind which will impart healing, refreshment, encouragement, grace, and wisdom to others! How about you?

© 2018, Stacy R. Miller

Living With the Unclean

Living With the Unclean
I have always been fascinated by the story of the demoniac in Mark 5. Though I wasn’t bound by a legion of demons when I came to the Lord, I did have a lot of baggage. I remember the freedom I found in Jesus and how my life drastically changed when He came into my heart. So in a way, I can relate to the demoniac and the amazing feeling of freedom he must have had after Jesus set him free.

I find it insightful that when Jesus gave the spirits permission to enter the swine, the unclean swine refused to live with those unclean spirits. Yet, how often will people put up with evil spirits? We forget that we have been given the power through Jesus to overcome these foul spirits and take authority over them. We do not need to dwell with them any longer!

I remember when a woman, whom I will call Tiffany, related a story to me of dealing with evil spirits at work. A new employee, whom I will call Delilah, had started working in her department. Nearly every strongman listed in the bible bound Delilah. Those spirits were wreaking havoc in Tiffany’s department. Tiffany was proactive in doing spiritual warfare, praying, and anointing the department frequently. She bound those spirits from entering her office. One evening, Delilah was standing outside Tiffany’s office, talking to her. Another coworker walked by and said, “Why don’t you just go in there and sit down?” Delilah’s response was, “I’m not allowed.” Imagine the expression on Tiffany’s face when the Lord allowed her to actually hear the bound woman reciting exactly what Tiffany had been praying and declaring in her office!

There is something else in this story that stood out to me. When the people of that region showed up, they saw the demoniac in his right mind. Rather than rejoice and praise God, they begged Jesus to leave! Personally, I think they were focused on the herd of swine that was destroyed and the money which was lost. Jesus had caused them to come out of their comfort zone and they didn’t like it! They preferred the old way of doing things. They had gotten used to seeing this man, bound and living among the tombs. They didn’t need someone coming in and changing the way things were done!

I think this attitude is prevalent in many churches these days. Preaching a gospel of true repentance would cause people’s lives to drastically change. However, we choose to be seeker-friendly and not address sin. After all, we don’t want to make people feel uncomfortable. If we do that, they might not come back and we might lose a lot of money in the offering plate.

Instead of using scripturally-based worship music, we compromise. After all, we don’t want this younger generation to leave the church. Instead, we compromise on the worship, allowing lyrics, which are doctrinally incorrect, fill the minds of our youth, just so they will stay in church. So the youth may still be in the church, but they are lost because they feeding their minds on doctrine which is in err.

Jesus made it very clear in Matthew 24 that deception is going to be prevalent in the last days. As I look at the changes which have taken place among many churches in the last thirty years, I think that time has arrived.

Lord, break our chains and deliver us! Help us not to become comfortable with abiding in a church where uncleanness and compromising Your Word is allowed. Open our eyes and give us the courage and wisdom to get out of our own comfort zone so that we can be radically transformed by You.
© 2018, Stacy R. Miller

An attack on the 1st amendment

This video is only one minute long.  While it is happening in California, what happens there often comes to the rest of the country.  Brethren, we need to pray!!!

Royal Horses

What an awesome message this is!  We are called to be warriors and soldiers of the Lord – coming BOLDLY before the the throne of God to a King who is touched by the feelings of our infirmities!

Inviting the Devil to Dinner

This is an insightful admonition and encouragement for the times in which we are living..