There I Go Again...

"If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall." - 1 Cor. 10:12



This is me...no not really, but this is what I do...I fall on my face. Sometimes I think I fall on my face more than I stand. All it takes is one moment of weakness & BAM! the Devil moves in. He throws that temptation your way...whatever it is that gets you. It might be your temper or attitude, drugs or alcohol, or sexual temptation.
"Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. " - 1 Peter 5:8
The devil is a stalker. He watches us & waits until we are at our weakest and most vulnerable point & he pounces! I hate the devil! He can't make us sin by giving into temptation, but he sure can throw the temptation at us. Then we find ourselves face down after a hard fall. I am so thankful for God's great mercy and his amazing Love. He is so patient with me even though I don't deserve it.
I'm so ready for heaven! No more falling on my face.
"But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness."- 1 John 1:9
I'm so glad that all I have to do is ask God for his forgiveness & really be sorry for what I've done & he will forgive me. & if he'll do it for me, he will most definately do it for you. (Although that doesn't give us a license to sin)
So if you're like me, an imperfect human trying to be like a perfect God & you find yourself falling on your face more than you're willing to admit, just remember God is faithful & he is more than willing to forgive us, pick us up, set our feet on the right path, & give us the strength to fight against temptation. I am so thankful! Aren't you?

You've Got the Power...Now Use It!

2 Peter 1:3-11
³ By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. ⁴ And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.
⁵ In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, ⁶ and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, ⁷ and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone.
⁸ The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ But those who fail to develop in this way are shortsighted or blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their old sins.
¹⁰ So, dear brothers and sisters, work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen. Do these things, and you will never fall away. ¹¹ Then God will give you a grand entrance into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.




God has equipped us with everything we need to live a godly life. (Through the Holy Spirit) We received it when we were called to him & believed through his "marvelous glory and excellence."
That "glory and excellence" came with a promise of Christ's divine nature. (He lived as a man and was tempted in every way, but he overcame.) The promise given is that we can be overcomers too and will "escape the world's corruption."
Knowing that God has given this promise to overcome and has given us all we need to do that;we have to do our part and TRY!! "Make every effort to respond to God's promises" and he goes on to take us step by step through that process...the growth process-growing to be more Christ-like.
The more you grow, the more effective you'll be in the kingdom(that makes complete sense).
If you don't grow you'll die (spiritually)
"Work hard"...This growth & the process required takes time. It won't be easy. Temptations may get harder, but he won't put more on us than we can stand and he always offers an escape (1 Cor. 10:13). It's up to you to  use that escape. But if you're trying and working hard "you will never fall away". (BTW-trying isn't living however you want and going to church and asking forgiveness just to walk out and do it again)
Then the prize! HEAVEN!!!! AN ETERNITY WITH JESUS!!! It's gonna be worth every struggle and fight...every laugh or mocking remark from those around us. Heaven- JESUS is worth it!

Just like when you have a job and work hard all week to get that paycheck on Friday...Heaven is our paycheck, but on a much larger scale.
"Work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen."
It's not always easy but when you accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, and received his Holy Spirit, you were equipped with the power to work hard and overcome the sin and corruptions of this world. You've got the power...you just gotta us it!!!

His Grace Still Amazes Me!!!

This year is past it's halfway point & I already know this is a year I will NEVER forget. I've made my share of mistakes (& plenty more than my share), but God is so good. I've learned alot about God's love for me & I am so thankful that there is nothing that can seperate me from his love...no matter what I have done he always will love me. There's no such thing as going too far that God can't reach you...God has an unlimited long distance plan with his love lol :)
I've learned so much about what true friendship is & I'm so blessed. Some people go through their whole life never knowing what it is to have a true friend....a friend who is there no matter what...praises with you in the good times and prays with you & for you in the bad times...a friend who shows the kinda love that only God could show...I AM BLESSED!
And I've learned alot about family. You may not agree with everything and everyone but no matter what you do, they're still your family & God has trusted you to that family for some reason. We may not understand it, but God doesn't make mistakes so yeah your family is your family for some reason lol...just accept it haha. But seriously you can run away, change your name, etc but you won't erase the fact that they are still your family & whether you believe it or see it all the time they do love you.
Yeah that's just a little bit of what I've learned. But the most important is that I've learned about Forgiveness. God has forgiven so many times & I just took it for granted...I took his grace for granted, but I see now just how amazing his grace really is! It's not just an insurance policy for heaven so that when I "mess up" I can make things right with God. Grace is a priviledge...not a right! God doesn't have to pour his grace out on us but he chooses to because he loves us & boy, am I ever thankful for that! Without God's grace I would be in an eternal burning hell, but through his grace I am forgiven, and by his grace I can overcome the temptations of this world and one day enter into an eternity of God's presence...HEAVEN! So I think about that song "Amazing Grace" alot lately & I am humbled. I don't deserve it...I'm so not worthy, but he loves me anyways. & he wants to be with me & have a relationship with me so badly that he is willing to forgive me...a sinner & teach me how to do what pleases him. I'm not perfect, far from it really. Like the old saying says..."I'm just a sinner saved by grace"..."not perfect, just forgiven" So to bring all my rambling to an end...

"Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now I'm found, was blind but now I see.
Twas grace that taught my heart to fear and grace my fears relieved. How precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed.
Through many dangers toils and snares, I have already come. Tis grace that brought me safe this far and grace will lead me on.
When we've been there ten-thousand years, bright shining as the sun. We know less days to sing God's praise than when we first begun."
I had to write this one in red b/c it reminds me of the blood of Jesus & without that blood...this Forgiveness and Grace wouldn't be possible. Thank you, Jesus for the sacrifice you gave so that I could be saved.

Wake up!

^{Romans 13:11-14
11} This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. ¹² The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living. ¹³ Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see. Don’t participate in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in quarreling and jealousy. ¹⁴ Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.

My heart is broken for those around me who have lost everything, some including their life. As the tornados ripped through Alabama Wednesday evening my family was spared. I know God had his hand of protection on us. The days following, I look around & I see chaos. It's as if the world has ended. People rushing to get gas & food as if it's the last bit of food the earth will see. I can't help but think of the day that is coming that will make this past week seem like nothing. What will the chaos be when millions of people vanish off the earth? Yes, I'm talking about the rapture.That event that will happen in the moment, in the blink of an eye & it's over. That moment when Jesus steps out on the clouds to call all those who believe and are faithful followers of him. Those who have decided to die daily to their flesh & strive for holiness. Are you one of those who will be raptured out of here? Will you hear that trumpet sound? Or will you be left here to look around and see that so many of your friends and family have vanished without a trace? The chaos we experience now is nothing compared to what it will be then. Cars crashing because their drivers have disappeared. Airplanes crashing because the pilot has vanished or those in the air traffic control room aren't there to direct the planes...no they won't be sleeping on the job this time, friend; they will be gone! I can't wait for that day because I know without even a shadow of a doubt that my heart is ready for eternity. My soul cries for the day when I will be at my savior's feet in worship for at least the first 10,000 years; completely unaware of the events taking place on earth. Believe me, friend, you want to go with me. You don't wanna stick around for the next few years on this earth. Make your heart ready! If you don't know Jesus as the Lord of your life and your personal savior, please ask him to become that for you. If you have known the Lord, but decided to live your life however you want, come back to the Lord. Renew your love for Christ and live everyday as if it were the day Jesus was coming back. Time is running out! Jesus could come back today! Even if you've heard this all your life, please...I beg you please, believe me it's true & time is running out. Jesus is standing at the edge of heaven waiting for the Father to tell him to come get his church & bride. Do everything you have to do to make sure you are ready to go.

Matthew 24:4-44
⁴ Jesus told them, “Don’t let anyone mislead you, ⁵ for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah.’ They will deceive many. ⁶ And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately. ⁷ Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. ⁸ But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come.
 ⁹ “Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers. ¹⁰ And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other. ¹¹ And many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people. ¹² Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold. ¹³ But the one who endures to the end will be saved. ¹⁴ And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then the end will come.
 ¹⁵ “The day is coming when you will see what Daniel the prophet spoke about—the sacrilegious object that causes desecration standing in the Holy Place.” (Reader, pay attention!) ¹⁶ “Then those in Judea must flee to the hills. ¹⁷ A person out on the deck of a roof must not go down into the house to pack. ¹⁸ A person out in the field must not return even to get a coat. ¹⁹ How terrible it will be for pregnant women and for nursing mothers in those days. ²⁰ And pray that your flight will not be in winter or on the Sabbath. ²¹ For there will be greater anguish than at any time since the world began. And it will never be so great again. ²² In fact, unless that time of calamity is shortened, not a single person will survive. But it will be shortened for the sake of God’s chosen ones.
 ²³ “Then if anyone tells you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah,’ or ‘There he is,’ don’t believe it. ²⁴ For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform great signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God’s chosen ones. ²⁵ See, I have warned you about this ahead of time.
 ²⁶ “So if someone tells you, ‘Look, the Messiah is out in the desert,’ don’t bother to go and look. Or, ‘Look, he is hiding here,’ don’t believe it! ²⁷ For as the lightning flashes in the east and shines to the west, so it will be when the Son of Man comes. ²⁸ Just as the gathering of vultures shows there is a carcass nearby, so these signs indicate that the end is near.
 ²⁹ “Immediately after the anguish of those days,
   the sun will be darkened,
      the moon will give no light,
   the stars will fall from the sky,
      and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.
 ³⁰ And then at last, the sign that the Son of Man is coming will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning among all the peoples of the earth. And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. ³¹ And he will send out his angels with the mighty blast of a trumpet, and they will gather his chosen ones from all over the world—from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven.
 ³² “Now learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branches bud and its leaves begin to sprout, you know that summer is near. ³³ In the same way, when you see all these things, you can know his return is very near, right at the door. ³⁴ I tell you the truth, this generation will not pass from the scene until all these things take place. ³⁵ Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear.
 ³⁶ “However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows.
 ³⁷ “When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. ³⁸ In those days before the flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat. ³⁹ People didn’t realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes.
 ⁴⁰ “Two men will be working together in the field; one will be taken, the other left. ⁴¹ Two women will be grinding flour at the mill; one will be taken, the other left.
 ⁴² “So you, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know what day your Lord is coming. ⁴³ Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would keep watch and not permit his house to be broken into. ⁴⁴ You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.

Don't be left behind!
Have questions? Email me... tiffo4891@aim.com

How Great is our God - Alberto & Kimberly Rivera

I love this version of this song!

Baby, It's Cold Outside!!!

We got some snow over Alabama last night and of course I had to go out and play. I'm in Cullman right now so we definately got a little more than others. Here are some pics...

Last night around 7:00

Last night about 1 hour later

Josh and Bekah making a little snowman

Bekah finishing the snowman and Emma supervising lol



The snow is so pretty!!!



 

SNOWBALL FIGHT!!!

Me, Bekah and Joshua made a bigger snowman lol...

New Year's Resolution

Why do we make resolutions at the beginning of every year? We say we are going to lose weight, exercise, save more money, etc... but how many of us really stick to it? I've decided that I'm not going to make any resolutions this year. I'm gonna just try to be the best me I can be (which is what I've been trying to do anyways). If you wanna make your resolutions go ahead. I'm not saying anything is wrong with that, but it's just not for me. I do hope everyone has a blessed 2011.