AUTUMN TRANSFORMATION

By: Donna Selma Lind

Autumn is my favorite time of year.  I love the cooler weather , the slower pace compared to summer and of course the beautiful colors of the trees.

In order for the trees to become the brilliant colors of Autumn they have to experience a change.
The transformation takes place when the sunlight and cool nights cause the leaves to turn stored glucose into the vibrant fall foliage colors that we enjoy each year. 


What once had been a forest of green has now become Mother Natures  kaleidoscope of  jewels.  A complete transformation and a reflection of God's Glory.

" Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind."

 Romans 12:2

This scripture refers to our nature and character being completely changed when our minds come into agreement with the truth of God's word.

In the Greek , the word transform is the same word used in  to describe Christ's transfiguration in Matthew 17:2.

"There he was transfigured before them.  His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light."

Matthew 17:2

The physical appearance of Jesus was changed to reflect the glory of God.

 As our hearts and minds come into agreement with our Heavenly Father, we too are transformed to reflect God's glory.

When we conform to the world we reflect the world and the carnal nature of sin. We stay stuck and don't grow. When we don't grow we can't change. When we don't change we won't grow. It is a cycle that ends in disappointment and death.  When we allow the Lord to transform us , we change, we grow and we become a beautiful reflection of God's love and glory to shine for the world around us.

As you enjoy the colorful splendor of the Autumn trees, ask yourself these questions:

Have I conformed or am I transformed?

Do I reflect the world around me or do I reflect the glory of God?

"PRAISE THE LORD AND SHARE THE GOOD NEWS!"

        Donna Selma Lind

" VICTORY IN JESUS ! "

      By: Donna Selma Lind

 One night recently our dog Judah was outside barking. 

Straining my eyes by the moonlight all I could see was Judah circling around an animal and barking. He was trying to warn us that an enemy had trespassed into our home territory.   Judah was trying to protect his home and family when the enemy attacked.

"Judah Mighty Warrior"

                                         Turns out the enemy was an Armadillo!



"Judah's Nemesis"

Before the fight was over Judah had a bite and deep scratches on his neck. 

The Armadillo never made it out of the gate.

The Vet put Judah on Antibiotics and said he would be fine after a few days of rest.

Three days later Judah was out playing when Stanley saw him  looking at the ground and growling. Then Judah jumped back yelping and ran away. He was desperately rubbing his face back and forth in the grass. Upon close inspection Daddy found a snake coiled up showing his fangs and hissing. It was  later identified as a Copperhead an extremely poisonous snake!

~Judah's Kryptonite ~

Dead Copperhead Snake in a Jar"

Judah was bitten above his eye, his cheek and neck . Thankfully because he was already on  Antibiotics he had enough medicine in his system to protect him from the Copperheads venom.  His eye was swollen shut and his face puffed up like a Blowfish.

 Attacked by the enemy twice within a few days !  Judah was weary from the Battle but he remained victorious and retained his title as "Mighty Warrior."

"Mama's Mighty Warrior"

We  have all experienced attacks from the Enemy. 

Sometimes we barely recover from one attack when we are hit by another. 

As Christians we need to fill ourselves up with the word of God and soak in his presence daily, so that when the enemy attacks we will be able to resist his poisonous venom and we too shall be Victorious in Christ Jesus!

Some attacks take longer to recover from and require a stronger dosage of the     

"Gos-pill" aka the Gospel!

Jesus said we will suffer great trials and afflictions in this life.

As Christ followers we are taught in

Ephesians 6:13  

"To put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground. Then after the Battle you will be standing firm."

Peter reminds us in 1 Peter 5:8

"Stay alert ! Watch out for the great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour." 

It  states in Romans 8: 31

"What then shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?"

And then the blessed assurance  in verses 35-39

" Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written:

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us."

Did you get that? WE ARE MORE THAN CONQUERORS IN CHRIST JESUS!

2 Corinthians 4:10 promises

No matter how bad the enemy attack is we are never abandoned by God! We get knocked down but we are not destroyed!

1 Corinthians 15

"But thanks be to God! He gives us the VICTORY through our Lord Jesus Christ."

Hang in there, you are not alone.  Every Battle is for a reason. Every Battle is for a season. Whenever you are under attack remember the enemy has been defeated  and we have the Victory in Jesus! 
Just smile and tell that snake:  
" I read the end of the book and we win!"

~

HALLELUJAH!

PRAISE THE LORD AND SHARE THE GOOD NEWS!

~

Donna Selma Lind



"WEEDS"

By: Donna Selma Lind

Weeds . Unwanted, undesirable, aggressive and damaging.  Left unattended, weeds can spread like a wildfire . Weeds can turn a beautiful garden like this....

Into an ugly mess like this in no time at all.

Weeds are a lot like bad habits and sin in our lives.  At first glance it looks attractive and inviting.  Like a Wildflower , it usually starts out to be beautiful and enjoyable before it gets out of control and turns into a bad habit and sin.

And then before we know it WHAM!  It has taken over our life and now we have become a slave to the "Weeds."  Little by little we allowed them to creep in until they have taken over .

We all have different weeds that have infected our lives. Some are simple surface weeds that are easy to see such as being messy, bossy or late all the time. These weeds are easy enough to pull out and stop from growing any further by making a conscience effort to change and try to become better.
Some weeds have deeper roots and require digging beneath the surface to find where the root took hold in the first place.  The deeper the root the more power it has to spread and grow over into other places in our lives. These are the weeds that affect our attitudes and relationships. The seeds from these weeds take advantage of the bad soil and reproduce more and more ugly weeds in our lives.

The Good News is .....

Jesus is the "Master Gardener".  He has the power to remove every weed from our life!  All we have to do is ask Him to help us. Softly and tenderly He will cut away the weeds and get rid of all the ugly things that have taken over our lives until we are beautiful once again .

What are the Weeds in your life?

What habits and hindrances  need to be removed?

Will you invite the "Master Gardener" Jesus into your garden today and allow him to tend to your weeds?

John 15:1-10 

" I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful... I am the vine; you are the branches...This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit....As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you... Remain in love, so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete."

HALLELUJAH!

PRAISE THE LORD AND SHARE THE GOOD NEWS!

                                                                           Donna Selma Lind