Crisis in the Gulf

"But HE was pierced through for our transgressions, HE was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon HIM, and by HIS scourging we are healed." Isaiah 53:5

Dear Praying Friends and Family,



I've been a little under the weather this week with a "bad" cold that has snuggled up to all of us in our house...either i'm a wimp or it got to me the worse. THANKFULLY, GOD brought me back from the dead and i am feeling much better. I was able to get the grass cut yesterday before it got too hot. While i've been slowed down a bit from my usual activities, i've done quiet a bit of reading this week about the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. This morning the headlines of our local news paper was, "Gulf in Crisis." Like most of you, it breaks my heart when i think of what all that oil is doing to the wildlife and humans. Since i have struggled with chemical injuries to my body for most of my life, i have a special place in my heart for other people, animals and the environment that are being damaged by the toxic chemicals that have been unleashed through the oil spill. So much of my reading about the oil spill this week has focused on the health issues that are associated with the chemicals. Not only are the chemicals in the water, but also the air.



John McTernan in his blog, http://www.johnmcternan.name/   on Tuesday, June 29 shared this article about 100's of people seeking medical care after visiting Florida beach:

http://www.floridaoilspilllaw.com/epa-opening-public-decontamination-stations-400-people-seek-medical-care-after-visiting-florida-beach


The dispersants to dissolve the oil have their own unique health dangers:


htttp://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hW3W2nV3z6GyzAwH65PkJdxJtAlA





     In this morning's paper on the front page was an article giving information how you can get involved with the restoration of the coastal beaches and wildflife by calling AWF at 1-800-822-9453 or visit the website at www.ccaalabama.org/oilspill.html. In this article, it cautions you not to touch or try to handle an oiled animal, because it may pose a health and safety risk to you and the animal you are trying to rescue. The number to call if you see an oiled animal is B"'s Oiled Wildlife Response Hotline at 1-866-557-1401, with the type and number of animals, location, time last seen and phone number.

There are ways to protect yourself from the harmful effects of the chemicals in the water and air, specific supplements you can take to help your body detox the chemicals you may be breathing in or exposed to. Air filters and sweating the chemicals out will also help to keep one from getting sick from the exposure to the high level of benzenes, methylene chloride, hydrogen sulfide and other chemicals the EPA has tested and found to be very high levels of in the air. If you want to know more about protecting yourself or loved ones....just let me know and i'll be glad to talk further with you.





After i read the troubling words about the Crisis in the Gulf, a devotion from Elisabeth Elliot spoke comfort and peace to my heart. These words were published in 1985...but they are very appropriate for the time we are living in. It's entitled, "I Will Not Be Afraid."

I

News reports come every day concerning economic and political calamities about to befall us all, not to mention famines, tornadoes, earthquakes, and volcanoes, things which may at any moment strike us or people we love. There are always plenty of good reasons to be afraid--unless you know that things are under control. A Christian has this "inside information." Things are, in fact, under control. God is our Refuge, our Strength, our Mighty Fortress. Nothing will get by the moat of his protection without his permission. To be afraid of what happens today or what may happen tomorrow is not only an awful waste of energy, it is not only useless, it is disobedient. We are forbidden to fear anything but the Lord Himself.

-Elisabeth Elliot, A Lamp for my Feet



These are simple but true words of comfort for all those who are in CHRIST JESUS. JESUS spoke words of comfort and assurance to HIS disciples in John 16:33:

"These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”



These words are just as true for us today, as they were when HE spoke them then. HE is our Prince of Peace, and when the world seems to be swirling out of control, HE reminds us that HE is in control and HE has a plan, and a purpose for all that comes into our lives...including oil well disasters that don't seem to make sense.





As i was having my "Time with JESUS," a couple of days ago, the HOLY SPIRIT began bringing thoughts to me about what i had read the past couple of days about the toxic oil spill and the havoc it is wreaking to humans and wildlife. Paul wrote nearly two thousand years ago in the 8th Chapter of Romans about how creation groans and suffers while we wait for our future redemption of our bodies:

"For we know the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. " Romans 8:22

We can certainly see the creation groaning under this toxic oil spill that affects are so far reaching. How many of our hearts are groaning as we learn more and more about the damage that is being done to the Gulf of Mexico, and to human health. As i was reading John Mcternan's blogsite yesterday i was taken aback by a verse he used and indicated that the oil spill might be part of GOD's judgement on America for the toxic sin that has filled our land. Hosea 4:1-4 says:

"Listen to the WORD of the LORD, O sons of Israel, for the LORD has a case against the inhabitants of the land, because there is no faithfulness or kindness or knowledge of GOD in the land. There is swearing, deception, murder, stealing, and adultry. They employ violence, so that bloodshed follows bloodshed. Therefore the land mourns, and everyone who lives in it languishes along with the beasts of the field and the birds of the sky; and also the fish of the sea disappear."





I read an article this week entitled Florida scientist says CLEAR water tests positive for oil, “Can’t be seen and it poses health risks”; Officials “only doing visual assessments” . Reading this made me think of the parts of the Gulf that still look clean being like the sinful human heart...it may look good to the common eye, but just as the experts test to see what's really in the water, GOD tests our hearts. "I know also, my GOD, that YOU test the heart and have pleasure in uprightness." I Chronicles 29:17. GOD sees past our outward appearances of "good works" and HE sees what's really inside our heart. "For GOD sees not as man sees, for man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart. I Samuel 16:7. Our HOLY CREATOR knows what's inside us, HE created us, and HE knows that each one of has a sinful, toxic, unredeemed heart that hasn't received the gift of HIS salvation, HIS SON. It doesn't matter how much money we have, or how good we look, what our career is. If our heart is unredeemed it's like the "toxic Gulf," and the eternal consequences or wages as it says in Romans 6:23, is death. "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of GOD is eternal life through JESUS CHRIST our LORD."

JESUS said in Matthew 23:27, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead man's bones and all uncleanness." Those beach waters may appear clear to the untrained eye, but upon further testing, they may be hazardous to your health...don't let the appearance fool you.



Our family has recently been watching a show call "American Pickers." www.history.com/shows/american-pickers . On the website it says, "Travel along with the American Pickers as they scour the country's junkyards, barns and basements for hidden gems." - These two guys buy something "old," and restore it, and sell if for a higher price than what they bought. Recently, one episode feature an old "Studebaker" that was dusty, and dirty, just sitting in a barn for years deteriorating. It needed restoring to ever be of any real value. They had somwww.history.com/shows/american-pickerseone who was an "expert," come out and look at it to see if it could be restored. Beneath the dust and dirt, there lay a solid foundation that indeed could be restored. These men could see the "diamond in the rough," like our CREATOR can when HE looks at us, or someone we have given up on long ago. GOD is in the business of restoring, renewing, and redeeming lives that otherwise seem like "junk." I love the quote that i used last week by Audrey Hepburn:



People, more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed, never throw out anyone." Audrey Hepburn



Our LORD JESUS CHRIST sees our heart as it really is and HE knows that it must be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed, to have eternal LIFE and to bring glory to HIM. In John 3:3,7 JESUS told Nicodemus, who was a member of the Sanhedrin (very religious but lost in their sins), "Truly,truly I say to you, unless one is born of water and the SPIRIT, he cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven...You must be born again."



We may look really good on the outside to those around us, but JESUS sees the toxic inside, the heart that's unredeemed. We may be the deacon, the Sunday School teacher, the preacher, the lawyer, the well respected businessman or woman. Doesn't matter, the Bible tells us that our righteousness, or our unredeemed works, are like filthy rags...and the literal translation means menstrual rags. "For all of us have become like one who is unclean, And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment." Isaiah 64:6.



JESUS left HIS home in heaven and was obedient to HIS heavenly FATHER, even to death on the cross, that we might be cleansed from our filthy garments and put on the "robe of righteousness" which is in CHRIST JESUS.



"JESUS CHRIST... emptied HIMself, taking the form a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, HE humbled HIMself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." Phil 2:7-8





JESUS' death and resurrection redeems and restores all who have received HIM to able to have intimate fellowship with our HOLY CREATOR. that HE created us and designed us to have before sin entered into the world. "But as many as received HIM to them HE gave the right to become children of GOD." John 1:12



GOD's LIVING WORD is HIS love letter to us to tell us how much HE loves unredeemed man, and longs to have an intimate relationship with each one of us. HE sent HIS one and only SON to be the cure for our sin sickness. The Passover, Noah's Ark, the Ark of the Covenant, all these are pictures of the salvation that we have in CHRIST JESUS through HIS shed blood on the cross for our sins. The whole BIBLE is GOD's love letter crying out to us to come to HIM, turn from our sins, and be healed of our toxic sinful hearts. "For GOD so loved the world that HE gave HIS only SON that whosoever believeth in HIM shall not perish but have everlasting life." "How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?" Hebrews 2:3 Don't be fooled into thinking you can escape the flames of hell by your "good," works. GOD sees your heart, and HE provided HIS perfect, sinless SON as the sacrificial "LAMB of GOD," WHO takes away the sins of those who accept HIM and repent from sin. Therefore, "How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?" Hebrews 2:3





When i was a young CHRISTian i was introduced to a tract by Billy Graham called "Steps to Peace with GOD." In that little tract it has a picture of a HOLY GOD on one side of a gulf, and sinful man is on the other. The only way to bridge the gulf is through through Calvary, believing that JESUS CHRIST died for your sins and turning away from your sins...sins like not loving GOD with all our hearts, soul, mind, and strength, having idols (anything in our lives we put before GOD), not honoring our parents, stealing (which includes time), lusting in our hearts, putting our interests before others, being envious, prideful, jealous, greedy, covetous, angry, grumbling and complaining. All these sins, and many, many more are toxic sins that make "the mighty gulf," between us and our HOLY GOD. There is a "Crisis in the Gulf," in our lives, and JESUS CHRIST is the only ONE who can solve the crisis. Our hearts are toxic and the only cleanser for our sins is the blood of JESUS CHRIST. The kids learned a song when they were little about JESUS being "Super Soap," washing our sins as white as snow. HIS blood is the only "SOAP," that ALMIGHTY GOD made to completely cleanse us of all our sins and enable us to have a personal and intimate relationship with HIM.



"But now in CHRIST JESUS you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of CHRIST. For HE HIMself is our peace. Ephesians 2:13,14





"And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved." Acts 4:12.



In John 14:6 Jesus declares, "I am the way, the truth, and the life, no man comes to the FATHER except through ME."



As GOD was leading me what to write about this week, HE brought a phrase from the old hymn, "At Calvary," to me.."Oh, the love that drew salvation’s plan! Oh, the grace that brought it down to man! Oh, the mighty gulf that God did span at Calvary! " This song was written by William Newall in 1895, who was a troubled and wayward teenager in need of a Redeemer, a restorer. William was redeemed and restored through the grace of GOD and went on to become a Bible teacher at Moody Bible Institutue in Chicago.



GOD knows and is in control of what seems to be an out of control situation in the Gulf. This has not caught HIM off guard. HE is using it to bring about HIS plans and purposes in our world and in our lives. More important than the situation in the Gulf, GOD sees our hearts and knows that they must be redeemed in order to be healed and restored and made brand new...and this HE did for us, "At Calvary." As you listen to this song, i pray that if you have not ask JESUS to forgive you of your sins, and trust in HIM to save you and cleanse you, that you would do that today. Simply cry out to HIM right where you are...HE wants you to come, just as you are, where HE is waiting with open arms to receive you and give you peace with GOD.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DAlFggcUXY the Gaither Homecoming Choir singing "At Calvary."




This weekend as we celebrate our nation's freedom and independence may we cry out to GOD and turn from our wicked ways and ask GOD to heal our bleeding land. Our land is bleeding from the murder of millions of unborn babies, homosexuality, adultry, apostasy in the church, turning our backs on Israel, and the list goes on and on. We are suffering GOD's judgement because of it. HE is the only ONE who can Redeem and heal our hearts and our country of the "Crisis in the Gulf."



"If MY people who are called by MY name will humble themselves and pray and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and heal their land." II Chronicles 7:14



With all HIS love,

mitzi

Years I spent in vanity and pride,

Caring not my Lord was crucified,

Knowing not it was for me He died

On Calvary.



Refrain:

Mercy there was great, and grace was free;

Pardon there was multiplied to me;

There my burdened soul found liberty

At Calvary.

By God’s Word at last my sin I learned;

Then I trembled at the law I’d spurned,

Till my guilty soul imploring turned

To Calvary.

Now I’ve giv’n to Jesus everything,

Now I gladly own Him as my King,

Now my raptured soul can only sing

Of Calvary!

Oh, the love that drew salvation’s plan!

Oh, the grace that brought it down to man!

Oh, the mighty gulf that God did span

At Calvary!





"HE is the GOD of every circumstance. HE is in the process of redeeming and making all things new. You can rejoice in HIM, even when your eyes are filled with tears." Nancy Leigh DeMoss, www.reviveourhearts.com



"I will rejoice and be glad in YOUR steadfast love, because YOU have seen my affliction; YOU have known the distress of my soul." Psalm 31:7

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