TRUE FREEDOM

   John 8:32

New International Version (NIV)

³² Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” ^(A)

Cross references:

1. John 8:32 : ver 36; Ro 8:2; 2Co 3:17; Gal 5:1, 13

1.  The bible is the word of God and is living, yesterday, today and tomorrow.

2.  All sin is rebellion against God's word

3.  Eternal life is a gift of God and is the promise to those who struggle to follow       his word despite living in a fallen world and having a sin nature

4.  There is no pick and choose of God's Word to suit our preferences, likes or

dislikes

5.  Current worldly views either fit with God's Word or they do not....God's word is the measuring tool in all debate and all issues and all concerns.  

6.  It matters naught what the world chooses to believe, make law or condone. What makes my soul howl and cry is how easily the masses are lead down the path of no return and no life...It is not what God wants for his children.... and he suffers when he sees us walk away from his word. 

The truth has set me free and I struggle daily to live God's word and when I slip and fall, I am convicted, pick myself up, ask for his forgiveness and try harder.  It is a never ending battle but one I have won through the Cross.....Anyone can have this freedom....you can choose it and it will set you free from the bondage of sin.....

NOW THIS IS THE LIVING BIBLE.

The scenario below is what I battle every day of my life.  Assuming, judging, being afraid of those unlike me.  Lord I know you know what is in my heart,  I pray for your help with this battle and I know with your help I will and am getting better one step at a time.....Rosiewildwoman

Now this is the Living Bible:

His name is Tim. He has wild hair, wears a T-shirt with
holes in it, jeans, and no shoes. This was literally his
wardrobe for his entire four years of college.

He is brilliant. Kind of profound and very, very bright. He
became a Christian while attending college.

Across the street from the campus is a well-dressed, very
conservative church.. They want to develop a ministry to the
students but are not sure how to go about it..

One day Tim decides to go there. He walks in with no shoes,
jeans, his T-shirt, and wild hair. The service has already
started and so Tim starts down the aisle looking for a
seat.

The church is completely packed and he can't find a seat. By
now, people are really looking a bit uncomfortable, but no
one says anything.

Tim gets closer and closer and closer to the pulpit, and
when he realizes there are no seats, he just squats down
right on the carpet.

By now the people are really uptight, and the tension in the
air is thick.

About this time, the minister realizes that from way at the
back of the church, a deacon is slowly making his way toward
Tim.

Now the deacon is in his eighties, has silver-gray hair, and
a three-piece suit. A godly man, very elegant, very
dignified, very courtly. He walks with a cane and, as he
starts walking toward this boy, everyone is saying to
themselves that you can't blame him for what he's going to
do.

How can you expect a man of his age and of his background to
understand some college kid on the floor?

It takes a long time for the man to reach the boy.

The church is utterly silent except for the clicking of the
man's cane. All eyes are focused on him. You can't even hear
anyone breathing. The minister can't even preach the sermon
until the deacon does what he has to do.

And now they see this elderly man drop his cane on the
floor. With great difficulty, he lowers himself and sits
down next to Tim and worships with him so he won't be alone.

Everyone chokes up with emotion...

When the minister gains control, he says,

'What I'm about to preach, you will never remember. What you
have just seen, you will never forget.'

'Be careful how you live. You may be the only Bible some
people will ever read!'

I asked the Lord to bless you
As I prayed for you today.
To guide you and protect you
As you go along your way....
His love is always with you,
His promises are true,
And when we give Him all our cares,
You know He will see us through.


Only if you feel led to, pass this to
People you want God to Bless.
....I DID!

Focus on Jesus Food for Faith

  Focus On Jesus

True Christianity is not a religion based on rules and rituals,
but a living relationship with Jesus Christ.

Many people reduce Christianity down to attending church
meetings and trying not to commit a list of certain sins.

But being a Christian is being united with Jesus, a member of
His body, with His life in your heart.

Jesus should be your focus -- not religious activity -- but the
person of Jesus, the Lord and Christ.

1 CORINTHIANS 1:9 NIV
9 God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus
Christ our Lord, is faithful.

Church meetings, Bible reading, etc. can be good, but should
not be allowed to become an end in themselves. They are tools
to help us know Jesus and walk more closely with Him.

The Bible says we are to be faithful; but faithful to what: a
religious system, an organization -- or, a Person? Are you
serving Jesus -- or serving something else as His substitute?

The focus of your life should be to please Jesus.

COLOSSIANS 1:18 NRSV
18 He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning,
the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have
first place in everything.

Does Jesus have first place in your life? In your schedule? If
not, why not?

In everything, Jesus should be central.

SAY THIS: I will keep my focus on Jesus Christ.

The Power of God

When I got up this morning there was news about all the text donations thru the phone company to Haiti,  online donations by millions.  Yes I will be donating online directly to the Red Cross site.  What struck me as vital, was and has impressed me for quite awhile, the instantaneous of the internet and the willingness of millions to act as one.   It is being set in place by my father (God) the time when, as billions, one world, one money, one everything we will decide to believe or not believe the false God.  When that time comes, I want to be prepared to make the right decision.  The only way to stay prepared is to be with our Father daily.  This was a discussion my husband and I had while I was making french toast.  Then I went to my emails and the following devotion was there.  Confirming exactly what Tom and I were talking about. 


 Feed Your Faith Daily

MATTHEW 4:4 NKJ
4 But He answered and said, "It is written, `Man shall not live
by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth
of God.'"

You may neglect the Word of God and still exist, but you will
not enjoy life -- really live -- as God intended, without
feeding regularly on God's Word.

Just as you need physical food to remain strong physically, you
also need spiritual food to stay strong spiritually.

God's Word -- the Bible -- is the food that feeds our faith,
and gives us spiritual strength.

Every day you need to feed, at least some, on God's Word.

A helpful key is to develop good habits, such as reading the
Word every time you eat food, or every morning when you awake,
or right before you go to sleep. The time is not important,
just that you remember every day.

There are many ways to feed on God's Word available to us
today. Reading, or listening to, teaching from the Bible is one
way. Speaking the Word -- especially when you personalize it,
can really build your faith fast. Of course, nothing can
replace your own reading of the Bible, or having it read to
you.

Most of us have busy schedules. Time is scarce, and we must
invest it wisely. Nothing will benefit us more -- both in this
life and in the one to come -- than feeding on God's Word.

All of us can find time for God's Word, if we want to. You can
write Scriptures on cards to read and meditate on whenever you
stop in traffic, or whenever you have to wait for someone.
Maybe listening as you travel, or as you prepare for work, is a
good plan for you.

The important thing is that you have a plan, so you don't let
this most important habit slip.

Seeing the Word. Hearing the Word. Speaking the Word. Thinking
about the Word. This is what builds our faith and keeps us
strong spiritually.

SAY THIS: I will feed my faith daily on God's Word.



Some will say...just a coincidence.  I did believe that at one time.  And guess what....All my life God was knocking on the door asking to come in and I just didnt hear him.   Once you open your heart, your ears, your mind, God will be with you and talk to you all the time and times like this one will be just an affirmation of God, his love, his grace and his spiritual blessings.  

Reconnecting with the Real Thanksgiving

Tom and I are reading the bible in a year online, chapter by chapter, verse by verse out loud, each taking turns. I can only recommend that you try reading God's word out loud with a loved one.....Today, Thanksgiving, we did not get our bible reading I guess because it is Thanksgiving. So God directed us to our reading for the day. and we would like to share it and it follows:

In 1789, following a proclamation issued by President George Washington, America celebrated its first Day of Thanksgiving to Godunder its new constitution. That same year, the Protestant Episcopal Church, of which President Washington was a member, announced that the first Thursday in November would become its regular day for giving thanks, "unless another day be appointed by the civil authorities." Yet, despite these early national proclamations, official Thanksgiving observances usually occurred only at the State level.
Much of the credit for the adoption of a later ANNUAL national Thanksgiving Day may be attributed to Mrs. Sarah Joseph Hale, the editor of Godey's Lady's Book. For thirty years, she promoted the idea of a national Thanksgiving Day, contacting President after President until President Abraham Lincoln responded in 1863 by setting aside the last Thursday of November as a national Day of Thanksgiving. Over the next seventy-five years, Presidents followed Lincoln's precedent, annually declaring a national Thanksgiving Day. Then, in 1941, Congress permanently established the fourth Thursday of each November as a national holiday.

Lincoln's original 1863 Thanksgiving Proclamation came - spiritually speaking - at a pivotal point in his life. During the first week of July of that year, the Battle of Gettysburg occurred, resulting in the loss of some 60,000 American lives. Four months later in November, Lincoln delivered his famous "Gettsysburg Address." It was while Lincoln was walking among the thousands of graves there at Gettysburg that he committed his life to Christ. As he explained to a friend:

When I left Springfield [to assume the Presidency] I asked the people to pray for me. I was not a Christian. When I buried my son, the severest trial of my life, I was not a Christian. But when I went to Gettysburg and saw the graves of thousands of our soldiers, I then and there consecrated myself to Christ.
As Americans celebrate Thanksgiving each year, we hope they will retain the original gratefulness to God displayed by the Pilgrims and many other founding fathers , and remember that it is to those early and courageous Pilgrims that they owe not only the traditional Thanksgiving holiday but also the concepts of self-government, the "hard-work" ethic, self-reliant communities, and devout religious faith.

It is our prayer that we God's people wake up, tear the veil off, see how far we have strayed from the Lord and scurry back with loads of Thanksgiving for his continual grace than to proceed in the manner we are going and not getting the chance to enjoy his grace. The only way this can happen is to get into God's word, The Bible, whether your believe or not, you might be convicted or renewed in your faith.

"A DOSE OF GOD A DAY, WILL KEEP SATAN AT BAY" an original rosiewildwoman quote.

Enlightenment Via God

Oh boy, Twitter, has really opened my eyes to the volumes of rhetoric on how to live your life, how to prosper, how to gain enlightenment, how to be happy, how to...how to...how to.....

I dont know about you but when a stranger is telling me how to be happy and just charging $97 dollars for the privilege, I just can't fall into it. The bible is free....you can go into any church and receive one. The next step is to read it and the next step you really want to achieve is to begin to understand what you are reading.

My husband and I are reading the Bible in a year. We started out with the New King James Version and about six books into the Old testament it was.....oh my....can I get through this....but then divine intervention and we changed to "The Message" version and suddenly God's word became crystal clear. NO human can begin to give you instruction on a joy filled life. It only comes from our Lord. Our God, Jesus Christ, the creator and maker of me and this world. So I will tweet, I will follow and be followed, but the words spewed, unless God-like and according to the Bible, are just faint shadows on the landscape of humanity which will fall on my deaf ears and only feed my purpose to proclaim my Lord more loudly than before. Go God!!!!

An important Revelation in my Life

Today my wonderful husband and I have begun the journey of reading and discussing the entire bible in one year.  

Why Read The Bible?

"I'm a busy person. I have a lot to do. Why should I spend my
time reading the Bible? I don't have time to do all I need to
do as it is."

"I already believe in Jesus Christ, that He's the Son of God
and my Savior. I've already heard the Gospel."

"Why should I read the Bible?"

Please think about the following Scriptures. Then, you will
understand why you should read the Bible.

JOHN 8:31-32 RSV
31 Jesus then said to the Jews who had believed in him, "If you
continue in my word, you are truly my disciples,
32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you
free."

JOHN 14:23-24 Rieu
23 Jesus replied: 'If anyone loves me he will cherish my word;
my Father will love him and we will come to him and make him
our abode.
24 He that does not love me neglects my words. Yet the word you
hear is not my own but that of the Father who sent me.

ACTS 20:32 NKJ
32 "So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of
His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an
inheritance among all those who are sanctified.

I will be 61 years old January 27, 2009 and for all this time I thought I was a Christian.  But I knew nothing of nor tried to live God's word and desired to just believe and leave it at that feeling pretty smug that I was guaranteed a spot in heaven THE IMPORTANT REVELATION IN MY LIFE TODAY IS THAT: Until  3 years ago I was one of the ones that was going to be left behind during the Rapture.  Given a second  chance but having to endure horrific times.  NOW....being born again, I desire and yearn to know and follow God's word and I KNOW I have graduated to being one of the ones NOT left behind.  Thank you Jesus for taking the veil from my eyes!!!! 

I have No choice but to love the sinner and hate the sin

Being a Christian, believing what is written in the bible, places a responsibility on me that goes beyond what is politically correct or socially accepting. I have no choice but to state my beliefs.....

.Believe it or not....we are all sinners.... We just have a hard time admitting it, but in doing so and in asking forgiveness we soar like eagles on a cloud of grace.

This commentary is for those who are fighting to try to believe and it is sooooo hard in this world today. It is not popular to believe....and it might seem crazy to believe in what you can not see......Faith is believing in what we can not see. It is the ultimate surrender......and in surrending you receive far more than you can ever imagine. You receive peace....you receive the knowlege that you are going to live forever, you receive eternal life....

What do I have to give up for eternal life......I am forever born a sinner. I have to accept that, admit that and ask for forgiveness and for the strength to fight my sin. You might ask....."what sin are you talking about?" In your heart you know what all sin is and it is not up to me to validate it for you....

.Ask yourself....what is the sin and am I entangled in it? You might ask.....what all the hoopla.....let's just live, let live, have fun, and let the chips fall where they may......That's an option I am unwilling to embrace.

Oh.....at one time. I was in that frame of mind.....there was no conscious thought of my actions and I was in to feeling good no matter what. How can I explain what happens when Jesus becomes part of your consciousness. The things that could be so easily shrugged off become like thorns in your side that you can not ignore.

So....back to the title of the post. I choose to love the sinner and HATE the sin. So....In Lincoln City, Oregon on the 20th of September or thereabouts......human beings, just like me will practice their free will to indulge in sin..... asking to be accepted. I say to you....those of you who practice carnal knowlege of the same sex.......I accept you....the person.... I love you...the person... I pray for you....the person.... and I hate the SIN.... let's discuss the issues....... Rosie the wildwoman

To Every thing there is a season

and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

A time to kill, and a time to heal;a time to break down and a time to build up

A time to weep, and a time to laugh;a time to mourn, and a time to dance

A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

A time to get, and a time to lose;a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace

Why I perceive that there is nothing better, than that a man should rejoice in his own works; for that is his portion: for who shall bring him to see what shall be after him? Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 and 22

I am really enjoying the macro lens and have been drawn to photographing things past their prime, flowers, trees, stumps, us.....Things not perfect...things not pretty to some and yet who is to tell what wonderful adventures they had along the way and maybe it feels good to quit trying so hard to impress people and just be content in oneself where and how you are at the moment. Maybe???