by Sue Forde | Feb 1, 2019 | Family, General, love
by Sue Forde
February 1, 2019
There has been so much controversy over recent events in a couple of States – New York and Virginia, in particular. It is unbelievable to me that anyone could even consider taking the life of a baby – in the womb or after birth. Life is precious. Life is a wonder, and a gift from our loving Father. All one has to do is look at the physiology of a human body to see all the intricacies involved with how it works.
I am pro-life. To say that a person is “pro-choice” is misleading. “Choice” should come before intimacy with another human being. It’s the reason God spelled out in His Word – the Holy Bible – that sex before marriage is wrong. And we see, in our society, the results of following that wrong path for so many years. One parent families. Abortion. Drugs and alcohol abuse. Child abuse. Children removed from homes for many of these reasons, and placed in foster care or group homes to be raised by someone other than parents.
Why has this happened? It’s very simple, in my view. We as a society have gone off the path of righteousness. We have forgotten God. We put ourselves first. We don’t follow the moral code that was set up early on in our nation.
God has made promises about these things. There are many verses in the Bible which speak to these. There are “blessings” and there are “curses.” For many years, our nation has lived under God’s blessings – because we have paid attention to and followed His path for us. Over recent years, (probably since the 60’s with the advent of “free love” – and at the same time, making things like abortion “okay”, living with various partners rather than in a committed relationship called “marriage”, and the so-called “separation of church and state”), our society has moved away from the teachings of the Bible, and toward a hedonistic (self-loving, making oneself a “god”) approach.
To understand how both the blessings and curses can affect a society, just go back in time to the days of the nation of Israel in the Old Testament, where God made it clear what would happen when society follows His way, and when it doesn’t.
An example of blessings:
“And if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God. Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field. Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground and the fruit of your cattle, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock. Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. … (Deuteronomy 8:1-68)
And an example of curses:
“Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joyfulness and gladness of heart, because of the abundance of all things, therefore you shall serve your enemies whom the Lord will send against you, in hunger and thirst, in nakedness, and lacking everything. And he will put a yoke of iron on your neck until he has destroyed you.” (Deuteronomy 28:47-48)
And a warning:
“I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live,…” (Deuteronomy 30:19 )
Blessings and curses can be found in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. More examples can be found at Open Bible/Topics/Blessings and Curses)
If we, as a nation, do not repent (turn around and head in the opposite direction), we will experience not blessings, but curses. Please consider sharing the Good News of the Gospel with all you know who have headed down the wrong path – that we are all wonderfully created and loved by God. One person talking to another will sometimes be all it takes to start the change in direction.
SOME ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
Abortion’s New Level of Evil Opens Witnessing Opportunity
A 2015 video on YouTube reveals a high-level administrator in Planned Parenthood’s abortion field admitting that abortion procedures are carefully executed to preserve certain organs in the murdered baby.
Would You Consider Abortion in These Three Situations?
See how your answer could change the course of history.
“Adopted” Tract + the Lord = a Baby’s Life Saved
She used a simple tract to save a baby’s life.
by Sue Forde | Jan 21, 2019 | encouragement, Observations
When I was a little girl, we used to go outside and play with the neighbor kids – games like Hide and Seek and Kick the Can. We lived in a small town, and all the kids close by knew one another, and looked forward to the play time. As we got a little older, we’d roller skate down the street, and ride our bikes all over town. We weren’t afraid that someone would try to kidnap us, and our lives were innocent. Life was simple. Boys were boys, and girls were girls. We went to church every Sunday. I had a mom and a dad.
God was removed from the schools in 1963. I was a sophomore in high school, and we still followed the moral practices of the society our parents had grown up in.
As I got a little older, society began to change. It seemed like a subtle change, little by little, and folks were busy with their lives, so didn’t really notice it as it was happening.
Music was one example. It went through a transition from the innocent songs and big bands of the 40s to Elvis and the Beatles in the 60s, then heavy metal and hard rock in the 70s and 80s. At the same time, drugs came on the scene. We were taught in school to stay away from drugs, as they would destroy our lives. Meanwhile, the popular bands openly used them, and those who placed those bands and entertainers on a high level, followed suit. Today, we see the results of that growing problem, with so many lives affected by the drugs they depend upon – and the loss of lives.
The welfare state came into existence, taking the initiative away the necessity of having a two-parent family, and the “State” took a parenting role. The interest in God, family and church gave way to a more hedonistic society, where women became independent and getting ahead at work became more important than raising a family. Kids became “latch-key” with babysitters instead of moms. Of course, there were exceptions – there are always exceptions, thank God – but society as a whole was in flux, moving in a direction that saw increasing violence and crime, less or even no respect for the elders, and a sexual revolution that ignored the admonitions of God and the Bible.
Boys and girls began to dress alike. There was a move toward “unisex”. Over time, boys were no longer “boys”, but could define themselves as “girls” or a myriad of other things. Abortion became a norm in 1964, too, after the Supreme Court upheld Roe V Wade. As a result, the population began to drop. Society was changing, and not in a good way.
Innocence died, as the public schools began to teach “sex education” at a very early age when kids should be playing with toys and be ignorant of such things.
I’ve been on the planet for a while, and I’ve seen these changes happening – and many more – with my own eyes. Has this been happening as a natural progression, or has it been orchestrated by some force?
The light-heartedness of days past is gone. It seems that everyone with whom I visit is depressed about the direction our society has taken and can’t see any way to reverse the trend. Sometimes I feel that way, too – when I look around and see what’s happening across our nation and the world.
When these feelings come, I remember what it used to be like, and am grateful that I got to live in that time. I share those times and the reason we were innocent and more carefree then with anyone who will listen, especially younger folks.
There are others who have been through these changes and understand what I know to be true. Our nation was founded on principles based in God’s Word, and we have gone away from those principles. If we are ever to experience the joy that I and others of my generation did, we will need to get back onto the right path. First and foremost, we need God back in our lives and our communities – and to reinstitute those principles. That happens when individuals get involved in their communities – whether it’s politics or community organizations – to bring those ideals back into the spotlight and act upon them. It happens when men and women marry and raise a family together in a church that emphasizes those biblical principles.
So, a word of encouragement: when it feels like nothing is going right, and the everyone in the world is against you, offer up a prayer to the God of Creation to give you strength, wisdom and the ability to take some kind of action to bring about a societal change that will return joy and innocence.
by Sue Forde | Jan 14, 2019 | encouragement, joy
A couple of months ago, we got a couple of puppies. Yes, a COUPLE! You see, our dog Bear, whom we’d had for 14 years, died last year of cancer. Husband Bob said we should replace him. We looked for weeks, but there were no dogs available that caught our eye.
One day, on a whim, I checked out craigslist, and there was a photo of the cutest little puppy! AND the people offering him lived in our town! We decided to go check him out. When we arrived, the owner was holding the little cutie in his arms – and then, his wife came out with the puppy’s sister. We looked at one another: that was that – we had to take them both! How could we separate them!?
Mick and Ebbie were 10 weeks old when we got them. Babies. And of course, babies need training, just like human babies!
The first thing was to train them to use the outdoors for a bathroom. That means taking them out every hour until they get the idea. Kind of like potty-training a baby! They got the idea fairly quickly, and now, at 3 months, they are doing well.
Other things they’ve learned are how to sit, lay down, stop barking, and when it’s time to eat!
They have personalities all their own, just like children. Each one is different, and it takes a learning curve to understand their wants and needs. We’re still learning to communicate, but it’s not difficult to understand when they want something. One thing they know, though, is from the tone of my voice, whether they are pleasing me or if they are doing something wrong. Teaching them to do what is right at this young age will bring a lifetime of joy for all – both dogs and owners. This lesson applies to children, as well – teach them to live right, to love God, to think of others and be polite – will bring much joy in their lives and to those around them.
Pets are a joy when they are trained to obey. Like children, they can become spoiled, or they can be “brought up in the way they should go”, to understand there are parameters and expectations for behavior in society.
Too often, I see a man or woman with their dog, where the dog seems to be in charge of them, not the other way around. Likewise, some children are always pushing to get their own way, to the chagrin of all around them, as they throw temper tantrums until the parent quickly gives in to keep them quiet. Those actions will often last a lifetime, and wreaks havoc on not only individuals, but society as a whole.
Puppies and children have several things in common: They are loved, and they need to be trained so they will be a blessing to others around them, not a burden.
by Sue Forde | Aug 20, 2018 | Lord Hear Our Prayer
In these changing times in society, where many in America are heading away from our Judeo-Christian roots and foundation, God’s hand is all-powerful. “if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land,” says Scripture (2 Chron 7:14). As Americans who care deeply about our country, we need to turn once again to our Father in Heaven and pray.
Here are some resources if you’d like to join others in this work:
There are many more websites across the internet. Just do a search for “prayer for America”, and take a few moments to join in. As we have seen, both nationally and individually so many times, God answers prayer!
May God bless and keep you on your journey!
by Sue Forde | Dec 27, 2017 | Fruits of the spirit, General, joy
By Sue Forde
I’ve heard individuals say, “I just want to be happy!” Some people seek happiness in the pleasure of relationships with other individuals; some try to find it in drugs or alcohol. Still others pour themselves into their work to the exclusion of everything else, or seek to become rich in order to be “happy.” “I can only be happy if I have a new house.” Or, “I will be happy if I get that man/woman to be my spouse.”
Yet time after time, we hear people sigh that these things never bring real or lasting happiness, and there always seems to be a “hole” in their lives. This type of happiness is based on emotions and circumstances; it’s temporary and must be sought again and again. It only lasts for a short while. As the great King Solomon said, “all is vanity,” as he sought to find happiness in all these ways and more. (Eccl. 1:2).
True happiness or joy is an attitude that does not rely on emotions or circumstances. In the book of Proverbs in the Bible, we learn what can bring long-lasting happiness or joy. It starts with a good relationship with God. Psalms 144:15 says, “Happy is that people whose God is the Lord.” And more astonishing, we find that God himself can be happy (pleased), when His people do the right thing. “And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing,” (referring to Solomon’s request for wisdom, instead of material things). When King Solomon pleased the Lord, he reaped the rewards from his loving Father God.
In other places, we read: “The Lord had done great things for us; we were joyful.” (Psa 126:3) The joy of the Lord also brings strength in hard times. (Neh 8:10).
Joy starts with the Lord who created us in His image. And, as followers of Jesus Christ, the son of God, we also become sons and daughters of the Father. (2 Cor 6:18).
Can you even imagine this? Think about it: Jesus Christ is Lord of Lord and King of Kings. (1 Tim 6:15; Rev 17:14, 19:16). As sons and daughters, we become princes and princesses in His kingdom. See yourself in this new light. How would a prince or princess act? Would they be kind, loving, giving – when all that their Father has, has been given to them? These freely given gifts include salvation (Jesus died to bring us that, paying the price for our faults and failures in life); joy, peace, love. All the good things we all seek, every day. There’s a simple way to tap into this type of happiness/joy. That’s by seeking God’s will first and foremost; and everything else is added to your life in return (Matt 6:33).
No matter what your circumstances, joy can be yours by accepting the Lord Jesus Christ into your life, by turning your life and your will over to Him, and then start each day with a recommitment to His will for your life. You’ll find amazing things start to happen – sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly – but exactly on God’s time schedule as is best for your life! Why not give it a try? You’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain.
