Sam had a decision to make. Should he ask Samantha to marry him? He loved her deeply but he didn’t want to make a mistake. Since the Bible says that God hates divorce he wanted his marriage to be for life. The Bible says we are not to be unequally yoked together with unbelievers, but Samantha had been a believer since she was in elementary school. Was she really in love with him? Would she be faithful? He couldn’t bear the thought of losing her. He had to go talk with Pastor James.

Karen was so excited she could hardly keep from running through the house and shouting! She had a date for this Saturday night with Kevin King, the coolest, most handsome hunk in her senior class. But she didn’t dare tell her Mom. Mom would croak because of his reputation as a party guy. So she would slip off to meet him, then woo, woo! She would be the envy of every girl in high school. She might not get home till late, but she could always come up with an excuse.

Beloved, I’m speaking to our youth now, but this is good teaching for every one of us. We have been given a very precious gift by our Creator—the gift of choice. Every morning when we come awake we face decisions, and not all of them are easy. But life can be filled with much joy or much sorrow depending on the choices we make. So we must make the right ones. We can stand in front of our mirrors all day and lament over them, or we can learn to make right decisions. That’s what this inspiration is all about.

Right choices come from our knowledge of God’s Word, seeking help from a trusted person, and considering the consequences, much like Sam. He was well acquainted with God’s Instruction Book, he considered the possible consequences of his decision, then sought advice from his Pastor.

But if we, like Karen, fail to follow these steps, then the adversary is right there urging us on, and we are wide open to the lusts of our eyes(the handsome hunk), the lusts of our flesh (what makes us feel good), and the pride of life(being with the post popular boy in school).

So the next time you find yourself running in circles and crying, “Decisions! decisions!”, remember this inspiration.

John 5:39-40 You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me—Jesus is still the answer.

-- Rebecca Somoskey

Two quick rifle shots were all it took to scare the rotten little rabbit thieves out of the clover patch. But one of the bullets bounced off a nearby rock and broke one of the little storehouse windows. Emory didn’t worry though. He simply cut off a generous piece of duct tape and did a “quick fix” on the open space. It will work fine until he can buy another pane for the window.

For years there have been jokes made that claims that “all you need to fix anything around the house that is broken or malfunctioning is a roll of Duct tape, a can of WD40 and a bottle of Super Glue. No home should be without them.” And there is some truth to these claims because we have tried and proved them. Super Glue bonds almost instantly and WD40 can loosen even the tightest jam when other solutions fail. Duck tape will hold under many pounds of pressure.

No, I’m not being paid to advertise, Beloved. There are some spiritual truths that these claims can remind us of when we are tempted to forget. And any one who is hurting can lay claim to them and find the help they need. Guaranteed!!!

Do you know a sinner who needs to be born again? Offer him some Spiritual Super Glue. One encounter with the Savior and they can repent and bond instantly. Perhaps you know someone who is jammed so tightly by the forces of evil that they can’t get loose. Offer them Jesus, the Spiritual WD40 that will instantly break even the strongest jam of Satan, and set them free. Finally, someone may be feeling weak and about to cave in under the pressure of today’s problems and sorrows. Remind them that the Holy Spirit is the spiritual duct tape that will hold them securely against the most powerful pull of the enemy of their soul.

Isaiah 30:21 (NKJV) Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it.” Whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn to the left.

2 Peter 1:8 (NKJV) For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

God has set the remedies before us, but they will only become the “quick fixes” we need if we use them and share them. Will you share with someone today? I just did!

-- Rebecca Somoskey

What would you say is our greatest national breakdown? Our government? Our economy? Our morals? The church? Partly, but these are merely symptoms of the real problem. Recently someone made the comment that it is the breakdown of the family that has sickened our nation.

The Christian family used to be the backbone of our nation, but no more. Why? Could it be because the majority of us left our Bibles lying idle on the shelf and got too busy to pray because we were chasing the American dream of money, pleasure and stuff? And as a result our family’s spiritual foundations have crumbled, so we ring our hands, cry and mourn over the chaos. If you doubt this, read or listen to the daily news.

So what are we going to do about it? We will begin by building a new foundation based on God’s Word. Don’t know how? Good news my Friend. If we study the following three scripture portions and put them into practice, it will give us a foundation that all the demons in the universe can’t touch.

Begin by taking your Bible off the shelf and turn to John 3:16&17 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

Next learn the Ten Commandments from Exodus 20:3-17. (I have paraphrased them for clarity.)1. No other Gods. 2. Don’t make an idol and bow down to it. 3. Keep God’s name holy. 4. Keep Sunday holy by spending the day in church and resting. (If you job allows it.) 5. Honor your parents. 6. Do not murder. 7. Do not commit adultery. 8. Do not steal. 9. Do not lie. 10. Do not covet anything that doesn’t belong to you.

Third: (The Golden Rule-- Matt 7:12) Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them.

Now, are you a believer who struggles to keep on the right track? Perhaps you won’t even try because you keep making mistakes. Then be encouraged. You don’t have to know everything about the Bible. You just build on the above foundation little by little.

Another added blessing that comes from memorizing the verses. We need not grumble when foolish men remove the Ten Commandments from the eye of the public. We have them written on our hearts.

I am praying for you. Email me if you need help. (becky@bearwallowblessings.com)

-- Rebecca Somoskey

Little League Baseball is in full swing again. Hopeful teams have been chosen by hopeful coaches and enough games have been played to give everyone a pretty fair picture of where they stand. Sad to say, for every game that’s played, there are winners and there are losers. We don’t like to see our team lose, but that’s just the way competition works. All sports, be it baseball or whatever, dictate this fact.

Until this season, our grandson’s, Hagen and Landon Brown, have both played on winning teams—those who won more games than they lost. But this year Hagen was chosen to be on a team that—no matter how hard they tried, up until a week or so ago, they hadn’t won a single game. It broke my heart to watch his team lose the night we were there to watch. But in all the happenings I saw and felt that this was God’s will for him at this time. So I wrote him this note.

Dear Hagen,

We are so proud of you when we witness your good sportsmanship even though your team continues to lose. You are such a precious grandson and we know you are a special gift from God. Some day God is going to do great things with you.Right now this is part of your preparation for that time. No one likes to lose, but remember what Jesus lost: his friends, family, ministry, and eventually His life, so He understands. When you begin to feel badly because of your losses, take those feelings to Him and He will help you feel like a winner, even if it’s not in baseball. Love, Granny

Everyone is a loser sometimes. And some poor souls live in a perpetual state of loss for various reasons. Beloved, as Christ followers it’s our duty to encourage them in any way we can, so we must take inventory of ourselves on a regular basis. Does it break my heart when I see anyone who is a loser, or do I just ignore their pain? When was the last time I made a phone call, spoke a kind word in passing, or wrote a note to a loser? When was the last time I mentioned their name in prayer? (Isaiah 61:1NKJV) The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives. This passage was speaking about Jesus, but don’t forget that we are His head, heart, hands and feet to encourage all losers who cross our paths in any way we can.

-- Rebecca Somoskey

Usually the word “miscellaneous” refers to odds and ends of trivial things or incidents. But today I want to tell you about some miscellaneous things that are far from trivial or insignificant. I call them MIGHTY. Read on to learn.

Early this morning Fuji brought me one of the most gorgeous flowers that grows in the woods, and one of my favorite—a Wake Robin. When we see one of these for the first time we know that spring has truly sprung! I put it in an empty water filled soda bottle on the kitchen table. Trivial? No Way! Dear Readers, there is beauty still around us in spite of the condition of this great land---if we look for it.

The next thing that happened was on my morning walk. For the first time I can remember, we have large patches of the most luscious violet flowers, sprinkled with a few golden dandelions. What is sad is that a great patch has grown over part of my walking trail; and I couldn’t miss mashing some of them. So I had to apologize because it reminded me of all the folks everywhere who are getting stepped on because of the circumstances in our nation.

Insignificant? Not! Not! Why? Because, while I was experiencing these things, the Lord gave me this inspiration for the week. Until then my mind had been a complete blank.

Our nation is in a mess, but many folks are joining together to pray with our “Nation at Nine” prayer partners. Now I am begging you who are not already involved to join us. “Not really important to me,” you may say, “Everything’s going my way.”

All I can say to that response is, “Shame on you.” But whoever …sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? John 3:17 NKJV

Here’s what God’s Word says about it. “Righteousness exalts a nation but sin is a reproach to any people.” Proverbs 14:34 NKJV

One more thought: The nation that forgets God will wither and die, easy prey for outside enemies or for inside rot.—author unknown.

Thank you Beloved, for being patient with my “MIGHTY MISCELLANEOUSES” and may your life be filled with a few.

-- Rebecca Somoskey