Be Doers of the Word, part one

So get rid of all uncleanness and the rampant outgrowth of wickedness, and in a humble spirit receive and welcome the Word which implanted and rooted in your hearts contains the power to save your souls.

But be doers of the Word, obey the message, and not merely listeners to it, betraying yourselves into deception by reasoning contrary to the Truth. ~ James 1:21-22

These are great verses. These are not merely milk. They are meat. These are very powerful Scriptures. Some of you may find this devotional too hard to swallow, and others may want to rise up and make a change.

The Body of Christ...as a WHOLE...is filled with sin and worldliness. We do not separate ourselves from the ideas, ways, and and foolishness of the world. Instead, we embrace it and "go with the flow." We allow our children to watch and listen to things that we our selves shouldn't be.Then, we say that; "we must choose our battles."

We go to church, and we put our Jesus stickers on our cars. However, do we really take the Truths of God's Word to heart...and walk them out? Do we even look like Jesus lives in us? Or do we do what makes us feel good? It's like we are afraid to be who God called us to be.

I think that most of today's Christians are hiding in a closet somewhere. No, I take that back. I KNOW that most Christians are hiding in a closet. I know this because; evolution is taught in our schools, gay couples get married, television is filled with sex, drugs, and violence, pornography runs rampant, children have no respect for authority, the countless gossip magazines, we have the same if not higher divorce rate than the secular world, and I can keep going...but, I think you get my point.

The Church MUST humble itself before the Lord. We need to DO what the Word tells us. We need to LIVE our lives for the Lord. We are aliens. This world is not our home.

Why do we embrace it so? We embrace it because we are cowards. If even half of those who "claim" to be Christians would pry their way out of the closet and get a back bone, we would see incredible changes in the world. Instead we sit back and make it easy for the devil to run rampant.

As Christian Mothers we have a HUGE responsibility to raise the next generation for Jesus. We must raise our children to stand for the TRUTH. We must train them to live out loud. We must train them to stand up and speak out. We must model this in our own lives. They must see us standing for Truth.

If we do nothing, and just "go with the flow," and remain closet Christians, our grand children will grow up in a world unbelievably more wicked than what we must endure.

We hold the future in our arms each day. We kiss them good night each evening. We must teach them the Truth. We must rise up and make a mark in this world. So that when our children grow up, they will not tolerate evil. They will not sit back and let the devil have an easy win. They will go to battle for our God. They will be bright lights for our Precious Savior Jesus!

Let's Pray,

Daddy God, forgive me for times when I have expressed my unhappiness about the evil in this world, but did nothing to help change it. Help me to be brave and stand for your Truth, even when it will make me unpopular and disliked. Help me stand for Your Truth. Help me to raise my Child(ren) to be your warriors and to fight the good fight. I love You, Lord and I want to stand before You one day and hear the words "WELL DONE!" In Jesus Mighty Name, Amen.

Ready for Battle,

Lara ;)

Be Quick to Hear and Slow to Speak

Understand this, my beloved brethren. Let every man be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to take offense and get angry.

For mans anger does not promote the righteousness God wishes and requires. ~ James 1:19-20

I am a very head strong woman with a sometimes big mouth. God has been dealing with me about this for years. I have struggled with trying to be a good quiet Christian woman. Thank God I was delivered from that. God does not want me to become what I am not. He wants me to use my voice and strength for His glory. It is when I step out into the flesh that I become out of alignment. It is when I speak without thinking. ;)

For me, verse 19 can be really challenging. I am not always quick to hear and I can whip a slew of words out faster than a thought can form. I don't get offended too often. However, I ask God's forgiveness on a semi regular basis for my temper, and for offending others. I am much better than I used to be. Praise the Lord!

However, I am still a work in progress though and have by no means "arrived."

The best advice I can give those of you who struggle in these areas is to keep pressing in. Continually get into the Word. Keep asking God to help you. And one day you will wake up and realize how far you have come. It will happen if you choose to never give up and never let your mistakes get you down.

That is the key. The devil loves to make us feel like big fat failures. He loves to throw our faults and mistakes in our faces. In order to find victory we must begin to recognize these attacks and refuse to receive the lies of the enemy. Stand up against the little slime ball. He has no authority overus. He was placed under our feet by the Blood of Jesus. The only way he can get out from under us is when we let him.

Verse 20 is what keeps me from staying down when I slip. I do not want to be the kind of Christian that makes our God look bad. I do not want to be a poor example of my Beloved Savior.

I want my light to shine so bright that every demon in hell will be blinded, and people will know Who and what I stand for. That is why I do these devotions...even though most days I feel completely UNqualified. However, I know that God has called me to encourage and equip Christian wives and Mothers to be all that He created them...us to be.

In closing, be quick to hear and slow to speak. And, when you fail, do not give up. GET up. Brush yourself off, and move on.

Let's Pray,

Daddy God, Thank You for Your Life-Giving Word. Thank You for supplying me with all the information I need to live a peace filled life here on earth. Thank You for Your Love and Mercy. Lord, forgive me for the times I let my mouth get ahead of me and my anger overcome me. Forgive me for the times I have been a poor example for You. You know my heart longs to live my life for You. I will keep pressing on and NEVER give up. I will be all that You created me to be. I will! I love You, Lord. In Jesus Mighty Name, Amen.

In His Love and Service,
Lara ;)

Copyright © Lara Velez