"HOLD FAST!"

By: Donna Selma Lind

"Let us hold fast the confession of our faith without wavering;( for he is faithful that promised.)" Hebrews 10:23 

"HOLD FAST" A term we all have heard,quoted and some have even tattooed on their knuckles, but how many of us really understand the true Bible meaning of "HOLD FAST"? 

"HOLD FAST" has different meanings for different people and situations.

The Nautical term "HOLD FAST"on board a ship reminds the sailor when the ship is aloft in bad weather,to HOLD onto the lines (rope) FAST (tight) so the sailor's won't get tossed off the ship.

The Urban Dictionary defines "HOLD FAST" as: To bear down, grit it out, stay the course.

Lets break it down in the Webster Dictionary:
"HOLD" = To have or maintain in my grasp. To have possession or ownership. To stand firm in position.
"FAST" = Firmly Fixed. Securely attached. Rooted. Firmly Loyal. In a rapid manner.

Strong's Concordance in the Greek explains it as this :Take heed unto, give and pay close attention, mark,remain,stay, stop.

When the storms of life are raging around us and the waves are crashing against us;  Do you "HOLD FAST?" Do you HOLD FAST to your confession of faith as a Christian or do you go down with the ship?

Are you owning your position of faith? Are you loyal and fixed in your faith in God enough to ride out the storms? Without wavering? 
Wavering means doubting, not believing God is with you. 

" But let him ask in faith, without doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind." James 1:6

Years ago I was in a small fishing boat in the middle of a lake when a big storm came up out of nowhere. The rain was pouring into the boat, the waves were crashing against and spilling over the top of the boat. The lightning bolts darted the sky all around us and every time the thunder boomed I jumped a foot off my seat.
We were miles from the shoreline and the boat was filling up with water as fast as I was scooping it up and tossing it overboard with the old minnow bucket. Fear came into the boat and it was easy to look around and give up. The temperature had plummeted and we were freezing cold, teeth chattering, soaked through to the bone.
How could we ever survive this storm? I couldn't see much past the boat because the rain was so torrential and fog had set in. There was no shore, no land in sight. No way out.

I began to pray, "Jesus help us. We need you. I know you are in this boat with me. You have not abandoned me. I will HOLD FAST! My hope and my faith is in you Lord!" 

CRASH! THUD! Suddenly we hit something. The boat caught onto a little island in the middle of the big lake! When I say little, I mean little! It had one tree just big enough for the three of us to huddle under to protect us from the storm. 
We turned the row boat over dumped out our gear and sat on top of the boat under the tree until the storm passed.

In the middle of a big lake, in the midst of a ferocious storm, in a sinking boat with no way out, God had provided an Island of Refuge!

"For thou has been..strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm." Isaiah 25:4

What kind of storm is swirling around your boat? 
HOLD FAST!

When the waves are crashing all around your boat,
HOLD FAST!

When there is no way out,
HOLD FAST!

When you don't think you can survive,
HOLD FAST!

When your boat is sinking in the middle of the storm, HOLD FAST!

Jesus is your Island of Faith and Hope!

HOLD FAST TO YOUR FAITH! HOLD FAST YOUR HOPE! HOLD FAST TO JESUS!

Hallelujah! Praise the Lord and Share the Good News! 

Donna Selma Lind 

"DON'T GIVE UP!"

By: Donna Selma Lind

"JOSHUA AND MAMA SHIRLEY"

"JOSHUA"

"Doesn't look good. I don't think the little calf is going to make it." my husband reported solemnly as he came in from the barn.

 "He isn't moving, he is just laying in the hay. He's not standing up and he still isn't taking milk from his mama. I've given him two bottles of Colostrum, that's all I can do, he probably won't make it through the night."

I jumped to my feet. "What?" I cried across the room. "You're giving up on him? No way is he going to die! We are not giving up on our little calf! I am going out to the barn to pray for him!"

 I knew it was cold outside so I threw on my down parka, warm boots, hat and gloves and headed out.

I trudged through the thin blanket of snow and the frozen leaves and made my way to the barn. The sun was setting and it was reflecting a pink glow upon the snow that made it look like cotton candy was spread across the white hilly landscape.

"Hi Mama Shirley. How are you and your new little baby doing tonight?" I patted Shirley on her head and handed her some treats. She bellowed loudly and turned her head in the direction of the newborn calf lying lifeless in the hay.

I started praying loud enough that the Llamas, sheep,chickens and other cows all gathered around the fence in the pasture behind me to see what was going on.

"Get up little cow in the name of Jesus rise up! You shall not die, but you shall live and we will declare the works of the Lord! Rise up, rise up!  No sickness or disease in the name of Jesus! I speak life to you little one. I name you Joshua. You will grow up be a mighty little bull! Rest now Joshua, because tomorrow morning you are going to be running all around and kicking up your heels, full of life!"  

Shirley looked at me with her big brown eyes and let out a big M-o-o-o-o as if to say Thank you and Amen.

The other animals were still stretching their necks over the fence b-a-a-ing, m-o-o-ing, snorting and clucking with curiosity as to why I was out preaching in the barn again at this time of night!

"Don't worry Mama Shirley, the Lord has healed your baby and tomorrow he will be dancing all around in the barn."

You may think I'm crazy praying for a cow, but if the Lord cares about the sparrow, I believe he cares about our cow!

I came back in the house. My husband asked, "Did he move, did he get up?" 

"No" I said "He didn't move. But he will! Don't give up because the Lord has touched him. He is going to live!Tomorrow morning when you open up the barn door he will be running all around full of life kicking his heels up! Oh, and by the way, I named him Joshua!"

The next morning my husband came back in the house shaking his head. "Praise the Lord! You won't believe this but that little calf is running all around the barn like a ninny snorting and kicking his heels up!

I named him Joshua because in Hebrew Joshua means

"Jehovah is generous. Jehovah saves." 

Have you ever felt like giving up? Are you ready to give up now? Is there something going on that seems impossible to overcome? Does the situation look lifeless and dead to you? Does it feel like there is no way to restore what was lost? Do you think there is no way for you to survive this?

Are you feeling defeated?  

DON'T GIVE UP! Did you hear me? DON'T GIVE UP!

Rest in the Lord and know that,

JEHOVAH IS GENEROUS! JEHOVAH SAVES!  

Yes, it may look like your life, your marriage, your relationship, your children, your career, ministry and your dreams are lifeless and lying dead in the hay. DON'T GIVE UP! JEHOVAH IS GENEROUS! JEHOVAH SAVES! Jehovah is only a prayer away!

"...always pray and don't give up..." Luke 18:1

What have you given up on, or what are you ready to give up on?

The moment you're ready to quit is usually the moment right before a miracle happens. DON'T GIVE UP!

Ask God right now to be generous and to save your dream, your children, your marriage, your relationship, whatever you need but most importantly to save you and your relationship with him! 

"But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded." 2 Chronicles 15:7

NOW, RISE UP IN THE NAME OF JESUS! PRAISE THE LORD, RUN AROUND SNORT AND KICK UP YOUR HEELS LIKE A NINNY! JEHOVAH IS GENEROUS! JEHOVAH SAVES!

Hallelujah! 

Praise the Lord and Share the Good News!

Donna Selma Lind

"BREAKING UP IS HARD TO DO"

By: Donna Selma Lind

"BIG BERTHA"

Meet Big Bertha.She has been the "Workhorse" of my kitchen since the early 1980's.

Big Bertha and I have made countless Birthday cakes, cookies, breads and pies together through the years. She is a little like the Bionic Woman, she doesn't have all her original parts. She's had her motor replaced, a new button here and there and a couple of other parts I had to scout for on eBay.

We have been through alot together. Lived in a dozen houses in several states.We have canned hundreds of jars of jams, pickles and salsa's together. She has perched upon Butcher block, Formica, and Granite. Withstood the fashion decor from 1980's calico wallpaper and 1990's stencils to more recent bead board and subway tiles. Nearly four decades later she still runs like a champ! 

"Many will say they are loyal friends, but who can find one who is truly reliable?" Proverbs 20:6

Nevertheless, when the sales clerk at the department store started spouting off reasons why I needed a new Kitchen-aid and rattling  her pitch on the once in a lifetime deal and how this new machine would drastically change my life, I fell. I fell hard. I bit the bait. Hook line and sinker. Head over heels. I was starry-eyed. "Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs." I was imagining myself making homemade pasta and cupcakes with mile high butter cream frosting, pies with meringue, tapioca, truffles and trifles. I dreamed of owning one of these power houses since I was a teenager in Miss Davis's Home-Ec class. 

Now the only obstacle in my way was deciding between the colors Classic white or Stainless steel?

Big Bertha who? We had our share of good times. But here was this fancy beautiful brand new sleek shiny machine sitting right in front of me. Any questions? Only one choice right?

 Breaking up is hard to do. 

The clerk promised delivery by Christmas. I was elated. Cloud nine over the moon excited.

I came home and knew what I had to do. There she was sitting on the kitchen counter. With her glass nesting bowls all sparkly from the sunlight. I got a box out from the closet and started to gather all the attachments. The dough hook, the food chopper the meat grinder, the blender. Oh my, I forgot all the special features Bertha had! Every attachment I put into the box sparked another memory.

We had such a history. She and I shared so much. I knew all her little quirky flaws and she knew mine. How could I let her go? Sure she was a little worn around the edges(like me) and wasn't as beautiful as her modern contenders, but she still worked great! She was a survivor! A faithful friend. They just don't make them like Big Bertha anymore.  

A few days later the UPS man delivered the boxes with the new "Kitchen-aid." They weighed a ton!

My very confused and patient  husband drove me back to the  department store where I promptly returned the boxes and it's  contents to customer service. 

"Big Bertha" and I worked the holidays together again. I used to look at her and think someday I am going to replace you with something bigger and better. Now I look at her and think, Wow you look good for what you have been through! You're a hard worker. I am so glad I decided to keep you! 

 Sometimes we have to let go of old things to make room for new things. Sometimes we have all that we need right in front of us and we just need to recognize it and count our blessings.

It's easy to get caught in the enemy's trap of material things. Coveting something new when there is nothing wrong with what we already have.

"Beware and be on your guard against every form of greed." Luke 12:15

 The newest and the biggest isn't always the best.

 Be thankful for what you have and you'll always be blessed!

We took the extra money that was refunded for the Kitchen-aid and purchased Bibles for persecuted Christians in foreign countries instead! Material things fade away but God's Word will last forever! 

"Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things."Colossians 3:2

"But the word of the Lord lasts forever." 1 Peter1:25


HALLELUJAH! PRAISE THE LORD AND SHARE THE GOOD NEWS!HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Donna Selma Lind