THE DEVIL MADE ME DO IT!

I have to say this "out loud" because I feel someone has been lied to, and not that the person deceived is going to be reading this but, it could perhaps help someone else who has been told the same lie.  

I was recently listening to a portion of a bible study that a man had with a new convert and, in this bible study, he told the man that too many people blame the devil for causing all the sin in their lives.  He went on to say that the devil has NO power to do that; and that, man is his own worst enemy.  Part of that is true.  Man is his own worst enemy; BUT, man is not our only enemy.  The devil IS also our enemy!!! Yes, we often times give "the devil" too much credit for things and too much power in our lives but we are in a dangerous place when began to believe that we cannot be effected and manipulated by him.

After all we are in spiritual warfare here and our flesh is not our only enemy....the devil is our enemy too!!!!

The teacher said, that the devil is not omnipresent, that he cannot be present everywhere at the same time, which is true, but he went on to say that it is not possible for the devil to be messing with everybody at the same time simply because he can't be everywhere at once that in essence he could only mess with one person at a time. That is not completely true.  First off, the devil does not need to mess with EVERYBODY at the same time.  He only messes with those who believe the truth and who are trying to live for God.  Also, it wasn't just Lucifer that fell from heaven.  He took a third of the angels with him (however many that is) and they all have eyes to see and watch you...and they all roam the whole earth to and fro seeking whom they may devour.  They are spirits, Lucifer is just one of them.  Remember they are the spirits and power of the air and they can be in places that we don't even realize.  They learn our weaknesses by watching our behavior, mannerisms, likes and dislikes and they will put anything and everything they can in our way to cause us to stumble and fall out of God's favor and good graces.  What's more, they will also use the people of the world as workers in their army, so if you are in church and especially if you are a new convert in this one God, Apostolic faith, the devil IS your predator and he WILL do anything and use anyone he can to destroy you.  Do not let anyone tell you differently!!!!  You must BE ON GUARD!!!  He and his imps are doing everything they can to keep the children of God from living right because they don't want us making it to heaven.  They don't want us to receive mercy and grace because they can't have those things. They use lusts of the eye, lusts of the flesh and the pride of life, all that is in the world, against us to mess us up and to cause us to displease, disobey and disappoint the almighty God just the same as they did and they are ruthless about it!

It is a dangerous thing to believe the devil is completely powerless.  No he does not have all power and he does not have the power to actually "make" or force us to sin, but he is allowed to tempt us with sinful things over and over again, often time resulting in sin...which separates you from God.  He is ever working over time to steal, kill and destroy anyone and everyone he can.  Even more so now because he knows his time to work here on earth is getting shorter and shorter.  It is a grave mistake to underestimate or discount him.  We should not be ignorant of his devices!!!!  If the devil was completely powerless and had no purpose the bible would have no need to discuss his existence and it would for sure not have the need to tell us to put on the whole armor of God so that we were able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  He is making war with the saints daily!!  He is sly and manipulative and is the father of all lies!!! He will sell you a bill of goods and make promises to you that he cannot and will not make good on.  One more thing, he's not stupid, he's had a lot of years experience on the job to deceive and he's good at what he does...remember Adam and Eve?

Anyway the reason for my post today is to tell you not to underestimate the devil in his schemes and ploys against you.  He is very real and is very good at what he does.  Do not let him fool you into discrediting him and discounting the power he does have. He works through our flesh because our humanity is the weakest part of who we are. Therefore, I exhort you to beware of Lucifer and his imps and all they are trying to do to deceive and destroy you.  We are spiritually at war, the devil is not a nice guy and it makes him so much more powerful when we are told and believe that he is not our problem!!!

Stay safe out there.  Pray, put on the whole armor of God and resist the devil at all costs as he is out to steal, kill and destroy!

PAMPER ME, LADIES SPA DAY

Needing an idea for your next ladies meeting?  How about getting everyone together for a day of pampering and relaxation.

We all need a day to relax and pamper ourselves from time to time and we all love getting together with our friends and other ladies for a little fellowship from time to time too.  Why not put those two things together and have a ladies spa day.  Besides, moisturizing all your winter weather skin away is a must this time of year...or any time for that matter!

You can make this a ladies day out and reserve a local spa for the number of ladies in your party to enjoy facials, manicures, pedicures, hot oil treatments and massages.  Of course each lady would pay their own way.  When it's all done, stop and enjoy a lite lunch at one of your favorite restaurants.

OR...

If money is short...have a home spa day...which can be done at the church, at your home or another ladies home, wherever you like, so long as there is someplace to shower or wash hair...should you choose to do hot oil treatments.  (It is possible to turn your kitchen sink into an inexpensive hair washing station by attaching a rubber shower hose to the faucet.)

All you need to do is...

1.  Set a place, date and time for your spa day.
2.  Send out invitations.
3.  Gather your supplies, enough for each lady;

• Facial masks/peels
• Face wash
• Exfoliating cream 
• Nourishing lip balm
• Emory boards/fingernail buffers, etc.
• Cuticle cream or oils for massaging nail beds
• Plastic water basins
• Pumice stones
• Hot oil treatments 
• Shower caps
• Towels (If towels are in short supply, ask each lady to bring their own.

To save money, you can make many of your own all natural cleansers and such with ingredients right from your pantry...I have added a few recipes below to get you started.

4.  Provide lite snacks or have each lady bring a lite snack or finger food to share.

(Snack ideas could include low fat finger sandwiches, fruit tray, veggie tray, low fat yogurt, low fat cottage cheese, etc.)

It's up to you if you want to help the ladies with their manicures, pedicures and hot oil treatments, etc., you can pair them up, or each lady can do their own.  Whatever works best in your situation.

Below are some spa recipes with all natural ingredients to try instead of buying everything premade.

HOMEMADE FACE WASH:

1 cup coconut oil.

1 tbsp baking soda

5 drops lavender essential oil

5 drops frankincense essential oil

5 drops lemon essential oil

(if acne prone, replace frankincense and lemon oils with 10 drops of tea tree essential oil)

(Mix all ingredients together, splash face with warm water and apply to face in a circular motion and avoiding eye area.  Rinse well with warm water.)

HOMEMADE EXFOLIATING CREAM FOR FACE:

1/4 cup plain yogurt

1/2 medium banana mashed

2 T. ground raw oatmeal

2 T. Pure real honey

(Mix all ingredients together and apply to face in a circular motion allowing the oatmeal to exfoliate, leave on face for 10 minutes and then rinse with warm water).

HOMEMADE FACE MASK:

1 Egg white

1 T. plain yogurt

(Mix together and apply to face.  Leave on for 10 minutes and rinse well with warm water)

SUGAR SCRUB FOR HANDS AND FEET:

1/2 cup packed Brown sugar

1/2 cup Organic, cold-processed coconut oil or olive oil

1/2 tsp. Vitamin E Oil

1 tsp. Pure Vanilla extract

(You can add a few drops of essential oils if you wish...Ginger essential oil is a good one with this.)

(Mix all ingredients together and apply to hands or feet in a circular motion for 1-2 minutes then rinse in warm water.)

HOT OIL TREATMENT:

3 T. Castor Oil (use Organic cold-pressed and Hexane free if possible)

1 T. Argan Oil or Hemp Seed Oil

(Mix together, warm slightly in a cup of steamy warm water for 5 minutes then apply to damp hair.  Apply to the scalp and massage in pulling it through to the tips of your hair.  Cover with a towel or shower cap and leave in for at least 2 hours then shampoo hair as usual.  For a better result, this can be left in overnight and washed out in the morning.)

Castor Oil is good for someone with thin hair wanting it a little thicker.  If you already have very thick hair you might want to use a good quality olive oil instead of Castor oil.

FOOT SOAK SOLUTION:
1/2 cup Epsom salt
1/4 cup Listerine mouth wash
1/4 cup vinegar
2 T. Hydrogen Peroxide
1 gallon water

(Mix together in a plastic foot tub and soak feet for 10-20 minutes.  Towel dry then use a pumice stone to remove dead skin on bottom of feet.)...then apply sugar scrub and rinse in warm water.

Go HERE for more foot soak recipes.

For more easy all natural beauty recipes go HERE.  You can also do your own internet search.  The possibilities are endless.

HINT:  You may want to start with the hot oil treatments first because of the time involved.  Enjoy your snacks and your other beauty treatments while you are waiting for the oils to soak in.

If you would like to send the ladies away with a little party favor or reminder of their day, you can:

Provide each lady with a small makeup pouch so they can take their Emory board, Pumice stone and lip balm home with them; or,

Send each lady home with a small travel size bottle or container of homemade face wash, hot oil treatment or Brown sugar scrub to enjoy at a later time.  Make sure it is something that will not spoil quickly.  Or for a special treat (this one is a little expensive and you would have to order early), you could send each lady home with a sample size bottle of Uncut Hair Shampoo, conditioner or detangler.

Of course, that's all up to you.  The main thing is to relax and have fun getting together.  

COUNT IT ALL JOY!

Just wanted to share with you today a few encouraging scriptures...

My brethren, COUNT IT ALL JOY when ye fall into divers temptations;

Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.

But let patience have her perfect work; that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

James 1:2-4

Ponder these things and have a wonderful Jesus filled day!