Choose You This Day

Joshua 24: 14 & 15
King James Version (KJV) - "Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the Lord."
(15) "And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."

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Of course reading those verses, I want to serve the Lord. I really, really do. But what is sad is Joshua wanted the people to know for sure and to be serious when they said they were gonna serve the Lord. I mean Joshua asked the people like 3 times if they were serious and if so then to put away their idols before them. And the people did. After that, Joshua died and of course the next book in the Bible is Judges.
And if you're familiar with Judges the people sin, go into captivity, God sends a Judge to the people of Israel, the Judge gets them back on track, Israelites get out of Captivity & start doing right again. Until the Judge dies then they go back to sin and captivity & it's a vicious cycle.

I wonder if Joshua before-hand knew that something like that would happen when he'd die cause he questioned the people like 3 times on if they were serious about serving God. Seems like they were only serious about serving God when they had guidance or someone watching them.

I don't want to be like the Israelites. I want to be able to serve God when nobody is watching me. So that kinda convicted my heart. What if Joshua asked me, Are you serious about serving God, Holly? Sure I'd say yes! But I don't want to be so spiritual to where I am prideful and say, "Yeah I can do it. Oh yeah." blah blah
Because remember Peter? Peter walked with Jesus. Peter hung out with Jesus. And he told the Lord he'd never deny Him but he did 3 times within the same hour & day.
Anything can happen at our weakest moment. and the moment we purpose in our hearts like Daniel did, that we'll serve God, we are marked by the Devil and he'll try to trip us up. Of course we are marked when we're saved but the Devil knows he can't keep us from heaven cause once saved, always saved. But the Devil can hurt our testimony to where we can't be an effective Christian for God.

What I'm saying is the Devil is all good with that when we're not reading our Bible. The devil knows that when we're not in the word of God we're not being the right Christian and we aren't the effective christian either. So he doesn't care to where he won't be causing problems, etc. Cause just not talking to God daily is enough to one day add up and without keeping a clean conscious, I mean we could go to the world because of "just" not reading our Bible. It'll lead from one thing to the next... It's happened so many times before.
The Devil is okay with us when we're not in the Bible because we're already self-destructing by not reading God's word.

But see, the moment you start confessing sins, figuring out a accountability plan, and start taking steps to become more spiritual, Oh oh -the Devil will NOT be happy. And at that moment we all become targets again and the Devil will try to get us to miss days of doing our devotions, he'll try to cause problems between us, the Devil will try SO many things to trip us up and to get us to not serve the Lord.

So Here's the challenge God gave me. Don't be that person. Don't be that one that is left alone by the Devil. (Don't get me wrong. We don't want the devil ON YOUR BACK to tempt you but If he's not making the Christian life a little difficult then maybe we're not doing what we're suppose to. Cause if we were, the devil would be trying to trip us up, etc.)

See, if we're not having our devotions daily then the Devil won't have you have a bad attitude (Just an example) or he'll let you be okay, and you won't be like majorly tempted, whatever. But compared to you having your devotions, he'll be fighting you, he'll cause things in your life to get discouraged to where you don't want to have devotions or the Devil will try to get you to doubt God's goodness, and I mean it's just part of the process of the Devil not wanting us to do right so he'll make it hard. I really hope this made sense. Sometimes it IS hard but we need to be tougher than the Devil, Hang in there and with God's help, You can turn this world upside down for HIM. We can be on fire for Him to where our walk with God will help others want to walk with God too.

So that is what I got from those verses. I hope this was an encouragement & blessing to you!

He's Coming Soon + Earthquake in Chile!

We know Jesus is coming back. We've heard it and we all remember when people said the world was gonna end and people were making jokes (and still are) about how they lived past the "end of the world".

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However, The Bible gives us clues or signs of when we can tell we are in the last days.

There will be false prophets or teachers and those predicting the end of the world.

2, Peter. 2:1-3
King James Version (KJV) - {1} "...there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you,..."
{2} "And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of."
{3} And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you:"

Jesus did tell his Disciples how people were going to be making predictions and that we shouldn't listen to them because no man knows the date or hour! 

Matthew 24: 4, 11, & 24 
King James Version (KJV) - {4} "And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you."
{11}"And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many."
{24} "For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect."

Ultimately we just need to keep our eyes on the Lord and continue serving him and trying to get our families on board.

Scripture tells us also that in the last days there will also be Earthquakes, hurricanes, & disasters.

Matthew 24:7 
King James Version (KJV) - "For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places."

(Divers means different)

This brings me to the point where Yesterday, (April 1st 2014) there was a 8.2 Magnitude earthquake 59 miles away from Iquique, Chile. It had a depth of 12.5 miles, the U.S. Geological Survey said.
Six people were crushed to death or suffered fatal heart attacks. So horrible! People say that was a remarkably low toll for such a powerful shift in the Earth's crust.

About 500 people were killed when an 8.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Chile on February 27, 2010. That quake triggered a tsunami that toppled buildings, particularly in the Maule region along the coast.

Several 3.0+ Magnitude earthquakes have happened in California as well that I have read about just in the past month!

Another sign is that there will be blasphemers. (Cursing, swearing & using God's name in vain)

2, Timothy. 3:1 & 2
King James Version (KJV) - "This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come."
{2} "For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,"

We hear it all the time. In the stores, at work... And it's becoming more common to use curse words. And the Bible says in the end times it will be prevalent. I think it's become prevalent. Some people always use a dirty word in their sentences. And it seems like the world has gotten immune to it.

There will also be Increase of acceptance of homosexuality as it was in the days of Sodom. 

Luke. 17:28 - 30 
King James Version (KJV) - "Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;"
{29} "But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all."
{30} "Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed."

We know Lot lived in Sodom and that the people all around him was for homosexuality and sins of such. We know that it is a sin. God clearly is against it. God says it is an abomination!

Leviticus. 18: 21-24
King James Version (KJV) - "Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination."
{23} "Neither shalt thou lie with any beast to defile thyself therewith: neither shall any woman stand before a beast to lie down thereto: it is confusion."
{24a} "Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things:..."

Leviticus. 20:13
King James Version (KJV) - "If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them."

Romans 1 also covers this!

Also Religious Hypocrisy is a sign of Christ's return- (People saying they are Christians but they don't live for Him or act like a Christian. The Word Christian means Christ like.)

2, Timothy. 3:5 
King James Version (KJV) - "Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away."

If you profess to be a Christian you shouldn't support dirty movies by watching them, You shouldn't support things that have blasphemy in it and You shouldn't take God's name in vain or curse. So many people say they are a Christian but they don't live it. They talk the talk but they don't walk the walk.

I'm not saying you are to be perfect but you are to strive for Godly perfection and have a walk with God and be close to Him. Especially if you claim to be a Christian. God isn't a nobody or a fictional character. He is real and gives you air to breathe and eyes to read this or ears to hear this. Don't say you're a Christian and then live ungodly and make a bad name for God Almighty. When you claim to be something, you are a representation of that. You don't want to be a hypocrite.

Another sign is that People will deny that God made the Heavens and that he judged the world in Noah's day with a Worldwide Flood. 

2, Peter. 3:3-6
King James Version (KJV) - "Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,"
{4} "And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation."
{5} "For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:"
{6} "Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:"

"The world is covered with water. Water does anticipate That's what nature says. Evaporates comes down. Evaporates comes down; always stays the same. So if theres a world wide flood, water should still be hanging around somewhere. Do you think that 70% of the earth covered in water is a good clue that there was a worldwide flood?" - Ray Comfort

When it comes to Noah and his ark 2 relevant questions arise.
How many animals did it carry & How large was the ark?

Notice this.

Genesis. 6:20
King James Version (KJV) - "Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive."

The definition of Kind is - A class or group of individual objects, people, animals, etc., of the same nature of character, or classified together because they have traits in common.

It's a hated word because that means that God didn't have to fit today's 6.5 million species to fit in the ark. It means Noah only needed 1 pair of canine from which would come all species of dogs, And one pair from the feline kind from which would come the domesticated car and the Tiger, etc. So now we're just talking thousands of animals instead of millions. And because these animals need not be fully grown, this becomes possible to "mankind". The size of the ark was a MASSIVE 3 level ship, the size of one and a half football fields.

Another argument skeptics bring up is that there is not enough water to cover the mountains. They forget that mountains were not the height they are now. And that the earth AND sky store trillions of tons of water. The Bible says that the flood waters came from both the sky and the earth.

Genesis. 7:11 
King James Version (KJV) - "...all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened."

          Men will be fearful of the future!

Luke 21:26
King James Version (KJV) - "Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken."

I think a lot of people are fearful of the future. I am fearful of the future and that the Lord will come back and that some people I know have not come to know Christ yet.

People will mock the 2nd coming of Christ saying that these signs have always been around is another clue.

2, Peter. 3:3 & 4
King James Version (KJV) - "Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,"
{4} "And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation."

I mean people say it, yeah, yeah and it isn't a big deal to some anymore.

         
         There will be those people who ignore the warning of the Gospel.

When people don't take sin seriously or they think it's funny. And I see that going on. Don't you?

Matthew 24:37-39
King James Version (KJV) - "But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be."
{38} "For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,"
{39} "And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be."

We all see these things and if not all of them, at least one. So therefore, we are in the last days and the most important thing for you and I to do is to be sure that we are ready for Christ's return and that we are saved.

If you'd like to know how to be saved, Click here. It'll explain how to.

We all realize that we are in the last days and We need to be busy getting our friends and family ready for Christ's return and to keep Jesus our main Focus and not be worried. I hoped this gave you some insight and explained things to you clearly.

Here's a song sang by The Rochester Family. It's called "Don't it make you wanna go?"

I hope it blesses your heart & makes you smile!
Click here to View their Website.

Here is a song by Southern Raised called "Perfect Time". I think this song will bless your heart as well. 

Click here to view their website.

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Your Perspective | Keepin' it Positive

How you see things determine how you'll act on a day-to-day basis.

If you have "Stinkin' Thinkin'", then you'll look at the negative in most situations. Oh we all know that if we look for negative we will find it. And we have those who say, "Well what if the negative is "Just Obvious"? Then train your brain to search for the Positive in all situations! It takes work and a LOT of effort cause our flesh (The Old Man, that old nature inside of us) is naturally bent to the negative. 

Ephesians 4:22-24 
King James Version (KJV) - "That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;
{23} And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
{24} And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness."

You see how I bolded that phrase in verse 23 "be renewed in the spirit of your mind"? I think that it is important to have a positive mind-set cause it affects how you are! 

In my devotion book, I was reading this story and I think it'll go Perfectly with this blog-post. Here it is.

Two girls moved to a new city from two different towns. When they arrived at their new school, they were both curious about what the other kids were like in that school. The first girl asked the teacher about the other students, and the teacher asked her, "What kind of kids went to your old school?" The first girl said, "They were all rude, jealous, & mean." The teacher then told her that she would probably find the kids at this new school to be like the kids at her old school.
   Later, the second girl approached the teacher and asked the same question: "What are the kids like here at this school?" The teacher replied, "What were the kids like at your old school?" The girl said, "They were really, nice, fun, & friendly". The teacher said, "Well I'm sure that's what kind of kids you'll see here."


Do you see this? Beautiful eyes look for the best. Change your perspective on how you view people, situations, things, etc. This is something I think we could ALL work on (Myself included, yes!)

Pray and ask God to give you HIS point of view and expect to see some great people in the world around you.

May God bless you! I hope this was helpful to you.

Photo Credit : Holly Doss | Photographer and Graphic Designer

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5 Ways to Help Make your Church Visitors feel Welcome

I was reading in a book today and it inspired me to make this blog 

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post for you.

Every church wants (or should want) visitors! Always be wanting to grow.

So, to help in this area, Here are some tips for the members to remember.

1. Smile at people. 

A smile can change a person's day and make them feel connected. When you don't smile, people can assume you are too arrogant or mean, even though you may be just thinking about something else. So do your best to smile at people you meet, walk past, or look at. 

2. Look them in the eyes.

 Looking people in the eyes is kindness. It says to them, "You count." And it reminds them that we are all part of the same human race. When you avoid looking people in the eyes, you seem cold and unattached, and that doesn't help to spread the love of Christ but hides it!

 3. Offer a hand.

 When someone is struggling with something heavy, offer them a hand. When someone looks lost, ask them if you can help. When you offer to help people, you share kindness with them and lighten their load.

4. Say hello.

In today's busy world it's easy to become isolated from the others, oblivious to the pain and concern of the people around us. But kindness gets involved; it steps into the lives of others, even if only to say hi. It WILL make a difference. Say hi to anyone that looks you in the eyes. Even if they don't look at you, interrupt their isolation and say hello. Remember, People remember Kindness! 

Click 'here' to read my blog post on "Love is an Action". 

5. Go above and beyond the normality. 

Here are 'rituals' visitors usually do at church. 
Go into the building,
find a seat near the back, (they wouldn't dare sit up front!) 
sing,
listen to the preacher,
get up and go. 
Do they ever re-visit? 

Rarely. It depends on a number of factors.

Make your church visitors Experience something different! The church should be Alive! Members, don't go find "your clique"... ...Instead, meet someone new! Get out of your shell yourself. If there's time, show them around the church. Introduce them to your pastor or to someone around their age. I'm not saying that it's wrong to go say hi to your friends, just don't be exclusive to others around you that you may not know.  Make them feel like they are welcome! 
Cause they are... 
Aren't they?

 Be friendly, courteous, kind, happy, (Don't act like a dead-Christian!) Being a Christian is fun so don't make it look boring by your countenance and austere demeanor. 

(Be sure to get their address and go visit them sometime during the week if they're interested. You should want your visitors to return and be glad they were there.) 

Make sure your church is Alive in Christ! Be Joyful in the Service of Your Lord and King. We need each other to do this! We're all important and can be used by God if we let Him. 

Click 'here' to read my blog post on "To the People of the Church". 

May God bless you! I hope this was helpful to you.

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Who has your heart?

Are you following "One Direction" or the Right Direction? Are you

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a Belieber or a Believer? Are you Always watching YouTube videos but have you ever thought about what God wants You-To-Be? Ever tweet about what God's done for you instead of just saying 'How you feel'? Get your Face in the book before you check Facebook. 

Exodus. 20:3
King James Version (KJV) - "Thou shalt have no other gods before me."

A god isn't necessarily worshipping a statue every morning. An idol is anything you put before the One True God. It can be music, Social networks, sports, toys, friends, possessions, even food. Now those things aren't bad unless you use them in the wrong way or they're an idol in your life. Prioritize. 
Anything you Love more then God. It's/they're/that's an idol. 

Who has your heart? What has your heart? Is it God? It should be. 

{My morning thoughts}