DON'T ALLOW SOMEONE ELSE'S POISON TO POISON YOU

By: Donna Selma Lind

"Do not let my heart be drawn to what is evil so that I take part in wicked deeds along with those who are evildoers; do not let me eat their delicacies." Psalm 141:4

Have you ever been hurt before, especially by someone you love?

When someone hurts us, speaks lies, cheats, steals, tears us down, twists our words, gossips, spreads evil, rejects us, stomps our heart, abuses, spews vile poison against us - we have a choice in how we react.

Let me repeat that; WE HAVE A CHOICE IN HOW WE REACT!

We can take their poison and drink it, fill ourselves up with that poison and become poisonous like them, or we can reject the poison, refuse to receive it, refuse to ingest it and instead we can CHOOSE to WALK in LOVE!

"Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses." Proverbs 10:12

Now I'm not saying we agree with what they've done, I'm not saying we allow them to continue to hurt us, or even continue in a relationship with them. I'm just saying, DON'T DRINK THEIR POISON!

Don't let their poison steal your peace and joy.

Don't let their poison control your thoughts, moods and life anymore!

PRAY AND THINK BEFORE YOU SPEAK!

 Pray,Walk away and keep God's peace. 

"The joy of the Lord is my strength." Nehemiah 8:10

We give out what we are filled up with. If we are filled with toxic poison, that's what we will give out. 

If we are filled up with God's Love, Peace and Joy then that is what we will give out.

WHAT ARE YOU FILLING UP ON?

If you are filling up on their poison, then that is what you'll become.
If you are filling up on God's Word of truth, love, joy and peace, then that is what you will become.

Once again, IT'S A CHOICE!

WE CHOOSE WHAT WE BECOME. For good or evil, blessing or curse, we have the ability to change the atmosphere by our response and behavior.

The Lord knows the truth about everything that happened, let Him handle it. 
Forgive those that hurt you. Give them over to the Lord. Let it go. 
God will take care of you and cause your justice to shine like the noonday sun! 

HOW WILL YOU CHOOSE TO RESPOND WHEN SOMEONE HURTS YOU WITH THEIR POISON? 

DON'T ALLOW SOMEONE ELSE'S POISON TO POISON YOU!

"Keep your conduct among the Gentiles (unbelievers) honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the way of visitation."  1 Peter 2:12 

Hallelujah! Praise the Lord and share the Good News! 

Donna Selma Lind 

THE GOD NOTE

By: Donna Selma Lind

"Do not be afraid - I will save you. I have called you by name - you are mine."

Isaiah 43:1

 A group of us stopped for lunch after Church one Sunday afternoon.  As we were enjoying fellowship, I noticed our server was quietly clearing away the dirty dishes at our table.

We said Hello and introduced ourselves. She was petite with a radiant smile and soulful brown eyes that seemed to harbor a lifetime of pain. She shared a little bit about herself, her journey and struggles as a single Mom. 

I felt a nudge in my spirit that we needed to pray for this woman.

Before I said a word, my Pastor asked if it would be okay if we prayed for her?

She said yes, so we gathered around her as our Pastor led us in a mighty prayer of Blessing for this person God had put in our path that day.

For some reason I asked if I could have her address and phone number and without hesitation she wrote it down for me.  

Monday morning I wrote my usual Welcome note cards out to the visitors we had in church on Sunday morning.

I decided I would write her a note as well. Looking back that didn't make any sense for me to send a "Welcome to our Church card" to someone who had never been to our church! 

Nevertheless, I wrote her a note of encouragement and dropped it in the mailbox outside the Post Office.

I didn't gave it a second thought until Wednesday night in the middle of  Praise and Worship the door swung open and in walked that woman and her young daughter!

I wrapped my arms around her, gave her a big hug and welcomed them into the House of the Lord.

When Pastor Beau gave the invitation they both raised their hands and with tears streaming down their cheeks they made decisions to give their lives to Jesus Christ.

We circled around, prayed, hugged and shared God's love with them.

After the service was over I sat down next to the Mom as she wept and told me her story.

Between sobs and tears she explained how her life had gotten off track, although she worked hard she had made some bad choices and wasn't able to make enough money to take care of her daughter like she thought she should.

The Landlord had threatened to evict them, her car broke down, she lost her job that morning and was months behind in bills. She saw no way out of her mess and made up her mind that her daughter would be better off without her.

She left the house that day with the plan to run into the middle of the busy highway traffic and end her life.

BUT ON HER WAY TO DIE, she saw the door to the mailbox hanging open with a note sticking out and "something" made her stop to read the note.

She ripped open the envelope to read these words:

"You are not alone. God has not forgotten you. He has a plan for your life. It's not over, He will save you and help you through the darkness. You have a family at The Hill Church. We love you. Come join us Wednesday night at 7pm."

It was Wednesday when she found, "The God Note."

She said she knew it was from God, she fell to her knees, cried out and thanked Him for saving her. She went back into the house got cleaned up, grabbed her daughter and walked to The Well 4:14 Coffee shop where we hold The Hill Bolivar Church services.

God planned before the beginning of time that He would deliver a timely note in a mailbox to save a woman's life in order to get them to a Church service at a Coffee shop where they would come to give their hearts to Jesus! 

We cannot begin to fathom the exact timing and infinite mercy of a loving God who orchestrates every tiny divine detail in order to save and rescue His lost children.  

Everything down to the open mailbox door and the personal words that were written two days before she would ever read them.

That is the God I serve! He is mighty to save! His promises are Yes and Amen.

When you have no way out, He is THE WAY!

You may be struggling today and feel the same way as the woman in this testimony.

If you think you are alone or forgotten, I encourage you to read these words from God and cling to His promises. You are not alone. God is with you. He loves you. He will save you!

Here is today's "God Note" for you!

"Do not be afraid- I will save you. I have called you by name- you are mine. When you pass through deep waters, I will be with you; your troubles will not overwhelm you. When you pass through fire, you will not be burned; the hard trials that come will not hurt you. For I am the Lord your God, the holy God of Israel, who saves you." Isaiah 43:1-3

Hallelujah! Praise the Lord and share the Good News!

~ Donna Selma Lind ~

TWO MEN AND A TRUCK

By: Donna Selma Lind

The driveway alarm rang, which set the dogs off to barking. I looked out the window and saw an old pickup truck barreling up the road with a cloud of dust chasing behind it.

Peeking out the door I saw my husband talking to a man in the driveway.

The stranger was tall and gangly. Perched upon his stringy blonde hair was a tattered straw cowboy hat. His denim shirt sleeves had been cut off which revealed his heavily tattooed arms. His jeans and boots were caked in dried mud. 

He was selling Aerial photos and had a picture of our farm that he came to sell us.

After a while of negotiating we came to an amiable agreement. 

But, before he left I heard the Lord whisper; "Tell him about me."

So, I began with asking him how things were going for him, his life and family. 

I asked if he knew Jesus as his savior, he hung his head down and said yes;  he admitted he had strayed and hadn't been living right for a long time. 

I questioned if he would like to pray and give his life back to Christ?

He took his hat off, placed it over his heart, bowed his head and said;
 "Yes Ma'am."

I prayed and he responded with tears streaming down his tan dusty cheeks.

He thanked me over and over and said the same thing most people say when they give their life to Jesus; "I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders!" 

As we shook hands and said our goodbyes, I saw something move inside the old pickup truck.

Is someone else with you in that truck?

"Yes, my bosses son."

Again I heard the Lord whisper; "Go tell him about me."

I walked over to the truck and motioned for the driver to roll down his window.
A big burly man sat behind the wheel chewing on tobacco. 

I introduced myself and announced; The Lord sent you here today so I could pray for you.

 He looked at me, then he turned his head looked back and forth as if I was talking to someone else. He poked his thumb at his chest and questioned, "Me?"

Yes, you. Would you like to give your heart and life to Jesus today? 

He reached up his big hand pulled his rumpled baseball cap off his head and set it on the truck dashboard. 

"Ma'am, I'm not a good person. I've done bad stuff. Surely there is someone more deserving than me?"

His eyes welled up with tears and I could see the weight of shame and guilt sitting on his shoulders. 

Sir, none of us deserve His Grace. There are none righteous, no not one.
If you ask Him to forgive you for whatever you've done, He is faithful and just to forgive your sins just as He did for the thief on the Cross who is now in Paradise with the Lord.

"He'd do that for me?"

Yes, He loves you. He forgives you. He died for you.

"Okay, I want you to pray for me."

He bowed his head as I prayed for him to receive Jesus Christ as His Lord.

He sat for a long minute choking back tears. When he lifted his head up he looked like a different man. I can't explain it, but it was as if Jesus took an eraser and wiped away years of grime and filthy sin. 

As I watched them drive away that day, I thought to myself how these men came to sell me something, but they were the ones who left with a Deal of a Lifetime and a Bill of Sale that was PAID IN FULL! 

HALLELUJAH! PRAISE THE LORD & SHARE THE GOOD NEWS!

Donna Selma Lind