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Greater Than Any Storm
Copyright (c) 2007-2023 Joyce C. Lock
If you have ever known someone that would ask forgiveness (sometimes, even before the church), then turn around and do the same thing again, you are not alone.
Though, that is not anything new to God. We do the same thing to Him, all the time, "I am sorry for my sin, please forgive me, and I will try to do better." And, maybe we do try, really try. Only, we fail, again.
We want to be a better person. However, when 'we' try to do the improving, it is a form of works ~ as if we could actually become good enough. None-the-less, as long as there is some secret part in us that wants the temptation, it will come back again and again.
Once we see the sin for the ugliness that it is (realizing sin is what put Jesus on the cross) and we no longer want to dishonor God with temptation even in our thoughts, all we have to do is to ask God to remove it. God always answers the true desires of our heart. We no longer need beg to be made good enough and giving it to God makes Him the Divine Keeper. Satan is no longer aloud to tempt us, in that way, ever again!
It is not hard to walk a pure life once we have made our heart pure. But otherwise, we are destined to fail. Though, how we let another's sin affect us is a different matter.
_______
Throughout the state of KY, people are not prepared for harsh winter weather, as it happens too seldom for them to see the reason in financing labor and equipment. So, being that one cannot get up or down even the smallest icy hills, as truckers well know, the state is pretty much at a stand still until snow and ice melts; the good part being that winter thaws much quicker than it does farther north.
For three years, my family and I lived in KY ~ where I worked retail. If snow clouds even appeared, employees would periodically go stand at the door (all day long), where they could check to see if anything had changed in the weather. And, at the first snow flake, employees verbally expressed worrying about the weather throughout the remaining of the entire work day. To those accustomed to more northern exposure, it was as if these people had never seen snow before. And for all purposes, it seemed so, as they had no clue how to drive in it.
Observing them caused me to realize how truly foolish it is to let the weather effect our day. If it so much as rains, people are depressed. Yet, how else will the grass, flowers, and trees get water? Otherwise, there would be no beauty for us to enjoy and the beautiful KY mountain sides would turn into mud slides at winter's thaw.
So, when it rains, I tell the devil he doesn't have a right to ruin my day. Instead of focusing on gloom, I thank God for watering the flowers. When temperatures are frigid, I can be thankful for the bugs we will not have to contend with come spring. And, when really bad storms come, I still thank God for watering everything that needs it, but ask Him to not terrorize us with the weather. Wind calms, tornadoes vanish, lightening is suddenly miles away, hail does not dent my car, white-outs pass, power is restored, and children arrive home safely! I thank God that the weather does not have the right to ruin my day!
_______
No more than the devil has the right to ruin our day using the weather; the same strength can bud amidst dissention. Many turn grouchy, difficult, childish, fearful, foul mouthed, etc., as they get older and some are just miserably unhappy at any age.
While it is impossible to control other people's behavior for any length of time, we also cannot change them. All we have the power to do is to change ourselves. We can start by refusing to stoop to their level, to not allow backbiting to come out of our mouth.
With practice, it gets easier. Our outlook will gradually change wherein we may stand there, thinking, "Are you done, yet?" A little further down the road, we might think, "Don't you think God can hear you?" After a point, their behavior is seen for the tantrum it is. Nope, Satan does not have the right to ruin our day with such childish gestures. And, eventually, we might barely notice their bad behavior at all.
Denial? Maybe. But, what does their bad example have to do with us? Except we did something to provoke, it is not our problem ~ just theirs. Sure, we care that others get right with God. But, as long as our motive, in prayer, is for what we will get out of it, we will be back to begging.
The bottom line is, when we look to people for our happiness, they will fail us. If we look to people for our self-worth, the devil is sure to send a lie. And though we want to feel loved, there is only one source of absolute perfection. When in need of peace, no matter the circumstance, we have a God that is greater than any storm.
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Top-Level Category: Religion Articles
10 Most Recent Articles Written by Joyce C. Lock
Just Think
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Distributed: 2009-04-30 |
Word Count: 702 |
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Word Count: 333 |
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Distributed: 2009-04-22 |
Word Count: 1799 |
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The Abbreviated Christmas - XMAS -
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Distributed: 2007-11-13 |
Word Count: 169 |
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If you are like me you may not care to consider Wikipedia's
explanation. But, if spelling 'Christmas' as 'xmas' is your
preference, you might appreciate knowing how the 'X' in
'xmas' began.
Legalism
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Distributed: 2007-09-07 |
Word Count: 252 |
Page Views: 4633
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A Way to Escape
Written by: Joyce C. Lock |
Distributed: 2007-09-06 |
Word Count: 322 |
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Have you ever found yourself in a position where, if you just
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you're on vacation, at the beach, where church members will
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Distributed: 2007-09-06 |
Word Count: 140 |
Page Views: 4264
| Votes: 7 |
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If just for today, Lord, I'll keep my eyes and heart in tune to
Your ever-loving presence. I'll walk with You, talk with you,
and glean upon Your every word; be ready to go, ready to stay,
and bask in the fullness of Your day.
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When growing up, if there was a sibling dispute, mom had the
perfect solution. She would refuse to choose. Instead, mom
would bang our heads together. She'd say that it takes two to
fight ~ so we both got it. Now, that really hurt! But, it
worked, every time. We'd hush, immediately. Though we didn't
like it, we didn't dare say another word.
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is a never ending discussion which can lead to arguments and
debates that can jump from topic to topic. For others, it is a
topic that should be left well enough, alone. I personally find
the topic to not only be interesting, but also very important.
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In this day and time, it almost seems as if kindness, politeness,
consideration, and most of the lessons we were taught as children
were tossed out of the window one day and replaced with a new set
of rules. Could it simply be that children these days are born
with a defect, lacking self-control? Or are they just not being
taught the way they should be taught; parents blaming modern day
hardships and circumstances? It is true that the children being
raised today will determine the shape of our future, but in the
meantime, whose example are they following?
Fruit Inspection
Written by: Joyce C. Lock |
Distributed: 2007-03-17 |
Word Count: 268 |
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Rating: 2.87
If we believe we are called to be Fruit Inspectors, then might we
also have been watching for imperfection in Jesus, in His day,
too?
Checking Our Foundation
Written by: Joyce C. Lock |
Distributed: 2007-02-06 |
Word Count: 1502 |
Page Views: 4535
| Votes: 9 |
Rating: 2.78
When we seek to know about God instead of knowing Him, our
knowledge will never be complete.
God is Not Mocked
Written by: Joyce C. Lock |
Distributed: 2007-03-27 |
Word Count: 395 |
Page Views: 4947
| Votes: 16 |
Rating: 2.69
How many times have we had the urge to Lord it over someone
fallen; to look at them in disgust, to shun their very presence,
to talk behind their back, to refuse their service, to forget all
the good they've done, to spit in their face and kick them when
their down?
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