Blessed Be The Name Of The Lord

For those who have not yet heard, my mom has FINALLY gotten an official diagnosis. For years, she's been getting sicker and sicker, and none of the doctors could figure out what was wrong with her. The past 2 years have been the hardest, as she progressed quickly from using a cane, to a walker, to a wheelchair. The muscle degeneration and spasticity took hold of her so quickly it made our heads spin. We had no idea what was wrong with her. Most of the doctors had just given up on her, and those who could have helped us had a 6 month or more waiting list. We didn't even know if she would be able to make it 6 months without help. Long story short, God opened the door for her to go to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota within the month. She and my dad got back yesterday after being there for 2 weeks.
She has been diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) and Multiple Sclerosis. She is one of only 7 documented cases in the world with this combination. We always knew she was special, but she is literally one in a billion! Although there is no treatment or cure for ALS, we will not let this take away our hope. The Lord gives and the Lord takes away, and He has chosen to take her mobility, so may He be glorified and His name be blessed.

Although this is the hardest trial I have ever had to face, I have NEVER in my life felt so loved, so cared for, & SO incredibly blessed. THANK YOU to my friends, my coworkers, & my church family. Thank you all for simply being here with me & making yourselves available to my family. Thank you for the calls, the emails, the small encouraging texts, the visits & most of all, the prayers. You have truly been an example of Christ to me, and I hope that someday God will use me to minister to a hurting person the way He has used every one of you.
Blessings on each and every one of you & your families.
Mikaela

Letter to the Graduates

First of all;
DON'T PANIC!!
 Even if you have no idea where you're going to college, if you're going to college, or if you have no idea what you want to be when you grow up, I promise, you will be OK. Keep your eyes on the ultimate goal of Christ's Kingdom, not on the little everyday stresses. [Philippians 3:7-11]

Your identity is found only in Christ
 It is not found in what college you go to, what your SAT score is, the grades you make, or the major you choose. When you put your self-worth in those things, you will always be disappointed. If you are a Christian, be confident in the fact that you are forgiven! Your identity is that you were a rebellious sinner, and you are now a child of the Most-High God. [2 Corinthians 5:17] [Ephesians 1:13-14]
However, if you have not given your trust and obedience to Jesus Christ, your identity is that you are a sinner and a rebel going to Hell [Romans 3:23], nevertheless, should you choose to surrender to God and repent of your rebelliousness, God can and will forgive you. [Romans 10:9-10]
 
'Normal' is a lie
 Don't beat yourself up if you aren't similar to everyone else. God gives each of us different desires and priorities. Don't let ANYONE make you feel guilty if you are doing something God is guiding you to do. If you are waiting for college because you feel that debt is un-biblical, or maybe even a personal sin for you, do what you think is the most pleasing to God. Again I say, DON'T LET ANYONE GUILT YOU into doing something that you believe is wrong for you. Be polite, and listen to their well-meaning advice, but calmly explain why you are choosing the route you are going [Romans 12:4-5].
Strive to please God alone in your path and your actions. [James 4:13-15] [2 Corinthians 5:6-10]

Draw unto Him
 As you embark down this crazy road called adulthood, You will most definitely need a roadmap. Care to take a guess as to what that is? That's right, the Bible. The Written Word. The Bible is the True Word Of God, and if you ever have questions about a decision, compare what you think God is telling you to His Word, and make sure it aligns to Biblical standards and won't lead you astray. 
I highly recommend reading the Bible every day. Even if you can only get a few verses in, it makes a huge difference in your attitude and outlook. If you don't have time for God, you most definitely don't have time for anything else in your life. 
If you go out of your way to learn more about who God is, you will find that you feel closer to Him regardless of any situation you are in. How do you get to know someone? You listen to them, you talk to them, and you spend time with them. With God, He speaks to us through the Bible. [2 Timothy 3:15-17] [James 4:7-8] [2 Peter 3:17-18]
 

Fact; Friends fall away
 Unfortunately, the older and busier you get, the more friends will disappear. It is a sad fact, but it ends up proving who your true friends really are. You will make new friends, and some of them will disappear too. Sometimes though, you need to be the one to pull away. The years after graduation is when previously religious kids show their true colors. If you don't surround yourself with fellow disciples of Christ, your relationship with backsliders can put a hindrance on your relationship with God. I'm NOT saying to burn bridges and cut ties with backsliding friends, but I am saying not to spend every free moment with them, or go out of your way to be super close. Your closest friends need to be able you encourage you in Christ. [1 Corinthians 5:9-13]

Move and He will guide you
 The first step is the hardest, but once you take it, the next one will be easier. This can be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on whether you are walking the direction of pleasing God, or if you are walking away from God. If your focus is on pleasing Him and bringing Him glory with your words and actions, and you feel like He is guiding you to do something, pray about it and compare your feelings to His Word, maybe consult a Christian mentor, and take the first step. The first step is the most important. It may not always go perfectly, and you may get discouraged, but if you are sure that you are on the right path, get up and take the next step. [Hebrews 11:6-10]

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I would like to note;
 I do not claim to be perfect. I am a hypocrite, because I cannot even manage to follow my own rules most of the time. But that's why Jesus came to die for us right? Because no one can live up to the law, let alone their own rules.

What This World Needs

What this world needs is NOT more morals, more laws, or more 'good people'. These things cannot save or change our world into a place where nothing bad happens.
     Most atheists have morals. Every religion in the world has some set of morals of how to treat people and conduct themselves. Most religions have a rule about  'do unto others'. So why is it people still kill other people? Why is it people steal? Both of these things are frowned upon in most societies. Every person has their own set of morals, and some have more than others, and it is practically impossible to change another person's set of morals without the help of the Holy Spirit.
     Most countries have laws (unless the country is an anarchy, which is not good, because then you have rely on the hope that everyone around has the same morals as you). Some countries have more laws than others. Usually the more laws you have, the more socialistic a country becomes because the people in control get power hungry, so more laws usually aren't the answer in a well-functioning society. And then you have the fact that people with weak morals don't obey laws anyway, and 'good people' don't need rules.
     I have known a lot of people of different religions, and even atheists, that I would consider 'good people'. Unfortunately, unless these people accept Christ and repent of their sins, they are going to Hell. The most unfortunate thing of it all, is when someone is a 'good person', it's hard for them to see a need for Jesus Christ and His saving grace. They think that they are good enough to receive whatever reward may await them in the afterlife.
     So what can we do? Are we doomed to live in a world where innocent people are killed for no reason? In a way, yes. When Adam and Eve sinned, they messed up everything for all of us. Until satan is kicked off the planet, bad things are going to happen. Does that mean that we just give up, sit down, and take it? NO!!!! If you're sick of seeing bombings and shootings and murders on the news, START SPREADING THE GOSPEL AND PRAY FOR OUR COUNTRY AND OUR WORLD.
You can tell me that the church needs to butt out of the government until you turn blue, but according to scripture, only GOD Himself can change people's hearts. Only GOD Himself can change the direction of a country. Only GOD Himself can change a failing economy. Don't believe me? Go read the Old Testament!! It's right there! Israel was on the verge of collapse several times, and actually ceased to be a sovereign nation a few times too. How many other countries in history have been able to come back and last for thousands of years after stuff like that? NONE!! So if you're going to profess to be a christian, and if you're going to post Bible verses on your Facebook page, back it up with some proof that you're not a fake! Actually hit the streets, and start spreading the Gospel of Christ to people!


'What this world needs' is the title of a Casting Crowns song. It's a great song, and I recommend listening to it.

Reality

There are a lot of preachers out there who talk about, "Don't speak your negativity!"

I agree with that statement, just as Joyce Meyer says, "You can talk yourself into depression, but you talk yourself happy too." BUT I do not necessarily think that just because you choose to ignore a bad thing that is happening in your life makes it disappear. I think 'speaking it' is overused and abused sometimes. If I have an attitude problem, I'm going to pray about it, and tell myself, "You will do better with God's help," but then I'm actually going to put forth the effort and try better, and when I mess up, I'm going to make myself apologize.

If God granted our every request, and never let anything bad happen to us simply because we 'speak it', He would merely be a sugar daddy. We give Him love, and He gives us what ever we want. In case you didn't already know, Christianity doesn't work that way.

Simply ignoring a bad situation, and 'speaking' a good situation won't help either. Not only will the situation not change, but when it doesn't change or gets worse, your faith and hope in God will be shattered. You have to face reality and trust God to get you through it. Denying a problem only postpones when it will hit you, and by that time, it has become worse, and if you thought you couldn't cope with it before, you definitely will have trouble coping now. I figure if God sees fit to allow a bad diagnosis or problem into your life, He will use it to strengthen your relationship with Him, and bring Himself glory. Ignoring it is telling Him, "I don't think you're sovereign enough to use it, so I'm going to tell you MY way, the way I want, until you give it to me."

I've been struggling lately, because everything we thought we understood about my mom's health has been turned on it's head. So many things we have done to try to fix her health have either been pointless or complicated the situation. Over ten years of thinking we had a grasp on the situation, and boom; "Hello Multiple Sclerosis! So she wasn't having strokes? So she didn't need blood thinners? So she didn't need the second heart surgery? So she didn't need the neck surgery? So the physical therapy really wasn't working? Thanks for the heads up!" For years, I kept 'speaking' healing, praying over her, BEGGING God for the healing that I had been convinced that He promised. I had gotten so frustrated that I began wondering if He was even listening, until my mom said, "If God granted our every request, and never let anything bad happen, He would only be a sugar daddy," and I realized something. God uses ALL THINGS for His glory. No, He doesn't cause these things, but He does allow them, because somehow, in some way, my mom is apart of God's huge plan that is so much bigger than us. Look at Job. If he hadn't lost everything, even if his story didn't touch anyone in his own time, thousands of years later, he gives us an example of hope. I like to think that every time something bad hits me, and I just get back up, praise God, and continue to focus on Him, His plan and His kingdom, He is in Heaven saying, "That's my girl! She just hit a spiritual growth spurt, and look how tall she got!"

My mom is one of very few people I know who has not been healed from sickness. I know a lot of people who have others lay hands and pray over them and, bam, they're healed. Others who go through the surgeries or treatments and, tahdah, remission or total recovery. It's enough to make me jealous sometimes, but I know that there's a reason, and we just have to take this one day at a time

To Examine Yourself

2 Corinthians 13:5 
Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?

So, I have always known that this verse is EXTREMELY important, but I never understood what it meant. How do I examine myself? What do I look for? What shouldn't I find? For me, that would be like a doctor telling me, "Check your arm and see if it's broken."....  0.o  Uuuumm, so..... how do I, who am not a doctor, tell if my arm is broken? 
I would spend quite a bit of time pondering as to how to go about examining myself. Plus, I am such a chicken that I didn't have the guts to ask anyone what I should look for in examining myself. 
Well, at long last, the pastor at my church gave step by step (not really, but for me, that's what it was) instructions as to how to know if you have assurance of salvation.  I heard the bells, and I finally found where they were coming from!!! (My Ukrainian friends should get that joke) 
I know that I'm not the only person who struggles with the assurance of salvation exam, so I'm going to post some of my notes from church.

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Hebrews 5:8-14 Salvation does not occur in a moment. (Say whaat?? 0.o) When you focus on one moment to determine your salvation, you are focusing on the past, feelings (which are always misleading), a single experience, and performance. *True salvation is a lasting change. There should be a progression in spiritual maturity*. Salvation is more than just forgiveness of sins. (Say what?) It is eventually deliverance from sins, becoming perfect as our Heavenly Father is (Matthew 5:48). Of course, we cannot become perfect while on earth, but we should still strive to be an example of Jesus. 
Hebrews 6:1-12
The people being talked about in verses 4-6, 'those who have once 
been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit,  who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age  and who have fallen away', they never had a true revelation of Jesus. They merely dabbled. *Some people just make their choice not to change, but they played the part of a Christian for any number of reasons, but they fell away, because there was nothing holding them in*. 
When you are connected, and truly saved, you cannot help but to persevere. Is His name being made bigger? The present is better than a past moment in determining salvation.

Show Some Respect

Brace yourself for some politics;

Ok, so I've been trying to stay out of the political talk lately, but a lot of people have been hitting a sore spot with me. Regardless of how you feel about President Obama, he is our president.
Whether you like him or not, whether you think he's a liar, alien, cheater, or idiot, he is our president. He was elected by the American people, so he deserves the respect you give a president. His name is Barrack Obama, and his title is President Obama. Not president hussein or osama-obama. That is name calling, and don't pretend like it's ok. When you start name calling, you prove that you are no better than the liberal media. The moment you resort to name calling, you are admitting that you have lost the debate, and your argument is then invalid. As conservatives and christians, can we not show some maturity? When you start name calling, you not only make yourself look like an a total idiot, you are fueling the fire of the liberals in attacking the conservatives as a whole.
And don't pretend like Romney is Mr. Christian Hero in this election. Yes, he may be able to piece our economy together, and have some guts when it comes to standing up for our country, but that's as high as my hopes are for him. He is not pro-life as he claims, and he serves a different god that is not the God of the bible.
In conclusion, I beg of my fellow conservatives to PLEASE, stop lying to yourselves, and stop making yourselves look like fools.
No matter who wins the election, "God sets kings in place, and dethrones them."

A Proverbs 31 Woman

 What Is A Proverbs 31 Woman????

 
So, at least for me, there have been some misconceptions as to what being a Proverbs 31 woman means. I had always heard the term, but never read the passage for myself. Judging from what I heard whenever Proverbs 31 was mentioned, I thought that to be a good wife, I needed to be a quiet and genteel mouse, a shadow to my husband, and a homemaker. Well, if you know me, you know I am loud, I like to talk to anyone who will listen, I like to do things for myself, and I hate, (and I mean HATE) to vacuum, do dishes, clean, cook, etc. Just about the only 'homemakery' thing that I enjoy doing is baking, and I have been told by someone that, "you'll never attract a man with just sweets," (yes, I know homemakery is not a real word, but it's my blog and I can make up words if I want).
I have been beating myself lately about how I will never get a guy to marry me, and even if I did, I would be a lousy wife. I beat myself up even worse when a dear friend of mine got married. This dear friend is what I would consider as close to perfect a a girl could be. I got so depressed, and when my mom sat me down and asked me what was wrong, I spilled my guts about how I was feeling. She told me that if being a Proverbs 31 woman was so important to me, I should read it every day until I didn't say or do ANYTHING without thinking about it's words. So I have been, and I realized, I am not as horrible as I thought. God spoke to me the first time I read it, and basically, He broke it down pretty simply for me to understand.

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¹⁰ Who can find a capable wife? She is far more precious than jewels.
'Noble character', 'intelligent', and 'virtuous' are words used in other translations. Pretty self explanatory.
 
¹¹ The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will not lack anything good.
¹² She rewards him with good, not evil, all the days of her life.

She does not bad-mouth her husband, and she is faithful and submissive to him. AMP says, "The heart of her husband trusts in her confidently and relies on and believes in her securely, so that he has no lack of honest gain or need of dishonest spoil. She comforts, encourages, and does him only good as long as there is life within her." Again, pretty self explanatory.


¹³ She selects wool and flax and works with willing hands.
 She stays pretty busy, and from my understanding, she almost enjoys it.

¹⁴ She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from far away.
¹⁵ She rises while it is still night and provides food for her household and portions for her female servants.
 She makes sure everyone has a good breakfast, and plans ahead for the day's meals.

¹⁶ She evaluates a field and buys it; she plants a vineyard with her earnings.
¹⁷ She draws on her strength and reveals that her arms are strong.
¹⁸ She sees that her profits are good, and her lamp never goes out at night.
 She proves she can be self reliant. She can make good business decisions and draw a profit. She is independent, and I think this is partially so she cannot be accused of laziness or being a burden to her husband.

¹⁹ She extends her hands to the spinning staff, and her hands hold the spindle.
 She again, stays quite busy in the house even if she is trying to run a business.

²⁰ Her hands reach out to the poor, and she extends her hands to the needy.
 She serves God through serving others. Maybe by serving on a team at church, maybe she volunteers at a soup kitchen.

²¹ She is not afraid for her household when it snows, for all in her household are doubly clothed.
²² She makes her own bed coverings; her clothing is fine linen and purple.
 She doesn't just play with her projects. She makes useful things, but she is creative and shows her imagination.

²³ Her husband is known at the city gates, where he sits among the elders of the land.
 A woman should marry a man who also serves God through serving his community.

²⁴ She makes and sells linen garments; she delivers belts to the merchants.
 She is a business woman, and she must have a strong will to a degree.

²⁵ Strength and honor are her clothing, and she can laugh at the time to come.
She is strong in many ways, and has kept herself free of false accusations. She also has prepared herself and her family for the future (warm clothing for winter, extra grain should famine come etc.)

²⁶ She opens her mouth with wisdom and loving instruction is on her tongue.
 She thinks before she speaks, and she does not discipline her children with harsh anger.

²⁷ She watches over the activities of her household and is never idle.
She keeps a close eye on her kids to make sure they stay out of trouble. And once again, she is always busy.

²⁸ Her sons rise up and call her blessed. Her husband also praises her:
²⁹ “Many women are capable, but you surpass them all!”
 She raises her sons to know what kind of a woman is a godly and suitable wife, and when they are grown, they see what an amazing woman their mother is. Her husband knows what a blessing she is. She married a man who is godly and spiritually strong.

³⁰ Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord will be praised.

³¹ Give her the reward of her labor, and let her works praise her at the city gates.
 Even though she does not do what she does to be recognized and rewarded, people do see what a godly woman and hard worker she is.
   

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So, now I know what I have to work on, but I also know that I shouldn't be ashamed of who I am! I have been ashamed of my strong will, and my talkative nature, but how could the woman of Proverbs 31 be a business-woman without being somewhat stubborn? As long as I don't direct it toward God, my parents, or my husband, I don't see it as a problem (as long as wrongs can be admitted to), and as long as I think before I speak (which is a good but hard rule to live by) being talkative can come in handy when evangelizing. 
Maybe, before she got married, or when she was young, she didn't like homemakery things either. Maybe after knowing it had to be done and setting her mind to it for a certain amount of time, she softened her heart to it, or she just liked preparing her house for her husband to come home to everyday when they were first married, and it turned into a habit. 
All I know is that God has opened my eyes to the fact that when we accept Christ, he doesn't want to change us. He wants to make us better. To use what He gave us at physical birth, and improve it with what He gave us at spiritual birth.