Inspirations From The Mountains
October 26, 2009
Recently as I was reviewing some of my memory verses I came to 1 Peter 5:8. Be sober; be vigilant, for your adversary, the devil, walks about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. My mind went immediately to Revelation 5:5, which tells us that Jesus is known as the Lion of Judah. “Satan is nothing but an Iwannabe.” I said out loud.
Satan, or Lucifer ( a.k.a. Iwannabe), was one of the three arch angels, the highest in the heavens, but he wasn’t satisfied with that, so he rebelled and attempted to exalt himself above his Creator. He wanted to be King! His pride got him tossed out of heaven’s glory to the earth where he was demoted to the prince of the power of the air. To retaliate he vowed to destroy everything good God created. He is called the god of this world. “In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. (2 Corinthians 4:4), he can transform himself into an angel of light. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.(2 Cor. 11:14, then promise to give us abundant life. But the truth is he is a liar, deceiver, destroyer, manipulator, thief, and murderer, and he will take us to hell with him. And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone. And whoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. Revelation 2010 &15
The Lion is known as the King of the Beasts. Let’s look at this Mighty Lion of Judah, the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the epitome of power and leadership, yet He came to earth as a servant to deny himself, to show us how to live, and then give his life as a ransom to pay for our disobedience. We are the offspring of the Lion, the Mighty King, if we have been born into His kingdom and are allowing Him to live through us so we may obey the commandments and fulfill His purposes for us here on earth, But even if we appear to be an angel of light, if we let pride, greed and lust drive us to strive for personal exaltation and selfish gain, and secretly try to destroy anyone who gets in our way, we are nothing but a pitiful, miserable loser.
If I’m going to be anything at all, Iwannabe a child of the King. How about you?
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Inspirations From The Mountains
October 19, 2009
There’s an old saying that says, “There are two sides to every story.” I want to consider one of those stories today, and it’s the other side of loneliness.
What if I was a shut-in? I try to picture myself confined to a bed or chair in an 8X12 room. It might be in the home of family, but it could also be in a rest home or hospital. My ability to help myself is mostly gone, and the only folks I ever see are my care-givers or an occasional family member or friend. How do I cope with this kind of isolation and loneliness? It’s one of those things I try not to think about, but there’s no guarantee that it will never happen.
We are compelled by scripture to visit such folks because they need to stay connected to God’s family. Many have no family left and sometimes there are days when no one comes. It’s sad to say, but too often we leave the visiting to the pastor or church elder. We’re too busy so we figure someone else will do it. In reality we just don’t care that much.
But I’d like to tell you about someone who does care--my brother-in-law, Delmar Somoskey and his wife, Joyce. God has gifted them with an incredible compassion for the elderly and confined. A good part of each week is spent making calls to shut-ins, and hugs, pats and prayers are always part of the visit. Once a week they have a rest home service and sometimes Delmar will go to the room of a reluctant or discouraged patient and personally escort them to the service. Funerals are also a regular part of their ministry, as well as phone calls.
Their days are spent in homes, hospitals and rest homes among the sick and dying. They start early and must often stay late if necessary. Sometimes they get so weary they can hardly put one foot in front of the other, but they keep going. If you were to ask them if it is worth it, they would say a hearty “yes!”
Beloved, we need more folks like them. Could God be calling some of us to this kind of ministry? If we can’t visit, we can write cards, make phone calls and pray. It’s our responsibility, so let’s do our part. If we don’t, who will?
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort, Who comforts us in our tribulation that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 2 Corinthians, 1:3-4 (NKJV) --Rebecca Somoskey
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Inspirations From The Mountains
October 12, 2009
It’s nut time again. Hazel nuts, chestnuts, walnuts, pecans and others are turning loose of the trees and tumbling to the ground. Squirrels are filling every spare corner of their houses against winter starvation. Lovers of nuts are busy cracking the shells and enjoying the tasty meat. My favorite nuts are pecans and walnuts, but Emory and our oldest daughter, Monica love chestnuts.
Nuts have taken a bum rap because they are often used as derogatory expressions when folks want to describe someone they feel is not of sound mind, or has a head full of air. She’s a nut. He’s nuttier than a fruit cake. You’re nuts. Then there’s the expression “in a nutshell” which means it as been condensed to it’s smallest form. And that’s the message I want to pass on to you today.
Beloved, so many reject the message of God’s Holy Book because they say it’s too big and hard to understand. Meanwhile they walk on through life in their lost condition, or, they never progress in their walk with the Savior. So for these dear folks I want to give you The Gospel in a Nutshell. To every reader I want to challenge you to read and consider carefully every simple part of this message, because it will give you an overview of everything that makes sense in this life. There are three parts that even the most Biblically illiterate can understand. Let’s break open the shell now and see what wonderful meat is inside.
First there’s the two great commandments. Jesus said, “Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only God. And you must love him with all your heart and soul and mind and strength. The second is: You must love others as much as yourself. No other commandments are greater than these. Mark 12 29-31 TLB
Also, God has purposes for each of our lives before we are born, and these purposes are all about building relationships with Him and others people. They include worshiping God, fellowship, discipleship, submission , and evangelism.
Finally, a nutshell version of the Bible tells us where we came from, how we got lost, our efforts and failure to save ourselves, God’s plan through Jesus’ death and resurrection to save us, how we should live while we are here on this earth, and finally, where we’re going when we die.
Now, please keep this little nutshell with you at all times and use its contents to direct every part of your life. It’s the only way to live that makes any sense.
P.S. For more details read the instruction Book.
--Rebecca Somoskey
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Inspirations From The Mountains
October 5, 2009
Some folks call him Loneliness, but I call him The Stalker. Why? Because he preys on those who, for whatever reasons, find themselves all alone. And this agent of Satan never quits.
His most relentless assaults are at night when everything gets quiet. No matter how one tries to resist, he continues his brutal onslaught by wrapping sleazy fingers around his victim’s heart until they feel sure they are going to die. It’s impossible to fall asleep.
To escape, the victim becomes willing to do whatever it takes to make the pain go away.Some will drown themselves in hours of late night television, but that often leads to unholy cravings that demand to be satisfied. Eventually these cravings, if pursued, will lead into an immoral trap.Lack of sleep can lead to alcohol or drug addiction which may eventually cost a lonely person their job.
Other lonely souls turn to food to bring comfort, but overeating leads to another type of addiction, and food addiction leads to obesity and often a premature death.
Beloved, I can identify, for I was once a bitter, over-weight mother who cried myself to sleep every night and often took my frustrations out on my fatherless children. I eventually closed my curtains, locked my doors and became a recluse. But the Stalker was still there, slowly destroying me, body and soul.
Then Jesus came. He said He would be my partner, and He began to fill that void left by my earthly companion. Isaiah 54:5 “For your Maker is your husband. The Lord of hosts is His name; And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.” (NKJV) He led me to a good church family and reminded my every day to stay active with my children and friends. Psalm 68:5-6 “A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in His holy habitation. God sets the solitary in families.” (NKJV) He suggested that I find others who were lonely and be a friend to them. He insisted that I keep myself healthy in body, mind and spirit, all of which are prerequisites for battle with the adversary.
Did I fail? Many times! But He picked me up and pointed me in the right direction again. Best of all He knew that I needed an earthly companion. Genesis 1: 27-28 teaches that God saw that it was not good for man to be alone, so he formed and gave him a helper, which was Eve. So He eventually provided a wonderful Christian husband to fill the void in my life, and to be a great Daddy to my children.
That’s when I said good-by to the Stalker!
Beloved, please pass this on to someone you know who is lonely. --Rebecca Somoskey
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Inspirations From The Mountains
September 28, 2009
I Have Decided
What a shame—yes, how stupid!—to decide a matter before knowing the facts. Proverbs 18:13 LB
The new supervisor on her job speaks harshly to her the entire first day at work. She becomes angry and decides he is nothing but a chronic grouch. After a week working with him she learned that he was really a kind, caring, concerned person who was under a lot of pressure from their pushy, demanding boss, and sometimes he had tough days. What made the difference? She spent time getting to know him.
A new guy came to work. She thought he was the most gorgeous man she’d ever met—Hollywood handsome, charming, polite, fun. She decided that he was everything she ever wished for in a husband. But after a few dates she learned his true character. He was an egotistical, pleasure-seeking womanizer who would try anything to get what he wanted and she decided she would never marry him if he was the last person on earth. What made the difference? She spent time getting to know him.
Sound familiar? We’ve all experienced these times or know someone who has. But what is heart breaking is that so many folks decide becoming a follower of Christ is not for them because all the Christians they’ve ever met seem phony. Besides, Christianity takes all the fun out of life. It is simply too confining. When urged to read the Bible, our instruction book, they refuse to because they say it doesn’t make any sense or it’s too hard to understand. But how can they possibly decide against it if they’ve never learned the facts?
I have decided who Jesus is, why He came to earth to die in my place, and all the other things he’s done for me because I’ve taken the time to get to know Him by reading His Word. And I continue to read and learn because becoming a Christ follower is the only thing in this world that makes sense.
So I beg you dear Reader, please don’t decide against Him before learning the facts. To do so grieves His heart and will bring folly and shame to your life, And it will eventually lead you to an eternal death.
He who answers a matter before he hears it, it is folly and shame to him. Proverbs 18:13 NKJV
I have decided that jumping to conclusions is one exercise I must do without!—Rebecca Somoskey
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