Patricia's Principles for Living

Today you may hear that you can't have it all. Well when you look at God's economy in Proverbs 31, it seems to say you can have it all. God has given women an amazing amount of liberty and independence. She can be a woman of character -Noble character She can marry well -Has a Husband She can be a mother -Has children She can be healthy -Arms are strong for the tasks She can be a part of the team -Watches over the affairs in her house She can be socially adept -She is clothed with strength and dignity She can buy and sell -Buys property She can be a boss -Tells the servants what to do She can run a business -Sells her handmade belts She can work with men -Supplies the merchants She can be astute -Judges that the property is a good buy Sh e can be energetic -Works with eager hands She can be a good time manager -Gets up early She can ...

My granddaughter likes to walk pass the smooth stove top and put her hand on it. I vigorously object and tell her not to do so. I know the purpose of the stove. It is to heat and to cook food. I am trying to protect her from the day she goes around the corner absentmindedly and slides her hand on the cook top when it's on. Then she may be badly burned. Isn’t this like sin and temptation? We go around that temptation many times touching it but not feeling any consequences. It becomes a habit. We do it so many times we lose the fear and are unaware that we are setting ourselves up to be burned. One day we do what we’ve always done and the full force of the purpose of sin snatches us away. Just like my granddaughter. She’s not starting off with the intention of being burned. She just likes the smooth feel of the glassy surface of the cook top. Remember the purpose of the temptation is to take you away from God. God’s commandments are not hidden from us. When you start toying, feelin...

In the beginning portion of the Book of Job we see that the sons of Job had houses. The brothers would invite the sisters to their homes. However it appears that the sisters had no homes of their own. The custom of the time was for the women to be entirely dependent on their fathers until marriage. If the sisters never married and the father had died then the brother was in charge of them and their upkeep. After his life changing experience Job had a new vision. After his encounter with God Job saw that the cultural norms of his day were not necessarily the God given ones. Like the New Testament states there was no male or female in Christ. Job saw a clearer picture of God's plans. Job became a non-conformist. How much more we would be like God in His dealings with men and women if we could really encounter the God of the universe. Job became like Christ who never put women down. Christ liberated women, not only from their sins but from their oppression. The woman with the issue of...

When I was a child I could not stand reading the book of Job. It seemed so incomprehensible and boring. As I've matured the book of Job started to come into focus. Then it started to expand into this beautiful book. Then the book started to explode into my consciousness as a treasure trove of untapped knowledge. It became a revelation to me of God's ways. Now I absolutely love the book of Job. I've read portions of it over and over. There are so many facets to this precious jewel of a book called Job. One facet concerns Job's children. After Job's great trial he had a new set of children. In fact the Scriptures are quite clear about the fact that Job's daughters were extremely beautiful. The thought came so where were these children when Job was going through his trial? Well these children were in the loins of Job. Job had this new life residing in him. However, in order to get to this new life Job had to go through this trial. There are some things in life whic...

In Leviticus God instructed the Israelites about the sacrifices they were to bring to Him. Interesting God did not tell the Israelites to go hunting for a sacrifice. God told them to go to the flock or the herd. The sacrifice was with them, even as Christ was going to be among them. If God asks you to give an offering or to give something it is going to be something you already have. You are not going to have go hunt for it. Moses did not have to hunt for his staff. He had it with him. David did not have to hunt for a weapon. He had his sling with him. Abigail did not have to hunt for a present to mollify David. She had it with her. The widow woman did not have to go hunt for flour to make Elijah a loaf of bread she had it with her. When Jesus wanted to feed the five thousand he didn't have to make the bread and fishes. The child had it with him. If you are hunting and scheming to get something to give to God you are not doing what God wants you to do. What do you have in your hand...

Many product makers aspire to receive the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval. It gives consumers the assurance that someone has rigorously tested the product and found it safe to use. This is a thorough process to make sure the item lives up to its claims. In Romans 16 we have the name Apelles mentioned once in the Bible. However this one mention tells us a whole lot. Apelles went through some type of tribulation and came out victorious. This is something to which I aspire. I want Christ’s seal of approval. I can have it if I follow the word of God and not faint under pressure. Greet Apelles, tested and approved in Christ. Romans 16:10

34 But someone drew his bow at random and hit the king of Israel between the sections of his armor. The king told his chariotdriver, "Wheel around and get me out of the fighting. I've been wounded." 35 All day long the battle raged,and the king was propped up in his chariot facing the Arameans. I Kings 22:34-35 Why would the king need to be propped up? You see when the king fell the battle was considered lost. However since they made the king look vital, alive, and unwounded then the army continued to fight Is this not a picture of Satan? He is a propped up king. He’s really wounded and the blood as it were is seeping into his chariot until the evening falls. When you read the Scripture you see that he’s really mortally wounded. Christ has won the battle. Our job is to live in that victory and not be afraid of a propped up King.