Harvest or Halloween?

     Halloween. The darkest day of the year. I know this is a controversial subject and I also know my mom usually writes a post about this, but this is something I feel strongly about and now that I have my own blog and have been diligently praying about what it is God wants me to write, I want to share what He has put on my heart and what I think of this holiday.  Each year millions of people around the world participate in this dark holiday, decorating their houses, making costumes, going to parties and allowing their children to trick or treat. For most people it is viewed simply as a fun holiday or “harvest day” where you have an excuse to dress up, go to parties and have fun. But few people actually know what really goes on during Halloween and for some they know but just don’t care. 

    The origin of Halloween goes back to the Middle Ages when the Catholic pope first initiated it into the church as a a pre All Saint’s Day observation day. All Saint’s Day (also known as All Hallows) was a day in which people gathered to pray for the saints and martyrs of the church. Thus the day before became known as Halloween which comes from All Hallows eve. Our founding father originally refused to make Halloween a holiday because they knew it was a pagan holiday so Halloween was not celebrated in the U.S until 1900. It was in 1840 when a famine sent many Catholic Irish to the U.S that Halloween was first brought to America. 

     Among the seemingly “innocent” events that occur on Halloween is trick or treating. Trick or treating was originally started with the Druids who believed going door to door and praying for the “tortured souls” of the deceased they would “free” the deceased from their torment. In exchange for their prayers many people gave the Druids treats. In addition to the prayers they would also go door to door to collect food for their evil spirits. Thus we get trick or treating an act of Satanism. In addition to these treats the Druids also carved demonic faces in pumpkins  and put a light candle inside to chase away “evil spirits”…aka modern day jack o’ lanterns. 

   I know, you’re probably thinking to yourself “my family doesn’t worship Satan or any kind of spirits. We’re just trying to have a little fun.” Or better yet, you might even be thinking “I just don’t want my kids to feel left out. I want them to be able to enjoy the fun things other kids get to and not miss out on this part of childhood.”  Well not to be harsh or anything but let them miss out!! We are Christians. We are not called to try to ensure that we don’t miss out on anything but to be an example to the world. How can we honestly be set apart and holy when we are still acting like the world even in this small area of our lives?! The fact that this is entirely innocent and simple fun is one of Satan’s biggest lies! That lie is how he tricks many Christians into worshiping him through seemingly innocent fun.

      Now let us take it a step further. Even if you are not serious about this “holiday” and only participate for the fun, DO NOT forget that Satan DOES NOT take this lightly. This is for him one of the greatest day of the year, the day in which he tricks thousands into worshiping him and committing abominations before the Lord. Yes I did say ABOMINATION for that is exactly what this holiday is. A day filled with witch craft, demonism, satanic worship and demonic sacrifices. This is a day in which countless people…even CHILDREN…lose their lives to this wicked tradition of human sacrifice to the “gods”…aka the Satan and the demons.

      Further more, you think it’s an accident that poison, drugs and small blades have been snuck into the candy children receive each year? NO! That is no accident that’s done on purpose by sick, demented, demon worshiping people!!!!! That is all a part of Halloween. The things that happen on this day are not fun, not innocent and should certainly not be taken lightly! Next time you refer to Halloween as “Harvest day” and celebrate it under that name or any other, remember this: it is STILL SATAN’S HOLIDAY and he is still being worshiped through anything we do to celebrate Halloween or “Harvest day.”

                                “For the glory of God!’

http://www.remnantofgod.org/halloween.htm,   

http://urbanlegends.about.com/od/halloween/a/History-Of-Halloween.htm

A tool in His hand

      One of the hardest things I’ve had to learn is that God is always at work, working for the cause of His orphans. We are simply tools in His hands, pawns for Him to move where He sees fit in order to bring about his purpose. When I see a hurting child on the streets addicted to glue and selling scrap metal to survive or a child who’s lost both parents and is living with an abusive relative, my heart aches to help them. The pain within me is so great that I sometimes  think I can’t bear it anymore and just want to give up and go home. Then a still small voice reminds me that He is in control. If my heart is breaking this much how much more so does the Father’s heart break for that child, HIS child. The child that He made and has loved since before his or her birth!

       When I walk the streets to help find boys to bring in it is hard for me to see a group of children and be filled with joy at how many we’re helping then watch the group diminish till there is but 1 child left before us. How my heart shatters as I watch them all run back to the streets and have to face the harsh reality that it was simply not in God’s plans for us to help those ones. This is a painful lesson to learn.  But a lesson it is none the less.

        Through each of these hard times I have again been reminded that He loves those children more then I ever could and in His good timing if He sees fit He will bring those children to us so that HE can help them through us. With each of these moments I am learning more and more about the Father’s heart and His plan. I am learning more and more that God is at work and that He is the Mastermind behind all this and we are just His tools. Each child that is helped is a part of His plan and He is at work in their lives. Someday we will see and understand why those ones were not meant to be helped and the others were. But until then we can rest assured that God is at work!

(Being silly for the camera)

(Discovering my camera for the first time)

(hitching a ride on the tire)                                                                                                                                                

             “For the glory of God!”

Faith enough

    “Do you have a Bible?” he asks her. With a soft smile the woman turns and digs through the piles of clothes that cover the weather beaten mattress  and emerges with an old Bible whose wrinkled pages are yellowed from age.

       It was just the 4 of us sitting in this humble mud hut in the hills of Kisumu, surrounded by chickens and flies as we prayed with this sweet widow. Mother to 5 children this woman had recently lost both her husband and her daughter. Now, with full responsibilities for her family, she is trying to start up a small business to provide for her children and pay tuition fees for the 2 oldest. Yet in spite of her circumstances her faith is astoundingly strong.

      Driving back to town I was meditating on what I had just witnessed. “How is it that this woman who has seen so much tragedy can still be so strong in her faith? How could she have such a large measure of faith, so much trust and confidence in the Lord while going through such hardship yet I immediately start worrying and questioning God’s plan when a small wave comes my way? Why can’t my faith be as strong and unshakable as hers?”

        Then it hit me. My faith cannot be like hers because it is not her faith, but mine. My faith can never be as strong as other peoples.. Each of us are given  a measure of faith for the measure of hardships we will face. God gives us the faith He knows we need in order to stand strong under trials, no more and no less. He has not called us to compare our faith but wield our faith as a weapon against this world. We are to use and strengthen the faith He has given us, not compare or doubt it. God alone knows what we will face in this life and He will strengthen our faith accordingly.

          This woman could not have my faith or she would not be able to stand strong in these circumstances and I could not have her faith since I have not gone through what she is going through. Often times it in the face of opposition and trials that we grow the most and quite often God allows these things to happen so that we might grow stronger for the storm that is around the corner. My faith is my own. No one else's. It is enough for what I am going through now and as I grow, I grow strong enough for what lies ahead. Faith is something that will never be strong enough, yet by God’s grace it is always enough for the present situation.

“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials

 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.” James 1:2-3

‘For the glory of God!’

Faith through the difficult

“Lord if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”  “Come,” He said. Then Peter got out of the boat, walked on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and beginning to sink cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus reached out His hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” He said, “why did you doubt?”

    As Christians there is a lot that we can learn from this verse. Things that I have only just learned on the few days that I’ve been on this trip. Often times God will tug at our heart to do something really difficult, painful or even filled with the unknown, and we in a moment of faith will answer as Peter did, “tell me to come to you on the water.”  Like Peter, we too bravely step out in faith until the water rises and in our fear we too sink into the lies of doubt and temptation.

    It is in moments like these, when we are drowning in this world that Christ catches hold of us once more and gently chastises us. Puling us close to Him He tenderly whispers “oh you of little faith why did you doubt? Did you not know that I was walking beside you, strengthening and upholding you? Have you forgotten my promise, that I have never nor will ever abandon you no matter what happens? Have you forgotten that I am always here for you, that I know your needs long before they are a need and have already provided for them? All you need to do is turn to me in your time of weakness and look to me for the strength and grace to get you through this and I will not let you down. When you turn to me I will be your all, for I will never fail you!”

      What a sweet thought, that our Savior never fails and even when we are hopeless He knows our pain and His love will always remain with us, as will His infinite presence. Thank God that we need not walk this life alone nor fall into fear or doubt because Someone greater than us is in control of our lives! I thank God that I can be Peter reaching out in faith and even when I start to fall looking to Him and grasping His hand to rise above the troubles of this world!! 

“For the glory of God!”

“10, 000 years and then forever more…”

        Isn’t it amazing to think that one day we will pass from this earth into a glory beyond measure where we will spend all eternity, years upon years in worship and praise to our King? How vast beyond measure is His love and mercy to receive us sinners into such glory and splendor. To forgive us our debts and treat us as co-heirs is inconceivable! That the King of the universe, the Maker of all life, the One who was and is and is to come, the Great I AM is also our Savior is uncomprehendable. 

        We have such a debt to repay for such love and sacrifice yet He looks down with great tenderness and says “no my child, I did this for you so that you might live with me for all eternity. I want no recompense. I  want only your love and faithfulness.” The only thing we could ever do to repay such a huge debt is to return this love, accept this King, and dedicate our lives to Him. We owe Him this small act of service in response to the sacrifice He paid.  Brothers and sisters, let us never forget what He did on that cross nor the reason He did it, but let us come before Him in humble love and gratitude, casting our all at His feet that we might be be proven worthy to be called a child of God, worthy to be received into that great inheritance.

       Let us walk in faith not in sight, living the hard life, loving with all we are, forgiving and gaining forgiveness, loving justice, mercy and truth and defending the Truth with our lives, walking humbly with our God and sacrificing all we have for Him. Let us hear and obey His call, following in His footsteps, overcoming evil and battling flesh to win and impact souls for the Lord. Let us always remember that we ourselves are sinners called out of death and into life, reminding others of the One of loves them more than life itself. Let us be Jesus in disguise to all those around us,  a blessing to all we come in contact with, a gift to those we are sent to, serving with joy and humility as to the Lord. Let us be true servant's of the Most High God remembering that our true heritage is not from this world but from God. We are children of God so let us act as such and be an example to the world. 

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--  not by works, so that no one can boast.  For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:8-10

"For the glory of God!"

Sometime the answer is ‘no’

         Sometimes God leads you to do something then at the last minute says “no” and leaves you in confusion as you try to find His will for that situation, yet in the midst of all that He faithfully reminds you that He is still in control and does indeed have a purpose for that situation. This is something that I was reminded of over the weekend.

         Leading up to this trip God was faithful to reveal His will for me, guiding me in that route and meticulously tending to the details yet when the time came to set out on this journey He clearly said “no”. As my departure date drew closer I was under a lot of warfare emotionally through fear and worry yet on the morning of my departure I woke up fear-free and filled with peace ready to tackle this assignment, yet God clearly had other plans.

         At the beginning of the day so many things were going “wrong” that I thought it was warfare but by the end of the day I knew it was not, it was the hand of God acting through providence to keep me home at this time. My first flight was delayed by 2hrs causing me to arrive in LA 20 minutes before my next flight which ended up leaving 15 minutes early, so I found myself stuck in LA. Long story short I spent 4 1/2 hours in the airport trying to either get a flight home or onward to Kenya.  There was only 1 available flight that would get me to Kenya and for some reason Turkish Airlines would not book me on it  and all other flights out were booked so my only options were to stay and “try” to get on that flight the next day and risk being stranded somewhere else or try again next weekend. Seeing as how no one we knew in LA could come get me since they were either not available or due to the LA freeway being closed couldn’t get to the airport, coming home seemed to be my only option so after lots of praying we went ahead and booked for home.

            Now I am home seeking the Lord for what He wants me to do and trying to find my bags which are lost somewhere across the ocean. Though I know not the reason for all this, what I do know is that the Lord is still in control of this situation. I know that He has a plan.. indeed my getting to and being stuck in LA was part of His plan too..and will not stop until HIS purpose for this situation has been fulfilled. Even though He was calling me to Kenya , for whatever unseen reason this was not the time He wanted me to go, instead He wanted me stuck in LA to fulfill His purpose there.

          At this time I still do not know why He wanted me there, and I may never know this side of heaven, but I am content and at peace resting in His promise that “All things work together for good to those who love God, who are called according to His purposes” (Romans 8:28). Even in the midst of all this confusion I know that He is still at work bringing about my good and His glory. It is God who has the final authority and say over whatever concerns me and that is the same in this instance.

“And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He that calleth you, who also will do it.” 1 Thessalonians 5:23,24
"For the glory of God!!!"

The “impossible”

          Sometimes God ask us to do things that we don’t want to do, things that we might be afraid to do, but something I’ve learned is He will never ask us to go where He cannot lead or do what He cannot ordain. Therefore, despite what we might think, we will never be asked to do something that is beyond His power to control. True, God often asks us to do “the impossible” but when we step back and evaluate the situation we realize it never was impossible as “nothing is impossible with God” (Luke 1:37).  If nothing is impossible with God, then through Him we know we can take up the command that He has given us, no matter how “impossible” it looks and conquer it in the name of Jesus, making the impossible possible. In light of this, we truly can “do all things through Christ…” (Philippians 4:13). Christ has all things under His control so nothing we ever face in this world is impossible.

  

   'If you can'?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for him who believes." Mark 9:23

"For the glory of God!"