Unwanted blessing

So forty-five years ago I was having a cup of tea with my new neighbour. She was a Christian and I was a babe in Christ.

She already had two children and was dismayed to find herself pregnant with her third. Planning to adopt a child, this pregnancy was not part of her plans.

To rectify the problem, she told me that she consistently jumped off her kitchen table to dislodge the baby if possible. It did not.

I was shocked at her actions because she seemed oblivious to the fact that trying to procure a miscarriage was a sin. In previous discussions she said that abortion was sin and she would never go to an abortionist... yet here she was trying to abort her child.

Her actions smacked of hypocrisy and I wondered at the depth of this woman's relationship with Christ and her knowledge of the Bible.

It wasn't until later on in my own walk that I realised that not everybody who goes to church or says they are a Christian in fact are. And even if they are, they are not controlled by the Holy Spirit and are living carnally.

I kept our conversations about every day things from then on, realising that I could be led astray by her rationalisations about sin.

I often wondered if she would actually have been upset if she had miscarried. Abortion and miscarriage tend to make a woman depressed and full of regrets. It wouldn't have mattered if she jumped off the kitchen table or went to an abortionist. The end result would be the same. A dead baby.

Thinking of her often, I am glad that she was unable to dislodge her baby... even if it was an unwanted blessing...

© Glenys Robyn Hicks

Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them. Psalm 139:16

God's love is a healing balm

There are a lot of faithful Christians who suffer from panic attacks and anxiety.  Although they are usually strong in the faith, when a panic attack hits, and they have a meltdown, their trial turns into a field day for false accusers and Job's Comforters. 

They are often told that they are lacking in faith and to cling to the LORD, when it is chemicals in their body that is causing the problem, not lack of faith.  They do nothing to help but add fuel to the fire. Telling a sufferer of a panic attack to have more faith is like telling a drowning man to swim faster. They simply can't and they struggle just to keep their head above water. To add to their woe, they then fear that they have become apostate or are backsliding.  But nothing could be further from the truth.

The truly backslidden or apostate Christian will not turn to God for help therefore she has no worries of feeling unloved by God but the faithful Child of God will be afraid when she cannot break through the clutch of adrenaline that induces a feeling of impending doom (in this case, damnation) Such feelings are false, and during her life when not suffering an adrenaline rush, she knows this and relies on her Saviour. 

The Bible teaches us not to be anxious, but any anxious person will tell you that it is a fact that anxiety will come for no apparent reason. My point is that Satan will use this hormone induced attack on our bodies to make us feel guilty, alienate us from feeling close to God, and cause us to be more anxious. We know it is written we shouldn't be anxious- but here we are with anxiety and guilt as our companion. 

We know we should trust God but often it's not so clear cut and defined. It does us no good to be told we are sinning when it is clearly a chemistry problem which manifests itself as anxiety. In our stronger moments, we are aware of the scriptures. One who suffers from anxiety does not need to be told they are willfully sinning. We need people's understanding and compassion. It goes without saying, that we always have that from Jesus. 

We tend to forget that most often sufferers of anxiety and panic have often been in the midst of the most horrendous of stresses and trials, often for years, and despite being faithful and clinging to God, they have a meltdown. Trials include all chronic illness such as fibromyalgia and disabilities. 

It would behove us all to remember to be Christ-like to these suffering Children of God and comfort them, pray for them and encourage them. Those of us who suffer like this are prime candidates for panic attacks and meltdowns.  We should do unto others as we would have them do unto us:  pray for them,  help them back on their feet and never judge them. Anxiety and panic are no respecter of people: but by the Grace of God, go I. 

Mercy.  Grace.  Compassion.  Love.  Prayer.  All are healing balms for the poor one having a meltdown. We need to tell them there is hope and there is healing and that nothing can separate us from God's love.

© Glenys Robyn Hicks

For I am persuaded,  that neither death,  nor life,  nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things  to  come,  nor height,  nor depth,  nor any other creature,  shall be  able to separate us from the love of God which in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Romans 8:38-39

Dead tired

A woman who suffers from a chronic illness or disability often finds herself at the end of "normals'" ideas of being tired. We are often looked at with contempt for being so tired that we can't perform our daily duties properly. Or that we have to go to bed early, rise late, or cancel social engagements at the last minute. We are not lazy. 

Before Corona, we were regarded with suspicion when we couldn't make it to church regularly and people harshly judged our spiritual health, deeming us backslidden.  Emotional and spiritual hurt exacerbates our ill state. We feel worse and they lack compassion.

Often we have to cancel doctors' appointments because we are too sick to get there. We find we can't drive and even if we could, we haven't got the strength to even get washed and dressed. It is not unheard of that some of us have crumpled in the shower, unable to get out and totally winded...

Our "tired" goes far beyond a sleepiness or drowsy feeling. We are so fatigued that breathing is too much effort and not for the first time we are grateful it's automatic.

Furthermore, our "tired" is not helped by a nanna nap or even 9 hours of sleep.  We fight our illness and pain even in our dreams and wake up unrefreshed and have to face another day when we haven't recuperated from the day before. We simply have run out of spoons.

"Tired" is overused and doesn't come close to the bone sucking quagmire of desperate fatigue we chronically ill people find ourselves sinking into constantly.  To have "normals" flippantly say, "Me too!" when we tell them we are tired invalidates us and makes us long for their brand of tiredness that can be restored through a good sleep.

We cannot even enjoy a shower or bath to help us sleep as the effort it takes to do this not only drains us of whatever energy we can find, but does not always bring a restorative sleep. Just muscle pain.

Such is my own pain on going to bed that I find I cannot place my arms anywhere comfortable. My fibromyalgia and polymyalgia rheumatica make it impossible to raise my arms upwards and extending them hurts my muscles and tendons. So I go to sleep with my arms folded on my chest.

I indeed look like a cadaver which has been laid out and testifies somewhat to the feeling of being dead in my tracks.  Because that's the type of exhaustion we face every day: we truly feel dead tired.

© Glenys Robyn Hicks

Cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength faileth. Psalm 71:9

Keep the faith by standing firm

 

There's no doubt that we are in the end times and that the world is getting darker. It is harder to be a Christian than it was even twenty years ago.

We are not being killed like our brothers and sisters in Christ overseas,  but we are in a place where our freedom of speech and freedom in general is being curtailed.

Often the butt of jokes and criticised for our faith, we are likened to children who believe in a fantasy: a God Who cares deeply for us is a stumbling block to many.

Workers can be dismissed for mentioning Jesus (although it is fine if they are using His Name as a curseword) and in some countries nurses have been dismissed for praying for a patient or simply wearing a cross around their neck...

We of all people are most misjudged and vilified by the world. When we stand up to society about matters that go against God such as same sex marriage, abortion and infanticide, we are told we are judgemental, unloving and biggotted.

What can we do? We can stand firm. Even if we can't stand physically, spiritually we stand firm. Our foundation is the Blood of Christ and His Word.

We live a life of faith and we aspire to be more Christ-like daily. We pray for ourselves, others and the world that it comes to a saving knowledge of God.

In our daily living, we stand firm in our convictions, no matter what the cost. This can be so difficult.

Shining our light in a dark world is never easy, but we must continue to shine. We must win the lost through our example, and our example should be Jesus.

Many have fallen away and backslidden. We must pray for them and pray daily for our own strength and commitment to Christ to stay firm.

It is imperative that we Christians, able bodied or not, stand firm. And we can. We have the Rock to cling to and the firm foundation of His Word. Will you keep the faith by standing firm?

© Glenys Robyn Hicks

And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.  Matthew 10:22

We aren't just tired: we're dead tired

A woman who suffers from a chronic illness or disability often finds herself at the end of "normals'" ideas of being tired. We are often looked at with contempt for being so tired that we can't perform our daily duties properly. Or that we have to go to bed early, rise late, or cancel social engagements at the last minute. We are not lazy. 

Before Corona, we were regarded with suspicion when we couldn't make it to church regularly and people harshly judged our spiritual health, deeming us backslidden.  Emotional and spiritual hurt exacerbates our ill state. We feel worse and they lack compassion.

Often we have to cancel doctors' appointments because we are too sick to get there. We find we can't drive and even if we could, we haven't got the strength to even get washed and dressed. It is not unheard of that some of us have crumpled in the shower, unable to get out and totally winded...

Our "tired" goes far beyond a sleepiness or drowsy feeling. We are so fatigued that breathing is too much effort and not for the first time we are grateful it's automatic.

Furthermore, our "tired" is not helped by a nanna nap or even 9 hours of sleep.  We fight our illness and pain even in our dreams and wake up unrefreshed and have to face another day when we haven't recuperated from the day before. We simply have run out of spoons.

"Tired" is overused and doesn't come close to the bone sucking quagmire of desperate fatigue we chronically ill people find ourselves sinking into constantly.  To have "normals" flippantly say, "Me too!" when we tell them we are tired invalidates us and makes us long for their brand of tiredness that can be restored through a good sleep.

We cannot even enjoy a shower or bath to help us sleep as the effort it takes to do this not only drains us of whatever energy we can find, but does not always bring a restorative sleep. Just muscle pain.

Such is my own pain on going to bed that I find I cannot place my arms anywhere comfortable. My fibromyalgia and polymyalgia rheumatica make it impossible to raise my arms upwards and extending them hurts my muscles and tendons. So I go to sleep with my arms folded on my chest.

I indeed look like a cadaver which has been laid out and testifies somewhat to the feeling of being dead in my tracks.  Because that's the type of exhaustion we face every day: we truly feel dead tired.

© Glenys Robyn Hicks

Cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength faileth. Psalm 71:9

We are the Church!

 

It is no light thing to say that even unbelievers are saying the world is coming to an end: it certainly is a time of darkness and fear. 

It hasn't taken God by surprise and He hasn't kept it secret that in the end times before He comes for us, His Church, His Bride, that troublesome times will come.

We have church meetings cancelled as well as secular events in an attempt to curtail the spread of this virus. It is as if Satan wants to stop the Word of God being preached and of people being within ear shot if it is.

What he forgets is that WE Christians are the Church. It's not a building or hall. It's every true believer. His Holy Spirit dwells in us and there is no way God's Word will be silenced.

Let us pray for boldness and anointing to preach and speak the Word. How can we from home? you ask. By posting uplifting pictures with scripture.  By blogging about God if you blog. By posting of Christ in your Face Book groups.

Let us be Christ's Hands and Mouth and turn this evil pandemic into the biggest opportunity in recent times of reaching the lost for Jesus!

Make no mistake: we are in the end times and the next event on the Christian calendar is the Rapture! We want to take as many as possible with us, but it depends on us as Christ's Church and Bride to continue to live fearless lives and preach the Word. We are not the Holy Spirit, but we can have people hear the Word that plants the seed for the Holy Spirit to work in their hearts.

Rise up, both normal and chroncially ill believers and proclaim in any way you can that Jesus is coming soon. We may be ill, but we are faithful! A faithful Bride and Church of Jesus! 

© Glenys Robyn Hicks

He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. Ephesians 5:23-30

Christ is there to carry us

There's no doubt that we are in the end times and that the world is getting darker. It is harder to be a Christian than it was even twenty years ago.

We are not being killed like our brothers and sisters in Christ overseas,  but we are in a place where our freedom of speech and freedom in general is being curtailed.

Often the butt of jokes and criticised for our faith, we are likened to children who believe in a fantasy: a God Who cares deeply for us is a stumbling block to many.

Workers can be dismissed for mentioning Jesus (although it is fine if they are using His Name as a curseword) and in some countries nurses have been dismissed for praying for a patient or simply wearing a cross around their neck...

We of all people are most misjudged and vilified by the world. When we stand up to society about matters that go against God such as same sex marriage, abortion and infanticide, we are told we are judgemental, unloving and biggotted.

What can we do? We can stand firm. Even if we can't stand physically, spiritually we stand firm. Our foundation is the Blood of Christ and His Word.

We live a life of faith and we aspire to be more Christ-like daily. We pray for ourselves, others and the world that it comes to a saving knowledge of God.

In our daily living, we stand firm in our convictions, no matter what the cost. This can be so difficult.

Shining our light in a dark world is never easy, but we must continue to shine. We must win the lost through our example, and our example should be Jesus.

Many have fallen away and backslidden. We must pray for them and pray daily for our own strength and commitment to Christ to stay firm.

It is imperative that we Christians, able bodied or not, stand firm. And we can. We have the Rock to cling to and the firm foundation of His Word.  

Allowing God to save our eternal soul gives us hope and faith, even when we feel we cannot stand-because we know that in the moment we fall, Christ is there to carry us.

© Glenys Robyn Hicks

And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.  Matthew 10:22

Backslidden children: God gently leads them back.

As mothers and grandmothers,  we often feel like failures when our children stop following the LORD and are backslidden.  In  spite of training our children and  teaching them about the LORD,  they seem to be departing from The Way and it can send us into a panic.

I can understand how you can feel a failure,  but  your children  have to make certain decisions for themselves as they grow up. Walking the path of faith is a deeply personal daily choice. We cannot make them believe nor can we save them.

The  five children I bought up (from ages 49-43 plus a grandchild now 29)  have  been brought up in the faith. My  own children  made a confession of  faith when young and were all baptised by immersion.  Two of them are now living for the LORD and two of them are backslidden but still consider themselves believers. My first  grandchildren is agnostic, almost a believer. 

All we can do in spite of  outward appearances is keep praying for God to change them. We as loving  mothers or grandmothers don't know what work God is doing in  their heart.  We know that the Holy Spirit convicts  us of sin,  and we have to allow Him to do the work.  Often  trying to be the Holy Spirit just causes  rebellion and hurt feelings and we just get in His way.

There was a stage I thought that none of them believed, but praise God, what was taught them from their youth has  resurfaced.  So I  encourage you not to blame yourself either and to  keep praying and  believing  that your prodigals  or backsliders will walk in The Way.  God often meets them in the wilderness and gently leads them back on the Straight Path..

© Glenys Robyn Hicks

The soul that sinneth,  it shall die.  The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him. Ezekiel 18:20

Nothing can separate us from God's love

There are a lot of faithful Christians who suffer from panic attacks and anxiety.  Although they are usually strong in the faith, when a panic attack hits, and they have a meltdown, their trial turns into a field day for false accusers and Job's Comforters. 

They are often told that they are lacking in faith and to cling to the LORD, when it is chemicals in their body that is causing the problem, not lack of faith.  They do nothing to help but add fuel to the fire. Telling a sufferer of a panic attack to have more faith is like telling a drowning man to swim faster. They simply can't and they struggle just to keep their head above water. To add to their woe, they then fear that they have become apostate or are backsliding.  But nothing could be further from the truth.

The truly backslidden or apostate Christian will not turn to God for help therefore she has no worries of feeling unloved by God but the faithful Child of God will be afraid when she cannot break through the clutch of adrenaline that induces a feeling of impending doom (in this case, damnation) Such feelings are false, and during her life when not suffering an adrenaline rush, she knows this and relies on her Saviour. 

The Bible teaches us not to be anxious, but any anxious person will tell you that it is a fact that anxiety will come for no apparent reason. My point is that Satan will use this hormone induced attack on our bodies to make us feel guilty, alienate us from feeling close to God, and cause us to be more anxious. We know it is written we shouldn't be anxious- but here we are with anxiety and guilt as our companion. 

We know we should trust God but often it's not so clear cut and defined. It does us no good to be told we are sinning when it is clearly a chemistry problem which manifests itself as anxiety. In our stronger moments, we are aware of the scriptures. One who suffers from anxiety does not need to be told they are willfully sinning. We need people's understanding and compassion. It goes without saying, that we always have that from Jesus. 

We tend to forget that most often sufferers of anxiety and panic have often been in the midst of the most horrendous of stresses and trials, often for years, and despite being faithful and clinging to God, they have a meltdown. Trials include all chronic illness such as fibromyalgia and disabilities. 

It would behove us all to remember to be Christ-like to these suffering Children of God and comfort them, pray for them and encourage them. Those of us who suffer like this are prime candidates for panic attacks and meltdowns.  We should do unto others as we would have them do unto us:  pray for them,  help them back on their feet and never judge them. Anxiety and panic are no respecter of people: but by the Grace of God, go I. 

Mercy.  Grace.  Compassion.  Love.  Prayer.  All are healing balms for the poor one having a meltdown. We need to tell them there is hope and there is healing and that nothing can separate us from God's love.

© Glenys Robyn Hicks

For I am persuaded,  that neither death,  nor life,  nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things  to  come,  nor height,  nor depth,  nor any other creature,  shall be  able to separate us from the love of God which in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Romans 8:38-39

A Godly heritage

I love this picture of two children playing "here is the church, here is the steeple: open the doors, here's all the people!"  Do you remember it?

We used to play it as children, but I have to wonder if children these days would even know what a steeple was. Or a church.

It is a precious and sacred thing to bring one's children to a saving faith in Christ. Although my ex-husband was not a believer, I brought our children up in the Christian faith. 

I took them to Sunday school and then church. They were christened as babies, but later on they expressed a desire to be baptised by immersion which we did.

Sadly, as they grew into teenagers, they refused to go and as I had no backup from their father, they slept in on Sundays.

But I kept praying for them and half of them are living for Jesus, with the other half backslidden. 

It grieves me that it is so, but we cannot live their lives for them. Our responsibility is to tell them of Jesus and lead them to a saving faith.  I have done this, and I must leave the results up to God. 

With the Rapture being imminent, I have talked about this to all my children and was pleased that the ones who are living a righteous life are prepared and looking forward to seeing the LORD. One actually thanked me for bringing him up as a Christian.

The two backslidden ones listened politely to my admonition to get right with the LORD as time is short. Being non committal, I told them that they had been warned and I would not discuss this again with them unless they wanted to know more about the faith. 

I spend a lot of time in prayer for my children and now grandchildren. I have to trust God with their hearts, as I can't dictate matters of faith.

It gives me much peace to know that God only expects me to bring my children up unto Him and doesn't hold me responsible for their life choices. I would only be guilty if I didn't bring them up in Christ.

Bringing them up in the faith wasn't easy with being married to a violent hot headed unbeliever who thwarted me at every turn and taught them to disobey and disrespect me.

But I persisted in teaching them of the faith, and it has brought much peace and comfort to those of them who love the LORD.  And it has given the others something to think about as they reflect on their backsliding ways...

As I said, passing on our faith is a precious and sacred thing to do- for there's nothing that can beat a Godly heritage. 

© Glenys Robyn Hicks

The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him. Ezekiel 18:20

We are His faithful Bride!

So much is happening worldwide right now with nearly every country impacted with the Corona Virus. 

Most countries are being put under lockdown but that doesn't preclude us from reaching out to each other via the internet and phone.

It is no light thing to say that even unbelievers are saying the world is coming to an end: it certainly is a time of darkness and fear. 

It hasn't taken God by surprise and He hasn't kept it secret that in the end times before He comes for us, His Church, His Bride, that troublesome times will come.

We have church meetings cancelled as well as secular events in an attempt to curtail the spread of this virus. It is as if Satan wants to stop the Word of God being preached and of people being within ear shot if it is.

What he forgets is that WE Christians are the Church. It's not a building or hall. It's every true believer. His Holy Spirit dwells in us and there is no way God's Word will be silenced.

Let us pray for boldness and anointing to preach and speak the Word. How can we from home? you ask. By posting uplifting pictures with scripture.  By blogging about God if you blog. By posting of Christ in your Face Book groups.

Let us be Christ's Hands and Mouth and turn this evil pandemic into the biggest opportunity in recent times of reaching the lost for Jesus!

Make no mistake: we are in the end times and the next event on the Christian calendar is the Rapture! We want to take as many as possible with us, but it depends on us as Christ's Church and Bride to continue to live fearless lives and preach the Word. We are not the Holy Spirit, but we can have people hear the Word that plants the seed for the Holy Spirit to work in their hearts.

Rise up, both normal and chronically ill believers and proclaim in any way you can that Jesus is coming soon. We may be ill, but we are faithful! A faithful Bride and Church of Jesus! 

© Glenys Robyn Hicks

He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. Ephesians 5:23-30

Let Jesus soothe your soul

There are a lot of faithful Christians who suffer from panic attacks and anxiety.  Although they are usually strong in the faith, when a panic attack hits, and they have a meltdown, their trial turns into a field day for false accusers and Job's Comforters. 

They are often told that they are lacking in faith and to cling to the LORD, when it is chemicals in their body that is causing the problem, not lack of faith.  They do nothing to help but add fuel to the fire. Telling a sufferer of a panic attack to have more faith is like telling a drowning man to swim faster. They simply can't and they struggle just to keep their head above water. To add to their woe, they then fear that they have become apostate or are backsliding.  But nothing could be further from the truth.

The truly backslidden or apostate Christian will not turn to God for help therefore she has no worries of feeling unloved by God but the faithful Child of God will be afraid when she cannot break through the clutch of adrenaline that induces a feeling of impending doom (in this case, damnation) Such feelings are false, and during her life when not suffering an adrenaline rush, she knows this and relies on her Saviour. 

The Bible teaches us not to be anxious, but any anxious person will tell you that it is a fact that anxiety will come for no apparent reason. My point is that Satan will use this hormone induced attack on our bodies to make us feel guilty, alienate us from feeling close to God, and cause us to be more anxious. We know it is written we shouldn't be anxious- but here we are with anxiety and guilt as our companion. 

We know we should trust God but often it's not so clear cut and defined. It does us no good to be told we are sinning when it is clearly a chemistry problem which manifests itself as anxiety. In our stronger moments, we are aware of the scriptures. One who suffers from anxiety does not need to be told they are willfully sinning. We need people's understanding and compassion. It goes without saying, that we always have that from Jesus. 

We tend to forget that most often sufferers of anxiety and panic have often been in the midst of the most horrendous of stresses and trials, often for years, and despite being faithful and clinging to God, they have a meltdown. Trials include all chronic illness such as fibromyalgia and disabilities. 

It would behove us all to remember to be Christ-like to these suffering Children of God and comfort them, pray for them and encourage them. Those of us who suffer like this are prime candidates for panic attacks and meltdowns.  We should do unto others as we would have them do unto us:  pray for them,  help them back on their feet and never judge them. Anxiety and panic are no respecter of people: but by the Grace of God, go I. 

Mercy.  Grace.  Compassion.  Love.  Prayer.  All are healing balms for the poor one having a meltdown. We need to tell them there is hope and there is healing and that nothing can separate us from God's love.

© Glenys Robyn Hicks

For I am persuaded,  that neither death,  nor life,  nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things  to  come,  nor height,  nor depth,  nor any other creature,  shall be  able to separate us from the love of God which in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Romans 8:38-39

Stand firm

There's no doubt that we are in the end times and that the world is getting darker. It is harder to be a Christian than it was even twenty years ago.

We are not being killed like our brothers and sisters in Christ overseas,  but we are in a place where our freedom of speech and freedom in general is being curtailed.

Often the butt of jokes and criticised for our faith, we are likened to children who believe in a fantasy: a God Who cares deeply for us is a stumbling block to many.

Workers can be dismissed for mentioning Jesus (although it is fine if they are using His Name as a curseword) and in some countries nurses have been dismissed for praying for a patient or simply wearing a cross around their neck...

We of all people are most misjudged and vilified by the world. When we stand up to society about matters that go against God such as same sex marriage, abortion and infanticide, we are told we are judgemental, unloving and biggotted.

What can we do? We can stand firm. Even if we can't stand physically, spiritually we stand firm. Our foundation is the Blood of Christ and His Word.

We live a life of faith and we aspire to be more Christ-like daily. We pray for ourselves, others and the world that it comes to a saving knowledge of God.

In our daily living, we stand firm in our convictions, no matter what the cost. This can be so difficult.

Shining our light in a dark world is never easy, but we must continue to shine. We must win the lost through our example, and our example should be Jesus.

Many have fallen away and backslidden. We must pray for them and pray daily for our own strength and commitment to Christ to stay firm.

It is imperative that we Christians, able bodied or not, stand firm. And we can. We have the Rock to cling to and the firm foundation of His Word. Will you stand firm?

© Glenys Robyn Hicks

And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.  Matthew 10:22

How's your walk with the Lord?

To those of us who love the LORD, we tend to speak of Him among ourselves quite often. Often we talk about our walk with Him and pray for each other. To ask a Christian how their walk with the LORD is going is by no means offensive. Or it shouldn't be.

If you share a cuppa with me, we will be talking about our walk pretty soon into our tea and cake, and to my mind,  as Christians, this is normal. So you can imagine my shock when I inadvertently offended someone who was a professing Christian. 

Sipping on my tea, I casually asked, "So how's your walk with the LORD going?" She immediately recoiled and retorted, "I hate it when people ask me that! I am fine, I have everything I want. I don't need God now!"  Before I could respond, our husbands returned and the conversation died.

The rest of the afternoon, this woman was cold towards me, and I couldn't help reflecting on her spiritual life- or lack of it. Plus, I was worried for her. What will happen when she finds she does in fact, need God? And she will one day. We all do.

As she was a woman who was studying to become a Salvation Army soldier, I took it for granted that she loved the LORD. Or perhaps she did but saw Him as a genie who granted her whatever she desired, to be summoned only when she wanted something from Him. Perhaps this was the result of false teachings.

Certainly if this young woman had made a confession of faith in Christ but had limited understanding of grace and salvation, she would remain saved. Certainly Christ's atoning death would cover her sin if she was born-again but back-slidden.

God certainly would accept her if she in fact was unsaved and if the Holy Spirit brought her to a saving knowledge of Christ. But firstly she would have to see that her promoting herself as Christian and wanting to be in ministry in the spiritual condition she's in presently, is hypocrisy. 

I do think of her a lot, but am unable to approach the subject with her in person. But thankfully, it is not my job to bring her to Christ, or indeed to bring her to repentance. I am not the Holy Spirit. 

My job is to turn my concern for her into prayerful petitions to the Father for her salvation or closer walk with Him. God knows, I have a job making sure I am walking the walk and not just talking the talk!

At least by taking tea with her and asking that innocent question, I am now aware of her need for a deeper walk or a new walk. So I pray for her and leave it with God, and I still sometimes ask others, "How's your walk with the LORD?"

© Glenys Robyn Hicks 

He hath shewed thee, O man, what [is] good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? Micah 6:8