Jots & Tittles

The Snare of Deception...

2009-10-23T19:44:00.000-07:00

Mat 5:20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Seems that everywhere we turn today there is another churchgoing person who is indulging in immorality. It used to be that if one was commiting fornication or adultery that most people would hide the fact. Today, churchgoing folk are “coming out of the closet” all over the place and proclaiming their rights to indulge AND to continue the fellowship with the saints. They expect to be embraced and continue in the worship team, and they expect to continue ministry amongst the saints.

Such deception, and all done in the light too. For someone like myself, who loves to bring the love of Christ to the unbeliever, it is hard to explain these behaviours to the world. But explain it to the world I must. My heart grieves when my Masters name is smeared before the world. I know that Satan wants to smear Jesus Christ name and so deceive and turn many away from having salvation through the blood of Jesus.

If you are not a Christ follower the truth is that God does not accept the sin of sexual immorality, being fornication or adultery. God sent His son Jesus to die on the cross and shed His blood for the sins of all humanity. For God did not send his Son to condemn the world, but that the world through Him would be saved. God loves you and you are special to Him, so much so that Jesus paid with His own blood so that you can have thorough and sure forgiveness of sin today and go into eternity with Him. You will have peace with God and peace through your whole being and you will become a new creature in Christ.

If you are reading this and you say that you ARE a follower of Jesus and you openly practice sexual immorality you are smearing the name of Christ. You need to get the fear of God in your life. Please don’t use the name of Jesus right along with your immoral sex life. My heart breaks as I write this. God’s heart breaks for you because you are deceived. The bible clearly commands us to abstain from any kind of sexual immorality. Furthermore, the bible commands us to keep away from all “appearances of evil”. This means that we are not to look ANYWHERE near practicing immorality!

God loves you and does not want you to pay the price for your sin, for the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life. Call out to God and ask Him to open your eyes and give you a heart of deep repentance. Jesus says that Satan comes to steal to kill and to destroy. Satan is destroying your life, right before your eyes. Your peace is taken away. Choose life, and that more abundantly. Jesus did not come into the world to condemn the world. Condemn means to judge essentially. God is in the business of saving you from the ravages of sin. His mercies are new every morning. But does God love those in the snare of sexual immorality? Oh absolutely! He loves them without reserve, but someone has to pay the price for the sin. Either you will pay the price, or you can have your sins covered by the blood of the Lamb.

Your life may end tonight, and what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his own soul?

As Jesus often says throughout the gospels……… “YOUR SINS ARE FORGIVEN, GO AND SIN NO MORE”.

Sarah

Trying the Patience. :)

2009-10-17T23:13:00.001-07:00

Just a quick thanks for everyones patience, since I keep fiddling with my blog and changing the templates over and over. ((((sigh))))...one day I'll make up my mind.
Sarah

The Fall of an Empire.

2009-10-16T22:06:00.000-07:00

Just to make note of this thing, and so that this is documented. From my recollection I have shared this before but the website it was on has closed down.

In early year 2008, God showed me that the empire of the United States of America will come crashing down with a thunderous crash that will reverberate throughout the whole world. A fall so mighty and so thorough, such as the modern world has not seen yet. Trust God.

Psa 20:6 Now know I that the LORD saveth his anointed; he will hear him from his holy heaven with the saving strength of his right hand.
Psa 20:7 Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God.
Psa 20:8 They are brought down and fallen: but we are risen, and stand upright.
Psa 20:9 Save, LORD: let the king hear us when we call.

Sarah

Giving Honour Where It is Due...

2009-10-12T23:48:00.000-07:00

Today a great man of God passed into eternity. And as it happens with all great men and women of God the angels became hushed and still as one more entered into eternity with Christ, forever and forever to reign with Him.

So I would like to take the time to give honour to Chris Klicka and his life he lived, greatly impacting the homeschooling movement in North America, and around the world too. We thank the Lord for allowing us the privilege of having Chris serve in our times.

May Chris’ life greatly impact his children to produce great fruit in their lives also. More so even, that they will experience the power of God’s love for them and toward them in this hour of great loss and grief. Knowing the God that we serve He will not leave one of them till they can stand on their own once again. My heartfelt condolences to the Klicka family, and my prayers will be with the Klicka family for some time.

Well done thou good and faithful servant, Chris Klicka, well done.
http://www.hslda.org/docs/news/200910050.asp

At this link you will see what a great man Chris was. A wonderful testimony and legacy he leaves behind, which I’m sure will produce great fruit for the Lord. This video is dated mid May 2009, from what I can tell.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SBJjc45sg8

God bless,
Sarah

Faint not!

2009-10-09T15:00:00.000-07:00

Gal 6:9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

If ever there was a bible verse that fit the homeschooling parent like a glove, this would be one of them.

Raising children in the homeschool setting requires a tenacity, probably like no other, in the lives of us homeschooling parents.

Year after year passes and we still find ourselves deep in the trenches, sleeves rolled up and slogging away at the same job, mostly. Sure there are times of change, the children get older, we get older, the curriculum is in greater depth etc, but the foundations remain the same. The foundations are the heart of the child and how we shepherd them. There is one thing that is changing though, and that is the world around us. What society, and within the churches, found unacceptable 13yrs ago has today become acceptable. There is a pressure from the world (and lowering standards in the churches and youth groups) around us to force us to conform to the ways of the world. After all, isn’t it a little “old fashioned” to not accept the more new and the modern way?

The other pressure is from within the home. I find myself forever reminding myself to stand strong on the principles that my hubby and I stood on for my teens when they were young. The question is if I didn’t find a certain amount of video watching acceptable 10yrs ago, why would I find it acceptable now for my younger children? If video games were an activity that we found unacceptable 10yrs ago why would be inviting video games into the home now? What has changed? Certainly not the act of video game playing? Therefore, it stands to reason that if I allow my younger children to play video games in the home, then I’m the one that has changed? There is a temptation within the home to bow the knee to those things we previously would never had bowed to. The truth is, as we get further into the homeschooling years we can get slack in our calling and begin to reason around the principles that we once held dear to our hearts in the beginning.

This can be the demise of us homeschooling parents, the fainting before the end. We need to stand strong, and doggedly refuse to bow the knee to anything that will distract us from the call that God has placed on our lives.

In our home we have adhered to biblical principles for raising our children for 17yrs. We have seen great results with this method and have no plans in changing. We just need to hang in tough and be "immoveable", ALL the way to the end. 1Th 5:21 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. We need to hold fast to that which we chose to be good in the beginning, and hold fast to it to the end, tenaciously. THEN we will be winners. We need to doggedly refuse to be molded and shaped by this world.

Obviously we don’t achieve this in our own strength. Does anything good come from us? Absolutely not! Anything that is good comes from above. Jesus in us, as we say “ NO” TO THE CONFORMING TO THIS WORLD, will back us up and strengthen us as we travel the narrow road.

Stay strong, continue in prayer in earnestness, faint not on the way, faint not before the end of the job that is set before us. FAINT NOT! !

Gal 6:9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

Sarah

Obeying the Conviction of the Holy Spirit..

2009-08-25T21:51:00.000-07:00

Within the last week or two God has made it His business to turn up the heat in conviction in my life. On several occasions I sensed a strong prompt from the Holy Spirit. The only way I can describe it is this...... "a seriously piercing/cutting conviction of the heart". Of course, very soon after I found myself doing the rounds of apology to people. Secretly, I try to learn to love apologizing, because the spiritual rewards are huge! Yes, it hurts the flesh, but it is a discipline that is necessary to those who want to take up their cross daily and follow Jesus. In fact, the bible says that we are to "make no provision for the flesh!" Rom 13:14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.

Such joy this brought me, such a peace has overcome me. I was relaying this story to my 7yr old son as I brushed his teeth tonight. I told him that it is a joy to obey Him, it is wonderful to know that God loves us so much that He won't leave us to ourselves. Such security, to know that the God of all the heavens and the earth sets boundaries for us and disciplines us for our OWN benefit, because He loves us.

Heb 12:4 Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.
Heb 12:5 And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:
Heb 12:6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
Heb 12:7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?
Heb 12:8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.
Heb 12:9 Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?
Heb 12:10 For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.
Heb 12:11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.
Heb 12:12 Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees;
Heb 12:13 And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.
Heb 12:14 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:

Turn up the heat Lord and humble us so that we will have joy and peace, and be holy vessels for you. Amen.
Sarah

Drawing Near To God - Personal Revival

2009-08-21T14:43:00.000-07:00

All over the place, it seems, there are people who say that God gave a chance to America for revival, God gave the nation many chances for revival, and now they ask the question as to whether it's too late? Has God closed the doors and is now about to pour out judgement on America.

The good news is is that with God it is never too late! As long as we are living, the mercies of God continue and His love is everlasting to everlasting.

The word of God is full of a God who continues to reason with mankind. God says in His word "Come and let us reason, for though your sins are as scarlet I will turn them white as snow". Imagine, God is waiting for a people who are willing to come to the place of reasoning. That place is the cross.

God also says Heb 3:7 Wherefore (as the Holy Spirit saith, To-day if ye will hear his voice,
Heb 3:8 Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness:
Heb 3:9 When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years.
Heb 3:10 Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do always err in their heart; and they have not known my ways.
Heb 3:11 So I swore in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.)
Heb 3:12 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.
Heb 3:13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To-day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

And again the Lord says..
Jas 4:8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners, and purify your hearts, ye double-minded.
Jas 4:9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.
Jas 4:10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he will lift you up.

The Lord of all the universe is speaking to all those with ears to hear. Come, let us reason, I am speaking to you, do not harden your hearts and deceive yourself (get honest with God), draw near to Me and I will draw near to you.

Did you hear that? God draws near. This means that God comes near, and He doesn't come near. When does God draw near? When we cleanse our hands, and purify our hearts.....going to the cross of Jesus. Quit being double-minded! Take up your cross daily and follow Jesus.
Jas 4:9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Have a true sorrow for your sins, a sorrow that leads to true repentance, not just talk and pretension. If you do this you will have personal revival in your life and you will have a joy that flows from your belly, the deepest part of your being will flow out with the rivers of living water.

Is it ever too late? Absolutely not!! The gates of heaven are wide open, come, draw near to Him and He promises to draw near to you. Can we ever tire God out? Absolutely not, the death of Jesus on the cross paid for every one of our sins, before we even did it. All we need to do is to continue to go daily to the cross for a cleansing. But how do I get to draw near to God? Cleanse your hands and purify your heart, you sinner.

As long as we live God is faithful to humanity, one small human step towards God causes the God of all creation to rise to the occasion of drawing near to man.

"Come and let us reason, though your sins are as scarlet I will make them white as snow".

God bless you all,
Sarah

Free Kent Hovind.

2009-08-11T11:19:00.001-07:00

Well, far be it from me that I don't stand with those that have been unjustly incarcerated. How can we turn a blind eye and let the arm of injustice have it's way? The fact is that next time it could be me, someone may decide that they don't want God's truths being told and lie against me and I can be unjustly imprisoned. Here in Canada it is now a crime to quote the bible that says that homosexuality is sinful and wrong.

So, saying that, I'd like to give everyone the opportunity to stand with our brother, Kent Hovind, while we yet can. See information below.

God bless you all,
Sarah

A petition to free Kent Hovind - a Creation Science speaker, debater, and evangelist who was imprisoned 10 years for tax related charges.
More Information can be found at: http://FreeHovind.com/petition
http://freehovind.com/petition/view

Check Out My Math U See Decimal Street Big Book.

2009-08-09T15:40:00.000-07:00

I made the Decimal Street for Math U See and used recycled materials. The brown cardboard was from inside some packaged boxes from my hubby's work. The cube trucks with a dry erase board for their cubes were made from old and worn dry erase flexible board that I cut up and glued to the backs of the trucks. Now, my son can write directly onto the back of the cube truck, AND his dad also owns a cube truck. :) Then, I had some old file folder games laying around going to waste so I cut the 3 dimensional velcro flowers off and glued them to the front of my brown Decimal Street Book for a little spice up. :)

Is Your Child Having Problems Reading?

2009-08-09T14:40:00.000-07:00

There are good reasons why children struggle to read and spell. Don't expect your child to guess his way through reading and spelling. Research the controversial ways in which North Americans have been taught to read and know that your child CAN spell well and learn to read and LOVE to read the rest of his life.

A great place to start would be to read the book "Why Johnny Can't Read and What You Can Do About It", by Rudolph Flesch. At the bottom of the front cover of the book it says this "Use this book to teach your child to read in six weeks". My local library owns it, so if you are short of another curriculum I suggest you go borrow and read. :)

God bless you all,
Sarah

Well, Here I Am. :)

2009-08-09T12:36:00.000-07:00

I have decided to start a blog for my little bits of stuff that I can share in a hurry. So if I seem hurried you know I'm in a hurry and this is precisely why I have named the blog "jots and tittles", because it will be filled with just that. :)

God bless you all,
Sarah