WELCOME TO MY BLOG

My name is Barbara Frone and I welcome you to my blog. I pray that my walk with God will encourage your heart and that God will bless you for every step you take towards him. God has a plan for each and every one of us and if we will earnestly seek him every day, he will not only show us his plan for our lives, but he will live it through us. We serve an amazing God!































































Saturday, December 31, 2011

WHY MEDITATE ON GOD'S WORD?

          About eight years ago, I joined Toastmasters and was a member for about two years.  Toastmasters is sort of a speech club.  You learn how to speak in front of an audience by giving speeches of all sorts.  This morning I was remembering how happy I was all day long thinking about new speech titles or working on a particular speech.  I wrote and gave 16 speeches while I was in Toastmasters.  So for two years, I was always thinking (meditating) on something to do with my speech.  As I was pondering this, this thought came to me (I am sure from God), "Our minds need something to meditate on."  Right away I thought to myself, "Wow, that must be true."  While we are meditatiing on something, our minds are focused.  While we are meditating on something, our minds don't wander.  While we are meditating on something, bad thoughts can't come in because they would only get in our way and when our minds are focused, it's harder to break into that.  No wonder God says over and over again in his Word that we should meditate on his Word day and night.  I now understand why.  Thank you, Jesus, for this revelation! 

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

CALLING ALL MEN AND WOMEN AND CHILDREN

          One of the sadest verses in the Bible is found in the book of Judges.  In fact, it's the last verse, "In those days there was no king in Israel:  every man did that which was right in his own eyes."  Judges 21:25.  If we have no king ruling over us, we do what is right in our own eyes.  Do you have the King of Kings ruling over your life or are you doing what is right in your own eyes?

          Look around you today. You don't have to look far to see that people are doing what is right in their own eyes.  Marriages are falling apart. Children are rebelling. Most of us are living defeated lives. Why? Because we are not wrestling against flesh and blood, but against the devil and his evil angels. God told us this in his Word, but yet we would rather do that which is right in our own eyes instead of listening to our King.

"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this world, agains spiritual wickedness in high places." Ephesians 6:12

          Our King has given clear instructions to men, women, and children, and instead of following those instructions, we would rather do what is right in our own eyes.  But you see, our King knows that if we follow his instructions, we would live victorious lives.  Our King knows that if we follow his instructions, the devil and his evil angels would not be able to destroy us.  So let's start over today by following our King's instructions and let's show the devil that he will no longer break up our families.  Wondering where to start?  I thought you would never ask.

"Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing." Ephesians 5:22-24



          Wives, submit to your husbands.  What does this exactly mean?  It means that our King has made an authority structure for us to follow and if we follow that authority structure, the devil and his evil angels will not be able to mess with us.  Here is our King's authority structure:  God, Jesus, husbands, wives, and children.  Wives, you are not a slave, so please take that thought out of your mind, because it most likely has been put there by the devil, the father of lies.  Submitting to our husbands just means that we don't do what is right in our own eyes, but we let our husbands lead the family.  Wives, submit to your husband even if he doesn't do his part, because not only will God will bless you for it, it is spiritual warfare.

"Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might santify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word. That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle,or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourished and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh." Ephesians 5:25-31

          Husbands, love your wives.  Love your wives even if they are hard to love.  Love your wives even if they don't submit to you.  Love your wives because your King has told you to.  Love your wives so the devil and his evil angels can't get between both of you and ruin your marriage.  Husbands, loving your wives is spiritual warfare. 

         Husbands, be the head of your home as Christ is the head of the church.  Your wives and children need you to step up to the plate and lead them.  Why, because your King has told you to.  Why, because it's spiritual warfare.  The devil and his angels are after your family.  Don't give up.  Fight with all you've got.  Giving up and walking away is the easy route.  There are no prizes for taking the easy route. 

         Husbands and wives, love your children and teach them how to respect you.

"Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;) That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. And, ye fathers, provoke not your chilren to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord." Ephesians 6:1-4

         Children, obey your parents.  Obey your parents even if you don't agree with them.  Obey your parents even if you think they are wrong.  Why?  So it will be well with you and you will live a long life.  God will bless your life if you honor your father and mother by obeying them.  God will bless your life if you honor their wishes.  Why?  Because this will keep the devil and his angels from getting between you and your parents.  This will keep the devil and his angels from destroying your family.



          Why is God telling husbands to love their wives? Why is God telling wives to submit to their husbands? Why is God telling children to obey their parents? Because this is spiritual warfare. God gives us instructions not to make us miserable, but to help us live victorious lives.


"This is a great mystery:  but I speak concerning Christ and the church.  Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband."  Ephesians 5:32-33


        

DO YOU WANT TO BE A SOLDIER OR DO YOU WANT TO BE AN ELITE SOLDIER?

          The other day I was watching a program about the Navy Seals.  If you ever want to see elite soldiers in the making,you need to watch what they go through in their training.  In this particular program, the Navy Seals were training for a mission.  After they received their instructions on how to carry out the mission, they went through the steps of the mission over and over again until they had it memorized.  They practiced over and over again until they automatically responded the way they were instructed to respond, not in the way they wanted to respond.  This fascinated me because I realized that God wants to train us in much the same way.

          God gave us an instruction book on how to live as elite soldiers on this earth.  He gave us a mission and he wants us to practice over and over again until we always respond the way he wants us to respond, not in the way we want to respond. 

          God puts us through a training program much like the Navy Seals.  He gave us a mission, to love him with all of our heart, soul, and mind, and to love others as ourselves and we need to practice this mission every day until it becomes a part of us.  We need to practice this mission over and over again until we respond as God has trained us to respond in his instruction book. 

          Did you ever wonder why God said that we must go through tests and trials?  I think it's because tests and trials are a part of his training program.  How can we learn if we don't go out and practice?  If we only read about it and never practice what we are reading, we haven't really learned it.  The Navy Seals read many books and go to classroom instruction, but if they never go out into the field and practice what they have read and learned in the classroom, they have no idea if they can do it. 

          Tests and trials are God's training program.  Responding in love is our mission.  Do you want to be an elite soldier?  Then read God's instruction manual until you know it by heart.  Go through classroom instruction by studying the Bible.  Then go out into the mission field and do what God has instructed you to do and may God bless you every step of the way!

"Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.  No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier."  2 Timothy 2:3-4

Sunday, December 18, 2011

WHY SATAN WORKS OVERTIME ON WOMEN

          Satan works overtime on women, because women have the power of influence over men. You don't have to look far in the Bible to see this. Eve convinced Adam to partake of the apple. Delilah convinced Samson to tell her where he got his strength from. Sarah convinced Abraham to sleep with her handmaid, so they could have a baby through her handmaid. Satan knows if he can get to the woman, the woman will get to the man.
          There is another reason why Satan works overtime on women. It's because they have a womb. It's because they have the ability to reproduce. Women produce more men and women. Satan cannot reproduce. He has to work with what he has right now. Satan and his demons cannot reproduce. He will do anything to convince women to get rid of their offspring. He will do anything to stop the reproduction of more Christian soldiers whom he will have to fight.

          I believe this is the reason why God tells women to submit themselves to their husbands. It's not to suppress them. It's to protect them. There is protection under authority. God has given us an authority structure and if we stay under it, we are protected. It's like an umbrella of protection. As long as you stay under it, you are protected. But if you leave from under your umbrella (disobey the authority over you), you are left out in the open for the devil and his angels to get to you. In fact, there is a verse or verses in the book of Psalms which talk about this, but I can't find it right now. I will fill it in as soon as I find it. If you know it, please write it in the comments.

          Women, submit yourselves to your husband and then to God, and don't let Satan convince you to do anything contrary to the Word of God.

"For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man. Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man. For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the angels." 1 Corinthians 11:8-10



Friday, December 16, 2011

WHAT DOES GOD MEAN WHEN HE SAYS, "OBEY MY LAW OR OBEY MY COMMANDMENTS?"

          You can't read the Old Testament without often coming across the words, "Obey my law" or "Obey my commandments."  Every time I would read those words, I would wonder what God meant.  Since it is in the Old Testament, I thought he meant the Ten Commandments and maybe even all the law listed in Leviticus.  I also wondered what it meant for us New Testament Christians.  I know we are not under the law, but Jesus did say he came to fulfil the law, not to do away with it.  So there must be something more to "Obey my law" and "Obey my commandments."

          During my prayer time this morning I asked God to teach me something new.  I love learning from God.  There is no better teacher in this world.  After I said this to God, my mind went to earlier this morning when my thoughts were on one of my friends.  I was thinking about how messy her life has become in the last few years.  After pondering the messiness of my friend's life, I started thinking about how much God has done in my life and how much I've changed in the last few years.  And right after that thought, God put on my heart that that is the very reason we shouldn't focus at all on ourselves, because as soon as we do, our flesh will do one of two things.  Our flesh will either bring up our past failures which will make us feel less than worthy and that is a lie, because we are worthy because of what Jesus did on the cross.  Or our flesh will look at all that God has done in our life and take the credit, which will often cause us to look at others with pride in our hearts because we have mastered something that they are still struggling with.  So this is why God wants us to focus on him and not on us. 

          I thought that us focusing on God was what God wanted me to learn this morning, but it gets better.  During my Bible reading time, after reading James 4:11-12, this is what I wrote down in my notes:  Jesus summarized the law as love for God and neighbor (Matthew 22:37-40) and Paul said that love demonstrated toward a neighbor would fully satisfy the law (Romans 13:6-10).  When we fail to love, we are actually breaking God's law.

          I read over my notes again and read the verses in Matthew and Romans, and this is when God opened my eyes to something I've never seen before.  We obey all of God's law and commandments if we love God and love one another.  That's it!  If we love God and love one another, we are obeying all of God's law.  Jesus said it in the book of Matthew.  The Apostle Paul said it in Romans.  What more evidence do we need?  If it's good enough for Jesus, then it's good enough for me. 

          But wait!  It's gets even better.  God then puts both teachings together.  He puts on my heart that we need to love him and others, and not focus on ourselves at all, because while we are loving God and loving others, God takes care of us.  I just don't think it gets any easier or better than this.  Love God.  Check.  Love others.  Check.  Don't focus on anything else because God is taking care of you.  Check.  Thank you, Jesus, for another piece of treasure from your precious Book. 

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

MOUNTAIN TOP OR VALLEY?

          I love being on top of a mountain. I would rather be on top of a mountain than in a valley any day. But we don't learn anything when we are on top of a mountain. When we are on top of a mountain, we are so happy that nothing can disturb us. We are rejoicing about something and singing songs to God. It is an awesome place to be. But being in a valley is also very important in our walk with God. We learn and grow in the valley. We may not be able to choose whether to be on a mountain top or in a valley, but when we are in a valley, we do have a choice of how long we stay there. As soon as you get in a valley, ask God right away what is he wanting you to learn. Don't walk through the valley upset or worried or anxious. That will just prolong your stay. Walk through the valley with your head held high. Walk through the valley with a smile on your face. Tell yourself that your Heavenly Father is teaching you something and as soon as you learn it, you will get to be on top of the mountain again. As soon as your eyes are opened to what God wants you to see, your soul will soar along with eagles in the sky once again.


          If you are in a valley right now, endure it with a good attitude. Humble yourself before God and ask him to open your eyes to what he wants you to see. Trust him. He will reveal something out of his infinite wisdom and that very day, you will once again be on the mountain top.

ARE YOU LEAVING CHURCH WITH EXCESS BAGGAGE?

Christians are suppose to go to a Bible believing, Bible preaching church, but there's a danger in going to church if you are not rooted and grounded in God's love. There's a danger in going to church if you are not abiding in Christ. There's a danger in going to church if you haven't entered into the rest of our Lord. The danger is this. If you are not abiding in Christ, every time you leave church, you will leave with a bag of guilt if the message you heard was about something you should be doing that you are not doing or about something you shouldn't be doing, and you are doing it. If you are not abiding in Christ, every time you leave church, you will leave with a bag of pride, if the message was about something you have already mastered and actually think you are better than most people in that area. But, oh, if you are resting on what Christ did on Calvary's cross for you, if you are abiding in Christ and his love for you, no matter what message is preached, you will leave humbled because you have heard from heaven and whatever it was, God will do it all through you. God will take care of it. God will work it out.

THERE ARE 3 TYPES OF CHRISTIANS (WHICH ONE ARE YOU?)

          There are three types of Christians.  Which one are you? 

          First, there is the Christian who after they accept Jesus as their Saviour, go about their daily life not really thinking too much about God.  They may or may not be going to church, but if they are, it's purely a social thing.  They probably don't read God's Word and they definitely don't talk to him all the time.  Oh, they do pray some, but only when something terrible happens in their life.  They are just too busy with life and don't have time for God. 

          Then there's the Christian that goes all out for God.  They are in church every time the door opens.  They sign up for everything and just love serving God.  They might pray here and there, and they might even read God's Word from time to time, but they are just so busy serving God that they don't have time to spend with him.

          In the middle, you will find the powerful Christian.  Oh, they are not powerful in and of themselves.  They are powerful because they are abiding in Christ.  They are powerful because they have entered into his rest.  You see, after God created everything in six days, he rested on the seventh.  But that rest was broken the moment Adam sinned.  From that day on until the day Jesus sat down on the right hand of God and entered back into his rest, God was working on a plan.  God now wants us to come back into his rest with him.  The powerful Christian understands this.  They don't worry about a thing.  They are not striving for anything.  They don't try to change themselves, because they understand that their flesh is as filthy rags and there's nothing good in it and changing it won't make it any better.  They understand that all God requires of them is for them to walk with God and to spend time in his Word, because his Word is truth and it will replace the lies the world has told them.  That's it.  If we trust God and abide in him, he will take care of everything else.  The powerful Christian doesn't have any cares, because the moment a care comes into their lives, they cast it.  And when the devil whispers in their ears (and he will), "What are you going to do about this care?" they answer the devil with, "What care?  I don't have any care.  God has it.  You are going to have to ask him about it."  And then they go about their Father's business trusting that he will do what he said in his Word that he will do. 

          Do you want to be a powerful Christian?  Then meet God in the middle.  Walk with him every day, especially in the cool of the morning and the cool of the evening like Adam did, and talk with him.  He yearns to have a close relationship with you.  He wants things to be as they were in the Garden of Eden.  He wants to take care of you.  He wants to provide everything you need.  All God asks in return is that you walk with him. 

Thursday, December 8, 2011

THE JEWS COULDN'T DO IT AND NEITHER CAN WE

          While I was praying this morning for God to draw my nephew to him and to his Word, I thought to myself that my nephew wasn't brought up with God and church, so how is God going to get his attention or draw him to the Bible when there's no frame of reference for this young man.  And as I was thinking this, God reminded me of the few years he lived with his grandparents while he was about 14 years old, and they took him to church and even put him into a Christian school.  After God reminded me of this, I asked God, "Then why didn't it work for him?  What happened?  Why has he rejected it all?"  And God told me that it didn't work for my nephew, because there were too many do's and too many don'ts.  And that's when the thought came to me:  THE JEWS COULDN'T DO IT (OBEY ALL OF GOD'S LAWS - THINK THE TEN COMMANDMENTS), AND NEITHER CAN WE. 

          I think too often religion puts so many do's and don'ts on us that we get worn out from trying to do all the do's and tired of failing to not do all the don'ts.  God knows that we are not able to do all he commands us to do in his Word.  Oh, we are able to obey some, but the Bible says if we break one law, we have broken them all.  You see, we don't stand a chance and God wanted us to see that.  He wants all of us to get to that point where we realize we need him, not only for salvation, but for everything.

          Jesus came to this earth, not only to save us from our sins, but also to leave us the Holy Spirit, God's Spirit, who will live his life through us and who will obey all of God's commandments through us.  The Bible says Jesus didn't come to destory the law, but to fulfil it.  Jesus wants to live his life through us.  We don't have to do a thing except spend time with God every day and renew our minds with his Word, and the Holy Spirit will take over from there.  Oh, it may look like we are changing or doing what God's tells us to do, but actually we know in our hearts that we haven't changed a thing.  We know in our hearts that all we have done is seek God and his Kingdom every day, and God added all these things unto us.

          Instead of giving people many to do's and to don'ts, we need to tell them that God loves them.  God loves them with all of his heart, soul, and mind.  Just look at the cross.  Greater love has no man than the one that lays down his life for you.  The Bible is a love story for us.  God is merciful and kind to us.  He is gentle in dealing with us.  He will meet us anywhere, even in the pig pen, to pick us up and lead us down the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.  He has great plans for us.  He has only good planned for us.  Everything he allows into our lives has a purpose.  That's what we need to tell people. 



Wednesday, December 7, 2011

HOW DO YOU LIVE THE CHRISTIAN LIFE?

          When you are born again, God comes to live in your spirit.  You receive his nature in your spirit, but something has to be done about your soul.  Your soul and body will be redeemed when Jesus returns, but until then, you need to deny yourself (your flesh, which is part of your soul), pick up your cross (whatever God has for you to bear in this life), and follow Jesus.  In other words, do what Jesus wants you to do instead of what you want to do.  Surrender your will to God and he will do great and mighty works through you.  How do great men and women of God do it, you ask?  They have surrendered their lives (their will) to God and have saturated their minds with God's Word.  It's not them.  It's God working through them.  That's how you live the Christian life.  You let God live it through you.  Jesus didn't come to do away with the law, he came to fulfil it through your life.  Deny yourself, pick up your cross, and follow Jesus, and he will do great and mighty works through your life.

Thursday, December 1, 2011

FAITH WITHOUT WORKS IS DEAD

Here is an excerpt from the manuscript of my second book, HOW TO LIVE THE CHRISTIAN LIFE.  I am posting it onto my blog because of the James Bible study I am involved in.  Here are my thoughts about what "faith without works" means.

Chapter 5: Faith Without Works Is Dead


“What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.” James 2:14-17
          I have always struggled with this verse. I know that we come to God by faith and he saves us. I also know there is nothing we can do that will make things right with God. The Bible says our righteousness is as filthy rags, which means that nothing we do will be right in the eyes of God except our faith in him and our faith in believing that he will do what he says he will do. Faith is the only thing we can do to please God.

“But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” Hebrews 11:6

          In my journey with God, he put on my heart that faith with works is believing that God will do what he said he will do and living your life so that all who see your life will know that you have faith. Abraham believed God and it was imputed unto him for righteousness. Believing that God is and living your life so that all who see your life will know that you have faith in the living God. That is what faith with works is.

“Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.” James 2:21-23

          When you pray to God and believe in your heart that he will answer your prayer, and live your life as if you are waiting for his answer, that is working faith. Having faith in God, but living your life as if there was no God, is dead faith. I recently watched a movie called, “Amish Grace.” It was about a man who walked into an Amish schoolhouse and shot several of the girls. One mother of a girl who died had a very hard time forgiving the man who shot her daughter and her husband said something to her that I thought was profound and also a very good description of true working faith. The husband said to his wife, “Faith, when everything is as you want it to be is not true faith. Faith is only when our lives are falling apart that we have the chance to make our faith real.” That’s faith with works.

          Another good description of faith comes from Joyce Meyer. She said, “Faith is stepping out into something that you are not 100% positive of how it will work out. All you have is what you feel in your heart. You take that baby step and see how things work, and if that’s cool, then you take that next step and you see how that’s going to work. And if that’s cool, then you take that next step, and you see how that’s going to work. That’s how we walk by faith, one step at a time.”

          The Bible says the just shall live by faith. What that means is when we accept Jesus Christ as our Saviour, we become justified by God. We become just as if we had never sinned. God is a God of justice and this requires him to punish sin. The Bible says that the wages of sin is death. Unless God did something, we would be hopeless. But God, two very powerful words, but God is a God hope. He came down to earth and became the needed sacrifice for our sins. If we believe that, we become justified and yes, the just shall live by faith. The just live by faith because even though they have not yet seen God, they believe what he wrote in his Word. They believe what he speaks into their hearts. They obey what he tells them to do, even though they have not seen him yet. That is faith with works.

“Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore, seek not to understand that thou mayest believe, but believe that thou mayest understand.” Augustine