Let Us Reason with Four Year Olds

The other day while at the playground I was pushing my son on the swing.
On the swing next to us was a little boy, probably four years old, being pushed by his grandmother. I guess they had been using the swing for a while because the grandmother started to say, 'it's time to get off the swing' every few moments.
Each time, her grandson would decisively shake his head and say 'no!'
Well, this went on for a while and eventually the grandmother started to say things like, 'we've been on here a long time. Other kids want to swing. We need to share,'
Still, the child would not yield.
Then she started to say, 'sharing is caring,'
Yeah, that didn't work either.
She kept saying, 'sharing is caring' but finally she stopped pushing him and knelt down in front of him.
I did not catch everything she said. I did catch a lot of it, though, and what she was doing was negotiating with the boy.
The boy couldn't care less that he was being selfish and disobedient. He had no desire to 'share'- it wouldn't do him any good to see another child on the swing.
His grandmother knelt there talking to him about the need to share for a good five minutes. Finally she resorted to bribery-
'We can play here all day if you want to. If you get off now, you can play on it later on,' and so on.
I'm not sure what she said to make him get off but he finally did, and happily.

Frankly, that was a terrible display of authority.

First off, the boy clearly has no fear in him.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom:

Psalm 111:10a, Proverbs 9:10a

There is such thing as healthy fear. The fear of God is the best fear anyone can have.
No, it's not God's fear, it is knowing exactly who God is, what He is capable of, and realizing that He will render to every man according to his work.
In other words- you transgress, you will be punished.
I expect my two year old to obey me. I know he won't always obey right away and with the right heart. I know he will do stupid things that are difficult for me to change because he isn't speaking much yet. However, my expectation that he must obey me is not unreasonable and not impossible.
From a young age we have taught our son that disobedience brings discipline.
One of the biggest things, to my husband and I, is that our son comes to us when we call him.
For a long time we would call his name and tell him to come but he would just stand there or continue with what he was doing.
One day, after the first time I called him, he did not listen so I immediately stood up and went to get him myself.
I disciplined him in love and, even though he's not perfect at it, more often then not he comes when we call him.
Think it's ridiculous for me to discipline a two year old for not obeying?
What if, one day, he's running straight toward a busy street, or a wall he can fall off of and I'm too far away to physically stop him? Being able to call his name and tell him to stop knowing he'll obey is a huge relief and blessing in that situation.
Training him early, during ordinary days, when it's not a matter of life and death will make a huge difference when it is.
The earlier you teach them that sin has repercussions, the easier, safer, happier it is later on.

Happy is the man that feareth alway;

Proverbs 28:14a

We do not think of fear bringing happiness, but the fear of the Lord can and will.

I am so happy when my son obeys me, and my happiness effects him and he becomes happy.

 A happy child knows what to do and that they are doing right. Training a child to fear authority gives them security and confidence.

By mercy and truth iniquity is purged:

and by the fear of the Lord men depart

from evil.

Proverbs 16:6

Secondly, that grandmother had no sense of authority.

Children, obey your parents

in the Lord: for this is right.

Ephesians 6:1

That grandmother was reasoning with a four year old.
Reasoning.
With a four year old.
They are very cute and sweet but logic and reason are not developed yet.
On Sunday I asked one of my students, a four year old, to join the others on the couch.
He just sat there angrily with his arms crossed.
I knelt in front of him and said, 'Am I your teacher?'
He said yes.
I asked, 'Are you supposed to obey your teacher?'
He said yes.
I said, 'will you please sit on the couch?'
And he complied.
I've watched his mother kneel in front of him to tell him that I am his teacher and he must obey me.
She gave me the right to instruct her children.
This student's parents teach their children about authority. The children know that they must be in subjection to their parents. The parents recognize their God given task of training their children and the authority that comes with that.
Both the parents and the children know their places- parents are the authority under God, the children are to obey.
I did not have to reason with him or bribe him into obeying, I simply had to remind him of the authority I have over him during Sunday School.
God put parents in charge. Parents have the freedom to hand over that authority to grandparents, baby sitters, Sunday school teachers and so forth.
That grandmother had no authority behind her because she did not recognize that her authority is God given and right. She approached the child like he was almost her equal.
Instead of suggesting it was time to get off the swing, she should have told him it was time. Instead of continuing to push him, she should have stopped the swing. Those small thing prove authority and shows the child who is in control.

Thirdly, the child had no sense of obedience
Clearly, the child is given the right to make most of the decisions.
'Which do you want, what would you like to eat, where would you like to sit, what do you want to do,'
Learning to be decisive and make choices are good things. We let our son pick out things when we can. However, we do not let him dictate what we are going to do- especially if he is trying to get his way by throwing a fit.
As parents it's our job to lead our children in the right things to do. For example, setting an example of family devotions. I realize that it can be very tedious to a child but family devotions could be the difference in your child's decision to serve God and reject the world. It made that difference in my life.
Sometimes Bo points to the TV and wants to watch, I often say no. It probably wouldn't be a bad thing for him to watch and it may give me a few minutes to get something finished, but I do not want him thinking he can choose to watch TV and I will comply. It gives him the idea that he is in charge. He needs to recognize, even at two, that he will not control what happens. He certainly effects what happens, but what we do will be decided by mom and dad because we know best (or at least better).
Not only that, TV isn't good for you. I'd rather he play with his toys to let his imagination and creativity flourish.
Yes, he is only two and does not understand that, but I tell you, it's easy at the mall when we walk by a toy store to say 'no, we're not going inside'. Though he may not like it, he listens (a lot of the time, not every time) because he's used to being told 'no'.
I am certainly not advocating saying 'no' for 'no's sake'. I am saying, use discretion and train your children to recognize that you are in authority, you know best, and they must learn to take no as an answer even when they do not understand.
The child must also learn that there are things we must do, even when they are not fun. Those things help us grow.
For example: I love volleyball. I played it throughout high school on teams and briefly on a club. The thing is, there are a lot of things I did not enjoy about playing for organized teams:
conditioning, tedious drills, getting benched.
Conditioning is hard work, doing the same drill for an hour is boring, and getting benched is frustrating and maddening.
But you know what? those things made me grow as a player.
Had I just gotten friends together and played I would not have grown as a player as I did with a professional coach making me do the boring stuff.
Getting benched makes real athletes mad. It forces us, though, to analyze ourselves honestly and improve the weak areas of our game.
Sharing the swing would not have been fun for the boy but it would have helped him grow as a person. He may have learned to take joy in making others happy or developed the strength to be considerate. Instead, he extracted a bribe from his grandmother to ensure his happiness continued.
Did he learn anything?
Yes he did- that if you hold out long enough you can have your cake and eat it too.

Train up a child in the way

he should go: and when he is

old, he will not depart from it.

Proverbs 22:6

That is a wonderful promise. Put in the work now while it is time. Look well to the ways of your household (Proverbs 31), and chasten thy son while there is yet hope (Proverbs 19:18). This will give you joy in your later years and your child will rise up and call you blessed (Proverbs 31). Remember, a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame (Proverbs 29:15).

Guard your children from the world. Take care to correct their ways, with mercy, truth, and grace. God will bless your efforts and you will have an eternal reward.

Salt + Vinegar's instagram account

Update- November 4, 2015- THIS ACCOUNT IS NO LONGER ACTIVE
The other day I started an Instagram account for this blog.
The account is solely used to present quotes from scripture and bible believing preachers. I hope it helps encourage, convict, and edify those who come into contact with it.

Here is the link to the account: https://instagram.com/biblebelievingpreaching/

Here are some of the quotes posted thus far:

Devotions Part Three- What

Okay, so I've covered how and why I do devotions.
Now the question is what do I get out of it.

I sort of covered this in my last post- strengthening the New Man and making right decisions which yields fruit and wins souls.

There are many ways to study the bible- doctrinally, practically, historically, and so on.
When you study verse by verse you have to look at all those things- you're forced to.
As I began to study the Bible, God started to show me things missing in my life.

Confessing my sins was one of the very first things.
I was reading Psalm 34 one day and came across this:

The eyes of the Lord are upon the

righteous, and his ears are open unto their

cry.

The face of the Lord is against them

that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of

them from the earth.

Psalm 34:15&16

Then I was listening to a sermon series on 1 Peter and the preacher was talking of this verse:

For the eyes of the Lord are over the

righteous, and his ears are open unto their

prayers: but the face of the Lord is against

them that do evil.

1 Peter 3:12

It is clearly a quote from the Psalms but as I listened it struck a cord with me:

I need to confess my sins to God.

I need to acknowledge when I've sinned before him.

Sin is no joke.

He that covereth his sins shall not prosper:

but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them

shall have mercy.

Proverbs 28:13

How about Job?

There was a man in the land of Uz, whose

name was Job; and that man was perfect

and upright, and on that feared God, and

eschewed evil.

Job 1:1

And his sons went and feasted in their 

houses, everyone his day; and sent and 

called for their three sisters to eat and to

drink with them.

And it was so when the days of their 

feasting were gone about, that Job sent and

sanctified them, and rose up early in the

morning and offered burnt offerings

according to the number of them all: for

Job said, It may be that my sons have

sinned, and cursed God in their hearts.

Thus did Job continually.

Job 1:4-5

Job was indeed a sinner but God calls him 'perfect and upright'. How is this so?

He dealt with sin the way God required him to.

Behold, the Lord's hand is not

shortened, that it cannot save; neither his

ear heavy, that it cannot hear:

but your iniquities have separated

between you and your God, and your sins

have hid his face from you, that he will not

hear.

Isaiah 59:1&2

I was led to all these verses and God showed me that I needed to confess my sins. I needed to acknowledge the wicked things in my life and forsake them.

Thanks to our merciful heavenly father, we can plead the blood of Christ and are cleansed from all sin.

The fact is, our sin nature is still very much inside us: it is impossible for us not to sin.

There are some sins you do once, learn your lesson, confess, forsake, move on. Then there are besetting sins- sins we have a very hard time controlling.

One of my besetting sins is covetousness. I find myself confessing to God about it daily. He still forgives, He knows I know, and He's working with me on it.

So you see, God used my studying, listening, reading to teach me that I need to confess my sins to Him. 

That's just one, small, inadequately explained example of how God taught me something through my study.

Remember this verse:

Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh

to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and

purify your hearts, ye double minded.

James 4:8

To draw nigh to God we must first cleanse our hands of sin, and focus our hearts on him (ye cannot serve God and mammon).

As you study, read, listen, God will draw nigh to you.

As you apply the Word to your life, you'll get to know God better, and He'll teach you how to draw even closer to Him.

God is on our side. He's not mean. He has not left us to figure this whole life thing on our own.

He knows we need help. He knows we can't tell back from front and left from right.

It starts will salvation:

But now in Christ Jesus ye who

sometimes were far off are made nigh by

the blood of Christ.

Ephesians 2:13

From there God shows us how to get even closer to him. He purges us, cleanses us, and removes the dross.

This is an amazing blessing when you discover this and live it for yourself. To see how God cares and loves you so much that He takes time to point out things in our lives that will help us be closer to him, bear more fruit, and have more peace.

I really hope this devotion series has helped you in some way.

Take the time to read God's Word. Even if it's just a chapter a day, you will grow tremendously. God rewards those who seek His face.

A Virtuous Woman- The Strange Woman Part 3

For the lips of a strange woman drop as

an honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother

than oil:

But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp

as a twoedged sword.

Her feet go down to death; her steps take

hold on hell.

Lest thou shouldest ponder the path of

life, her ways are moveable, that thou canst

not know them.

Hear me now therefore, O ye children,

and depart not from the words of my

mouth.

Remove thy way far from her, and come

not nigh the door of her house:

Lest thou give thine honour unto others,

and thy years unto the cruel:

Lest strangers be filled with thy wealth;

and thy labours be in the house of a 

stranger;

And thou mourn at the last, when thy

flesh and thy body are consumed,

And say, How have I hated instruction,

and my heart despised reproof;

And have not obeyed the voice of my

teachers, nor inclined mine ear o them

that instructed me!
Proverbs 5:3-13

Someone once asked me what the point of the book of Revelation is. Why tell us the ending?

It's so we know who wins. God is very open with us. He gives us more than enough information to help us make informed decisions.

He does the same thing here with the strange woman. He tells us her end:

Her end is bitter as wormwood

Word study: Bitter

Mentioned 38 times in 36 verses

First mention: Genesis 37:34-

And when Esau heard the words of his

father, he cried with a great and exceeding

bitter cry, and said unto his father, Bless

me, even me also, O my father.

Bitter here has to do with deep unhappiness and torment (see Exodus 1:14 for second witness)

Word study: Wormwood

Mentioned 9 times in 8 verses

First mentioned: Deuteronomy 29:18-

Lest there should be among you man, or

woman, or family, or tribe, whose heart

turneth away this day from the LORD our

God, to go and serve the gods of these

nations; lest there should be among you a

root that beareth gall and wormwood;

Clearly, whatever wormwood is, it is not good.

Last mention: Revelation 8:11-

And the name of the star is called

Wormwood: and the third part of the

waters became wormwood; and many men

died of the waters, because they were

made bitter.

These waters become poisonous because of wormwood.

Since wormwood makes water bitter I looked into bitter water in the scripture.

The law of jealousies in Numbers 5 came up. If a woman is suspected of adultery, her husband must bring her to the priest who will make her drink bitter water. If she is guilty her belly will swell and her thigh will rot. If she is innocent then she is free and can bear children.

I think it's interesting that bitter water is connected to adultery.

Sharp as a twoedged sword:
Phrase study: Twoedged sword
Mentioned: 4 times in 4 verses
First mentioned: Psalm 149:6-

Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them

sing aloud upon their beds.

Let the high praises of God be in their

mouth, and a twoedged sword in their

hand;

To execute vengeance upon the heathen,

and punishments upon the people;

To bind their kings with chains, and their

nobles with fetters of iron;

To execute upon them the judgment

written: this honour have all his saints.

Praise ye the LORD.

Psalm 149:5-9

God likes twoedged swords- they are his weapon of choice and connected to judgement. There is nothing sharper than a twoedged sword except God's Word:

For the word of God is quick, and

powerful, and sharper than any twoedged

sword, piercing even to the dividing

asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints

and marrow, and is a discerner of the

thoughts and intents of the heart.

Hebrews 4:12

Lastly, Jesus' tongue is described as a twoedged sword:

And he had in his right hand seven

stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp

twoedged sword: and his countenance was

as the sun shineth in his strength.

The end of this woman is bitter and sharp- like Jezebel. Read 2 Kings 9 for that story.
God's judgement on her was to be eaten by dogs- who return to their vomit (Proverbs 26:11)- and her remains were as dung upon the earth (2 Kings 9:37). Not only that- her name went from meaning 'purity' to meaning 'whore'. The name has such terrible associations, no one gives it to their daughters.
A bitter ending for a woman judged by the Lord.

Her feet go down to death; her steps take

hold on hell.

This passage is the second passage in Proverbs that mentions the strange woman. It is also the second time God points out this woman's connection with death.

First mention: Proverbs 2:18

For her house inclineth unto death, and

her paths unto the dead.

This woman makes her life in death.

What does that mean?

Word study: Death (in the book of Proverbs)

Mentioned: 18 times in 18 verses (6 times 3)

First mentioned: the verse above

I will not go into every mention of this word but I will hit the ones most relevant to our study:

Treasures of wickedness profit nothing:

but righteousness delivereth from death.

Proverbs 10:2

Riches profit not in the day of wrath: but

righteousness delivereth from death.

Proverbs 11:4

There is NO righteousness in this woman's life.  Think there may be an itty bitty bit of righteousness in her life?

In the way of righteousness is life; and

in the pathway thereof there is no death.

Proverbs 12:28

Those two paths: righteousness and evil do not mingle. They go opposite directions: one to life, the other to death.

The strange woman's path is very plain.

As righteousness tendeth to life: so he

that pursueth evil pursueth it to his own

death.

Proverbs 11:19

Do you realize that things we do are either evil or righteous?

For example: I love shopping

I will shop for anything

I am always in the mood to shop

I will spend all the money I have on things, clothes, yarn, books, toys, gifts, you name it

For me to pursue shopping is me pursuing death. I would be giving myself over to my flesh and spending my husband's hard earned money on fripperies.

That's right. Fripperies.

Of course, I'm a housekeeper and a caretaker: I need to shop. There is a very fine line, however, that I need to watch so that I do not fall into sin.

The end of me pursing shopping would be bitter unhappiness for my family.

What about you?

Maybe it's food- like chocolate.

Maybe it's gossipy magazines.

Maybe it's television.

Maybe it's social media.

Maybe it's a person who is a bad influence.

No matter how innocent something may be, pursuing anything to much will lead into apostasy and death. Be careful how much time and effort you put into your hobbies. Not only that, what thoughts do they produce? Are they edifying?

There is a way which seemeth right unto

a man, but the end thereof are the ways of

death.

Proverbs 14:12

Her steps take hold on hell.
Proverbs 5:5b

This reminds me of skis. You put the boots on then step into the boot binding and click them into place.

The boot binding takes hold of your ski boot- where the ski goes, your boot goes, you go. The strange woman clicked her ski boots onto hell bound skis.

Lest thou shouldest ponder the path of

life, her ways are moveable, that thou canst

not know them.

Proverbs 5:6

This is the only time the word 'moveable' is mentioned in scriptures.

This verse is incredibly straight forward- she is inconsistent. There is no rhyme or reason to her ways- habits, decisions, thought process- she has no foundation to guide her.

Which forsaketh the guide of her youth,

and forgetteth the covenant of her God.

Proverbs 2:17

I was reading Proverbs on the 24th and came across the following passage:

Fret not thyself because of evil men,

neither be thou envious at the wicked;

For there shall be no reward to the evil

man; the candle of the wicked shall be put

out.

My son, fear thou the LORD and the king:

and meddle not with them that are given

to change:
For their calamity shall rise suddenly;
and who knoweth the ruin of them both?

Proverbs 24:19-22

As I read this I was immediately reminded of this study.

God tells us not to fret because of evil men but to fear the Lord and the King. He then, in the same vein, tells us not to meddle with them that are given to change.

Word study: Meddle

Mentioned: six times in six verses

First mentioned Deuteronomy 2:5

And command thou the people, saying,

Ye are to pass through the coast of your

brethren the children of Esau, which dwell

in Seir; and they shall be afraid of you: take

ye good heed unto yourselves therefore:

Meddle not with them; for I will not gie

you of their land, no, not so much as a foot

breadth; because I have given mount Seir

unto Esau for a possession.

And when thou comest nigh over

against the children of Ammon, distress

them not, nor meddle with them: for I will

not give thee of the land of the children of

Ammon any possession; because I have

given it unto the children of Lot for a

possession.
Deuteronomy 2:19

Thou hast indeed smitten Edom, and

thine heart hath lifted thee up: glory of

this, and tarry at home: for why shouldest

thou meddle to thy hurt, that thou 

shouldest fall, even thou, and Judah with thee?
2 Kings 14:10

You can find the rest of this story here and in 2 Chronicles 25. What winds up happening is the king who was given the above warning, Amaziah, does not listen. All the gold, silver and vessels found in the house of the Lord and the treasures of the King were taken to Samaria because of Amaziah's meddling.

He that goeth about as a talebearer

revealeth secrets: therefore meddle not

with him that flattereth with his lips.

Proverbs 20:19

Proverbs tells us to not meddle with two kinds of people: talebearers (who are also flatterers), and those that are given to change. The bible never uses 'meddle' positively.

Do not place yourself in other people's issues. Unless it directly affects you and your family, it is none of your business.

Pray for them and shut up.

We know the strange woman is a flatterer and her ways are moveable. Moveable as in never the same as in ever changing.

Here is God's relationship with change:

For I am the LORD, I change not;

Malachi 3:6a

Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to

day, forever.

Hebrews 13:8

Did you know we can rely on God to be the exact way He describes himself in His Word?

It does not matter that it's 2015 and the world is changing.

JESUS CHRIST IS THE SAME.

What He wrote before, he means now. His Word is complete, He is complete, and He is holy. That means perfectly whole.

God is not one way today and a different way tomorrow. He is always the same.
Despite 6000 years of sin, tragedy, and death, He is still merciful, forgiving, and loving.
That is a huge blessing.

Back to Proverbs 5-

The Lord warns us:

Hear me now therefore, O ye children,

and depart not from the words of my

mouth.

Remove thy way far from her, and come

not nigh the door of her house:

Proverbs 5:7&8

God tells us to stay far from her, don't even come close, don't do business with her, don't stop by for a chat, don't hang out with people who hang out with her, just stay far far away. Clearly this woman is powerfully attractive. It is not physical attraction, it is her lips, mouth and words.

To deliver thee from the strange woman,

even from the stranger which flattereth

with her words.

Proverbs 2:16

For the lips of a strange woman drop as

an honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother

than oil:

Proverbs 5:3

With her much fair speech she caused

him to yield, with the flattering of her lips

she forced him.

Proverbs 7:21

The mouth of strange women is a deep

pit: he that is abhorred of the LORD shall

fall therein.

Proverbs 22: 14

Men seem to be most susceptible to this woman but in Proverbs 5 God addresses the warning to 'ye children'. That means women and children can be taken in by her too. I do not mean in a perverted sexual way, but in friendships and influences.
Hollywood is full of beautiful strange women who can influence you without saying a word to you.

Notice what happens when you ignore and depart from God's words:

Lest thou give thine honour unto others,

and thy years unto the cruel:

Lest strangers be filled with thy wealth;

and thy labours be in the house of a 

stranger;
Proverbs 5:9&10

It occurs to me that this could be you if your wife or husband leaves you because of foolish meddling with a strange woman. You could lose your children, money, home, and all you hold dear. Your children could grow up in the house of a stranger. Your 'wealth' doesn't have to be money or precious items. It can be the life God blessed you with before you became entangled with the world.

My husband and I are not wealthy people but I consider myself richly blessed.

I have a home, a husband, a son. That is my wealth. I would hate to lose it because of foolishness.

And thou mourn at the last, when thy

flesh and thy body are consumed,

And say, How have I hated instruction,

and my heart despised reproof;

And have not obeyed the voice of my

teachers, nor inclined mine ear o them

that instructed me!

Proverbs 5:11-13

That is a sharp end, bitter as wormwood.

To be in torment as you die wishing you had done everything differently.

That is a terrible thing.

Word study: Instruction:
Mentioned: Thirty-three times in thirty-three verses
First mentioned: Job 33:16
Here are some verses more relevant to our study:

The proverbs of Solomon the son of

David, king of Israel;

To know wisdom and instruction; to

perceive the words of understanding;

To receive the instruction of wisdom,

justice, and judgement, and equity;

Proverbs 1:1-3

The proverbs were written to give instruction- it's obviously important.

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of

knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and

instruction.

Proverbs 1:7

Take fast hold of instruction; let her not

go: keep her; for she is thy life.
Proverbs 4:13

versus

Her feet go down to death; her steps take

hold on hell.

Proverbs 5:5

Receive my instruction, and not silver;

and knowledge rather than choice gold.

Proverbs 4:13

Poverty and shame shall be to him that

refuseth instruction: but he that regardeth

reproof shall be honoured.
Proverbs 13:18

Hear counsel, and receive instruction,

that thou mayest be wise in thy latter end.
Proverbs 19:20

versus:

Proverbs 5:11

And thou mourn at the last, when thy

flesh and thy body are consumed,

For the commandment is a lamp; and

the law is light; and reproofs of instruction

are the way of life:

To keep thee from the evil woman, from

the flattery of the tongue of a strange

woman.

Proverbs 6:23&24

God says it over and over again, the way of instruction is life. The way of the strange woman is death. If you want to avoid this woman, if you do not want to become this woman: take fast hold of instruction.

All scripture is given by inspiration of

God and is profitable for doctrine, for

reproof, for correction, for instruction in

righteousness:

That the man of God may be perfect,

throughly furnished unto all good works

II Timothy 3:16&17

Fools despise scripture. Fools mock it, take it lightly, and cast it behind them.

My favourite preacher once said:

 'Christian's who do not take the Bible seriously should not be taken seriously as Christians 

and that's the truth.

One of the most frustrating things is trying to talk to a 'believer' who does not take the Bible as the pure Word of God. You can't see eye to eye on anything! 

But unto the wicked God saith, What

hast thou to do to declare my statutes, or

that thou shouldest take my covenant in

thy mouth?

Seeing thou hatest instruction, and 

castest my words behind thee.

Psalm 50:16&17

Right there God is telling us that people who hate his Word and pay no heed to them have no business even speaking God's words.

In conclusion:
It took me a long time to finish this study. I kept learning and adding to it. I think I could have written more but I'd like to move on.
This particular part focused a lot on the end of this woman. It is not pleasant. It is destitute, poor, and shameful. Her life may look glamorous and happy but it will come crashing down.
She has no foundation, everything she has, is, does is for her own pleasure and purpose.
It is superficial and vain.

The 'No 'Poo' Movement

First off, this not about 'poo' its about shampoo.
The kind that goes in your hair.

About four months ago my husband told me about an article he read about people (mostly female) celebrities not using shampoo. Many of them 'swear by it' and apparently, after a few weeks of gross oily-ness, you will have softer, fuller, healthier hair.
I was completely intrigued.

See, I have long hair. Really long hair. If I don't move it, I'll sit on it. I can't even do a sock bun, it's so long.
I did not mean to grow it for so long but every time I wanted to cut it, something would prevent me.
I've always loved my hair but, though very thick and heavy, it does not have much body.

As soon as my husband told me about the 'no poo' movement I looked into it for myself and this is what I found:
The Hairpin- How to Quit Shampoo Without Becoming Disgusting
The Hairpin- Three Years Without Shampoo

I looked around a bit more but I came to the conclusion that there is no one way to do it.
Everyone has their own methods but the outcome is the same.
I also realized that 'no shampoo' is no store bought shampoo but you're using baking soda to clean the oil out and apple cider vinegar to condition.
I have read that some people have gotten to the point where the oil production of their hair is completely balanced and they only have to use the baking soda and apple cider vinegar once a month.

I wanted direction so I just followed the Hairpin method.
My hair got really really gross.
Fortunately my hair is so long I could put it up into a bun and still look presentable.
I washed my hair with just water for four weeks then used baking soda and apple cider vinegar.
It's been a few weeks now, and my hair already has more body and volume to it. The colour is more vibrant and it is so smooth.
I'm really looking forward to the next few months to see how my hair reacts and gets healthier and healthier.
I do intend to cut my hair soon and then I'll work on weaning myself off the baking soda and apple cider vinegar.

I definitely recommend this method for everyone. If I am blessed with a daughter I have no intention of ever using shampoo in her hair.
It does take patience but it is well rewarded and you're saving yourself money.

Have a good Sunday!

Devotions Part Two- Why

Someone said that the hardest part of doing anything is getting started.

Devotions are no exception.

One thing I realized a long time ago is that devotions actually get done when you set aside a time for them. If you wait until you have time you'll never do them.

You must realize that feeding your soul, walking with in the Spirit, drawing closer to God and getting to know Jesus better are the priorities.

It is not eating breakfast, cleaning the kitchen, finishing up a project or any of those other things we use as an excuse to stay away from the Word.

As a Christian you will thrive in every area of your life if you dedicate time to study and prayer.

When you are firm with yourself, it gets easier and easier to be consistent. As you walk in the Spirit it gets easier to make the right decisions.

For example:

I do my study devotions when my son takes a nap.

I do everything when my son takes a nap.

My thoughts as soon as Bo goes down are something like this-
'I need to clean the kitchen, prep dinner, fold the laundry, throw in some laundry, make sourdough, prepare for Sunday.....
What do I do first?'
Then I go pick up my bible and do my devotions.
I spend between thirty minutes to an hour in my devotions. No matter what I have to do I always manage to get everything done.

In the past I would look at everything I had to do and just get started hoping I would have a chance to do my devotions after. I never would.
I set my heart to do my devotions as soon as Bo went down for his nap. I stuck to it and it gets easier and easier to do them.
I look forward to them and they give me strength.

Another example:
I am terrified of soul winning.
Talking to people about their souls is frightening to me.
I know it's important and that we're called to do it but I couldn't get my flesh under control enough to even hand out a tract.
As I fed the New Man (Ephesians 4:24, Colossians 3:10) by reading, praying, and studying I became bolder and more determined to share the gospel.
It's like Peter and John in the book of Acts:

Now when they saw the boldness of

Peter and John, and perceived that they

were unlearned and ignorant men, they

marvelled; and they took knowledge of

them, that they had been with Jesus.

Acts 4:13

Spending time with Christ makes you bolder.
Not only that, it sets your priorities in order.
It's funny that way- You make God your first and absolute priority and everything else gets put in place, completed, and you are more fruitful.
Human logic says otherwise doesn't it?

I started praying for opportunities to give out the gospel, I keep tracts available with me at all times, and I make sure to heed the Spirit's urgings to hand them out.
God gives me opportunities and I take them.
My flesh does get in the way sometimes but it is easily overcome.

What this boils down to is priorities.
What are your priorities in this life?
This life ends. This world will end. Nothing we have in our lives right now is coming with us when we leave- by death or by rapture.
I don't believe any born again Christian can say that they do not think it's necessary to spend time in the Word. I know many know it's important but do not give it the time of day.
To be really fruitful as a Christian you must be spending time in the bible.
Want to be a better mom? Read the Bible and pray about it
Want to be a better wife? Read the Bible and pray about it
Have wayward family members? Read the Bible and pray about it
Having trouble at church? Read the Bible and pray about it

As you feed the New Man, you're life will change. No matter what is going on around you, you'll have the strength and time to deal with it prudently.

Lay not up for yourselves treasures

upon earth, where moth and rust doth

corrupt, and where thieves break through

and steal:

But lay up for yourselves treasures in

heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth

corrupt, and where thieves do not break 

through nor steal.

Matthew 6:19&20

Devotions Part One- How

I have a new nephew!
My sister had a baby on May 30, I was there the whole time and afterwards I was exhausted.
Exhausted and extra busy.
So I took a week off.

I'm back now and I have it in my head to write about devotions.

In the twenty-six years of my life I cannot say I have been very consistent devotion doer.
Most of the time my devotions get pushed aside in favour of things going on that day.
I was great at doing my devotions until my son was born.
I got to doing them again but getting up early wasn't something I could keep up.
And on and on it goes.
What I find amazing about spending consistent, dedicated time in the bible is how much you really grow.
It isn't by leaps and bounds but steady upward steps.

I don't believe there is one right way of doing devotions.
God doesn't give a how-to on that.
Scripture is full of commands to read, study, fast, and pray but how and when is completely up to us.

When I was first beginning to seek God my devotions were reading.
I would just read and read the Word.
I needed that badly since I grew up in church but hadn't even read Exodus for myself ever (so pathetic and shameful I know).
I needed the Word because I needed to be cleansed:

That he might sanctify and cleanse it

with the washing of water by the word,

Ephesians 5:26

My mind, heart, and soul needed cleansing from all the wordly influence.

Then I began to be under conviction that I needed to pray.

Thus I started by devotions by praying and ended them with a longer prayer.

I started a prayer book to keep track of requests and made a list of all the people I knew and divided them up into manageable groups to pray for.

Then I got bored.

Yep. Bored.

That sounds terrible doesn't it?

I had read most of the bible (I couldn't get very far in Leviticus and Deuteronomy) but it stopped soaking in because I stopped paying attention.

I stopped paying attention because I had already read it and felt like I knew it.

That's when I started to study the bible.

I got a notebook and studied each verse of whatever book I was reading.

Taking the time to dissect, cross-reference, and ponder each word of a verse in it's context has opened up the Word to me even more.

Honestly, sometimes I read on of Paul's epistles and the whole time I wonder what on earth he is talking about. When I stopped to take the time to go through each verse, see when the sentence started and where it stopped, read it in context and take it in with the everything else he was inspired to write, I began to understand more fully.

I believe God did that on purpose.

There are some books (Hello James, Titus, and Jude) where each verse stands alone and grabs you by the heart.

Paul has those stand alone verses too, but he has a lot more doctrine. Things to study and establish yourself in.

I do not go to any commentaries, if I am unsure of something I search the rest of the bible or I wait for a day or so and God gives me an answer. He always answers, often when I am at church or when I'm reading with my husband or son.

Studying the bible in depth also helps strengthen your knowledge of certain words, doctrines, and commandments.

For example, the word meek.

If you just read through your bible you come across it here and there. You get an idea of it in each verse  and you move along, learning of other things too.

I came across it one day and studied it in depth.

I knew Moses was meek and Jesus was meek, and God likes meekness but those things don't cover half of what God says about the meek.

Meekness is a fruit of the spirit.

Learning about it helped me understand it better and helped me grow into it and produce it in my life.

I intend to make this a devotion series (two or three posts at most) but let me encourage you, if your devotions have fallen off, if you just read for the sake of saying you read it, if you aren't as excited about the Word as you used to be, pick a book (ask God to help you) read it, and study it verse by verse.

I promise it will rejuvenate your walk with God and you will be closer to him.

I use www.thywordistrue.com to look up words and find verses when I need.

Two things:

Use a bible to study. Don't use an app on your ipad or a website to read.

Use your bible. Make notes, write cross references down in your bible.

It will help you as you study more and more books and you will remember it better having written it down. 

This method is best used on New Testament books, particularly the epistles.

I love reading the copious historical accounts found in the Bible, but as a New Testament believer, I need to establish myself in the doctrines, teachings, commandments, and encouragements written to me. Those books tend to be harder to read.

I hope this helps in some small way!