This is a photo I took at Costco a few days ago, and yes, it is a roasted chicken sitting on top of a case of beans. Obviously, this is not where the chicken belongs. It appears that someone changed his/her mind while shopping, and instead of returning the warm meat to its proper place, discarded it…well, wherever it was convenient.

L-A-Z-Y!

I imagine this poor chick had to be thrown away. And Costco will pass on the cost to us.

This behavior troubles me. It’s not the only one. Actually, many behaviors trouble me. The following is my short-list of irksome things people do:

• refuse to use designated, parking lot cart stalls
• tip cheaply
• announce ahead of time that they are paying the restaurant bill as a thanks for you hosting them for two weeks while covering every expense. (Had I wanted a steak, I for sure won’t order one now. “I would like a hamburger patty, water, and no dessert, please.”)
• answer their cell phone in church or a movie theater
• lie about their age to get a senior citizen discount
• don’t give the line call in pickleball
• show up in an express lane with items exceeding the maximum amount allowed
• fail to send some kind of a “thank you” (Unless they are mute and have no hands, there is NO excuse.)
• ignore RSVPs or RSVP to attend but then fail to show
• refuse to give up their seat to an elderly/disabled/pregnant individual
• leave roasted chicken sitting atop a crate of beans

Like I said, my short list.

One of Merriam’s definitions of Integrity is “moral soundness.” It means “doing the right thing.” Every day we are given choices to do just that. We are to put other peoples’ interests ahead of ours. In 2 Corinthians 8:21, Paul reminds us of how that looks: For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of man.

I’m betting that this Costco culprit made sure no one saw him/her placing a chicken where it did not belong, disregarding the fact that God saw it. Still, I have to wonder how I would have reacted, had I caught the offender in the act (my chance not to act offensive but sensitive to their plight, you know).

I probably would have offered to take the chicken back where it belonged. In love, of course, because I am always thinking about the other person and not myself.

Always.

Yeah, let’s go with that.

Keys to the Kingdom – Carolyn Tucker

My first dog was an adorable little black and white Rat Terrier. We named him Stormy because he was born on a stormy night and Dad brought him home on a stormy night. And then there was Davy, a smart grayish-black Poodle. I hadn’t had him very long when he simply disappeared; we never figured out what happened to him. And then in 2012, the same thing happened to Gus, my son’s beloved fawn Boxer. He was a beautiful and loyal friend, but one day he simply disappeared and we never saw him again.

No one lives forever on planet earth. For everything there is a season — a time to live and a time to die. Living and dying are eternally connected because the way you live determines where you go after you die. Your physical body returns to dust, but your spirit lives on forever in either heaven or hell. And it doesn’t matter whether you believe there’s a heaven or a hell; you will spend eternity in one place or the other because God‘s Word says so. God’s truth will trump man’s false opinion every time.

By inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the apostle Paul tells us, “And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment, so also Christ died once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people“ (Hebrews 9:27,28a NLT). God’s perfect plan is for everyone (who believes in Jesus and obeys His Word) to have an eternal home in heaven (John 14:1-4). You can take it to the bank — God is loving and full of mercy!

Jesus speaks of the judgment that comes after death: “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels‘…And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life” (Matthew 25:41,46 NKJV). It’s important to understand that hell was not made for people. However, when an individual chooses not to become born again and rejects Jesus as Savior and Lord, he has damned himself to spend eternity in hell.

Paul wrote to the Christians in the province of Galatia: “Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God” (Galatians 5:19-21 ESV). If any of these things are active in your life, then earnestly repent and receive God’s forgiveness now. You may not have tomorrow.

Oh where, oh where will you be after you take your last breath? If you think you’re simply going to disappear and take a long snooze, you’re sadly mistaken. When I was a young girl, I used to play and sing a song in church entitled, “Where Will You Be?” Here’s the first verse: “Just one life to live on earth and it swiftly passes by. From the moment of our birth ’til our time has come to die; God has given us this choice to decide our destiny. In a million years, where will you be?”

The Key: Heaven is as wonderful as hell is horrible. You better get to livin’ like there’s no tomorrow, because at the end of your life there’s only one thing that will matter.

My friend Joyce sent me this meme: “The greatest gift you can give someone is your TIME because when you give your time, you are giving a portion of your life that you will never get back.” I wonder how many of us take our Time for granted.

Sometimes I think I am just busy with…well, busyness, flitting from one trivial thing to the next while there remain so many significant causes that I create excuses to ignore. People who need contacting. Worthy organizations that need volunteers. Neighbors I need to meet. Prayers I need to pray.

You know, worthwhile, God-pleasing things.

I mean, I manage to set aside time to watch the Chiefs or answer a girlfriend-text or play Pickleball or put on makeup or have a pedicure. Priorities. I just hope that when I die, I’m engaged in something a little more spiritual than those actions (although sometimes I am praying for the Chiefs—does that count?).

God gifted us with Time. None of the things I do are bad, but according to the U.S. Dept. of Labor, adult Americans average more than five hours of free time a day. Almost a third of their awake-time! And where do they spend those five hours? Entertainment: television; surfing their computers; video games, etc. (Don’t shoot me. I’m just the messenger.)

Interesting, isn’t it? If we were invited to hang out with drug dealers, murderers, pedophiles, adulterers or alcoholics, we probably would find an excuse not to join the party. Yet we spend much of our time with them on television, on our iPods or listening to song lyrics about them. We’d be better off meeting them in person where at least we might tell them about Jesus, but if you’re like most Christians, the mere thought terrifies you.

You’ve probably heard the old saying, “Garbage in. Garbage out.” Where we spend our time will dictate…well, where we spend our time. (Yes, I made that up.) Where and how we spend our time on earth will determine where and how we spend our time in eternity.

One of the biggest issues with Time is procrastination: “Don’t do anything today that you can do tomorrow.” I typically don’t procrastinate because I don’t like the “me” that surfaces when I am pressed with last-minute deadlines. C-R-A-N-K-Y!!! The trouble is, some people live with this Pinterest philosophy: “From a procrastination standpoint, today has been wildly successful.” I know people who live in delay mode, but when time is finally up, they are panicked. And everyone around them pays the price.

In his book Rise, Tripp Lee writes: “To put it simply, procrastination is pride, because it assumes you know the future. But we don’t know when our health will decline or our lives will end. We don’t even know for sure when life will get busier.”

Hmmm…

When I think of standing in Heaven and God is “dividing the sheep from the goats,” I sure hope Christians don’t have to watch those who never made Jesus their Lord and Savior being banished. To see loved ones and neighbors, knowing that we never used our Time to share the most important message EVER, makes me sad.

Yesterday, I was cleaning out my stationary cabinet and found a beautiful card, telling my mother how, even though “I get so busy that I don’t get a chance to call you,” I’m still “thinking about you and storing up all the things I want to tell you.” It is a lovely card. It would have meant so much to my mother when she was alive…

had I not been too busy to send it.

Keys to the Kingdom – Carolyn Tucker

When I was a kid, occasionally I would watch the 1961-1962 Dick Tracy animated TV show. The alert, “calling all cars” was heard over the police department radio whenever there was a serious situation at hand. Everybody on duty, including the English bulldog, would charge out of the building and work together to catch the bank robbers.

Right now, the United States of America is facing a serious situation. Our beloved Country is at a crossroads, and “calling all Christians” to pray and vote is of utmost importance. Exactly who are the Christians? Just because you go to church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than standing in a barn makes you a horse. Believers are not a group of neutral individuals by any means. If you’re a true Christian, then you are a born-again Christ-follower and, by faith, you believe that the Bible is the truth and ultimate authority. God’s Word is forever settled in heaven and in earth. Man cannot change what God has set forth. Where I come from, we say “like it or lump it.”

In the words of President Richard M. Nixon, let me make this perfectly clear. This article is about responsibility. My mom was a wise, loving, and godly woman and she told me not to discuss religion or politics with people. No doubt about it, those two topics will stir up a hornet’s nest if one is arguing his opinion to try to persuade the other.

However, believers have the responsibility of praying specifically during tumultuous times. We’ve all heard the common clichés about prayer: “Prayer changes things.” “The family that prays together stays together.” “Seven days without prayer makes one weak,“ etc. One of the most-popular verses regarding prayer is found in 2 Chronicles 7:14: “if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” What stands out to me is the phrase, “My people.” This message from God is not to the sinners, but to the believers. Christians are to come humbly to God, pray, seek His face, and turn from their sinful/selfish ways. Then they can join together to pray for a tremendous impact. It’s vital that we not shirk our responsibility outlined in this verse.

Our prayers matter significantly. The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry. God uses our prayer petitions to accomplish His purposes in the earth. This is a critical time for believers to be in agreement and interceding in specific prayer. In the book of Daniel Chapter 9, we see what intercessory prayer accomplished. Daniel prayed for God to lean down and listen to him and then he writes: “I went on praying and confessing my sin and the sin of my people, pleading with the Lord my God…. As I was praying, Gabriel…came swiftly to me. He explained to me, ‘Daniel, I have come here to give you insight and understanding. The moment you began praying, a command was given. And now I am here to tell you what it was, for you are very precious to God.’”

The Key: The Founding Fathers are “calling all Christians” to stand strong in their responsibility to pray for the saving and healing of America.

Jesus cursed a fig tree. He was hungry, and when there was no fruit on that particular tree, he put a hex on it so it never again would bear figs.

And even though I’ve never been a friend of figs, I always felt kind of sorry for that tree. But, typical for the Bible, there’s more to this story.

Fig trees are mentioned 60+ times in Scripture. They’re sort of unusual because they can produce up to three crops a year. The first crop appears on the trunk; the second in the branches; and the third in the leaves.

And therein lies the problem. Let’s look at the passage in Mark 11: The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. Then he said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard him say it.

Did you catch it? “…a fig tree in leaf…” although “it was not the season for figs.”  Actually, it was just before Passover, about six weeks before the fully-formed fig appears, the time when the leaves are accompanied by “taqsh,” small edible knobs that appear but fall off when the real fig forms. Leaves with no taqsh meant no figs for that year.

Jesus understood that. These leaves failed to do their job. All promise and no follow-through. So, Jesus cursed the tree. Not because he couldn’t create a fig from dirt, should he so choose, but to teach his followers that this tree was an analogy of Israel.

Jeremiah 8:13: I will take away their harvest, declares the Lord. There will be no grapes on the vine. There will be no figs on the tree, and their leaves will wither. What I have given them will be taken from them.

Those Israelites wouldn’t follow through. They appeared spiritual, but there was no fruit. And they were without excuse. God had given them the Promised Land where bumper crops were the norm, yet they took them for granted. They had prophets telling them how to act, yet they refused to heed their messages. They had been told that one day a Messiah would come. They were seeing miracles and hearing of Baptism and forgiveness and redemption, yet they were in such a spiritual drought, they refused to open their eyes and ears and understand the power of the one walking in their midst.

I just have one question: What’s the manna with those Jews? (I couldn’t help myself.) Probably the same thing that’s the manna with us.

God wants us to be fruitful. Trees are known by their fruit. If we see apples hanging from a limb, we know that we are looking at an apple tree and not a thorn tree. (This is not rocket science.) Christians will be known by how much they produce for God’s kingdom.

In Matthew 7:17, Jesus says that every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. Look at what follows: A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, by their fruit you will recognize them.

 Serious stuff. This is no mere cursing. This is a grand finale that calls us to account. We are to be the real deal. We are to represent Christ in the way he deserves to be represented. We are to be fruit-full. Fortunately, as long as we have breath, we have time to make it right, to produce fruit in a way that brings honor to our Savior. So, here’s the good news: We don’t have to wait; no matter what season, now is the perfect time to plant. Apples or thorns? Our choice.

Keys to the Kingdom – Carolyn Tucker

Several years ago, my husband planted two Bur Oak trees in our yard. When these trees starting bearing acorns, I was elated because I’d never seen such magnificent acorns! Due to their large size and hairy caps, they’re the perfect accent for my autumn decorating. While gathering acorns a few days ago, I discovered that the deer had been brazen enough to come into the yard, eat MY acorns, and poop while they were at it. There were tons of broken and empty caps! Acorns in perfect condition are beautiful and useful, but most of what I found were damaged and useless. I put the debris in a bucket and threw it away.

I think there’s a lot of acorn people out there. Some are sinners with empty and broken lives, and some are believers who have gotten sidetracked and lost their way. There’s a fix for both of these categories. The sinner is to accept John 3:16, and the sidetracked is to act on Hebrews 4:16 NLT: “So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive His mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.” You can’t be too big a mess for God because in His eyes there’s no such thing as “good for nothing.” When God touches your life (as a sinner or believer) you’re good for something.

When a believer realizes he’s not living up to the standards of Jesus’ teachings, he can simply go to the heavenly Father, repent, accept His forgiveness, and keep truckin’. God is loving and patient, kind and caring. He isn’t willing that any should perish (spiritually). There’s no benefit in thinking you need to punish yourself for your waywardness. Jesus died on the cross for you, and that’s enough. It’s ridiculous to think you need to add something to what Jesus accomplished for you. Get up, get going, and get over it. Accept God’s grace and then help someone else find their way to the Throne.

For many years, Jimmy and I have shared the gospel song, “He Didn’t Throw the Clay Away” written by our friend Gene Reasoner. “Empty and broken I came back to Him; a vessel unworthy, so scarred with sin. But He did not despair, He started over again. And I bless the day He didn’t throw the clay away. He is the Potter and I am the clay; molded in His image, He wants me to stay. But when I stumble and fall and my vessel breaks, He just picks up all the pieces; He doesn’t throw the clay away. Over and over He molds me and makes me; into His likeness He fashions the clay. A vessel of honor I am today all because Jesus didn’t throw the clay away. ”

The way of the Cross of Christ is hope. If you’ve failed, don’t throw in the towel — it’s not over ‘til the fat lady sings. As long as you’re breathing, there’s hope. I believe and rely on the truth of this scripture: “My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous. He Himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins — and not only our sins but the sins of the world” (1 John 2:1,2 NLT).

The Key: Don’t be bashful; be like the deer and go boldly to your heavenly Father and receive what you need.

A recent email exchange with 14 people involved the Supreme Court nomination of Amy Coney Barrett. Her Catholicism came into question as some writers were positive that she was pro-life and would fight to reverse Roe v. Wade. I responded that I know several Catholics who are voting for Joe Biden, even though he, a Catholic, is pro-abortion. That being said, the fact that Barrett has seven children (five biological and two adopted) makes me believe that she probably endorses laws respecting the sanctity of life. And so do I. I know someone who has had 3 abortions. To her, birth control is “such a pain.” I also know others who have aborted their babies and live in guilt for the rest of their lives. It is a haunting shame and one that therapy rarely can solve. Sadly, quick solutions seem to be the mode of our microwave, drive-through generation. Who wants to be inconvenienced?

If that “piece of tissue,” aborted baby had been you or me, how differently we might see this predicament. (And yes, I see the futility of that sentence, but hopefully you get the point,) A person I know recommended an abortion to his daughter. I asked if he considered that this “fetus” could be a future president of the United States or inventor of a cure for cancer or the most beloved janitor the school had ever seen. Former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow was recently at our son’s ranch here in Ft. Scott. His mother did not follow through with her thoughts to abort him, and because of that, he delighted dozens of military guests who spent an entire morning catching his passes, not to mention that his Christian faith has encouraged many who are persecuted for their beliefs.

If you watched the RNC, you heard Abby Johnson share how she joined the staff of Planned Parenthood to help women in crisis. Having experienced two abortions of her own, she wanted to offer support to those women who didn’t think they could care for their child. Planned Parenthood began to push her to be more proactive in selling abortions because “Abortion is how we make our money.” Her new quota was double the number of abortions at her clinic the previous year. A month later, Abby’s eyes were opened when she was asked to assist an abortion doctor to do an ultra-sound guided abortion. For the first time, she witnessed the bloody, violent business that takes a human life. “Nothing prepared me for what I saw on the screen,” Abby said. “An unborn baby fighting back, desperate to move away from the suction. And I will never forget what the doctor said next: ‘Beam me up, Scotty.’ The last thing I saw was a spine twirling around in the mother’s womb before succumbing to the force of the suction.”

Last year a relative became pregnant with a baby that had the Trisome 18 syndrome. She carried the little guy into the 5th month where it was diagnosed that he had no esophagus or stomach and only a fragment of a brain. It was her second miscarriage. Should the parents not be able to have a baby, how thrilled they would be to adopt one of those rejects…you know, those “inconveniences.” The numbers are staggering: Two million American couples want to adopt. (That’s 36 families for every one child placed for adoption.) As for the argument that abortion is necessary for rape victims, read the story of Lianna, a 12-year old rape victim who was told to have an abortion. When she asked the doctor if an abortion would ease her pain and help her forget about her rape, her doctor told her it would not. Lianna chose life and soon found that the love of her daughter replaced the pain of the rape. Google her story. It is a tremendous read. There have been 62,252,920 abortions since Roe v Wade, and I have to wonder how grieved God, the One who creates life, must be. The most amazing thing about this Life-Giver is that He’s also a merciful God who forgives those who call on His name, no matter how grave the sin. He is a Father none of us deserve.

I am so grateful that we serve a merciful God who understands the desperation of women who make a choice to abort a baby and offers forgiveness when they do.

Keys to the Kingdom – by Carolyn Tucker

In the early years of our marriage, Jimmy and I were taking a motorcycle trip to see his grandmother in Anderson, Missouri. On the way, we had a flat on the back tire. There we were, stranded alongside the road (with no cell phone). We didn’t have to wait very long before the driver of a pickup stopped to help us. He and my husband loaded the bike into the truck bed and he drove us to a bike shop in Joplin. After we purchased the new tire, the man took us to a park where Jimmy put on the tire. We were soon “on the road again” because someone, who didn’t know us, took the time to care.

I don’t remember the stranger’s name, what he looked like, or what he did for a living. I believe in angels, but I don’t think this guy was one. He didn’t seem to be a priest or a religious person, but he did have a compassionate heart. It’s one thing to be “between a rock and a hard place” and call on family or friends; but it’s a whole other ballgame to have a stranger volunteer to help.

Jesus commands us to live a life of love. One day a teacher of religious law asked Him which commandment was the most important. “Jesus replied, ’The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these” (Mark 12:29-31 NLT).

In the Parable of the Good Samaritan, a lawyer, looking for a loophole, asked Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?” Jesus answered by telling a story about a traveling man that was attacked by robbers. They stole his clothes, beat him half to death, and left him to die alongside the road. Later, a priest came down the road but, when he saw the wounded man, he crossed to the other side. Next, a religious man walked up and, as soon as he saw the injured man, he avoided him too. Then a Samaritan traveling the road came upon him. He had compassion on him, applied first aid, lifted him onto his donkey, took him to an inn, and made him comfortable. The Samaritan paid the innkeeper and told him to take good care of him. In the words of Jesus, a neighbor is anyone you’re around.

Cain and Abel were brothers, which is up another level in regard to loving your neighbor. Usually, blood is thicker than water, but not in this sad case found in the Book of Genesis. Because Cain did not master his jealousy and temper, he murdered his own brother! Afterward, God asked Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” Cain responded, “I don’t know; am I my brother’s keeper/guardian?” (Wow, it’s really dumb to lie to God.)

The hit song, “Try a Little Kindness” was first recorded by Glen Campbell and released in October 1969. To drive home the parable in Luke 10:25-37, here are some of the poignant lyrics: “Don’t walk around the down and out, lend a helping hand instead of doubt. And the kindness that you show every day will help someone along their way.”

The Key: Who…me? Yes, you. You’ve got to show a little kindness and shine your light for everyone to see.

After this Covid-19 virus passes, I hope we learn a few things.

Like the importance of saving. Proverbs 21:20 offers advice we cannot discard. The wise store up choice food and olive oil, but fools gulp theirs down. According to Bankrate.com, more than one in five Americans don’t save any of their annual income. For those who do, twenty percent have put back only five percent or less of what they make. What would have happened if our government had not bailed us out? My widowed mother raised three of us on minimum wage. She believed in putting a little money away each month “for a rainy day.” The day she received her paycheck, she set aside her tithe. If she did not have enough money to purchase something, we went without, including a television and a car. We rented until she saved the cash to buy a home. She never had a credit card. Had this virus hit when we were young, we probably would have been much better off than some of my friends’ families…you know, the ones with the impressive homes, the Country Club memberships, and, oh yes, a huge amount of credit card debt.

I am grateful that we live in America where Uncle Sam is looking after us. My Hispanic friend from Mazatlán recently sent an email sharing that, since the Mexican government is doing NOTHING to bail out businesses or individuals, people are figuring out ways to help each other. She shared that fishermen catch fish and offer them to anyone who was hungry. Department stores host giveaways. “If you need something, take it; if you could donate something, leave it.” My friend ended with this: “By my place 3 days ago a lady was passing by, yelling, ‘Tamales, 2 per person for free.’ Senora Patty, this kind of things make my heart feel good.”

We in America could learn from our Southern neighbors.

Proverbs 6:6-8 encourages us to learn our saving habits from the lowly ant: “Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest.” The Bible has much to say about saving. For one, our money is not ours; it is God’s. In times such as this, how nice would it be to help our neighbors because we had “stored” some provisions and not lived above our means? Instead, I’ve met too many Americans who save only to relax when their working days are over. A leisurely “Retirement” becomes their payoff, yet even Jesus admonished the person whose goal was to save in order to have a comfy life instead of taking care of real needs as a thank-you for God’s provisions given to them.

In Luke 12: 16-21, Jesus shares a parable about a rich man who had so many crops, he tore down his barns and built bigger ones to store his grain and goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.” But God said to him, “Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?” So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”

Christians, saving for retirement should not be self-centered. It should be the time when we devote ourselves to serving others.

Please don’t get me wrong. I am grateful that we live in the United States where businesses can be saved and families can eat because of the bail-out. I just hope that when this virus is over, we all might rethink our financial priorities and learn from the lowly ant…the wise, working, lowly ant.

Keys to the Kingdom by Carolyn Tucker

Once when I was a kid at home and my Dad and I were watching a movie on TV, he said, “The reason I like Westerns is because I like to look at the horses.“ I found myself doing the same thing when I recently watched “The Magnificent Seven.” This great classic starts off with a funeral procession led by two horses pulling the hearse. The horses have blinders on their eyes, so they can only see what’s straight ahead.

Whether you like to think about it or not, you’re on your way to eternity every day. There are many distractions along the journey and we ought to have blinders too. I’m not suggesting you stick your head in the sand like an ostrich, because you need to know what’s going on so you can pray and stand against the evil in the world. But, blinders help you stay focused on what’s important on your trip to eternity.

A blinder is a piece of tack that prevents the horse from seeing to the side. Blinders keep the horse’s eyes focused on what’s ahead, rather than what is at the side or behind. Blinders prevent the horse from becoming distracted and stops him from losing concentration on the direction he is headed. Race horses wear blinders, but trail-riding horses do not. On a trail ride, some horses “see boogers” in the bushes and get spooked. This is when Dad’s advice pays off — I remember him cautioning me to “Never go to sleep ridin’ a horse.“ What he meant was that I needed to pay attention, stay alert, and ride with an expectancy that anything could happen at any time. Be prepared, be sharp, be on the lookout.

The devil would like for you to be “asleep in the saddle.” He’s hoping you don’t know the following scripture: “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith” (1 Peter 5:8,9 NLT). There’s a difference between being scared and being prepared. Your job is to use common sense and wisdom from God’s Word, and use your faith.

Stay focused on keeping the main thing the main thing. Don’t give in to the temptation of following a rabbit trail. If you haven’t already, put on your blinders, because the devil is tossing all the garbage and boogers he can into your path. He hates you. He is not the king of fun; he is the king of stealing, killing, and destroying. Don’t get sidetracked with the cares or nonessentials of life. “But all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things….” (Mark 4:19 NLT). Don’t let your guard down that’s protecting your spiritual heart.

It’s imperative that you keep your priorities straight. In Philippians 1:9,10 Paul says: “I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return.“

The Key: Blinders are not just for horses. Order yours today.