Peace Like A River
Published on October 24, 2009 at 12:05 AM
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"I've got peace like a river
I've got peace like a river
I've got peace like a river in my soul."
 Growing up that was a song I always loved to sing. Everyone wishes to have peace in their lives. Everyone is searching for:
Philippians 4:7
"Then God's shalom, passing all understanding, will keep your hearts and minds safe in union with the Messiah Yeshua."
People want to have a peaceful life. There are different ways people try to get peace from: watching streams or waterfalls, watching the sun set, reading a book, listening to music, drinking their favorite beverage, watch the snow falling, or listening to the rain, taking a drive, etc. Each person tries to find a way to receive peace in their lives. We all know those will never really give us the peace we long for. They are not the way to have peace in your life. They will not last!
Scriptures tell us that peace is a fruit of having the Holy Spirit in our lives:
Galatians 5:22-23
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility, self control. Nothing in the Torah stands against such things."
Letting the Holy Spirit in our lives gives us so much fruit and peace is another one of those wonderful fruit! We will have peace and life when we live in the Spirit and have a mind of the Spirit:
Romans 8:6
"Having one's mind controlled by the old nature is death, but having one's mind controlled by the Spirit is life and shalom."
I don't want to have a flesh-ly mind. I don't want death. I want everlasting life and peace that passes all understanding. Before you can have true peace in your life, you have to know Christ.
John 14:27
"What I am leaving with you is shalom -- I am giving you my shalom. I don't give the way the world gives. Don't let yourselves be upset or frightened."
Jesus is the only one who can give us true peace. His peace is something that only He can give. It is a peace that is like no other. The world's peace will not last. It is a temporary fix. If you do things to get peace, they are just temporary... You can only watch a stream or waterfall for a while. You can only read a book til its over. You can only listen to music til the song ends. You can only watch the sun til its down. You can only drink your favorite beverage til its gone. You can watch the snow falling til it stops and melts. You can only listen to the rain til the sun comes out. And you can only take a drive til the road ends! There is only one way to have peace and a peace that lasts and that is the peace that you can only find in our Savior... its eternal! It is everlasting, and it is perfect!
Isaiah 26:3
"A person whose desire rests on you you preserve in perfect peace, because he trusts in you."
When we trust in the Lord and do what He wants from us, then we shall have peace! I have found that it doesn't matter what we are going through in our lives... no matter what it is... we can find peace. Even in the midst of the hardest time of your life and you cannot see the end of the anxiety you have, its already there in our Savior. He has it!
The only satisfying peace that we long for comes from God. He wants to give us peace.
Psalm 29:11
"May ADONAI give strength to his people! May ADONAI bless his people with shalom!"
Not only will the He bless us with peace, but when we have peace its much easier to make peace and that is another blessing:
Matthew 5:9
"How blessed are those who make peace! for they will be called sons of God."
We all know how much we need peace, when you have it, don't you want to make sure everyone can have peace too? When Jesus gives us His peace, our lives will be so enriched! When you have peace in your life it is very easy to share peace with us and live in peace.
Hebrews 12:14
"Keep pursuing shalom with everyone and the holiness without which no one will see the Lord."
See? When we live in peace the world shall see that it is from God. What a wonderful testimony to the salvation of Christ! When people see us living in peace and have peace in our lives, people will want it and wonder what makes us so peaceful. We can share Christ with them and tell Him that we have His peace. And sharing the salvation, love, and peace that comes through Christ is our mission as a child of God.
Everyone wants peace to flow like a river that never stops moving! I think the true meaning behind the song is to have the peace that will never end. Rivers don't usually end... they are always flowing with water. I want my life to be flowing with peace all the time!
Shalom to you!
©AmandaDixon2009
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True Blue Friend
Published on October 17, 2009 at 2:14 AM
What kind of friend are you? Are you a friend that can be counted on to be there when someone needs you? Are you a friend that feels deeply when something bad or good happens to your friend? Are you a true friend?
True friends are hard to come by, but it is something that everyone needs. Everyone needs a friend they can count on to be there anytime, all the time. Everyone needs to have a friend that will encourage them in the way they should be even when they don't want to. Everyone needs a friend who will cry when you are hurting or laugh when it's funny with sincerity. Everyone needs a friend who, though they may not talk to each other for months, would be there no matter what, willing to help you in whatever way they could.
Are you a true friend? Can your friends count on you for anything and everything? I find it a privilege to be able to be a true friend to my friends. I want to be a friend they can count on all the time. I want them to come to me if they need an ear to listen to, or a shoulder to cry on or a prayer warrior on their behalf. I will never forsake my friends. I want to be the type of friend that our Savior, Christ, is. He will never leave you or forsake you either. He is always there, He loves you unconditionally, and most importantly He gave His life for us.
John 15:13-15
"No one has greater love than a person who lays down his life for his friends. You are my friends, if you do what I command you. I no longer call you slaves, because a slave doesn't know what his master is about; but I have called you friends, because everything I have heard from my Father I have made known to you."
Christ is the best example we have of a friend and if you want to be a true friend, follow after His example! If you are a friend of Christ, then you must act like He did.
Another example of true friends we can look to is Jonathan and David.
1 Samuel 18:1
"By the time David had finished speaking to Sha'ul, Y'honatan found himself inwardly drawn by David's character, so that Y'honatan loved him as he did himself."
Jonathan was a true friend to David. He protected David, he helped David, and saved him when Saul wanted to kill David. Jonathan risked his life to save his friend, and that shows how much Jonathan loved David.
To be a true friend to someone you have to love them. You cannot do something selfless for anyone if you do not love them. Being a true friend is being selfless. A true friend is a blessing to your friends because you will be someone they can always trust, love, and count on.
Being a true friend is continuing a relationship with someone all the time, even if you don't agree 100% with something they say, do or believe. I have seen a lot of friendships end because one friend disagrees with something another friend believes and so they think they're wrong. Now I don't believe we always have to stay friends with people, because sometimes its just unavoidable to end a friendship, but we need to be true blue friends who try to stick it out til there is nothing left to stick to anymore. Not just quitting a friendship because there is one thing we don't agree about with a friend. I am sure our Savior disagrees with things we do or say or even believe, but He's not going to quit the relationship with us, is He? No!
So are you a true friend to your friends? Take some time to evaluate what kind of a friend you are. Maybe work on the areas you feel you are lacking in. There is always room for improvement!
I will personally never turn against a friend. Never. I know there will be things we disagree with, because there isn't one person who agrees 100% with someone else, but I will always be a friend to my friends. I want to be a true friend for my friends because I want to be like Christ who is THE best and truest friend!
©AmandaDixon2009
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Courage Under Fire
Published on October 2, 2009 at 12:19 AM
Courage Under Fire is every firefighters motto. How true it rings! October 2-4 will celebrate the 28th National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend. This weekend is supported by the NFFF and the Department of Homeland Security. In 1982, the nation started honoring its fallen fire heroes during this weekend. The National Observance weekend is held at the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg, Maryland.
Friday evening honors the families of the fallen firefighters and survivors with a welcome reception. Saturday they hold Family Day activities at the National Fire Academy campus with an evening candlelight service. Sunday, honor guard units and bagpipers open the memorial service with a procession that honors the bravest and their families. They end the weekend with a national tribute listing the names of the fallen heroes with plaques.
In 2002, it was held in Washington's MCI Center because of the expectation of a large attendance in observance of the passing of over 300 firefighters at The World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.
I would like to honor the 341 firefighters of the New York City Fire Department who lost their lives on September 11th, 2006. A couple of weeks ago, I watched the movie World Trade Center. It is about the 2 survivors of the Port Authority Police Officers who some of the first on the scene when the Twin Towers were hit.
On that day, the New York City Fire Department sent out 200 of their unit, which was half of the department, to Ground Zero. Those firefighter's efforts were backed by numerous off duty firefighters and EMTs. The New York Police Department also sent out Emergency Service Units and other personnel.
Being the first out to the WTCs, the FDNY, NYPD, and the Port Authority police were very limited in their knowledge about what was going on and were not able to share information to their unit to coordinate their efforts. The NYPD, FDNY, and Port Authority did repeated searches for civilians instead of planning efforts among each other. When the conditions worsened, the NYPD received information from helicopters and passed it along and were able to evacuate most of their officers before the Towers collapsed. But radio communications between NYPD and FDNY were not coming through, so the information did not get to the FDNY commanders. When the first Tower collapsed, FDNY had problems communicating the evacuation orders to the firefighters already inside the Towers because of radio repeater systems in the World Trade Centers. 911 dispatchers had information called in, but it was not passed along. In only hours of the attacks, a huge search and rescue plan was launched, but rescue and recovery efforts took months to complete.
A total of 411 emergency workers who had responded to the scene died when they attempted to rescue people. The New York Fire Department lost 341 firefighters and 2 FDNY paramedics that day. The New York Police Department lost 23 of their officers, and Port Authority lost 37 officers and a K9 dog named Sirius. Private EMS units lost 8 additional EMTs and paramedics.
John 15:13
"No one has greater love than a person who lays down his life for his friends."
Christ gave his life for us, so that we might live. The firefighters give their lives, so other can live. Do you love others enough to give your life for them?
On October 2-4, take a moment to remember the Fallen Firefighters, not only those of September 11, but also all of the other firefighters who save lives everyday! Also remember their families who they left behind.
©AmandaDixon2009
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Through The Grapevine
Published on September 17, 2009 at 11:55 PM
*Originally published March 2009 at Growing In Grace Magazine*
We have all dealt with gossipers, talebearers and slanderers in our relationships. This isn't a new thing that friends or non friends have been doing to one another. God commanded the Israelites way back when they were released from Egypt saying:
Leviticus 19:16
"Do not go around spreading slander among your people, but also don't stand idly by when your neighbor's life is at stake; I am ADONAI."
But still it continued, even tho they were commanded to stop and Paul ended up dealing with gossipers too:
2 Thessalonians 3:11
"We hear that some of you are leading a life of idleness - not busy working, just busybodies!"
Those that are gossipers, busybodies, and talebearers are people who pry into or meddle in the affairs of others, and then share things that should not be shared. Sometimes they are close friends who you told something in confidence of privacy who didn't care to keep that secret as it where and thus cause trouble, harm, and pain for others. When they do that, it is for their own personal gain and to hurt others. We all know how much it hurts when friends gossip... A LOT!
I do not want to deeply hurt people I care about and call my friends and vice versa. A gossiper is not a real friend and if you that one or more of your "friends" are gossiping, it is best to go away from them, until they stop.
Proverbs 20:19
"A gossip goes around revealing secrets, so don't get involved with a talkative person."
It is a grave thing to gossip and be a talebearer and slanderer. Such a grievous sin in God's eyes, that we are to put them out and not receive them:
Romans 16:17
"I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put snares alongside the teaching in which you have been trained - keep away from them."
We need to make sure that those who gossip, slander, and talebear are known for their behavior and we need to avoid them. God does not want discord and mistrust in His body. When someone gossips, they are found untrustworthy, and God doesn't want us to associate with them. Sometimes friends gossip without knowing they are, but even if they do it on purpose, it is our duty to just forgive them.
Most of the time, friendships end where one of them have been gossiping or bullying the other:
Proverbs 16:28
"A deceitful person stirs up strife, and a slanderer can separate even close friends."
Proverbs 17:9
"He who conceals an offense promotes love, but he who harps on it can separate even close friends."
Gossip will separate even the BEST and CLOSEST friends and that is wrong! We are not to cause division in the Body and we are definitely not to go around telling others what we were told in confidence, wounding those that are our friends!
If you tell something to a friend in secret, and that friend is a REAL friend, they will not go around gossiping it:
Proverbs 11:13
"A gossip goes around revealing secrets, but a trustworthy person keeps a confidence."
If you are a true friend, you won't gossip, or slander, or talebear about something you were told in confidence. Your friend told you because they trusted you and believes you are a real friend. Don't break that trust.
Now... are you a gossiper, talebearer, or slanderer? The Bible gives us a clear list of what they do:
1 Timothy 5:13
"Besides that, they learn to be idle, going around from house to house; and not only idle, but gossips and busybodies, saying things they shouldn't."
There is an easy solution to end gossiping... stay away from those that gossip, talebear and slander.
Proverbs 26:20
"If there's no wood, the fire goes out; if nobody gossips, contention stops."
Whoa! News flash! If you don't gossip, then it ceases... what a novel idea! If you know someone who has a problem with gossiping, you can help them to stop by not telling them things that could be gossip material... fire doesn't burn without fuel. Don't fuel their fires and they will die.
So let's all recognize gossip and put an end to it and stop the vicious cycle of mistrust, hurt, and brokeness of the Body.
©AmandaDixon2009
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On Being Bullied
Published on September 12, 2009 at 3:40 PM
Once again, my family has been dealing with online friend problems. I don't understand why God keeps allowing us to go through this but He does and we believe in His sovereignty and that something good will come out of this if not only to find out who our REAL friends are. Unfortunately not only have we been dealing with being having these problems, but we have been somewhat bullied through this. Webster defines a bully as:
BULL'Y, n. A noisy, blustering overbearing fellow, more distinguished for insolence and empty menaces, than for courage, and disposed to provoke quarrels. A bully is just a person who has to hurt others in order to make himself feel better because the bully has no confidence or self esteem in himself. Bullies are just people who don't have or want peace in their lives! They are an unpeaceful people. They preach grace, yet they show no grace. They are just Users.
Bullies are not a new thing in our world. They have been around for centuries. The Egyptians who enslaved the Israelites were bullies. They were afraid of the Israelites. Many times fear makes a bully.
Exodus 1:8-14
Now there arose a new king over Egypt. He knew nothing about Yosef but said to his people, "Look, the descendants of Isra'el have become a people too numerous and powerful for us. Come, let's use wisdom in dealing with them. Otherwise, they'll continue to multiply; and in the event of war they might ally themselves with our enemies, fight against us and leave the land altogether." So they put slavemasters over them to oppress them with forced labor, and they built for Pharaoh the storage cities of Pitom and Ra'amses. But the more the Egyptians oppressed them, the more they multiplied and expanded, until the Egyptians came to dread the people of Isra'el and worked them relentlessly, making their lives bitter with hard labor -digging clay, making bricks, all kinds of field work; and in all this toil they were shown no mercy.
Pharaoh was afraid of the Israelites, and he thought that by bullying them they would be afraid of him. Satan often uses fear as his main attack. Fear is a powerful thing, and it is very important to not be fearful. 2 Timothy 1:7
For God gave us a Spirit who produces not timidity, but power, love and self-discipline.
Anyone who oppresses you is a bully, and it is wrong. Anyone who pushes you to do what they want, whether physically, emotionally or mentally is a bully. Bullies are so manipulative, because they use their strength to get others to do what they want. They give the bullied no choice but to do what they want.
I have never been physically bullied, but our family has been virtually bullied on the internet many times. Like IRL bullies, virtual bullies try to make you do what they want, by gossiping about you, turning friends against you, going to your friends and befriending them, by hacking your websites and stalking you. They try to make you do their will, because you can't do anything about it. They make you be the bigger person because they know you won't go do the things they do or tell the world about them. You get stuck between a rock and a hard place; that is exactly where they want you.
But, even Jesus was bullied, so we can take the comfort that we can suffer through the same thing as Christ did even though it is hard to be bullied. I believe that bullying in a way is persecution and Jesus said: John 15:20
Remember what I told you, `A slave is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will persecute you too; if they kept my word, they will keep yours too. If Jesus was bullied and persecuted, you will be too! We are so blessed to have Jesus come to earth to endure these things for us and to tell us what we can do when they happen to us! Jesus also told us what to do to do those bully us: Luke 6:27-31
Nevertheless, to you who are listening, what I say is this: "Love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.
"If someone hits you on one cheek, offer the other too; if someone takes your coat, let him have your shirt as well.
"If someone asks you for something, give it to him; if someone takes what belongs to you, don't demand it back.
"Treat other people as you would like them to treat you.
Matthew 5:38-42
"You have heard that our fathers were told, `Eye for eye and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you not to stand up against someone who does you wrong. On the contrary, if someone hits you on the right cheek, let him hit you on the left cheek too!
If someone wants to sue you for your shirt, let him have your coat as well!
And if a soldier forces you to carry his pack for one mile, carry it for two!
When someone asks you for something, give it to him; when someone wants to borrow something from you, lend it to him.
We are to love the bullies, and do good to them, bless them, and pray for them! Believe me, that is no easy task. There are days when I just want to come out and say what REALLY happened and want everyone to know they can't trust those persons, but that is where we just leave the situation to God and let Him handle it. He is the righteous judge and will repay the deeds that are done.
All we have to do is what those verses, tell us: turn your cheek, give them your shirt, go the extra mile! So love those who bully, do good to them when they are horrible to you, bless them when they curse you and most importantly pray for them. Show Jesus to your bullies, even those bullies who are Christians, by doing those things because Jesus is the only one who can change them and prayer works!
Those who bully are spiteful and hateful! Love and kindness do not treat others like that. Jesus is love and kindness and if you don't have Him in your life, you can't love and show kindness to people and all you can do is be spiteful and hateful!
So remember to love those that bully you and by doing that you are showing Jesus to them! THAT is the mission of a Christian! To show the love of Christ to those who know Him not!
©AmandaDixon2009
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Just Forgive!
Published on August 30, 2009 at 3:33 PM
There are many seasons in a friendship. Seasons of laughter, seasons of sadness, seasons of trials, seasons of peace, seasons of hurt and pain, and seasons of healing and forgiveness. Lately I have had a hard time with unforgiveness in friendships. It is very painful to be hurt by people who were supposed to be your friend, who you thought cared about you. It is very hard to forgive when friends wrong you, but you must do it. You must do it because in order to receive forgiveness you have to forgive others. Matthew 6:14
For if you forgive others their offenses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if you do not forgive others their offenses, your heavenly Father will not forgive yours. Your sins are much greater towards God than any human's toward you. If you want the Father's forgiveness you must give it! It is so hard to forgive when you are wronged and hurt. It is so hard to sit by as evil prevails and there is no punishment for their sin. It is very painful. But it is not for you to worry about. All you have to do is forgive them as Jesus forgave you. Peter also had a hard time understanding forgiveness. He had been having trouble with the tax collectors and he knew in his heart that is was right to forgive them, but he didn't want to because he was hurt. He went to the great counselor, though, and Jesus gave him the best advice: Matthew 18:21-22
Then Kefa came up and said to him, "Rabbi, how often can my brother sin against me and I have to forgive him? As many as seven times?" "No, not seven times," answered Yeshua, "but seventy times seven! WOW! That is hard to do. We are to forgive seventy times seven that equals 490 times. Now when Jesus said that he wasn't saying to keep a record of how many times you forgive. He was saying you just forgive! Even if you are sinned against daily more than once, forgive! Luke 17:3-4
Watch yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. Also, if seven times in one day he sins against you, and seven times he comes to you and says, `I repent,' you are to forgive him." It is sad, but just because you forgive someone it doesn't mean they will stop hurting you. When that happens you just need to leave it in Jesus' hands because He will deal with them. We just need to make sure that as Believers we always have a season of forgiveness for everyone. Now forgiveness does not mean that you have to continue in close relationship with those who hurt you, because you don't. You can forgive, move on and still not have the same relationship with those who sinned against you. While Christ wants us to show His love to everyone, He does not want us to keep being hurt by going back to friends who will continue to wrong you. Paul had a disagreement with a friend, Barnabas. Acts 15:39
There was such sharp disagreement over this that they separated from each other, with Bar-Nabba taking Mark and sailing off to Cyprus. It is ok to part ways with others. People change, relationships change, ideas change. Sometimes God puts people in our life for a season, to help us grow or learn something. After that has season has passed, He will pull you away sometimes. He does not want division in His body. 1 Corinthians 1:10
Nevertheless, brothers, I call on you in the name of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah to agree, all of you, in what you say, and not to let yourselves remain split into factions but be restored to having a common mind and a common purpose. You need to do everything in your power to have no divisions. If you find yourself in a place where you need to walk away from a relationship, you need to pray and ask God what to do and if He leads you away from it, you need make sure you are doing so righteously, according to the Bible. There is only one place in the Bible that talks about not forgiving and it is NOT by you not forgiving someone. Mark 3:28-29
Yes! I tell you that people will be forgiven all sins and whatever blasphemies they utter; however, someone who blasphemes against the Ruach HaKodesh never has forgiveness but is guilty of an eternal sin." I know it is so hard to just forgive when you are hurt. You don't want to let your anger go because it seems like its all they left you when they hurt you, but you must give it to Jesus and forgive the person. You can still be kind to them, and not have the same relationship with them. You can still forgive, but you don't have to continue to be in a position where they can hurt you. Ephesians 4:32
Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted; and forgive each other, just as in the Messiah God has also forgiven you. When you have done everything you are supposed, Jesus will take of the rest! Just forgive!
©AmandaDixon2009
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