Joy and Strength (Christian life and music)

Did you ever wonder why certain thoughts pop into your mind?  Are you aware of the enemy's tactics in this realm? You may have heard that the battlefield is in the mind.  Our thoughts steer our actions, our lives. So as a Christian, it is crucial to know when a thought is a spiritual attack.  The enemy wants us to believe thoughts that mess with our identity.  But remember, he is crafty!  So it's not always so easy to discern.  He may even disguise himself as an angel of light (one of his guises) so that your thought may even seem "good." He takes God-given desires and needs and twists them so that we want to get them met outside of God's will.  That road leads to disaster and our destruction and the devil knows it! Now I much prefer focusing on the beauty of the Lord, and wish I could just ignore that the devil even exists.  But exist he does!  And once we are in Christ, he is truly our total enemy.   He wants to get us so caught up in the attack that we are alwa

"You're not the boss of me!" is usually spoken by teenagers asserting their independence from their parents.  However, I believe it is the entire cause of all humankind's problems in one sentence! Billions of people all over the world may not say this out loud to God, but how they live their lives is proof that this is exactly how they feel toward their Maker.  How can I be so sure?  Have you seen the news?  Have you read history? The worst thing is when believers live in this way.  Oh yes, friends.  Some who say they belong to Christ have no intention of actually obeying  Him.  Again, how can I be sure?  I have eyes, don't I?! I also know my own heart.  It is still prone to disobedience and rebellion whenever I cast judgment, or hold a grudge, or want my own way, and the list goes on! But the fact is that the Lord is  the Boss of me!  And when I am walking in His Spirit, I revel in this truth, I don't run from it.  None of us likes being told what to do - f

One of my favorite things about belonging to Christ, having an intimate relationship with Him, is that He totally "gets" me. I never need to explain myself to Him. He already knows. He knows why I behave the way I do - all of the back story. He knows what I'm made of because He made me. He absolutely and thoroughly understands me. And He loves me one million percent. This kind of love is a foundation. This kind of love and acceptance and belonging is found nowhere else. That is why I cling to Him so. It is all there, in Him. All of the love, mercy, compassion, understanding, belonging, and fulfillment I could ever want are all found in Him, the Lover of my soul. He "gets" me. He knows where I've been, how I've been treated - even mistreated because of my love for Him - and He is preparing countless rewards for me in Heaven with Himself. But all the blessings in the universe cannot even come close to the blessing of His Presence, fellowship with Him. Matc