Sometimes the devil doesn't tempt us with evil; sometimes he allures us with good, distracts us with obligations, confuses us with compromise, or hinders us with business to keep us from that which is best- service to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Remember, the devil always offers his best, before Christ will offer His will for your life.

Tuesday, August 4, 2020

Be Thou My Vision (poem and song)

Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art-
Thou my best Thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

Be thou my battle shield, sword for my fight;
be thou my dignity, thou my delight,
thou my soul's shelter, thou my high tow'r:
raise thou me heav'n-ward, O Pow'r of my pow'r.

Riches I heed not, nor man's empty praise,
Thou mine Inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.

High King of Heaven, my victory won,
May I reach Heaven's joys, O bright Heav'n's Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whate'er befall,
Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.

-Dallan Forgaill

Monday, August 3, 2020

Apple Walnut Sourdough Bread recipe

1 stick butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1 - 2 cups sourdough starter
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup applesauce
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 pkg apple and cinnamon instant oatmeal
1 cup regular flour
1 cup eikorn flour
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars together.
Add in the egg, milk, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, salt and vanilla extract. Mix well.
Add in the sourdough starter and the applesauce. Again, mix well.
Now add in the oatmeal, walnuts, and flours. Make sure that you get everything fully combined. This will leave you with a very wet mixture.
Let this mixture set, lightly covered for at least 7 hours.
Preheat oven to 350* and spray bread pans with Pam, or coat with butter or oil.
Pour mixture into your bread pans. DO not mix it up again, you want it to remain risen.
Bake for around 1 hour- depending on the size of your bread pans and other factors, you may be baking for a slightly shorter or slightly longer period of time.
Once you remove from the oven, carefully dump out the bread onto a cooling rack. If you leave them in the bread pans, or place them on a flat surface, the bottoms of the bread will get soggy.
Wait at least a few hours for the bread to cool before you cut it into slices.
I store my cooled bread in a ziploc bag in the microwave.

Saturday, August 1, 2020

How To Be Forgiven

First thing you need to understand is that you are a sinner.
Romans 3:10- As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
Romans 3:23- For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
This is important! Only a sinner can find forgiveness for their sin.
1 Timothy 1:15- This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.
If you claim you aren’t a sinner there’s no hope for your soul.
If you know you’re a sinner then you must acknowledge that sin has a punishment, and there’s a price that must be paid by the sinner.
Revelation 21:8- But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
Romans 6:23a- For the wages of sin is death;
The required price for sin is payment in pure, sinless blood or the soul’s death.
Ezekiel 18:20a- The soul that sinneth, it shall die.
But, there’s hope!
Romans 4:8- Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.
Where does one find pure, sinless blood to offer in the place of their soul?
Only someone who was born free of the curse of sin and has lived their life without ever committing sin would have this. The only person who has pure, sinless blood is Jesus Christ.
Hebrews 4:14-15- Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
Because Jesus Christ has pure, sinless blood He alone is free from the price of sin. But, He has gone before God’s throne and made a deal with God on behalf of every sinner.
Leviticus 17:11- For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.
Jesus Christ paid the only acceptable price to gain forgiveness of sin.
The deal He made with God was “If any human acknowledges that they are a sinner deserving punishment in hell for their sin, and they ask God to apply Christ’s payment to their account; then God would accept Christ’s substitution in their place and their soul would be free from the punishment of hell.”
Romans 6:23- For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
1 John 1:9- If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
2 Corinthians 5:21- For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

You May think that Christ has done it all so there’s nothing for you to do, but you’re wrong.
John 3:18- He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
You must acknowledge and accept your part. If you deny that you’re a sinner or think that you can earn it yourself then you are condemned.
And Christ did everything He could so that all you had to do was believe, confess, and accept.
Romans 10:9-10,13- That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
There is a step of faith which you must take. No works. No mighty acts or heroic deeds. Simple faith and calling out to God through prayer.
Now, you may decide to take your chances on your own merits, or through a religious practice, but all other ways will fail.
Galatians 2:16- Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
It’s only through Christ’s work on Calvary and your faith in His sacrifice that the penalty for sin can be paid by something other than your soul in hell.
Titus 3:5-6- Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;
If you think you’re good enough to pay through your own works you are offending God and snubbing the sacrifice Christ made.
Matthew 13:41-42- The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Once you have confessed that you are a sinner deserving of hell, that you believe that Jesus died for your sins, was buried, and rose again the third day, that His blood is the only acceptable payment for sin, and ask God to apply His payment to your account you are saved.
Many things happen in the spiritual realm, but the most important is that God writers your name in the book of life. And, when judgment comes you are safe.
Revelation 20:12,15- And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
The price for sin has already been paid. You just have to have the payment credited to your account. And once that happens you need no longer fear he’ll.
1 John 5:13- These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.