The Journey

As Christians, we know that sin in and of itself is deceptive. The biggest deception is the belief that the sin, whatever it may be, is undetectable and affects only the person committing the sin. A phrase from the book of Isaiah comes to mind, "Instead of fragrance, there will be a stench..." (Isaiah 3:24) Today, this phrase and the following analogy collided in my mind. Ponder this... Smoking. Scripture tells us, "For the wages of sin is death." (Romans 6:23). The initial attraction for smoking should certainly be outweighed by the deadly side effects--respiratory failure, lung cancer and heart disease to name a few. No matter your sex, race or creed, whether you are rich or poor, or if you practice an alternative lifestyle, the same risks and side effects apply. Under the weight and anxiety of sin, or the attempt to conceal a particular sin, breathing can feel like a difficult task. I often associate sin with cancer as it permeates, it kills. Obviously, transgr...

For the past three years, I have faced some very difficult things.  I've had to make hard decisions, life changing decisions.  Within the past year, most of those have settled, but there have been what I call residual issues to work out.  Basically, the cleanup after the storms.  You know those regrets and if onlys that linger.  The fight to not to return to old patterns and addictions and temptations... So tonight, I prayed, "God, I don't want to be this person.  I am so tired of struggling with these things.  I know You've said You are working things out.  In the meantime, please help me to wait!  Give me a hunger for You."  I heard, I already have.  You are trying to fill it with everything else. Guilty! I once heard someone say that there is a God-shaped hole in our hearts and that nothing will fill it, but God.  All the desires, all the dreams, all the plans must be His desires, His dreams, His plans for us....

What is it? A temptation is defined by Dictionary.com as an enticement "to do something often regarded as unwise, wrong or immoral." Where does it come from? Usually, it is a device from Satan to entrap you, but often times God allows us to be tempted to test our faith. My mother told me an interesting story the other day that I have been chewing on. It is the story of my aunt who smoked for many years and decided it was time to quit. So, what did she do? She put a pack of cigarettes on her mantle in plain sight and told herself, "I can have one if I want it, but I choose not to smoke." Once she determined to lay it down, she never picked them back up. So, I related that very concept to any temptation. Overcoming temptation is not just by avoiding the temptation, but rather by choosing not to indulge in that very temptation. Sin is very appealing and can suck you in before you realize it. Overeating, for example, cannot be avoided by just not buying food. You ha...

This week I've been praying about a certain matter with my family.  I prayed, Lord, please help us make right decisions.  Help us to be in the right place at the right time so we don't miss what you are about to do in our lives.   One morning as I got into my car, I noticed a Bible scripture that comes to me phone via The Bible app.  The Scripture is found in Isaiah 30:21 which states, "Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, 'This is the way; walk in it.'  I was blown away to say the least!  Last night, I read several verses preceding this one and several after it.  Even more encouragement came to my spirit.  I would like to share it with you.  The passage may seem a little lengthy, but it is so worth the read!  So the Lord must wait for you to come to him so he can show you his love and compassion.  For the Lord is a faithful God.  Blessed are those who wait for his help. ...

I've recently started a new job for a local hospital in a small town nearby.  My department is responsible for revenue management.  It is our responsibility to identify trends or patterns of errors that might interrupt our revenue flow.  Our duty is process improvement which means we find errors in insurance and patient billing, supply billing, patient registration, etc. as well as creating new processes for a smooth, positive patient experience.  We troubleshoot and create protocols, also.  In other words,  If this happens, then our process will be... Likewise, If this doesn't happen, then we will...   Thus, new systems are put into place, new policies are implemented, employee education is conducted, and a new policy or instruction manual for present and future employees is created.  This morning over coffee, I began to compare my job duties for the hospital with my job duties as a Christian.  I was astonished at the simila...