A Promise Not Forgotten

How long will we live with God? God has a very definite answer. Once we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior, we don't have to wonder.

As a young child, I can remember when my dad taught us Psalm 23. Well, not exactly the day and time, but the memories of his playful way of teaching his four children lingers still - how he'd gather us in his strong arms and smile when he'd tell us wonderful things about God and God's precious Word, the Bible.

A recent post about Psalm 23 from a blogging friend jogged my memory and so I thought I'd share a few thoughts with you. I know I have shared something about this Psalm before here on my blog but I hope that by writing about it today, it may remind you of God's forever promises to those who love him and are his children. I pray that you will never forget His great love for you. If you do not know Christ as your personal Savior, you can, and you can have the assurance of eternal life with Him.

Here's Psalm 23.

Psalm 23

¹The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

²He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

³He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

⁴Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

⁵Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

⁶Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

King James Version

And here's what I wrote on a friend's blog:

My dad used to tease us as kids and say, "I shall dwell in the house of the LORD for 50 days..." and we'd say, "NO DADDY!" "Oh," he'd say, "I meant for 50 years." We'd respond the same, only with more intensity. Then he'd finally say, "No, I meant 5000 years." And in turn we'd shout, "NO! FOREVER!"

My two sons well know this story, because I in turn have told it to them and through the years their frantic and furtive response has rung loud and clear: "No, Mom! I will dwell in the house of the LORD - FOREVER!"

Live the adventure,

Names of God - Part 1

Did you ever wonder exactly who God is? I mean, what is He like? My little eight-year-old asks that often. "Mommy, who is God?"

The Bible has much to say of course, after all it is God's love letter to us, but I came across something interesting I'd like to share with you all. It's a paper that I got at my church that describes the names of God, helping us to understand more about his character.

Over the next four weeks, I thought it might be fun to share sixteen different Hebrew names of God, four each week for a total of four posts. (Hey, I'm the daughter of a pastor and Hebrew professor, so why not?)

These brief posts will be called "Names of God" and I will write the name, meaning, Bible reference and significance. Many of the references refer to Genesis too, so it will follow right along with my Interactive Bible Series on the book of beginnings.

What an amazing adventure this will be. I hope that it will help you understand more about God and help you on your journey to know the One who gives you life and holds you in the palm of His hand.

Today's names:

Elohim

Meaning: God

Reference: Geneis 1:1, Numbers 23:19, Psalm 19:1

Significance: Refers to God's power and might. He is the only supreme and true God.

Yahweh

Meaning: The LORD

Reference: Genesis 2:4; Exodus 6:2,3

Significance: The proper name of the divine person

El Elyon

Meaning: God Most High

Reference: Genesis 14:17-20; Numbers 24:16; Psalm 7:17; Isaiah 14:13,14

Significance: He is above all gods; nothing in life is more sacred

El Roi

Meaning: God Who Sees

Reference: Genesis 16:13

Significance: God oversees all of creation and the affairs of people

What a mighty God we serve!

Live the adventure,

Count on It

Genesis is the book of beginnings and it’s where I am reading right now. Lately on this blog, I have been writing, journaling my adventure with an Interactive Bible Series in Genesis. What you see here is a compilation of my notes as I read. I’m not a scholar, just a gal who loves God and wants to dig deeper in His Word, comparing Scripture with Scripture.

Some of the notes and thoughts in this series are my own, some have come from being under the direction of a great dad who just happens to be a pastor at a church and a Bible teacher at a seminary and most importantly is a man who reads and studies the Word diligently. What a great example and teacher he is to me and my family!

So, if you’re interested in seeing how God is interested and active in our lives, let’s continue on this Genesis journey through chapters 12-16 (fair warning: this is a long post, you might need the weekend to read it – or just come back to it when you have time - lol!) and take a look at another name you might recognize: Abram.

Counting down the family line, we discover that Abram is in the line of Shem, (remember Shem was one of Noah’s three sons). Abram’s father’s name was Terah. Abram also had two brothers named Nahor and Haran. Now Abram’s brother Haran died fairly young, at least before Terah his father died and it would seem that Uncle Abram took his nephew Lot, Haran’s son, under wing.

Whew, wee, whew - much happens in Genesis chapters 12-16. The Lord talks with Abram and makes some pretty dramatic promises to a old guy who is married but doesn’t have any children yet. And then the Lord actually appears to Abram. Isn’t that cool? There God is again directly interacting in peoples’ lives. Haven’t we seen that right from the start with Adam and Eve? God is not a distant cosmic being who set the world into motion and then leaves us to fend for ourselves. He is very near to those who call on His name. You can count on it!

And there I believe is the key to God being close in our lives. Maybe there’s times we feel God is distant. Could it be because we have pulled away from God? God never leaves us when we truly know Him as our personal Savior, but sometimes we walk off on our own thinking we know what God wants when in reality it is what we want. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways, My ways,” says the LORD. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8,9

When the Lord appears to Abram, God tells him to get out of his country and away from his family, to a land that God will show him. God was going to do something special in Abram’s life. God said, I will make you a great nation, I will bless you and make your name great, I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you.” This was the work that God was going to do, not Abram. God just wanted Abram to get up and get going to a land that God would show Abram. Abram didn’t know where that would be or how long it would take, but God did and that was enough.

So, what did Abram do? He obeyed God. Now the journey wasn’t without a few bumps. There was a famine and good old Abram took things into his own hands and out of fear made a mess in Egypt. But God did not abandon Abram. Then Abram has to rescue his nephew Lot who decided he was going to dwell near the city of Sodom. We’ll see more on what happens with Lot and his family in that wicked city, some nutty, crazy stuff - yikes!

The Lord comes to Abram again and confirms his promise. He tells Abram not to be afraid, that I am your shield and your exceedingly great reward. Then Abram says, “Lord God what will you give me, seeing I go childless?” Then God takes Abram outside for an object lesson and says, “Look now toward heaven and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And God said, “So shall your descendants be.”

Abram believed in the LORD, and the LORD counted it to him for righteousness. Plain and simple.

Do we believe the Lord when the way seems impossible? When the path is unclear, do we say to God, “I believe you LORD, that you will guide me and show me the way?”

Well, Abram believed the Lord, but just like a child waiting for Christmas morning, he got impatient. Abram and his wife Sarai decide to take things into their own hands. They decide that God is taking too long to fulfill His promise to give them a son. So they thought they would help God along. Enter Hagar, Sarai’s maid and now Abram has a son named Ishmael with someone other than his wife Sarai.

What a mess! Jealously, anger, hurt. This wasn’t God’s plan. You can look at the result of Abram’s disobedience until this day with the problems with Ishmael’s wild child descendants (yes, God calls Ishamael a wild man whose hand will be against everyone), the modern day Arabs.

So what is God driving home to me so far in my Bible reading in Genesis?

First, call on the Lord. Talk to Him. He is listening and He cares. He is active in our lives.

Next, obey God when he tells you to do something. Listen to his Word, the Bible. If we walk outside of His guidelines in life and in marriage, we can make a big mess for us and others.

But God can even redeem our mistakes. God’s good at making good! It’s His speciality. Everything God makes is good, remember what God said during those six days of creation?

And last but not least, wait on God’s timing. Don’t take things into our own hands. How do we do that? How do we know when to act, or not? What to do? Where to go? Well, one way is pretty clear, if what we choose to do is clearly outside of God’s will, ie: the principles and guidelines of his Word, then don’t do it. That’s a pretty safe rule of thumb.

I recently found a great little blog called Always Searching, Always Growing. In her sidebar she has a quote that reads like this: "Whatever weakens your reason, whatever impairs the tenderness of your conscience, whatever obscures your sense of God, whatever increases the authority of your body over your mind, whatever takes away from your relish for spiritual things, that to you is sin, no matter how innocent it is in itself." It is from Susanna Wesley to her son, John.

Do you and I believe God? Is God enough of a reward or are we seeking more? Don’t. God is enough and He will meet all our needs. What we need might be different than what we THINK we need.

Now, don’t go getting worried or become afraid. Hey, I’m good at that – lol! So I’m saying this for you as well as for me. Remember what God told Abram? I am your shield and your exceedingly great reward!

So here's today Interactive Bible Series Question: In what way has God become your shield and your exceedingly great reward?

Are you ready to live the adventure? Let’s go! We can count on God because He is trustworthy. There will be more on Abram soon and the son that God promised. I can’t wait to see what God has in store!

Ode to Simplicity

Ode to Simplicity
by Susan Kelly Skitt

Seven little ladybugs on my window,
Sunning on this warm October day,
Crawling in circles, stretching their wings,
And then one flies away.
Tiny creatures, God’s creation, crimson with black dots,
Little ladybug, tiny ladybug, glimpses of simplicity forgot.

Just jotted down a little poem after glancing out my kitchen window this afternoon...

A Minute in Time

So, when does one minute feel like an hour?

A minute feels like an hour when I am sitting in my car at the end of my driveway trying to make a left hand turn onto a busy rural road.

It takes ten minutes to drive my son to school. School starts at 8:30am and the clock reads 8:20.
I turn my head to my left and a line of cars as far as the eye can see are traveling up the road. I finally see a break where I could pull out when I look to my right and low and behold a line of cars are now traveling in the opposite direction. When I look to my left again, a new line of cars are making their way up the road.

Insert big sigh here.
Glancing at the clock, I see the glaring green digital numbers flash before my eyes: 8:21

It takes ten minutes to drive my son to school. School starts at 8:30am...

Or you might ask the same question to my eight-year-old son on Christmas morning when he has to sit at the top of the steps while Dad gets the video camera ready.

Can you tell God has some heavy duty work to do with this family in the area of time management?

How do you manage your mornings? (Oh and for the record, I am an early riser, but for some reason my morning slips away from me and before I know it, I'm rushing around like a chicken with its head cut off...)

Have a great day!

Lord, help me to order my steps and use my minutes wisely. Amen.

Live the adventure,

What's in a Name?

Names, places, people... they all matter to God. When I was getting ready to have my children, I looked excitedly through the Baby Name Book, paging through cover to cover and dreaming of the day I would hold my very own child and call him by name.

God cares about people and has given us a very detailed record of names in His book, the Bible. Take a look at Genesis chapter ten and eleven. You might be tempted to rush through this list of genealogies from Noah. But don't read too quickly. There might be some buried treasure!

In our last Interactive Bible Series post, the topic of Noah's son Ham was discussed. What exactly was Ham's sin that brought a curse on him and his family? Well, for one Ham was not respectful towards his father. Noah's drunken incident was wrong but the Bible often refers to Noah as a man who walked with God and obeyed the Lord. Noah was a man who found grace in the eyes of God because He loved God and wanted to do what was right. (Gen. 6:9, 22; 7:5) There is forgiveness with God for those who are sorry.

It's also been suggested by a Bible teaching pastor who knows the original language and has done extensive Old Testament studies that there probably was more involved to the incident with Noah's younger son. The word "saw" used in the text was an interactive verb, not just visual, but physical. Whatever happened, it was not good. It was so bad that Ham was doomed to become a servant of servants to his brothers. There are consequences to sin.

Take a look in Genesis chapter ten and you can see the line of Ham continues in their arrogance towards authority. One of the grandsons of Ham was named Nimrod. The Bible says Nimrod began to be a mighty one on the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the LORD.

Now that may sound good at first, hey my oldest son loves to go deer hunting, but that's not what it means. Nimrod wasn't dressed in camouflage and standing in a tree stand. You can translate the word "before as against." Nimrod was a mighty hunter AGAINST the LORD. He was all about himself and fought like a mighty hunter against God and His authority.

If you check out chapter ten, verse ten you'll see that part of the beginning of his kingdom was Babel. He also built Nineveh. One of his descendants was the father of the Philistines. Also, the Amorites, Hivites, and Canaanites all came from the line of Ham to name a few.

Do any of these names of cities or nations sound familiar? Wow and double wow! These nations were a constant source of strife and ongoing violence against God's people and later the nation of Israel.

The Bible talks more about the city and tower the people were making in Babel. They wanted to make a name for themselves and in arrogance against God and disobedience they set out to build a city and tower whose "top is in the heavens." They did not want to be scattered around the earth.

But what did God tell people to do when Noah and his family came off the ark? Let's check out Genesis 9:1. "So God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth." That wasn't the first time God told people to fill the earth either.

Then God himself says something very interesting in Genesis 11:7 after coming down to see the city and the tower of Babel. Yes, God knows all and sees all, but there were times He actually came down on earth physically before Jesus was born into the world as a human being 2000 years ago.

God says, "Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another's speech." So the LORD scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city." (Gen. 11:7) On a side note, notice the Bible says, "Us"? Don't discount the work of the Trinue God, Father, Son, & Holy Spirit - three persons, One eternal God.

Friends, it will never go well for us if we disobey the LORD. What is it that He is asking us to do? What is it that we are doing that we need to give up or stop? We can be sure that we will find the will of God for our lives when we search His Holy Word. He tells us what we should do and what we should not do. God is very clear. We can take His commands and principles and apply them to every life situation, every day of our lives. God will give us the power to do His will. He doesn't leave us isolated and alone. Remember, God cares about people. God cares about you and He wants what is best for you.

So here's today's Interactive Bible Series Question: In what ways have we worked against the Lord? In what way have we worked for the Lord? (folks, I came back in today, 10-24 and added this two part question that I meant to ask)

When reading about Shem's descendants we eventually come to a name that we'll be talking about in the next of our Interactive Bible Series. Terah had three sons and I'm sure you'll recognize the name of one of them because all the nations of the earth have been blessed because of God's promise to this man who believed God.

Until then, may we keep reading God's Word. Let the Holy Spirit speak to our hearts and minds, strengthening us for the tasks that He has for us to do. Whether at work, at home, or even for our children at school.

"A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, Loving favor rather than silver and gold." Proverbs 22:1

Live the adventure,

A Heap of Trouble

The faithfulness of God never ceases to amaze me. His interaction with people, his promises never fail. He never fails, even when we do.

Continuing with the interactive Bible series for Genesis, reading in chapters 7, 8 & 9, I was once again struck with God's involvement in people's lives.

God delivered Noah and his family with the provision of the ark, but God didn't just plop an ark into existence. He told Noah what to do and Noah obeyed. After a very long time on the boat, God spoke to Noah again, telling him to go out of the ark. Like before, Noah obeyed and the Bible says he was thankful to God.

God's response? God blessed Noah and his sons and put them in charge over the earth, just like God did with Adam. God once again proclaims the sanctity of life and prompts the productivity of life. God had not changed his mind. Life is precious because man is made in His image.

God himself establishes a covenant, an everlasting promise to never flood the entire earth again and he paints his signature in the sky - a rainbow - a signature that we can still see in our everyday lives.

Sadly, however, Noah, with his remarkable obedience did something after he left the boat that made a heap of trouble for himself and his family. You can read about it at the end of Genesis chapter nine.

Now I'm going to venture into a subject that seems to be a sore spot with many Christians. Noah planted a vineyard. Was there anything wrong with that? No. But what he did with his vineyard was another story. He wasn't just eating grapes.

The Bible says in Genesis 9:21, "Then he drank of the wine and was drunk, and became uncovered in his tent." After that a shameful incident happened with one of his sons.

The bottom line is this, Noah left himself wide open for trouble. He got drunk. The Bible doesn't say how many drinks he had. How many drinks does it take to get drunk or to just get inebriated enough to be negatively affected? Of for that matter, negatively affect the life of someone else?

Now this is the spot where some may disagree with me. In fact, some Christians might call me "straight edged". Believe me I face it at my son's Christian school. The stand I take about refraining from alcohol is by far in the minority. Over the summer, some Christian kids used those exact words about my son when he refused to drink with them at a offsite campfire. Praise God my son got up and walked away asking anyone who wanted to come to leave with him. A few did.

Here's my thoughts on drinking: Don't do it. Why put yourself in a position that could lead to trouble? Maybe it could result in a driving accident. Maybe, like in Noah's case it could negatively affect your child. Friends, I've seen both happen to Christians and their lives are forever changed and not for the better.

As far as I'm concerned, alcohol never leads to good. Some have said, "What about Jesus turning the water into wine?" Well, I ask you this question: What type of wine was it? Grape juice - non fermented wine.

Welch's anyone?


Disagree? You have that right. But let me just encourage you to think about this: How many families have been torn apart, devastated because of alcohol? Like I've said before, I've seen it happen first hand. Why play with fire? Why put yourself and your family in that recipe for disaster?

There was a prominent lawyer turned politician whose son attended my son's Christian school when my oldest was in elementary. This man spoke at one of the school's chapels, encouraging the kids to live for God and follow the Lord. Our boys even played in the same township baseball league. One night, he hit something while driving in Pennsylvania's state capitol. He had been drinking. That something he hit wasn't a road sign... he hit a person and the person was killed. My heart breaks for this family that has been torn apart. They have been in my prayers through the years.

Can people be responsible and drink? Maybe. But it only takes one time... and who knows who will become addicted. Can it happen? Yes. It does. Am I straight edged? Yes.

So, think about this question: In what way do I affect myself and my family with my choices about drinking? Only you can answer that question.

Do we casually talk about drinking, joke about it, make light of it and then wonder why our children make the choices they do? I challenge us today, to think and act responsibly. It just may save a life. Let's live for the Lord Jesus Christ and not let ANYTHING hinder us.

"Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but FOR THE WILL OF GOD, For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles--when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries. In regard to these, they think it strange that you do not run with them in the same flood of dissipation, speaking evil of you. They will give an account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead." I Peter 3:1-5

Live the adventure,

Teach them the Bible

"Train up a child in the way he should go and,

when he is old, he will not depart from it."

Proverbs 22:6

Up at Arms

I just can't get this off my mind. It was a blog entry from a conservative gal that I read not too long ago about people who are involved in liberal "theology" - if you can call it theology at all.

I'm up at arms and I need to make sure I'm wearing my battle gear, the belt of truth holds all of our armour together (Ephesians 6:11-17). That is crucial in our fight because we wrestle not with flesh and blood but with unseen forces in Satan's army.

I guess since I grew up in a conservative home, with a dad who is a conservative Bible teaching pastor, I have not been assaulted by this type of junk. Our home was not perfect, but my parents love Jesus and they love us and diligently taught us as Deuteronomy 6:6-8 says:

"And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes."

A liberal mindset filled with corrupt teaching is out there... oh it's out there and multitudes are being duped. Matthew 7:15 says:

"Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves."

I challenge us to be true followers of Christ Jesus and diligent readers of the Word of God to know what is right and what is wrong. Let's teach our children from the most Holy Word so that they might know the way to go -- and pray!

Let us do as II Timothy 3:15-17 commands:

"And that from a child thou hast known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, That the man of God may be perfect (meaning complete), thoroughly furnished unto all good works."

Click on the following link to see if you find anything wrong with these "pictures".

Link: "What's wrong with this picture(s)?"

Let's dive into the Word of God like never before so we may be able to combat the enemy with the truth!

Live the adventure,

Haven of Rest or Nest of Revenge?

Delving back into history, the origins of mankind are explained to us in the Bible. Yes, our God has given us a detailed record of exactly what has happened and what is to come. God is personally involved in the lives of people.

After Cain walked away from God, his family line boasted nothing but cruelty and revenge. Oh his offspring weren’t stupid cavemen; in fact they were quite bright, talented in music, arts and industry. However they did not want anything to do with God.

It wasn’t until Adam and Eve had a son named Seth and Seth had a son named Enosh that men began to call on the name of the Lord.

What happened after that?

The Scriptures detail the line of Seth until we eventually see a name we may recognize – Noah. Now during the years between Seth and Noah, people multiplied on the earth, beautiful women and mighty men – men of renown. Yet the human race had a huge problem. The Bible says that “the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” (Genesis 6:5) Corruption and violence filled the earth and God was going to do something about it.

In the midst of it all, Noah was a man who found grace in the eyes of the Lord. He was a man that was just, perfect in his generations (different – set apart from the others) because He walked with God.

God had a plan to redeem the earth and He spoke to Noah giving detailed instructions on what to do. He was going to preserve Noah, his family, and yes, our compassionate God even provided for the animals. God made a covenant, a promise to provide and gave Noah the tools and a detailed plan on how to accomplish the job.

Are we walking with God or are we too busy trying to become “mighty and renown” that we have corrupted our ways. Are our homes a haven of rest or have they become a nest of revenge?

I can point the finger to no other than to myself. It’s easy for me to be kind when things are going my way. But on the flipside, it's easy for me to get irritated when things don’t go my way.

But that is not what God wants a Christian to be like. Events are not always going to go as we may have planned, but God wants to redeem our lives through the hardships, yes even through the little everyday upsets. He has a plan for our lives with detailed instructions on how to walk with Him if we would only listen and obey.

God’s goal is to bring harmony in our lives and homes so we will be able to affect the lives and hearts of people with the love of Christ. Oh may that be our heart’s prayer. As we spend time in the Word, God will do His work in us as we yield to the Holy Spirit.

Oh Lord God, do a cleansing work in us your people and may we walk with you, following your detailed plan in the Holy Scriptures, a plan of life, a plan of love, a plan that is for our good. I praise You for your involvement in our lives. May we respond with humility and a renewed desire to empty ourselves of anything that would grieve the Holy Spirit.  In the awesome and holy name of Jesus my Savior I pray it, Amen.

“A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.” Proverbs 25:11 KJV

So here's today's Interactive Bible Question for Genesis 5 & 6: In what specific way can you make your home a haven of rest today?

Live the adventure,

Cracked

It could have killed us…

I shiver at the thought.

It all happened two weeks ago. After receiving a call this summer, my husband scheduled an appointment. A man dressed in blue rapped on my backdoor.

“This way,” I said walking through the laundry room to our basement. “You’ll find what you’re looking for down the steps and to the left.”

A short while later the man trudged up the stairs. “Mrs. Skitt, there’s a problem that needs to be taken care of.”

I sighed, pushing up from up from my desk chair and shuffled through the dining room in my socks. How much is this going to cost us now?

“Jim,” I called to my husband. “You better come downstairs.”

Thirty minutes later my husband and the man in blue emerged from the basement.

“What’s going on?” It was supposed to be a simple check and cleaning.

“He’ll need to come back next week. We have a crack in our oil heater and he is going to check on a replacement part.”

Inwardly, I groaned. We just bought several tons of gravel to line the 500-foot long driveway to our house. What other unexpected expense were we going to get saddled with?

The following week, two technicians dressed in blue arrived as scheduled. My husband took the day off to work on refinishing our garage doors and to help facilitate the technicians.

The basement door opened with a squeak. My husband’s face looked drawn; his eyes somber.

“It’s worse than it first appeared. There was more than just a crack in our ten-year-old heater. There was a huge hole inside. It has been emitting carbon monoxide. Eventually the entire heater will need to be replaced.”

I gasped. “We and our boys could have died a silent death and never knew what hit us.”

“They fixed it. The part was even covered by warranty. All we have to do is pay for labor.”

Although I was not eager to pay for an unexpected bill from resources that are just not there right now, the situation could have been much worse - both financially and physically. Carbon monoxide, a silent killer could have claimed my family. But God’s intervention and my husband’s careful planning saved our lives.

Like a silent killer, unconfessed sin lurks in our lives waiting to kill us. When left unchecked, slowly the crack will widen until there is a gaping hole waiting to stake its claim.

The Bible says in First John 1:8, “If we say that we have no sin (talking about our sin nature), we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he (Jesus), is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Jesus is waiting for us to come to him and make things right. He will fix what is broken. If you’ve never before realized your sin separates you from God, confess that you need Jesus today, be sorry for your sin and God will forgive you and make your life new.

If you know Jesus as your personal Savior, take care of that daily maintenance that is needed before a crack of sin becomes a gaping killer hole in your life. God wants to restore you, won’t you come to him today and confess your sin? He is faithful and just and ready to forgive.

Live the adventure,