The Fall

The FALL
Genesis ² The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, ³ but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’ ⁴  You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. ⁵ “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”  ⁶ When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. ⁷ Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
When looking at these scriptures I recognized a couple of things

1.       Eve told the serpent way to much information she entertained him with a conversation that should have never taken place.  How many inappropriate conversations that we may have had? A simple conversation with the wrong person can lead to a path to destruction which can be adultery, fornication, drug use, or anything else that can separate you from God.

2.      The serpent sounded so convincing and knew God’s Word and twisted them to get her to bite.  How many serpents in our lives sound good, some of them might even know God’s word and don’t care if we are separated from God? They say things like, It is ok we can have sex because we love each other, or it is ok if we can shack up, it is ok to do what you want to do God will understand and He wants us to be happy.

3.      Eve wanted to be like God knowing good and evil, problem with that is God knew we couldn’t handle it.  When they ate the apple their perspective changed, what was normal to them at first has now turned into guilt and shame it was all because she wanted to have something that God never intended for her to have.  In order to know the difference between good and evil you have to experience them both and God doesn’t want to keep anything good away from us He just wanted to protect us from the evil or harm.  Just like any loving parent will do for their child. 

4.      When all the deeds has been done and they realized what they have done they take things into their own hands to fix it by trying to cover themselves like we do we try to make things right by justifying things.  I know it was wrong but, I did this because he did that, justification is just like the fig leaves is just covers the surface. God goes beyond the surface. 

Looking at this, the apple (temptation) I wanted to bite or touch doesn’t seem to be worth the scrapes and bruises, the spiritual disconnect that will occur after fall.  If you are faced with a tempting situation pray for guidance from the Lord, don’t be like Eve and entertain someone who wasn’t even on her level, wasn’t even her equal. Ask yourself is this temptation worth the possibility of changing your entire life or walk with Christ? Some falls you can walk away with minor injuries and recover from but there are also some falls that could paralyze you and your life will never be the same.  God bless!

Grounded

Grounded
By Carolyn McCardell
On the way home from lunch with my family, my son’s curiousity encouraged him to ask a question. We had just eaten at a restaurant which was newly constructed. There at the restaurant there were trees that had cables tied to their base. The cables were secured in the ground by stakes. My son wondered why the trees had the cables tied to them. His dad answered him by saying that since the trees were not there from the beginning when they were newly planted, they had to be stabilized by the cables. I took the liberty of researching the answer to my son’s question. I found that all newly planted trees should be staked with rope for a period of 1-2 years or until they have had time to firmly establish their root system. Staking is an important part of their proper growth & stability. Similarly young trees which are planted in a particularly windy location or on an incline may eventually begin to lean in one direction as a result of the constant wind blowing against them. It is important to the strength of such a tree to keep it straightened upright before it is too big to correct.
Staking is done at the time of planting to help stabilize the tree form the effects of strong Winds.
On the spiritual side when trials and tribulations come if we are planted firmly in Christ we can’t be so easily uprooted when trials come. Just like staking is important in planting trees, it is also important in our walk in Christ. This may include hanging out with more seasoned Christians to help stabilize us until our root system is connected to Christ. Why do we need to be rooted in Christ? If you have ever been through a place that had a hurricane or tornado you can see the trees that have been pushed down where their root system is exposed or uprooted. As Christians, if we are rooted in Christ that will not happen because our roots are strong and firm and that’s the picture we get here of a firm foundation with strength and stability through his Word. No matter how your circumstances may toss you to and fro your anchor in God is stronger than your problems.
God Bless

Chasing the Wind

Chasing the Wind
Carolyn McCardell

In Greyhound racing I wondered how they got the dogs to start running at the same time. I found out that the dogs are trained to chase a lure (traditionally an artificial hare or rabbit. Although there is a winner in the race, the thing they were chasing is never obtained.

When I thought about this it reminded me how we as Children of God chase after things that are artificial. The word lure means an inducement to pleasure or gain, enticement, appeal, or attraction. Sometimes the enemy puts a lure right in front of us as a distraction for or a derailment of our purpose. Sometimes we create our own lures based on our fleshly desires. It is important in our walk that we recognize the distractions in our lives and how to discern what is from God, what is from the enemy, and what is from our own flesh.

The meaning of artificial is something humanly contrived often a natural model, man-made. If we are not living for Christ then we are living for the world, which means we are chasing after artificial things.
Living for the world is much like the dogs in the race chasing the lure, except the dogs never obtains the lure. Sometimes we win the lure that we chase so hard after only to later discover that it is only artificial. For a time what’s artificial might seem to sustain the flesh, but in the end we are left emptier than when we began the race because in chasing after the lure we ran even further away from God.

In 1 John 2:15–17 it says: “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.” Our purpose in this World is to glorify God and be the light in the dark. We can not glorify God by chasing after our own fleshly desires. Whatever it is that you are chasing let it be the ‘real McCoy’ (from God). We don’t want to get to the end of our race (lives) to find that what we have been chasing was artificial. To sum it all up I will leave you with a quote from Ecclesiastes 2:11, “Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, as chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.”

In case you have been chasing after lures in your life remember this, in greyhound racing is most of the greyhounds eventually end up being adopted!! How wonderful is that after chasing after nothing and gaining nothing we are still able to be adopted by God!!

How do you know if you are chasing after a lures? This question can be answered easily. If it is not from God then it is from the world.

God Bless

GPS

I made my first trip driving on my own to Fort Worth, last year with my four boys.  In order to make the trip I had to use a GPS navigator for directions.  For those who don’t know, GPS stands for Global Positioning System and is a means of precisely determining your position by measuring the time it takes satellite signals to reach the surface of the Earth. In order to use the GPS navigator, you give it your starting point and your final destination. These devices are so sophisticated that they can give you turn by turn directions.  If you miss a turn (or two or three) like I did the good thing is it recalculates its position to get you back on track.  I made so many wrong turns it seemed as if electronic lady’s voice programmed in the system was getting frustrated, but after missing the turns the detours that the GPS navigator gave me allowed to make it safely to my destination.

 

This was amazing to me because Children of God have their GPS (God Positioning Spirit).  With every missed turn that we make in our lives God recalculates our direction to get us on the right path.  We may have made some bad decisions in doing things that take us off the path of God. For example, falling for the things of the world, following our flesh such as sexual immorality, or anything that detours our walk with God.  We have to allow God to reposition us when we get lost, and let Him bring us back to him through His Word.  In Psalms 119:105 its says “Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.”

 

Obedience and faith is so important in walking our path.  For whatever reason, I was the one who didn’t heed to the directions, whether it was because of distractions or leaning to my own understanding.  It was me doing my own thing that caused me to miss the turns because the directions given by the GPS (God Positioning Spirit) flawless.  As soon as I knew I was off track I looked to the GPS and carefully followed the directions turn by turn to get me back to the path I had before me.

 

We all miss turns or make wrong turns, or even try to find our own way. By leaning to my own understanding I got myself off track.  In Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV) it says “ Trust in the LORD with all your heart  and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct thy path.”   Trust me, after learning this the hard way I beg you to please heed to the directions GPS (God Positioning Spirit) it saves time and unnecessary detours in your life.

 

God Bless

 

God of Restoration

God of Restoration

Do you guys remember the Michael Vick headlines?  When Michael Vick was brought up on charges for illegal dog fighting in 2007, his world as he knew it was clasping down all around him. After the indictment the owner of the Falcons didn’t want him on the team so trading him was their next step but couldn’t do it so they released him.  Because of the indictments Michael not only lost his contract with the NFL which was worth over 100 Million dollars he also lost other endorsements that were worth millions all because of some foolishness.  He went through it court room after court room even though he pleaded guilty, my heart went out to him because of his lack of good judgment he literally lost everything he had worked so hard for. He had to file for chapter 11.  He lost the respect of some of his fans and lost some of friends I can’t even imagine what he might have been truly feeling on the inside.  To lose everything especially  over foolishness to go from mansion to a jail cell for 21 months of his life was really messed up, but thank God for restoration. After serving his time Michael was released from home confinement in July 2009, he signed a deal in Aug 2009 with the Philadelphia Eagles for 3 million dollars, now this isn’t much because before his trouble came tumbling down on him, He was once the highest paid player in the NFL but he really embraced his second chance. I was so happy to hear that Michael got his second chance to get it right.   I just started thinking about how good God is even when we don’t deserve it.  When God blesses us with marriages, relationships, jobs, money, health, and whatever He has blessed us with  sometimes we might  take it for granted or mismanage it but just like Michael God gives us second chance, third chances, He is a God of many chances. 

I noticed in the beginning when Michael would deny the charges he would come off as arrogant or even prideful but when he decided to tell the truth I saw some humility there.  I truly believe that in order for God to restore us we have to be willing to be humble enough to tell the truth and repent.  Tell the truth and yes there might be some consequences for our actions some small or some can be major but we have the love of God.   Whatever you might have taken for granted or mismanaged (a marriage, job,money etc) give it to God, repent and ask Him for restoration. In Act 3:19 Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord. I believe He is just waiting on us to be truthful so He can begin to restore. 

Even though Michael Vick’s second chance (3 million dollars deal in 2009) didn’t really compare to his first chance (over 100 million dollar deal 2006) he worked hard and continue to press until last night when he signed a deal for (100 million dollar deal in 2011).  Keep the focus!!

    See below the timeline for Michael’s       

                    8/2009 Michael signed his 3 million dollar deal with the Eagles (second chance)

                    8/2011 Michael signed his 100 million dollar deal

The number eight in the Bible signifies New Beginning.

 Go d Bless!!

Pruning

In John 15:2….. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.

Pruning means: To cut off or remove dead or living parts or branches of (a plant, for example) to improve shape or growth. If you are finding yourself in the season of being pruned it is not because God is trying to punish you it is for you good. He wants us to produce so whatever is dead in our lives He will remove which can be habits, relationships, friends and yes even family, whatever is dead in our lives that is not producing God is cutting it away and according to scripture he even cuts away some things we may consider good in our lives in order for us to produce more. The purpose of pruning is guide a plant into healthy and productive growth.

I know that pruning hurts but Trust God, He is the Gardner. He wants to guide us into healthy and productive growth in our lives. He knows best. Keep in mind in order for us to reap the benefits of Him pruning us we have to be in HIM, He said every branch in Me!!
God Bless!!

Moving Forward Despite Turbulence

Moving Forward Despite Turbulence

By Carolyn McCardell

It’s important not to let a little turbulence keep you from arriving at your destination.  After the a layover in Las Vegas I had some reservations about getting back on the plane heading to Oregon.  The thought crossed my mind to just stay in Las Vegas and figure out another way to Oregon.  I realized I had three options. I could’ve just given up on the idea of making it to Oregon and catch a bus back home, which would have been very disappointing to my friend who was expecting me in Oregon.  My other option was to finish my travel to Oregon by bus, which would have taken much longer, cutting down on the time that I would’ve had to spend with my friend. Lastly, I could have stayed in Las Vegas. I looked at my dilemma through spiritual eyes seeing it as comparable to what many Christians go through. In the physical sense I had to go through turbulence to arrive at my destination. In the spiritual sense, often times we have to go through trying circumstances in order to receive our blessing. The first option I had was basically giving up.  A lot of Christians give up too early on their spiritual journey.  The moment that they experience difficulty in their lives, they make an about face, and rationalize their spiritual retreat by saying things like: ‘this is not for me’ or ‘it just wasn’t meant to be’.  By turning back in the other direction (e.g. back to sin and ungodly behavior) they totally miss out on the destination (blessing) that God had in store for them.  The second option was trying to figure out an easy way around a hard problem. Many Christians when faced with a problem try to use human means to deal with difficult circumstances. When we attempt to arrive our blessing by using methods that seem easier, it demonstrates a lack of faith and can potentially delay or cancel our arrival.  The last option should have never been an option, however we often find ourselves choosing to neither turn back nor move forward. Many Christians enter into a state of stagnancy in their walk with Christ, they don’t desire to turn back, yet they20lack the courage to move forward.

I n the Christian walk, it is inevitable that we will experience turbulence. In John 16:33, Christ tells his disciples that in the world there will be tribulation. He follows this statement by encouraging them to be happy because he had already overcome the world. We must remember that even in difficult times God is in control. Much like my experience on the airplane, when I remembered who God was my fears were diminished and I no longer let the turbulence drive me into a state of panic.  Upon arriving at my destination the reward was sweet because I had plenty of time to spend with my friend. Likewise, when we endure turbulence in our lives as Christians, we will receive our reward in Christ.  Finally, just as I shouldn’t let a little turbulence detour me from enjoying time with my friend in Oregon.  Christians shouldn’t let spiritual turbulence detour them from experiencing the fullness of God.

God bless!!!

PEACE IN THE MIDST OF TURBULENCE

PEACE IN THE MIDST OF TURBULENCE

BY Carolyn McCardell

I am not a frequent flyer I have only been on a plane a few times in my life, and those times were relatively smooth trips. However on a trip to Oregon, I had a layover in Las Vegas. As the plane made its final descent into the Las Vegas area it began to shake and shudder in a way that I had never experienced before. At first, I tried to remain calm, but after a few moments of the bumpy ride my nerves began to unravel and I was on the verge of panicking. I began to look around the plane cabin to see if anyone else was as unnerved as I was. Much to my surprise, some passengers were reading a book, others were watching a movie, and the person I was traveling with comfortably asleep. I thought to myself, am I the only one who is afraid of this plane spinning out of control and crashing . Then I realized the reason why the other passengers were calm. The other passengers had been through turbulence before, and so they weren’t as easily rattled as I was. It also occurred to me that this is similar to the emotional rollercoaster that might be experienced by someone who is new in Christ. Often when someone is new in the Lord if they experience turbulence in their Christian walk, they began to panic. This is why it is vital that new Christians have access to more seasoned Christians who has experienced spiritual turbulence. At some point in our lives when we grow up in Christ we should be able to spirtually set examples for those who are new to the faith and who are watching our response in the midst of the turbulence that we might encounter in our lives. I don't know what you might be facing today but I just want to encourage you to face it with hope and not defeat because someone is looking at your response. Keep in mind, that we were all experiencing the same turbulent ride, but it was their response to it that gave me peace in the midst of it all.

God Bless!

Not in My Own Strength

                                                                               Not In My Own Strength
                                                                                 By Carolyn McCardell

I just recently I came off of a fast. Even though it was hard, I was successful in being disciplined within my fast. It was the very first fast that I had completed successfully. I fasted before, but usually just for a one day fast. When my church mentioned that this would be a 40 day fast, I wasn’t sure if I could do it, but the glory be to God that I finished. As I stated before, the fast was hard, especially because I loved to eat.  I vowed not go back to my old eating habits. Since I lost some weight during my fast, I decided to stick to the same food that I was eating while on my fast, which included lot fruits and vegetables, baked/grilled poultry, and fish, you know the healthy stuff.  Unfortunately, it only took a couple of days before the old person rose up in me again. I started eating sweets, this was a big mistake once you tasted something that was good it's hard to say no to no matter if it was good for you are not. I started to gravitate back to the unhealthy stuff. The pounds were coming back. I was on the losing side of my struggle, I had no self-control, the things I craved, I ate. I thought to myself, “How did I get back to this place?” remembering my vow not to return to an unhealthy lifestyle. I completed the fast, so why was it so hard for me to continue on what I had already started? The bells went off and it occurred to me that the only reason I was successful in my fast was because I had to ask God for strength to resist the food that I shouldn’t be eating. It was through Him that I had strength to control what I was eating. When I took God out of the equation it became just another failed diet.  In Psalm 105:4 (AMP) Seek, inquire of and for the Lord, and crave Him and His strength (His might and inflexibility to temptation); seek and require His face and His presence [continually] evermore. My lesson learned is that in my own strength I am unable to say no to the t hings that are not good for me. 

The word "struggle" means to "fight against"; it means to "strive, put forth effort in order to not give in".

Giving Up Is Not The Answer

Giving Up is not the Answer!!

By Carolyn McCardell

 

I was just thinking about the NFL football players who were recently lost at sea when their boat capsized.  They were all in the same boat. They were all in the water after the boat capsized, and they all were wearing life jackets. They clung to the capsized boat for hours with no sign of help in sight. Sadly, although four men were on the boat, only one survived.  I wondered how the others didn’t make it. What was it that made the one survivor so special? Did he have any special kind of training? I couldn’t understand it.  

During the news coverage the survivor was interviewed. He said that the others had lost hope when it seemed that they wouldn’t be saved, so in a sign of s urrender, they took off their life jackets. How sad is that?  Instantly my question was answered, but then I began to wonder, would the others still be alive if they hadn’t taken off their life jackets.

I don’t pretend to understand what these men might have been going through as they treaded water for hours, without food, without drinkable water, without shade to shield them from the full force of the sun. Maybe they felt like David in Psalm 13:1 when he wondered “How long will you forget me, Lord Forever? How long will you look the other way when I am in need?”  I can only imagine what they were going through, but I truly wish that they would’ve never taken off their life jackets. Also, my heart is heavy for the families of the men who were lost. It must be a deeply hurtful feeling to have lost someone you love under those circumstances.

In the Christian walk there are times when we are faced with difficult situations that seem to have no end in sight. Often, the thought of giving up (taking our life jackets off) enters our minds. I would like to encourage someone who is harboring this thought, including myself, by saying that giving up is not the answer. We must remember that the hope we have in Christ is our life jacket. In 2^nd Corinthians 4:16-17, Paul tells “We don't give up. Our bodies are becoming weaker and weaker. But our spirits are being renewed day by day. Our troubles are small. They last only for a short time. But they are earning for us a glory that will last forever. It is greater than all our troubles.” 

We have to put our trust in God when we feel like giving up and taking off our life jackets or giving up on our marriages or giving up on our dreams, or anything else that is en the will of God for our lives. Giving up will cause us to miss out on the plans that God has for our lives. In Jeremiah 29:11 the scriptures say "I know the plans I have for you," announces the Lord. "I want you to enjoy success. I do not plan to harm you. I will give you hope for the years to come.” &nb sp; 

How can we enjoy the success that God has for us if we give up?  Choose life and don’t give up. On the way home I saw a church sign which has these words ‘Trying times are not the time to quit trying.’ How is that for confirmation?

God Bless

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Forgiveness Is For You

 Forgiveness is for You

By Carolyn McCardell

Back in summer of 2007 near the beginning of the new school year my husband and I went to enroll our children in school.  Realizing that we forgot something at home we made a quick stop back at the house. Upon returning home we soon discovered that it had been broken into. My husband went in the living room looking for the laptop and couldn't find it anywhere. Not thinking that anything was wrong I insisted it had to be in there, he assured me that he couldn't find it . I went into the bedroom and noticed that our t.v. displayed a blue screen and at the same time we realized that the XBOX 360 game system was gone and that we had been the victims of a burglary. This has never happened to us before. I was completely at a loss for words.  My husband called the police who came and made an incident  report.  We let the officer leave before noticing that my husband's mac computer was also gone. By this time my husband was steaming mad.  Trying to be detectives, we looked around the house for any clues.  I remembered on the way home seeing our neighbors son crossing the street near our driveway just as we were turning onto our street. This struck me as being suspicious even before we found out about our home being burglarized.  Having a hunch, I went to the neighbors house and told them about the burglary and asked if they saw anything suspicious. The two young men said that they hadn't seen anything. My suspicions about them remained, but at the time I had no proof that they were the ones who broke into my home. I made a note to call the police and tell them of my suspicions; of course they did absolutely nothing about it.  Each day my suspicions grew stronger, so did my anger. I became so consumed with my anger and suspicion that each day I went outside to the end of our driveway and stared my neighbors son's down.  They eventually became so uneasy about my endless staring that they stopped coming outside (at least in the daylight).  My husband told me that I needed to stop letting the incident consume me but I was so angry that it became a part of my daily routine to stare the neighbors son's down.  Some days I felt like calling one of my acquaintances from the 'hood' to run into the neighbors house and get our stuff back.  I was so overwhelmed by my feelings that I had to pray because it was becoming too much for me to handle.

God began to work on my heart about the young men that I suspected had committed the crime. When the police started to investigate and it turned out that the main culprit was one of the young men. My initial feeling was that I didn't necessarily want him to go to jail because I knew that most of the time incarceration can make the person come out worse than they were before they entered.  After the officer informed that it wasn't the first time that the young man had been charged with breaking and entering, I started to become angry again.  On top of that, the young guy refused to give the location of the items that he stole.  A couple of months had passed when the police finally arrested him for breaking into my house.  I was still angry but my heart became heavy for the young man because he had to serve 7 months in Jail for what he had done. Being a mother of four boys myself, I really didn't want the guy to go to jail, but it was out of my hands.  I knew that the young man had a drug problem so I hoped that the jail time would help him to focus and try to be a more productive person in society.  When the young man finally got out of jail, God was already pushing me to another level, a level that I hadn't even been before.  I saw the young man crossing the street, so I called him over. I didn't know how he would react, but he came right over. The first thing I told him was that I forgive him. His response was that he was sorry. He said that he wasn't thinking right, that he was so high then that he couldn't see straight. At that moment, the anger and bad feelings that were hiding in my heart about this young man was instantly lifted.  I felt like a ton of bad baggage was gone from my heart. 

I began to question whether or not forgiveness was for me or the other person, because he looked fine. All the while that I was holding onto anger and the memories of the things that I had lost, he had already accepted his responsibility and did his time.  Looking at him he seemed to be at peace. It was then that I knew forgiveness was for me.  I was the one who was losing sleep, losing focus and making it hard for God to forgive me for my own sins. In Matthew 6:14-16 it says “[I]f you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. The meaning of forgiveness is: The act of forgiving; the state of being forgiven; as, the forgiveness of sin or of injuries.  Forgiveness is a choice that we make out of obedience to God.  Forgiveness sets us free from the anger and it allows us to move forward.  Whoever has wronged you, you must forgive that person.  Trust me, it sets you free. Anger and resentment can bind you like a slave and it can also hinder your prayers.

A prayer of forgiveness

Dear God, I choose as an act of my will, regardless of my feelings, to forgive the person who has wronged me. I release them, and I set myself free to Your healing. With Your help, I will no longer dwell on the situation or continue to talk about it. I thank You for forgiving me as I have forgiven them. I thank You for releasing me. I ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Remember forgiveness is for you!!!

God Bless!!