Christmas: Choices of Santa and Jesus

I hear so often people say we do not do Santa. I am perfectly fine if you do not do Santa or if you do Santa. I do hope you choose to share the story of Saint Nicholas and choose the spirit of giving. But my question to you is not whether you choose Santa or not; it is do you choose Jesus at Christmas?

Just choosing not to do Santa does not make your holiday more religious. You have to choose to make a point of putting Jesus at the center of the holidays. I am not just talking about being at church more. You have a month to make Jesus, God's gift to you, the focus of your family. It is the easiest time of year to do so.

I would like to share some of the choices we have made to make Jesus the center. We do a Santa gift on Christmas morning, but we put a daily focus on God's gift to us everyday for the next month.

1. Choose to do a Jesus Stocking.
We have a Jesus stocking every Christmas. It helps us focus on giving back to Christ. It opens conversations on things we can do for Christ. As we buy gifts or food for the less fortunate, carol at a Nursing home, etc, we write it down and put it in the stocking. It is very important we do not become consumed about getting but instead giving. All my kids truly enjoy doing for others and Jesus.

2. Choose to use your decorations to tell the greatest story.
I have made several choices in our decorations to help us remember God's gift.

We not only have nice nativity sets, but a Fisher Price set also. Since the kids were little they can play and act out the story at anytime. It sits under our tree along with children's books telling the story. As presents fill up underneath the tree, it becomes a nice distraction and puts the focus back on God's gift to us.

We choose to use our tree to tell the story. We have white lights with red and gold balls. We use the tree to remind us of the cross, the red balls to remember the blood shed, white lights to remind us of the purity of Christ and how He makes us pure, and the gold balls to remember the promise of eternity with Christ. During the first week, we will tell the story and remind the kids how each thing can remind them of God's gift.

3. Choose to do Advent at home.
Some of you may have a church that does Advent, but I encourage you to do it at home also. This year we have ours on the dinner table. Each Sunday we will discuss what each candle represents and light that candle every night at dinner to keep our focus on what that candle represents. For example, we will talk about the hope we have in Christ each night this week.

4.Choose Candy Canes.
This is one of the best ways to tell the story of Christ. We have candy canes in our house plus even candy cane candles. One night we will read the story of the candy cane. Even the littlest child will repeat what the candy cane represents. It is so much fun to hear your little one tell the story to someone else.

5. Choose to take time for the greatest gift on Christmas Eve.
Even if you attend a Christmas Eve service, I highly recommend to have your own age appropriate one at home. We sit around our tree by candle light and tree lights and use our little nativity set to tell the story as we read from the Bible. We usually sing Away In A Manger and Silent Night. And we usually fill the Jesus stocking, too.
You can also celebrate by having a birthday cake.

Choosing to do Santa at Christmas will not keep your child from knowing about the greatest gift, but choosing not to put a focus on Christ in your home will. Choose to take 5-10 minutes every night to celebrate the greatest gift.

Books to help (all these stay under our tree):
The ADVENTure of Christmas by Lisa Whelchel (It covers everything. It is a must have and can get you through the whole season)

The Candymaker's Gift by David and Helen Haidle (The Candy Cane Story)

That's Not All I Want for Christmas by Sue Buchanan & Lynn Hodges (It is a story of a little girl who gets selfish at Christmas. It even has discussion tips and ideas in the back of the book.)

Little Boys Bible Christmas Story Book (girls version too)

Nativity books

Choosing to De-Clutter Your Life

You are stressed. You have too many things to do and not enough hours in the day. Just when you are about to catch up some catastrophe happens followed by another one and you are behind again. And you feel all alone trying to handle all the chaos. Inside your mind you are screaming, "HELP!!!!!"

Does your life have to be chaotic? No. Have you made choices that has made your life chaotic? Yes. Has life thrown things at you that you could not avoid adding stress to your life? Yes. Are you willing to make the choices to de-clutter and de-stress your life? I hope you honestly answer yes.

1. Choose not to procrastinate.
I can hear you now. I try not to. I don't want to but I just do. It is not my fault, it is my family or friends.
One: stop saying you will try. Remember it is a choice. Choose to do it.
Two: stop blaming that there is too much to do. If you spend anytime on the computer (facebook, youtube, google, etc), talk or text your friends, play on your phone, watch TV, read a magazine or book on how to have an organized life, etc; you have time to take care of priorities first.
The longer you procrastinate, the more that piles up and the more chaotic it becomes. If you stay on top of things it does not have time to get overwhelming.

2. Choose to prioritize.
It is very simple. God comes first. You have to put Him first for anything in life to come together. If you are still choosing not to start your day with Him and grow in your relationship then you need to go back to square one.
Next, you need to take care of yourself. Most of us put our self last. That is a big mistake when it comes to our health. You need to make sure you are exercising, eating healthy and getting enough rest. You need energy and strength to get through the day. Make choices that will give you what you need.
Family comes next. You are your child's primary teacher. You are your spouse's best friend. You are your parent's student and/or helper (depending on your age). If work, extra activities, keep you from these roles then it is time to re-evaluate. And driving your kid from one event to the next is not teaching them anything but how to be over scheduled. (Think about that for a moment. Are you setting your child up for success if they are overbooked with activities, eating on the run and not getting enough rest. Is that helping them succeed at life or teaching them to repeat the cycle of an overbooked stressful life? You say all of it is for their benefit but is it? What is going to help them have true happiness?)

3. Choose to be involved in church but not overbooked with church
Part of your relationship with Christ is fellowship, worshipping, learning and serving with other believers. It is a very important part of your Spiritual development. But that does not mean church should take you out of your home and away from your family at all times. If your church has activities several times a week, it is ok not to do it all.
You need to worship with others, you need to learn from others. With the church you need to serve others and fellowship with others for encouragement and prayer. But if it takes you out of your role at home and from being the spiritual leader in your home then you need to scale back. Be involved; not overwhelmed.

4. Choose activities carefully.
We all have things we love to do. Our kids have things they love to do. But you need to choose a certain amount and you need to choose a certain amount for your children. You cannot overbook yourself or your kids.
You need to choose activities that do not take you out of the home at the wrong time too often. For example, being gone at dinner on a regular is not a good thing.
You need to choose activities that do not put commitments on your child as if they were a professional athlete or musician when they are only seven. Let your child play sports or be involved in something they love. But not one that requires too much time and commitment at a young age. I highly recommend finding an Upward League or one similar. Your child learns skills and has fun, but not over committed and adding stress to family life.
If it keeps you from family dinners, getting enough rest, time for homework, time to play as a family, time to pray and study God's word together then is it beneficial to you and your child? Do you lose the enjoyment because it adds too much stress? Evaluate the benefits and stress. If the only benefit is the hope of your child possibly becoming the next Troy Aikman or Mozart then maybe they can wait or find another way to learn the skill.

You choose what is important everyday by how you prioritize your life. If you are not prioritizing it but overbooking it, you are missing out on life and most importantly your family and God. Just because the world has chosen to be busy does not mean you have to choose the same. Take a step back. Maybe even become a little old fashion. Choose to enjoy your life, your family, your friends, your God.

De-cluttering: Choosing Not to Justify

Before we get into actual de-cluttering of our life and home, we are going to be honest about our justification of what we allow in our minds, lives and homes. You cannot lose the mess and stress until you stop justifying everything.

For example, a student failed a test. She knew she would be having the test, but after failing it completely blamed the teacher. She said it was not her fault because the teacher did not teach. The question I asked: if she had a book and notes to study. She said yes but chose not to use them. So can she justify failing because she did not have the best teacher, but had all the resources?

A young wife and mom becomes addicted to a TV show about a young single woman. The young woman is living what looks to be the perfect life. She has the cutest and most romantic boyfriend. She is a successful business woman. She spends every night going out and having fun. The young mom never misses an episode and talks about the character all the time like she is a real person. The mom says there is no harm in this show. She justifies watching it because it comes on at 7 p.m. and nothing bad comes on that early. But eventually she is dressing like the character and starts acting like her. Sadly, she eventually even falls for a man and cheats on her husband. After months of justifying the show and denying the effects, her whole life fell apart.

A family has a dream of owning a home. They want a home with lots of room. Due to the easiness of qualifying for a mortgage they buy their dream home even though they know it is really more than they can afford. They justify by saying they will be making more next year or they will use it to serve God by opening it to others. Once they have the home they run up credit cards to buy all new furniture. They justify it again. Now they can never enjoy their home because they are stressing on how to pay all the bills.

A person looks at pornography on the computer. He justifies it as a moment of weakness. A couple years later looks at it again justifying it to himself as a result of stress. But this time a job is lost because of the addiction.

A house is covered in laundry and clutter. In some rooms you can barely walk. A stay at home mom justifies not picking up because she needs to be with the kids. But she watches every Soap Opera that comes on TV.

Credit Card debt is now higher than their income. They are continuing to spend money on things for themselves and for others. They never take the time to have a budget. They live beyond their means. They justify it because they are buying all this stuff because it makes them and their kids happy. Yet they are so miserable now because of the financial stress.

A sixteen year old kid decides after growing up in church, he will no longer go. The parent blames the youth minister for not reaching out enough. But the parent has not one time in sixteen years prayed with their child or spent anytime developing their child's spiritual walk.

All of the above stories are true. I could give a name or names to each of them. You may be able to give names to some of them. It may be your own name.

I share each of the stories for a reason. We as a society have become professionals on justifying our actions. We justify so we do not have to admit we have made a bad choice. We all make bad choices. We have made choices based on what the world says is ok, not God. That alone has become our biggest justification.

I plead with you to not justify anymore actions as we continue to de-clutter. Be sensitive to the Holy Spirit not the lies of the enemy. If you are making an excuse in your head why it is ok to watch a show full of sex scenes then you are trying to justify your actions. If it requires an excuse then you probably need to stop or change what you are doing.

Go back over the questions and the last blog. Choose not to justify, but listen to God and His truth. And the next couple of blogs do the same. Maybe you need to go back and read more again because you were justifying your actions and thoughts.

We must choose to stop justifying and stop this cycle. The next generation has already started justifying their actions, thoughts and even disrespect. If it is not Christ like we cannot justify it any more. And praise God for shedding his blood so we may be forgiven and for His grace.

De-cluttering the Mind

How much is too much? TV? Music? News? Fictional Books? Does it really affect our mind and thoughts? Does fantasy change our reality? Or can we watch and listen to anything without consequences? Is all that info in our minds doing us any good?

We could debate a lot of these things. But for now I want to only approach what is in your mind and see if it needs de-cluttering and reorganization itself.

Answer these questions: how many secular songs can you sing by heart? How many lines can you quote from TV or movies? How many scenes can you reenact or describe in detail? How many passwords and phone numbers are stored in your mind? How many issues are you stressing over in your mind right now? How many scriptures can you quote? How many scriptures enter your mind when facing trials?

If the last two questions have the lowest number then you have a mind that needs de-cluttering. If it is even the same amount then you still have a problem.

Your mind is filled with so much info. Someone has been filling it with something since you were born. But unfortunately somewhere along the way, filling it with God's Word took a back seat. And some of us are really good at memorizing something only for the moment, just long enough to pass the test. Yet, we remember and store in our mind useless or only wanted information. It is time to de-clutter and fill our heads with tools.

1. Choose to memorize scripture.
Either as a family or with a friend. Memorize and engrave God's Word in your mind. Scripture is the sword and you will need it for battle. And you and I both know you will have battles and temptations. Why not be prepared? Would go to war without a weapon? Would you fight a bear or lion with nothing? Of course not. This is not an option either.

2. Choose to limit and/or stop the junk.
I am not going to list specific shows, books or movies. The one thing that is not an option and cannot be justified is porn on any level. If that is filling your mind daily or occasionally, repent and find some accountability to completely avoid it.
If what you watch, read or listen to causes you to lust, covet, stumble, have hatred, sexually impure thoughts, use foul language, or anything that is a sin even if it is just in your mind...stop watching it, stop reading it, stop listening to it.
You may have to check yourself as you watch or read certain things. You may be so acclimated that you do not realize how they cause you to sin. You may covet a relationship on TV, you may think too often of your favorite male character, you may sing a song filled with lustful thoughts because you like the style. The enemy is deceitful and full of tricks. He is using all these things to cause you to sin and bring you further into the world and further away from God. What junk do you need out of your mind?

3. Choose to fill it up with love, truth and joy.
We all too quickly fill our minds with lies. We believe the worst in ourselves, our lives, and others. We must know the truth about who we are in Christ in our minds. We must fill our minds with the truth about His love. And we must fill our minds with everything we have to be thankful for each day.
Put a note on your bathroom mirror or dashboard reminding you of these things. Let them soak up in your mind every day.

4. Choose to give God your burdens and stress.
I hate to ask, but how much time of the day do you and I spend worrying? Why do those worries consume our thoughts? We do not have to carry these burdens. They do not have to consume our every waking moment. When those worries and stresses come, we have to choose not to worry. Lift it up to God in prayer. It may mean every five minutes, but we have to choose to give it to God. We have to trust in Him. We cannot let the worry consume us because we might miss His answer to the problem.

(you can use one of these to memorize first):

Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.

Colossians 3:2

Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.

1 Peter 1:13

Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'^a]">[a]

Matthew 22:37

But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.

2 Corinthians 11:3

²⁵"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? ²⁶Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life^[a]?

²⁸"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. ²⁹Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ³⁰If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? ³¹So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' ³²For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.Matthew 6:25-34

Decluttering: Choosing What Consumes Our Minds, Lives and Homes

First let me apologize for being a week behind. But I am glad to be back and am ready to de-clutter.

We are going to start by taking a survey of what consumes our thoughts, lives and homes. I encourage you to write down your answers or save them on your computer. You will need to look back at them throughout the week. What is filling our minds, lives and homes can strengthen us or cause us a lot of stress. I want to help you find strength instead of mess and stress.

Let's began our survey:

1. What music do you listen to the most? (classical, country, rap, rock, soothing, praise and worship) How much time a day do you listen to it?
2. What do you watch ? (news, comedy, dramas, reality, horror, sci-fi, home channels, educational, sports, youtube, porn)How much time a week do you watch TV, movies, or something on the computer?
3. What do you read? (bible, devotionals, romance, thrillers, drama, true stories, fiction, non-fiction, religious) How much time do you spend reading of each?
4. What type of friends give you the most advice? (non-christian, christian, an active follower of Christ)
5. How much time do you sit and be quiet and listen for God?
6. How much time do you spend at home between 7 am and 10 pm?
7. How much time do you spend driving in the car?
8. How much sleep do you average a night?
9. How many activities besides work and school are you and/or your family members involved in? How many hours does it involve a week? (be accurate it and add it up.)
10. What are your priorities in the week? (extra activities, family, work, school, home, church, etc)
11. If you answered church to number ten, why is it a priority and what are you doing while there?
12. How much time do you exercise in a week?
13. How many sit down family meals do you eat a week?
14. How much time do you take for yourself a week?
15. How much time do you spend picking out clothes? (OK that one was just to be funny)
16. What is on the floors in your house?
17. Where is your laundry?
18. Where do you keep all the movies and video games?
19. How many dirty dishes are in your sink right now?
20. Do you know where the remote is?
21. Can you open a closet door without something falling on you?
22. Where in your house has the most clutter? (bedroom, living room, kitchen, garage)
23. When is the last time you went through things and got rid of things you have not used the past year?
24. What place to you hate to be in your house because of stuff?
25. Do you buy things because you like them or need them? Do you justify why you need them?

I hope you were honest so we can look at these things the next few days. I would love to know some of your answers to help me be more specific the rest of the week. You can anonymously put your answers on comments at the end of the blog. Make sure you answer all questions and are specific. We will began de-cluttering tomorrow.

Coming Soon...

I am so sorry I am running behind on writing this week. I enjoy writing but I have had to take care of a sick little one. I hope by tonight or tomorrow to post this week's study. It will be on Decluttering the mind, life and home.

Choose Today

My favorite movie is "Gone With the Wind." What I love a lot about the movie and Miss Scarlet, she has several flaws. And one of her flaws she still has at the end of the movie. As the love of her life leaves her, she says I cannot think about that today, I will think about it tomorrow. She chooses to put things off and deal with it at another time. Why not choose today?

I want to ask you a question. Have you been reading this blog? Have you been changing your choices? Are you listening to God as he speaks and are you obeying? Or are you waiting? Do you choose to wait? Are you waiting for tomorrow or the next day? Are choosing to put it off? Why not choose today?

Today, you will choose:

1. To talk to God.
2. To read God's Word.
3. To smile.
4. To exercise.
5. To play and have fun.
6. To find joy in God.
7. To eat something healthy.
8. To take fifteen to twenty minutes and do a quick pick up of the house.
9. To discuss and pray about my kids week with my kids.
10. To focus on your blessings.

You already may be griping about the long list. You can talk to God in the car, home or office. I will have scripture for you to read. Smiling comes from finding joy in God and thinking of the blessings in your life. You can exercise and play with the kids while picking up the house. Turn the laundry hamper and toy box into a basketball goal and play away while picking up. You have to eat, just make sure to eat some veggies and fruit. Your kids are going to tell you about the drama of the day. Just lead the discussion on how you can pray for them and find teachable moments in the discussion. It is not hard. It does not take that much time or add anything to your list. Choose today. No more waiting until tomorrow like Miss Scarlet.

Here is a scripture you can use to praise God for who He is and what He has done.

Psalm 96
1 Sing to the LORD a new song;sing to the LORD, all the earth.
2 Sing to the LORD, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day.
3 Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples.
4 For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods.
5 For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the LORD made the heavens.
6 Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and glory are in his sanctuary.
7 Ascribe to the LORD, O families of nations, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
8 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name;bring an offering and come into his courts.
9 Worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness; tremble before him, all the earth.
10 Say among the nations, "The LORD reigns." The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity.
11 Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all that is in it;
12 let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them. Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy;
13 they will sing before the LORD, for he comes, he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in his truth.

Choose Respect

Was it when you looked in the mirror, put on your clothes, fixed your hair, maybe even before you got out of bed, got mad at another, when did you roll your eyes at yourself? How many times in a day do you dislike something about yourself? How many times did it affect your mood?

Too many people, especially women, do not like themselves. You may not like the way you look, the way you act or where you are spiritually. You get mad and become your biggest critic. And some of you have been mad at yourself for so long, you may even be depressed. It is time to get out of this endless cycle of beating ourselves up and make choices that respect ourselves.

It doesn't matter if you are 100 lbs or 600 lbs. It doesn't matter if you picked up a bible yesterday or a year ago. It doesn't matter if the last vegetable you ate was last night or last week. It doesn't matter if your tongue slipped this morning or everyday. Today we will make a choice to respect ourselves. Today we will choose to treat ourselves like a child of God.

My dear sweet friend, you are a daughter or son of God. You are royalty. Your body, mind, heart and soul belong to God. Now, we have to choose to treat ourselves like we are God's child. It is time we should see ourselves as a child of God when we look in the mirror.

1. Choose to exercise, get rest and eat right.
We have discussed the importance of this in a previous blog. I want to say it again. You have to choice to take care of your physical body and health. It affects you. Not just risking the chance of a heart attack but your attitude. Daily exercise with the right nutrients helps you feel better. You have more energy and will be in a better mood. When you look in the mirror you will see a person who takes care of his/her physical health. You will gain respect for yourself.

2. Choose to fill your yourself carefully.
You have to limit the amount of worldly influence on your mind. Be very careful on what and how much you watch. We constantly hear about how skinny models and actors are providing a negative influence. But have you realized how much you might be comparing yourself or your life to a character on TV, in a book or in a movie. You compare your life to another one. You desire to have that spouse, that home, that affair. Your happiness with your own life is measured by how others seem happy in theirs (whether fiction or reality). It is a very sneaky trap that catches us and makes us unhappy with our own lives.
The only thing that is going to fill that emptiness is Christ, not another person or more stuff. You cannot experience true joy without Christ. You need to fill your mind with God's truth. You need to open your heart to God's love and refill it daily.
The longer you keep trying to fill that emptiness with other things, the longer you will feel miserable. You are God's child and need to be filled with your Father's love. It a precious gift from God. Take it.

3. Choose to see forgiveness.
You are human. You have a free will. You will mess up. But once you do, seek forgiveness from Christ and forgive yourself. Do not let the enemy hold it over your head. When you look in the mirror see God's forgiven child, not your past sins.

4. Choose to remember who you are.
When you look in the mirror today, remind yourself that you are a child of God. You are His princess/prince. Now, go live your life today as a child of God.

5. Choose to do these steps daily.
As you began to take care of yourself physically and spiritually, you will feel much better. You will respect yourself because you have made better choices as a child of God.

"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!"

1 John 3:1

"5Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace;"

Romans 8:5-6

Choose love

You know you are to choose to love God with all your heart, soul and mind. You know you are to choose to love your neighbor and your enemies. But today I want to talk about choosing to let yourself be loved.

We want to be loved. Actually we desire greatly to be loved. Yet we have become really good at convincing ourselves we do not deserve to be loved or that no one really loves us. As crazy as it may sound, the reason we feel so unloved may be because of our own choice. (Now if you are in a mentally or physically abusive relationship, it is not your fault and you do not deserve it. You need to get of it and get help from family, friends and authorities if necessary.)

One choice that hinders us from feeling loved is choosing to only focus on how another does not show love to us. They may climb the highest mountain for us most days, but we only remember the time they left us in the pit. Be careful not to be good at only remembering the negative parts of your relationship. Choose to remember the times you know without a doubt they loved you.
In the movie, "Enchanted," a couple is going through a nasty, bitter divorce. Once someone else points out how sad is it that they have forgotten about their love, they finally remember that they love each other and why. Have you become like that couple in a relationship? Do you start to only see their faults in loving you that you stop letting them love you or let yourself be loved by them?

Another choice that hinders us from being loved is choosing to believe the lie of the enemy that we are unlovable. Your past is so bad and too many mistakes have been made that no one can ever really love you. My friend, that is a lie. Yes, you may have made mistakes. You need to seek forgiveness from those affected by your mistakes. But others will still love you. We are all sinners saved by grace. And part of that grace is love.
I want you to hear this loud and clear. No sin can separate you from God's love. He already showed you how much He loves you. Christ paid the price for your sins. He paid the price because He already knew you would make mistakes. He loved you so much that He was willing to take your punishment. He loved you then and loves you today and will love you tomorrow. Choose to believe God over the enemy. You are His daughter/son and He loves you.

When we do not get what we want, we sometimes choose to believe that God or some person does not love us . It may be infertility, finances, unemployment, losing your house or losing a loved one that keeps us from believing God loves us. All of those things are horrible. I am sorry you are facing those trials. Again, it is not because God does not love you. If God did not love you or me, he would have never died for us. God would let us take the punishment of death for our sins. We will face trails and challenges in this life, but those challenges do not reflect His love for us. A Heavenly Father who will comfort the brokenhearted, provide for those in need is how He reflects His love. You may never get the answer you want, but you have to choose to trust in Your Father's love and will for your life. Instead of denying His love, open yourself to receive His love that will help you through your suffering.

1. Choose to see how others love you even in little ways.
2. Choose to remember how much Christ loved you when He hung on the cross.
3. Choose to find strength in His love when facing trials.
4. Choose to feel your Father's arms around you.

Psalm 139
For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.

"1 O LORD, you have searched me

and you know me.
2 You know when I sit and when I rise;

you perceive my thoughts from afar.
3 You discern my going out and my lying down;

you are familiar with all my ways.
4 Before a word is on my tongue

you know it completely, O LORD.
5 You hem me in—behind and before;

you have laid your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,

too lofty for me to attain.
7 Where can I go from your Spirit?

Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;

if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,

if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me,

your right hand will hold me fast.
11 If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me

and the light become night around me,"

12 even the darkness will not be dark to you;

the night will shine like the day,

for darkness is as light to you.
13 For you created my inmost being;

you knit me together in my mother's womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

your works are wonderful,

I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you

when I was made in the secret place.

When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
16 your eyes saw my unformed body.

All the days ordained for me

were written in your book

before one of them came to be.
17 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!

How vast is the sum of them!
18 Were I to count them,

they would outnumber the grains of sand.

When I awake, I am still with you."

"35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered."37No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:35-39

Choose Fun

When is the last time you ran around outside, went on a swing, slid down a slide, played dodgeball, had a silly relay race, colored a coloring book? When is the last time you did something you enjoyed as a kid?

We let life and the stress of life suck the joy out of it. We get too busy with too many responsibilities. And half the time we think we cannot do anything fun because we spent all our money on bills and debt. It is time you choose to have fun.

Turn off the TV and computer and grab your kids, friends and/or spouse for some fun. Play one of your favorite kid games outside. Enjoy the weather. Enjoy the laughing. Enjoy the exercise. Enjoy freedom from stress. Enjoy the fellowship of others. Choose to spend 20-30 minutes being a kid again.

Choosing to have some fun outside in the sun has so many benefits.
1. You are getting exercise which is great for your heart and health. (Great for stress and depression)
2. You are getting Vitamin D from the sun. (Great for stress and depression)
3. You are smiling and laughing which brings joy to others.
4. You are smiling and laughing which brings joy to your own life.
5. You are bonding and connecting with your children and/or spouse. (If done on a consistent basis can build a relationship that has more open communication.)
6. The memories of your fun will stick with you and bring a smile to your face on a stressful day.

Those benefits are too great too resist, so why not choose to have some fun? Let's schedule fun at least once a week. If you can, schedule 15-20 minutes of fun after school or dinner while the weather is nice outside. It is a choice so simple, so cheap, why not choose fun?

Your homework is easy, go have fun outside. Choose fun instead of dwelling on your worries and stress. Choose to enjoy the blessings of your family and friends by having fun with them.

Choose to Smile

Yesterday I decided we would focus on a simple choice, choosing to smile. This morning at 6:30 a.m., when my family of six was suppose to be leaving for school, our van was completely dead. It was too early and there was really no time to call for help. The six of us piled in our little Chevy Aveo; wheelchair, backpacks and all. So, before the sun rose this morning, I had a choice to make. And I had to choose to smile and almost laugh. (And had a family prayer because four kids touching for 45 minutes in a backseat could be dangerous.)

So why should I choose to smile? I have a right to be frustrated. Would it matter if I was frowning or smiling? My choosing to smile would have these results:

1. My kids, including my teenager, would stay calm and for the most part in pretty good spirits for sharing a little backseat.

2. As I began my day subbing, no one would know I had a bad morning. My smile may make them have a better day.

3. I cannot stay in a bad mood or let my stress take charge of my day if I am finding a reason to smile.

4. If I am going to get wrinkles, I do not want them to be ones from frowning.

5. Nobody wants to hear about an amazing God from someone who always has a frown or a grimace.

6. I should choose to smile because I am a sinner saved by grace and have a Heavenly Father who loves me.

It is Monday. Something will probably happen to ruin your day or week. But this time you will choose to still smile. Your face can show the world your stress or your face can show others the joy you have in Christ. Let's choose to smile :):):):):):):)


This is the passage I read this morning. The key verse was 34:19. It made me smile.

"1 I will extol the LORD at all times;

his praise will always be on my lips.
2 My soul will boast in the LORD;

let the afflicted hear and rejoice.
3 Glorify the LORD with me;

let us exalt his name together.
4 I sought the LORD, and he answered me;

he delivered me from all my fears.
5 Those who look to him are radiant;

their faces are never covered with shame.
6 This poor man called, and the LORD heard him;

he saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him,

and he delivers them.
8 Taste and see that the LORD is good;

blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.
9 Fear the LORD, you his saints,

for those who fear him lack nothing.
10 The lions may grow weak and hungry,

but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.
11 Come, my children, listen to me;

I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
12 Whoever of you loves life

and desires to see many good days,
13 keep your tongue from evil

and your lips from speaking lies.
14 Turn from evil and do good;

seek peace and pursue it.
15 The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous

and his ears are attentive to their cry;
16 the face of the LORD is against those who do evil,

to cut off the memory of them from the earth.
17 The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them;

he delivers them from all their troubles.
18 The LORD is close to the brokenhearted

and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
19 A righteous man may have many troubles,

but the LORD delivers him from them all;
20 he protects all his bones,

not one of them will be broken.
21 Evil will slay the wicked;

the foes of the righteous will be condemned.
22 The LORD redeems his servants;

no one will be condemned who takes refuge in him."

Psalm 34

No Condemnation

To end this week, I want to review one thing. It does not matter how many bad choices you have made or how bad the choice was. God loves you and forgives you.

There is no condemnation in Christ. He will convict you of your sin so you will turn from it. But please, please remember there is no condemnation.

"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death." Romans 8:1

"17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him" John 3:17

As we talked the other day, you need to confess and repent. Let the blood of Jesus wash you clean. Accept His grace and forgiveness. Please be sensitive to conviction of the Holy Spirit, but let the enemy have no hold by believing his condemnation.

My sweet friend, you are not worthless. You life is not a waste. Your past does not make it too late to live for Christ. Your mistakes do not make you a bad parent or spouse. Yes, you and I may have lost sight of God and His plan and purpose. We have fallen into a trap of worldly desires. We may have even hurt the ones we loved by our choices. But your Father is standing there with open arms. He loves you. He will forgive you. He will take our messes and use them and us to glorify Him. Even if you do not know how to, begin to pray. Just fall on your knees, fall on your face and humble yourself before God.

"26In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. 27And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will." Romans 8:26-27

"28And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28

My sweet friend, you were chosen by God. You were created in His image. Nothing you do will separate you from Him.

"29For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.
31What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered." 37No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:29-38

Hopefully, you already made the choice to make Christ the Lord of your life. (If not please contact me so we can talk.) Your biggest choice was to accept Christ as your personal Lord and Savior. Now choose to accept that forgiveness. Choose to believe His word. Trust me, I know He can use someone who has made really bad choices. I am a sinner. I made too many bad choices. But I am a daughter of Christ. I have been forgiven. Now what was intended to tear my life apart, God is choosing to use to teach others. He never stopped loving me. He waited for me to return to Him. He is waiting for you. He wants you to choose Him first above everything else. He is not waiting to condemn, but to forgive. Let Him forgive. Let Him love you. Stop running because of the enemy's condemnation. Make the choice to accept forgiveness and live your life for Christ.

7 The law of the LORD is perfect,

reviving the soul.

The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy,

making wise the simple.
8 The precepts of the LORD are right,

giving joy to the heart.

The commands of the LORD are radiant,

giving light to the eyes.
9 The fear of the LORD is pure,

enduring forever.

The ordinances of the LORD are sure

and altogether righteous.
10 They are more precious than gold,

than much pure gold;

they are sweeter than honey,

than honey from the comb.
11 By them is your servant warned;

in keeping them there is great reward.
12 Who can discern his errors?

Forgive my hidden faults.
13 Keep your servant also from willful sins;

may they not rule over me.

Then will I be blameless,

innocent of great transgression.
14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart

be pleasing in your sight,

O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.

Psalm 19: 7-14

Choosing to realze your little choices lead to consequences

A fifteen year old boy lies in a hospital bed in critical condition. His body burned and he will be fighting for his life for some time. The five teenage boys who did this to him are pleading not guilty. They made the choice to set him on fire and none of them at any point in time chose to help him. It is obvious that they made a bad choice but their lawyers are saying not guilty. I am a little confused.

A mom is about to have a nervous breakdown. They have more money going out than coming in. Her teenage daughter may be sexually active, but she cannot communicate with her. They have not had a family dinner since school started because of 4 nights a week they have football practice, plus games on Saturdays and another child has soccer three nights a week and games twice a week. She feels sick and weak and has not had a well balanced meal or exercised in several weeks. She does not understand why everything is falling apart. Everything she has done has been for her family. Is she seeing the little choices she made that has led to these consequences?

Let's do a little evaluation of your life. This is not to condemn or to judge. I want you to be able to see the choices you are making and which ones are adding to your stress. If you feel condemnation, remember it is of the devil. The Holy Spirit will convict and you have to be open to listen.

1. Are you starting every day with prayer and giving the day to God before you get out of bed?
2. Are you finding time to be read and study His word? Are you doing it on a consistent basis?
3. Do you exercise at least 3-5 times a week?
4. Are you eating healthy foods? Do you eat veggies, get your protein?
5. Do you have time as a family to pray, worship, eat, relax together?
6. Do you look forward to being home or despise it because the house is such a mess?
7. Do you sit down and eat together and communicate more than three times a week?
8. Are you (and spouse) the main spiritual leader of each other and your children? Or is it the church?
9. Do you spend more money on your kids needs or wants? Do you look for the best deal?
10. By where you spend your time and money, what is the most important priority in your life? your kids?
11. Do you pray with your spouse and/or kids? Do you ask how you can pray for them? Do they know you pray for them?
12.Is your debt because you lost a job or emergency medical expenses? Or is it because you wanted things like a bigger house, more stuff, or just wanted new things?
13. How often do you praise God?
14. How much of your stress is from these choices? Or what stress will you have because of these choices?

Over the past several weeks we have discussed what choices we should be making and how we should be answering these questions. Continuing to make the same choices is going to lead to the same consequences. You have to realize that the same little choice made over and over again has consequences.

One example is your children. If studies are correct, by the time your child is 13 years old, habits and morals are already established. It will be harder to change them. By the time they are eighteen, it is even less likely and harder to change habits and morals. So if you do not start to make choices now that will train your child spiritually, it is going to get harder. And if you think taking them to church is enough, another study says when they go to college they are more likely not to attend church. And I don't think any of us want our child to only turn to God after they hit rock bottom as an adult. Some of us have been there. You have a choice to make spiritual training in your home a priority and your choice will have long term consequences. What will you choose? (And if you are not parent a now, the minute you become one, please start from the day you bring them home by reading the Bible or a devotional to them.)

Another example is your health. If you choose to continue to put off exercise and eating right, you will face consequences. You may already be facing those consequences. Your body will eventually have health complications from the choices you are making. You cannot continue to ignore the consequences that will come form your choices.

Another example is your home. You make the simple choice not pick up at the end of the day or put that load of laundry up. It seems like no big deal. But after several days of that same choice. You are overwhelmed and frustrated because your house is a mess. You get in a bad mood and we know what the consequence is for you family. Choosing to spend 15 minutes picking up or watching TV has consequences.

I could go on and on with examples. But it is very simple, the little choices you make everyday will have consequences. They may start out small, but making those same little choices daily will lead to bigger consequences. You can plead not guilty, but eventually the truth will show in the consequences. Remember, what may be a choice for you is really not an option so choose wisely.

"4You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. 5Or do you think Scripture says without reason that the spirit he caused to live in us envies intensely?6But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."
7Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up....

13Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." 14Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." 16As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. 17Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins....

13Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. 14Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. 16Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
17Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. 18Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops. 19My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, 20remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins."

James 4:4-10,13-17; 5:13-20

So, how do we make the right choices and avoid negative consequences? Remember these things as James said:

1. Choose God over the world (in how you spend your time and money)

2. Choose to admit your sins (remember grace)

3. Choose to praise Him (even for the little things)

4. Choose prayer (for yourself and others)

5. Choose to lead others (friends, family, children) to God - not away

Making choices after a bad choice

So you took a bite of the apple or you at least got a lick, the consequences have started. What do you do now? Do you choose to hide or do you choose to do something?

If you have not already figured it out or are in deep denial, you cannot hide from God or the consequences. Which means choosing to hide is not an option. You cannot hide from your debt, your marriage, your kids, your home, your physical health and especially not God. You will have to face consequences. You now have to make other choices. What should you choose?

1. Choose to repent.
We usually like to justify our bad choices. We like to justify them by putting the blame on others or by saying we did not know better. Don't justify; just repent. Even when others may be partially to blame, you made the choice to act the way you did. You have to choose to admit your wrong doing. You have to repent to God and anyone affected by your bad choice. And if you are a parent, that means asking forgiveness from your child if he/she is affected by the consequences. God will forgive and more than likely your child, your spouse or your friend will forgive a true repentance. It may take time, but they usually will.

2. Choose to accept forgiveness and grace.
This step is harder for me. I can ask for forgiveness a lot easier than I can forgive myself. I know how much God loves me. I know how amazing His grace is. I know His love is unconditional. I know He forgives me. But I let the enemy convince me time and time again how unworthy I am and that I have messed up too much. And I am unworthy. I deserve death for my sins, but Christ already took that punishment. Tears come to my eyes as I think about what He did for me on that cross. So why do I, we, deny ourselves by not accepting His forgives and grace completely? Why do we think what we have done is too bad? The verses, "Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me," and "Oh how He loves you, Oh how He loves me, Oh how He loves you and me," and "What can make me whole again, nothing but the blood of Jesus," come to mind right now. Grace has been given to us. He loves you and me. His blood washes away our sins and makes us whole again. I believe it, I know you believe it. Now lets please choose to accept it. Let's not deny the gift that has been given to us. Choose not to believe the lies but the truth.

3. Choose now to make a choice that is in God's will
We made a bad choice. We will face certain consequences. But it is never too late to make a choice and get our lives back in God's will.

If it has been bad financial choices, you must choose to give your finances to God. You give to Him first and make a commitment to get out of debt. You take care of your needs first. Your wants will have to wait until you are out of debt. And even when spending money on needs, please do it wisely. Budget your needs. Spend wisely. Now there are many great biblical studies out there on finances. I encourage you to find one if you need help.

If it's choices that have put your marriage in jeopardy, then please seek biblical counseling. Please choose to pray together. Choose to communicate. Choose to forgive each other. If your spouse is not a believer, you may have to seek counseling alone and pray alone. But choose to do those things.

If it is an addiction to pornography, please seek help and put software on your computer to prevent it. Most importantly get software that lets someone else see what you are doing on the computer and hold you accountable.

If it is choices that have hurt your children, please choose to communicate with your children. Choose to share about God's grace. Choose to pray together. They are smart even when they are little. You can teach them as you learn from your own lessons.

If it is jealousy and meanness that has gotten a hold of you, you have to choose to look at what God has done, is doing and will do for you. You have to choose to put your focus back on God, not on others.

Whatever bad choice you have made, you can repent and give your life to God. Please choose to do so. There is nothing that cannot be forgiven and healed. God forgives. You have to choose to not repeat the bad choices, but make the wise choice and be obedient.

"16"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. 19This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God." John 3:16-21

"11In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. 14For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace." Romans 6:11-14

"19I put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness. 20When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. 21What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! 22But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. 23For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in[ Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 6:19-23

What consequence will your choice have?

Parents cannot qualify for their child's college loan because they have made bad financial choices over the past ten years and have acquired too much debt.



A student refuses to go to church because a bi-vocational pastor/teacher chose to call them stupid because they have a learning disability.



Your teenage daughter becomes sexual activity because you chose to deny that it could happen to your child and chose not to communicate.



Your marriage is falling apart because you chose not to share your true feelings and hurts so they can be resolved.



Sometimes our choices have immediate consequences. Other times the consequence comes later. And at times there are both an immediate consequence and later consequences.



Too much debt is an immediate consequence but other consequences continue to happen as a result.



As a christian, when you choose to talk down to another, they may be hurt but the long term consequence could keep them from knowing Christ because they feel judged by Christians.



Choosing not to have open communication with your child may not have consequences until he/she is a teenager and refuses to talk to you.



Choosing not to let your spouse know that the little things hurt you may not have consequences until you blow up after several years and walk out of your marriage.



The choices you make today will have positive or negative consequences. Some of you may be in the middle of dealing with some unpleasant consequences. You may have a choice to make today. Have you thought about the consequences of that choice?



As I read Facebook statuses I see a lot people looking at buying a house, a new or used car, looking for employment. These are all major choices. First of all, you should pray about any major decision. All these choices have long term consequences. Are you thinking about the immediate positive consequences or are you thinking long term consequences? Is that new house that gives everybody their own space going to hinder you from helping your child go to college or maybe just keep you from having funds to provide for them? In this economy right now, can you choose to be picky about your job choices? Is it better to wait for the ideal job or settle for a lesser job?



What about the choices you make for your children? Are there long term consequences? You have choices on discipline, spiritual development, reading to them, schooling, what they watch, where they go and where they live. What has short and what has long term consequences? I see and listen to many teenagers who are facing consequences of their parents choices. It is really sad at times.



It is so easy to justify our choices or only see the positive side. In this world where it is all about "I", we make choices to make "I" happy. We have become accustomed to it. We have got to put our focus back in the right place before we make choices. We have to start admitting there are consequences for our choices and they not only affect us but others.

1. We go back to the beginning and remember to choose God daily. We most likely will not be sensitive to the Spirits leading if we do not spend time with God.

2. When faced with a choice we must take the time to think of all the consequences and who it affects. (Sometimes God may call your family to pick up and move. It may seem like a negative consequence for your child. But if God is calling, you have to trust Him and teach your child to trust Him.)

3. Pray, pray, pray. I am not talking about asking God to give you a new car or a new house. Bring your needs and wants before God, but be still and listen to Him answer.

4. And remember one simple thing: Does your choice glorify God (personally, physically, in your home or work)?

Eve did not realize choosing to eat that apple would cause all women to have pain in child labor. What choice are you making that might cause pain? Be careful, the enemy is trying to entice you to make a choice that seems yummy, but there will be consequences and possibly not just for you.

"1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?"
2 The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.' "
4 "You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. 5 "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the LORD God called to the man, "Where are you?"
10 He answered, "I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid."
11 And he said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?"
12 The man said, "The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it."
13 Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate."
14 So the LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, "Cursed are you above all the livestock and all the wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life.
15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers;he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel."
16 To the woman he said, "I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you."
17 To Adam he said, "Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, 'You must not eat of it,' "Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.
18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field.
19 By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return." Genesis 3:1-19

You will have to make a choice. Will your choice be to be obedient or will you be persuaded by the enemy? And who is affected by that choice? Will you ever really know?

Consequences of Choices

What you choose today will...

Today I listened to my sister speak to junior high and high school students about why they should wait till they are married to have sex. She told them about consequences they never thought about if they choose not to wait.

Last night I watched a drama show how one person's choice can have consequences for so many.

Why is realizing our choices have consequences so hard to learn? Why do we think it won't happen to us? Why do we ignore the fact that our choices have consequences for others too? Why do we blame others for the choices we make? Others may try to influence, but isn't the choice ours?

We have to choose to take responsibility for our choices. We can no longer blame everything on everyone else. Once we admit it was our own choice then we are probably going to be more likely to change and make a better choice next time. You may have had bad parents, you may have had not the best of friends, maybe even your pastor was a bad example for you, but none of them forced you to make your choices. If anything, hopefully their bad choices help you to make better ones for yourself.

Before we go any further in this study, I want you to ask yourself who are you still blaming for your choices? Do you blame your lack of time with God on your kids? Do you blame your marriage problems only on your spouse? Do you blame your bad grade on your teacher? Do you blame your teenagers rebellion on the youth minister?

Take time and look back at the choices we need to make and what you need to do to make those choices. Today choose to take responsibility for your choices and stop blaming something or someone else. You have a choice, what will it be and how will it affect yourself and others? It is your choice; others only influence.

Choosing to have Spiritual Training in the home

If we were to evaluate time, money and energy spent on you child, what would you be spending it on? Sports, Academics, Music, Video games, computers, anything to keep them out of your hair? Did you even think about their spiritual lives? If each one of us spent as much time, money and energy on our children's spiritual training as we do on other things for them, what would this next generation be like?

"4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. 5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates." Deuteronomy 6:4-9

In the movie, "My Big Fat Greek Wedding", the main character talked about how she never was a girl scout because she had to go to Greek school. She was immersed in her Greek heritage. Maybe we should be a little more like the crazy dad and use every opportunity to teach and train in God's Word. It should be the most important thing to us as parents.

Kids start at a younger age in athletics, dance and music training. Parents start their three year old in it so by the time they are seven maybe they will be an all star or first string in high school. What if we choose to make their spiritual training important from the start so they will be prepared when they get in upper elementary and definitely prepared for the teen years. If God's truth has not been impressed on them, it will make those years difficult.

We have to choose from a young age to schedule time and provide the resources to train our child(ren). If you have not chosen it in the past, you must choose to start now. It cannot wait anymore. It is not an option. You have to choose to schedule time to be home together so you can train them. You have to choose to make this more important than homework and extra curricular activities. You have to choose to show you care about the most important part of your child's future, their relationship with Christ.

Think a minute about your own childhood. Did you have any spiritual training? Was your training being dropped off at the church? Did you have to get yourself to church? Did you even know your parents cared about your spiritual training? Was dinner time the only time you prayed as a family? Do you wish someone would have made your relationship with Christ the most important thing? Do you wish it would have been impressed on you from a very young age?

You can choose to start a cycle of being a Deuteronomy 6 parent. You can choose to make your child's walk with Christ the most important thing in their life. But you have to choose to make it a priority with your time (schedule), money and energy.

1. Choose to schedule a daily time of praying and reading an age appropriate devotional.

Read it to them or as they get older let them read it and discuss it.

2. Choose to provide materiel for their training.

You can purchase books, go online or buy cd's.

www.biblegateway.com is perfect for a teen who lives on the computer. It is a bible online and even has a mobile phone version.

Preschool and early elementary: "My Very First Devotional Bible", "Sweet Dreams Princess", God's Little Princess Devotional Bible" (I think there is one for boys too.)

Older Elem: Bible Magazines have great reading plans and devotionals, "Mean Girls"

Teenagers: "7 Minutes With God" (there are more in the series), Every Young Man's (or young Woman's) Battle

Check to see if your church's curriculum had resources for parents to buy to supplement at home.

3.Choose to sit down at home to pray and talk about God.

We all want our child to be the next great athlete, musician or genius. But please want most of all for your child to have an active, growing relationship with Christ.

4. Choose to free up your schedule so you can train your child.

You may have to give up a TV show, only have one extra curricular activity for your child or yourself. You have to choose to schedule around school; why would their spiritual training be any less.

5. Choose to do the most important thing for your child.

You want to... now choose to.