I think it's amazing how the Bible uses the title "shepherd" for elders in this passage, because it's also used for Jesus in other areas of Scripture, and it is done intentionally.  Within a body of believers, there are sheep, wolves and shepherds, with the chief shepherd being Jesus.   Elders are appointed in a church to be shepherds of the flock, following closely to the Chief Shepherd.  They are to guide the body and protect them from wolves.  There are wolves in the world, and sadly, even found in the church.   These people are looking to manipulate, hurt and lead others astray.  A role of an elder, is to protect the sheep from these people, to pray for the flock, and lead the flock in a godly direction, building the flock up in the glory of God.  Just like the devil is prowling around looking for someone to devour, so are wolves.  Thank you to those who sacrifice their time and energy to be elders, to watch over and protect the sheep.

        What does it mean to humble yourselves under God?  I believe it means to surrender yourself completely.  This takes humility.  It means laying down our pride, our dreams, our control- and giving ourselves entirely to God.  When we do this, we allow Him to work in us.  God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.  Luke 18:14 says: "For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted."  James 4:10 says: "Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you."  There has to be something said about humility. 

    If we stay proud, or continue to try and control our lives, God will sit by and watch, wishing you would just humble yourself before Him, so that instead of you steering your life in the wrong direction, He can steer your life in the best direction.   You say, my life is going fine and I am not going in the wrong direction, I live a good life, and I am happy.  Well, I am glad that you are happy.  But, without God, you are might be steering your life in a good direction... but don't you want the best?  We don't know everything. If you think you do, you are wrong. We can't see into the future.  We don't know how every decision we make will turn out.  But God does.  That is why it is best to surrender your life- in it's entirety to Him, so that He can guide you into decisions, steering you- not a good direction, but the best direction.  Are you humbled under God's mighty hand?  Notice it doesn't just say hand. It says MIGHTY hand!  Or are you trying to live in your own control?  

    Oh yes then there's the lion. "Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour."  I love this illustration but yikes! I do not want to be the one he devours!  How can we protect ourselves from him?  Stand firm in your faith- arming yourself with the armor of God.  Ephesians 6:10-18:  

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.   Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.  Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand inthe evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.  Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,  and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.  In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.

        In the animal kingdom, does a lion tend to go after strong prey or weak prey? The weak prey- because they are easier to attack.  By arming yourself against your enemy, you make yourself a stronger prey- making it harder for your predator to "devour" you.  When you, as a believer, choose to sin, you give the devil a foothold.  To give the devil a foothold, in the animal illustration, would mean you have just broken a leg, making it easier for the lion to attack.  I challenge you to stand firm in your faith, guard yourself with the armor of God and do not become an easy victim for the lion.  Remember, he "prowls around looking for someone to devour".  He is looking, waiting for a weak moment.  No matter what challenge, temptation or trial comes your way- stand firm, and call out to Jesus.  He is your Chief Shepherd remember, and He not only protects you from the wolves, but also from the lion.  Are you going to be easy prey??


~Leanne~

Sin is fun for those walking in sin, but for those who are not, we have a different view of fun.  Have you ever been made fun of because you didn't join in on the sinful fun- whether it be gossip, slander, drunkenness, theft...whatever?   I can recall a number of times.  

       There are many unbelievers and I'm sure some who call themselves believers who find fun in getting drunk.  That was me 5 years ago.  But with drunkenness, comes foolish decisions.  Trust me, I have made many in my drunken past.  I don't even understand, at all, how I thought this was fun 5 years ago.  Yeah, maybe in the moment, there is laughter- but it comes from a false sense of happiness.  Drunkenness brings on temporary happiness, because of what the alcohol physically does to you.  Even if you don't get wasted, the mere "buzzed" is a false sense in happiness too.  You enlighten yourself with alcohol.  I would much rather enlighten myself with the Spirit.  There is no waking up with a dreadful hangover- instead I wake up and see better !    When filled with alcohol, you think you can do things that are impossible, only to hurt yourself or others in the process- when filled with the Spirit, you can do things that are impossible, because through God, all things are possible. (Matthew 19:26)

     This text also talks about those who walk with Jesus have been given a gift-   one we should use to serve one another. This gift could be a number of things, but here are a few examples:

• creativity
• music
• leadership
• administration
• love for children
• prayer
• service
• generosity 

    Do you know what your gift is?  You may have more than one- but we are told that we have at least one.  One of my gifts is transparency.  It wasn't a gift but rather a curse until I learned how to harnness it and use it to glorify God.  Hence, this website and the reason I started it! (Why the Site?)  

    Are you using the gift(s) God has created in you for His purpose?  Over time, you might see changes in your gifts, you might see new ones added, like me, you might need to learn how to harnness or cultivate your gift.  If you don't know what God has gifted you with, ask Him, ask close friends and family.  Many times other people can see a gifting in you that you didn't even know was there!   

    I would love if you left a one or two word response to this blog with what God has gifted you with.  If you want to remain anonymous, just put "anonymous" as your name :)  Let's see the variety of gifts that God has gifted each one of us with!  If you don't understand or don't think you have been given a specific gift, I encourage you to ask yourself if you are in a relationship with Jesus.  If this is something you want to know more about, please read: Receiving Christ.

Oh how hard it was to "be subject" to my husband when I was first convicted of it.  I liked control.  I liked being the spiritual leader of the home.  I liked being in charge of the finances.  I liked making decisions.  I liked not having to answer to anybody.

        That changed about a year ago, and our marriage is so much better.  We felt conviction to change the way we were running our home.  My husband let me lead for the sake of arguements (my control issues) and I liked leading (my control issues).  Also, Joey wasn't spiritually overflowing, so it was challenging for him to lead us. However, when the Lord spoke to us, we both submitted, and my husband has grown so much in the Lord since.   No longer do I lead this family- but he does, and a great job at that.  No longer do I control this family- by God's guidance and wisdom given, Joey does.  No longer am I the spiritual leader- he is and he challenges and encourages me in my faith now!  No longer am I in charge of our finances- and he is doing a much better job than I did- money isn't being lost in spending foolishly.  No longer am I making the decisions- although I have much to contribute, Joey makes the final decisions.  No longer do I have nobody to answer to- although I was fooled into thinking that I didn't have God to answer to.  Not that I "answer" to Joey, but he holds me accountable to my growth in Christ and challenges me when I am struggling.  I actually like having him to "answer to",  I have grown a ton more in Jesus.  It's helpful having a husband who constantly challenges me in  holiness and who builds me up as a godly woman.  This is how God designed marriage to be.  If you try to do it any other way, it is not God's best, and it won't be your best.  Do you feel like you are always arguing with your spouse?  Do you feel like there is always tension?  Check your relationship and test it with this Scripture.  If you are following this guideline, I can guarantee your marriage will be so much better.  By doing this, you are being submissive to God and His plan.   Being submissive doesn't mean being a doormat.  But it does mean stepping down from the platform and letting the husband lead the family.  This means, wives, praying for your husbands in this role.  Just as Joey found it challenging at first to take the lead, it may also be that for your husband.  This doesn't mean you need to step up again, but continue to be humble and under his authority.  Husbands, it might be easier to love your wife like Christ loves the church and gave Himself up for it, if you try to live in an "understanding way" and acknowledge that your wife is the weaker vessel.  She needs prayer too- especially if she is at all like me and has control issues.  You can't force her to change, but the Holy Spirit can do miracles- let me tell you!! So, pray for her!  Take your role as the leader in the home very seriously, your job is not to control her, but lead her- in doing so, you "might sanctify her" that "she might be holy and without blemish". (Ephesians 5:22-33).  Which role are you in and which role should be in?

        As I have shared many times about my "adorning issues", this chapter refers to it again, and I would like to challenge you to analyze yourself concerning this, just as I have.  What is the significance of what is mentioned: braiding of the hair, gold jewelry, the clothing you put on?  I don't think God is specifically referring to having braided hair, wearing gold or wearing clothes.  I am pretty sure that God wants you to wear clothes- if you disagree and have Scripture to back it up- please, email me!  Again, I ask, what are the significances of these things mentioned?  How do you think we can apply it today?  I am being challenged on this in this season of my life.  I never knew it to be a problem.  Not that it is a problem now, but I definitely can take steps so that it doesn't become a problem.  I find it fascinating (and difficult at times) how deep holiness goes.  The closer I get to Jesus, the deeper the more complex holiness becomes, yet it's simple at the same time.  It's not a matter of trying to look holy, but rather- allowing the Holy Spirit to cleanse you from the inside out.  I encourage you to obey the Spirit at all times, even if it seems extreme.  One of my extreme obediences to the Lord, was not to color my hair anymore, this was about 2 years ago.  Did I tell you I used to be a hairstylist????  Yeah, this was challenging for me.  But the issue wasn't that I colored my hair- coloring your hair is not a sin.  The issue was much deeper than that, it was my heart. Even though I took physical measures to obey, the Holy Spirit was working on spiritual measures.  Even though the change was seen on the outside, a change was also seen on the inside.   I believe not coloring my hair was the first step in a project the Spirit is still doing work on.  

        How are you "adorned"?  Do you care more about what you look on the outside than what you do on the inside?  Do you put more time into  getting physically ready for the day than your do preparing yourself spiritually for the day? Is the Spirit tugging at your heart about something specific?  How are you going to respond?


~Leanne~

I am a sojourner and exiler!  

        Some of you may know that I am Canadian.  I said it, I am not American.  I am a "permanent resident" and I have a green card.  Another name the government would call me is an alien.  On my green card is an alien number- a number assigned to me. An alien??? I know I'm weird- but an alien? C'mon, that's harsh!  Okay, I know I'm not funny... Anyway, living in the USA, I am considered an alien, because this is not my homeland.  My homeland is Canada.  In the Bible, believers are referred to as aliens, sojourners and exiles of the earth because this earth is not our home.  Heaven is.  How great it is!  We can look around and see the filth around us; we see evil, broken families, a government in loads of debt, catastrophes in abundance, war, murder, adultery- and we can say, "We don't belong here."   Since I live in USA through marriage, people often ask me why I haven't obtained my citizenship here.  To be honest, I'm proud to be Canadian.  And as long as I don't have to obtain citizenship, I won't- sorry!  There are people that don't understand and even try to convince me that I should.  The same is true spiritually.  People of the world don't understand that we don't belong here, except that there's something different about us.  And whether it's people, things, or desires of the flesh,  they try to convince you to make earth your home.  It's no wonder passions of the world wage war against our soul.  The passions are fighting to make us feel comfortable here,to make this your home- but we are not supposed to get comfortable here!    Verse 11: "Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul."  The passions that Peter is talking about here aren't godly things like Bible study, church, fellowship, family time, etc., that would be passions of the soul.  No, he is talking about passions of the flesh- things that WAR against your soul- things that are trying to steal your soul from where it's going!  The evil one and your fleshly nature, lure your soul everyday by the desires of the world- is your soul being won over by them?  It's so easy to get caught up in the worldly things, especially if you belong to it.  But those of us who know that our home is in heaven should constantly remind ourselves that this is just a temporary place.  Tom Kelby, pastor at Cornerstone Church in Spooner WI said this once: "If you were visiting somewhere for an extended period of time and were staying in a hotel for the time, would you go around changing the pictures hanging on the wall?  No- because you are only going to be there awhile.  It is not your permanent home."  That is how I want to live my life.  This life on earth is temporary- my home is in heaven.  I don't want to spend too much time, money and energy on things that die with me here.  Instead, I want to invest in eternal things- such as lives.  That is why I sacrifice my time and energy into this website.  I hope that God is using it to reach people- to build up believers, and call out to the lost who aren't saved.  What are you investing your life into- temporary things or eternal things?  How does God want to use you?  How are you living your life- as though this is your home, or as if you are just visiting?  I challenge you to really take a look at your life- how you are living it.  If we are called aliens, sojourners and exiles- do the citizens of this earth see you as that or do they see you as a fellow citizen?  People see me as a Canadian, especially when I talk about ketchup chips and talk like a Canadian.  If we truly love and follow Jesus, people should know that we are aliens because of what we talk about and how we talk.  I hope that the people around me see me as not just an alien to the USA because I am Canadian, but as an alien because Heaven is my home.


~Leanne~

I love this chapter. I read it a few times before writing- not because I chose to read it a few times for clarity- no, it was because I hadn't prepared my mind and I wasn't sober minded.  My vision was clouded, and I couldn't concentrate, nor connect with this chapter.  When I say that I wasn't sober minded, I don't mean that I had a few beers in me- trust me when I say I've been without alcohol since October 13, 2009. When I say my vision was clouded, it wasn't because I decided to go out early morning when there was a heavy fog surrounding me.  However, this past week, I received money in the mail since it was my 29th birthday, and my mind was not on Jesus, but on how I could spend all the money I got.  Been there? Maybe not.  I have- more than a few times.  I was obsessing over clothes, shoes and kitchen stuff- aka: things.  Some people would call it OCD.  The Bible calls it idolatry.  As much as I was avoiding the thought of it being idolatry, I was still in prayer every day asking the Lord to take this obsession from me.  But I wasn't doing my part.  I was still going online, still shopping. Yesterday, I emptied out all my online carts and closed my laptop.  No more. I finally did my part, and this morning, my vision is back and I am sober-minded once again.  My mind is ready for action.  What clouds your vision?  What takes away your focus from Jesus?  I am embarrassed to even consider how much time went into filling my online cart with items, only to repeatedly look at them, add to them, subtract from them, add my name to online email coupons- only to have wasted all that time doing nothing- for nothing.  When Peter says, "As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance", that's exactly what I was doing.  I was submitting to things that don't matter.  I say submitting, because it's okay to buy clothes, shoes and kitchen stuff- but I was obsessing.  Have you read my article Skincare Struggle?  I was in the same mode.  I spent my time foolishly, and I spent my mind foolishly.  All it did, was take time away from Jesus, my children and my sanity.  Our minds should be set on Jesus- all the time.  If something takes your mind off Him, you should remove it. Period.  You can honor Jesus while you shop, while you clean, while you cook, while you work.... or even by cleaning, by cooking, by working, (by shopping?).  I was not honoring Him with my time, with my money, or with my mind.  It's crazy too, that when I slip into idolatry, everything else around me is affected.  My relationship with Jesus, my relationship with my husband, my relationship with my kids. I had a really stressful week- Oskar was driving me nuts!!!! And maybe it was because he just wanted a little of my time... This makes me cry.  I can't believe how quickly and deep it dragged me.   I was so focused on what shirts were on clearance that my son couldn't even let me know he needed my love, instead, I got angry because he was misbehaving.  They say when a child misbehaves, it could be that he just needs loving, quality attention.  Looking back on the week- that's exactly what he needed. 

        Are you going to exchange good time for idolatry time?  What things take your focus off Jesus?  What is pressing on your heart as you read this?  What is the Holy Spirit trying to reveal as idolatry in your life?


~Leanne~