To what extent does God involve Himself  in my everyday life?  Does He, influence me to choose raisinbran instead of cornflake?  Does God suggest what color socks I wear?   Everyday the Holy Spirit guides me, sometimes stearing me from harm, leading me towards kindness towards others, to witness of Christs love, and sometimes, He will reveal some truth in His word I had not seen before. 

I would like to establish the fact that God does love me, but the fact that I can’t keep up with my car keys, is a matter of my being able to keep my life organized.  “It’s not about me”,  is a saying someone else came up with, that I try to remind myself often.  I’ll lets God work on the state of our nation, and I’ll make sure, when I get finished with my car keys I put them were I can find them.

Posted by Steve Waltrip

I want to thank all of you that are reading the blog.  Your comments are encouraging to read.  I have been very busy, but I’m back writing about the one I care most about.  God, Jesus Christ, and The Holy Spirit.

The picture represents the lesson God is teaching right now.  Storms, disrupt our tranquil lives, usually moments in time where we go inside, close the windows and wait for it to pass.  One thing I have learned,  they always pass.  Sometimes the worst ones cause us concern, sometimes, just a spring sprinkle.

I’ve had a few storms in my life.  Through each one, I have learned the faithfulness of God.  I usually learn a valuable lesson, but most of all I’ve learned God peace, and faithfulness.  This morning I revisited Daniel 3.  Three Hebrew children went through the flame and come out without a scratch, not even smelling like smoke.  Have you ever stood by a camp fire and not smell like smoke?

So remember, the next time you see a storm on the horizon.  Phil. 4:6,7, Be anxious for nothing but in everything with prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving let your request be known to God and the peace of God, that passes all comprehension, will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus. Posted by Steve Waltrip

I once had a pastor tell me that he didn’t think we were fruit inspectors.  After careful consideration I think he is wrong.  Mat. 7: 16 ,17;  16 You will know them by their fruits.  Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes, nor figs from thistles, are they?  17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit; but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 

To explain myself a little, each day we interact with people, christians and none christians.  How do you treat them?  Do you treat them as a brother or do you treat them as a person lost, in need of a savior?  Do you treat them as a friend or do you stay away from them?  First and for-most you treat everyone with respect.  Otherwise they will not consider your witness.

Gal. 5: 22 says, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such the is no law.  Everyone makes mistakes, but generally a person should display the traits in Gal. 5:22,23.  

We are Christ representatives on this earth.  Who do you, represent?  When people see you, do they see Christ?  Posted by Steve Waltrip   

Norman Rockwell, prints always makes me smile, they also make you think.  James 1:23, 24     23  For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like the man who looks at his natural face in a mirror;  24 for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. (NASB)  Have you ever done that?  I have to admit I have.  Looked at the mirror, walked away and couldn’t a-bit-more remembered what I saw than the man in the moon.  Sometimes I’ve stood looking at the mirror and thought what in the world was God think when He made that person. My wife Terrie, has one of though magnifying mirrors.  You can see every pore, ever crack, every hair.  She will set for a long time and “put on her face”, she calls it.

This scripture, to me, is saying.  When you read the word, what are you going to do with it?  Apply it, or disregard it?  After I was saved, my parents gave me the Bible I use today.  It has been one of the most precious gift anyone has ever given me.  My Bible, is the very words of God.   I have tried other versions, even other good study Bibles, but I always come back to this one to read.  The best way I know how to explain it is, when I got it, it was as though I was receiving a letter directly from God.  I have traced the steps of Jesus, I have followed Moses when he walked out of Egypt.  I have gone on a boat ride with Paul, I have seen the dead raised, and it was like I was there when it happened.  I have read and learned, and I have been distracted and forgot.  But most of all I have grown.  It has made me the man I am today.   Joshua 1:8 This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it;  for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success. Posted by Steve Waltrip         P.S. I’m not a finished product yet.

When I was little, I would bug my mom.  Asking, over and over, can I have something?  She would say, “ you can ask until your face turns blue, but the answer is still no!”   As a father, I can remember going on trips and the kids asking,” are we there yet? ”  Over and over again.  It’s ironic, but that’s what I’m told the Greek or Hebrew translation of:  Matthew 7:7, Ask and it shall be given to you;  seek and you shall find;  knock and it shall be opened to you.  Literally, the translation of that is, ask and keep on asking, knock and keep on knocking.

Prayer, the most complex, simple thing I know of.  I say that because, God longs to hear from you, but He can’t listen to you if your heart is not right.  If,  He does aanswer its because of Grace.  When He does answer it is either, yes, no, or wait  a while.  Before I go any further, I want you to know I am not a great authority on prayer, its just that, from reading Gods Word, the Bible, I’ve learned a few things.  And before I check out of this world, I’ll learn a few more things.  For instance,  I was reading in James the other day, and I read;  James 4:3 You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.

So my question to you is, what is the right motive?  Riches?  Fame?  Glory?  And, who do you think you’re fouling by promising God you’ll give your lottery winnings to the church?  I really think those are the wrong motives.  Wisdom,  Spiritual insight, unmerited kindness,  pacients, I think these are the right motives.  I’ve also learned the closer you get to heaven the farther you get from earth.  Posted by Steve Waltrip

Via Dolorosa, is Latin for, the way of suffering, literally it was the path that Jesus took to the cross.  In 1350,  Franciscan friars conducted an official tour of the Via Dolorosa which started at the Holy Sepulcher and ended at the house of Pilate, which was the opposite way Christ traveled.  In 1517 the friars reversed the route, and started at Pilate’s house and ended at crucifixion at Golgotha.  Today, it has evolved into a route of nine stations.  Stops, depicting Biblical events that took place on the day of Christ crucifixion.

To me, it was a pilgrimage that was taken by Christ to redeem the world from sin.  If we were ever going to get back in the right relationship with God, Christ had to go to the Cross.  If we were ever going to be able to commune with God, Christ had to take this pilgrimage.  For me to take my rightful place in heaven, Christ had to suffer and die for me.  All it takes for one to claim his place in Heaven is to, admit you’re need for a Saviour, except what Christ did, and believe He did it for you.  Simple, but true.

I must follow Christ, whatever path it may lead. Posted by Steve Waltrip

I got the information about  the Via Dolorosa from Wikapidia

When writing the articles for this Blog I use personal experiences.  I am not a Pastor or a Counselor.  I write from my  own Christian viewpoint.  I am not infallible, though I give much thought to what I share.  Twice in the last two years I have had something happen to me that, for me is quite remarkable.  The last time was only two weeks ago.   Joel 2:28 And it will come about after this.  That I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind:  and your young sons and daughters will prophesy, Your old men will dream dreams, Your young men will see visions.

About two years ago I had a dream about the rapture.  One minute I was standing, on earth, the next I was flying up to the clouds.  It was a dark cloudy day, but the clouds parted as I went through them.  The next dream a few weeks ago, I was standing in a crowd  looking at the people.  They, one by one, with a flash of bright yellow light streaked up.

Is this a fulfillment of scripture?  I don’t think so.  I do know that in my subconscious mind I thinking good thoughts.  Thirty years ago, when I was not a Christian, I had unclean thoughts and dreams about the opposite sex.   I haven’t had one of thoughs dreams in thirty years.  Proof positive to me I have made an inward change.  It’s very exciting to dream about the rapture.   Posted by Steve Waltrip

There is a battle going on, sometimes seen, often times not.  A battle for the human soul.  Many people are unaware that this battle even exists.  When I was unsaved, if you had of told me there was a battle going own I would have said, you were nuts.  Some are aware and choose not to participate.  Some time ago God allowed me to feel just a small portion of what He feels over a lost soul.  I have felt great sorrow, and as a result a greater urgency to do something about it.

To many time, we just want to go on with our life and not be bothered.  It’s much easier for me to take care of my own little life, in my own little world, without worrying about somebody else.  To get involved with someone else I have to take time out of what I was doing and redirect my energy to them.  But, like I was saying earlier, God gave me a small glimpse of what doing nothing would result in.  The Holy Spirit put a conviction on me that I will never forget.

I am asking you to enter the battle with me.  Don’t be overwhelmed with that request, we have an excellent training manual, the Bible, and plenty of back up, The Holy Spirit.  This is a job for us to do, we are Christ’s representatives here on earth.  If we don’t show Christ to the world, how will they see Him?

John 3:16  For God so love the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that who ever believed in Him should not perish but have eternal life. (NASB) posted by Steve Waltrip

There is a brotherhood that exists between men, a relationship that is strengthened  by adversity.   A good example of this was David and Jonathon in the Old Testiment.  King Saul, knew that God had chosen David to suceed Him to the thrown and was trying to kill him.  Jonathon, Saul’s son, the natural air to the thrown was trying to prevent Saul from doing that.  You can read about their relationship in the book of 1 Samuel 20:30-42.

A lot of men by nature are loners.  Me for instance,  my dad was a State Trooper.  Every couple of years, we moved to a new town.  I didn’t have enough time to cultivate any friends.  As a result, I learned to entertain myself.  I was never unhappy, quite the contrary,  I just thought of ways to have fun on my own.  My dad changed jobs and while attending High school I had a close friend, but after I got married we soon lost touch.

After 30 years of marriage, my wife decided she didn’t want to be married anymore,  so I was off on my own again.  With my three boys grown, I move to another town to start putting my life back together again.  At which time, I found the best friend I had ever had.  Tom C. took me under his wing so-to-say.  He was a true friend, on Sunday afternoon, after church, when he took his family out to eat, I went with him.  On Friday night, I was at his house eating supper and watching a movie.  During the week, sometimes we would walk and he would just listen to how I was couping.  Sometimes his wife and son would go with us walking,  at a distance.  His even took me along to Red Lobster, once when he and his wife were celebrating their wedding anniversary.

The relationship between two men is different than the relationship of two women.  I’m not going to call up a friend from church and ask him if he wants to go shopping at Bath and Beyond.  But I might call one up and ask him if he wants to go hunting.   I need a friend that will help me keep it between the ditches, a Godly man that will tell me when I have messed up. Posted  by Steve Waltrip

The picture came from the web sight ‘Web Shot’.  What impressed me was the fact that the young man is showing off his ‘Soldiers Bible’.  I’m just guessing, but I think he has just graduated boot camp, no unit patch yet, probably infantry.  He has qualified as a rifle  marksmen.  A young warrior proud of his Bible.  Some one gave him the Bible, I don’t think it is U.S. Army issue.  My wife and I gave one to my son before he left to Iraq.

If you ever ask a soldier, what going to war is all about, they will all tell you the same thing, “it is what I was trained to do”.  I’ve been in training for thirty years, I’ve seen quit a few battles, won some and lost some. I have some battle scares to show for it.   The more I learn the better I get in battle.  I couldn’t imagine receiving all this training and not put it to good use.

I’ve been trained in Special Ops, like the Green Beret’s, sometimes I go behind enemy lines attaching key stronghold of the enemy.  Taring down communications, taking out key figures, gathering in-tell.  I learn the enemies, attach when he’s not expecting it.  I practice with my weapons so that I can be prophishiant, when called upon to use them.

I’ve been speaking in metaphors, for you see , the weapons of my warfare are not fleshly, but might before God for the taring down of strong holds.  I am destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and I am taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. 2 Cor. 10:4 & 5  ”it is what I have been trained to do”.  Posted by Steve Waltrip