Imaginations Against True Imagination©

A Limerick A Day to Keep You On Your Way©

There is a war on for every thought.

There is a way this war is to be fought.

The weapons bold,

Heaven’s foothold.

Imaginations cast down, strongholds caught.

 

WAR

A tyrannical war.   A civil war.   An atomic war.   A cold war.  A nuclear war.  A virtual war.   A chemical war.    A tech war.   A big pharma war.    An identity war.  A national war.   A bioweapon war.  A spiritual war.

We are in a war.  A war for our souls.

I have watched TURN, Washington’s Spies several times. It was a series on Netflix.  After some history exploration, it is clear this series has taken several liberties with actual facts . Nonetheless, it has been a very moving series for me. I was moved to tears as I felt the pain of the sacrifices men, women and children of that time gave to give us such a free America. They lost loved ones, land, houses, money, body parts or their own lives. Families were divided from loyalty to England’s King or freedom from tyranny. The display of bravery, courage, discipline,  and loyal patriotism makes my flag even more valuable.  The flag of Freedom.

Do we face such things today?  I believe we do. I fear we have lived so long with freedom we forget what the cost was for that freedom.  I believe God is using the circumstances of today to bring us back to truth.

A heavenly war was fought as well. A war against man’s sin.

This war, was for eternal freedom, and would be for all men.  It was a war against evil and its hold on mankind.  It was against the prince of this world, satan himself. The price was high and also required blood and sacrifice.  God knew man could not win this war without heaven’s help.  That is why HE had to send His only son.  Only Jesus, the sinless One could win.  His victory granted us the authority to use the same weapons as Jesus did. He never waivered in loyalty.

Jesus knew the scriptures. We must as well.  It is our first line of defense when we pray to fight against the enemy’s stronghold as he tries desperately to overtake our minds.   Scripture tells us in 2nd Corinthians 10:4-6 King James Version (KJV):

For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; 5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;6 And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.

Your most powerful weapon against evil is the word of God.   We must know what the word says to fight back.  Has the enemy stolen your mind?  Your children?  Your spouse?  Your goods? Your country?

 

Pray this prayer with me.

Dear Jesus,

I come to you now asking You to forgive me of all my wrongdoings, known and unknown.  Cover my sin by Your precious blood shed on the Cross of Calvary.  I repent.  Please come live inside my heart and be the Lord of my life today and every day.  Keep me from the evil one.  Teach me to war in the spirit against the enemy’s tactics. You never lose a battle against the enemy. In Jesus Name, Amen.

 

Written by Paula Ann Kochanek

All rights copyrighted. 

amazon.com/author/paulaannkochanek777

 

 

Believing Without Seeing©

A Limerick A Day to Keep You On Your Way©

A man from the country of Fright,

Wasn’t sure if he could see right.

Believe without seeing?

See without believing?

So we introduced him to Christ.

 

No more pretending!

The last two years have all been about fear.  Have they really?  Or are we finally waking up? Since the beginning of Adam and Eve, it’s all been about fear.  There is no more time not to just be bold and blunt.  If you do not have Jesus as your Lord and savior, you are doomed.  Doomed to fear and doomed to hell.  

Satan began in the Garden of Eden when he deceived Eve that God was holding out on her and Adam. He tried to get her to believe that they should be like God, knowing all things.  And the only way to get it was to eat the forbidden fruit. Satan, knowing the nature of a woman is family, chose her first.  He knew she would desire her husband to eat too. Adam chose her over God as well.  Doomed after that to a life of knowing good and evil would forever be the fall of mankind. Satan now uses every imaginable set of demonic plots to bring about fear.  It is the way he controls our minds.

The bible tells us to fear not.  It says “ fear not” 365 times. Isn’t that interesting it is the exact number of days in a year.  God always had a plan for us.  A daily plan to fear not. Now think about how the mainstream media planting a seed of fear every day into its broadcasts.  What do you think grows after 365 days!

As we entered into the year 2022 it is crucial that we fear not.  It is an understatement to say our lives depend on it.  The majority of people know full well about the plandemic.  If you haven’t gotten there yet, you will. The woke will awaken. Truth can not be escaped regardless of what one thinks.  The person may be blind to it but Truth is Truth. God Truth, not man-made truth.

The Jewish New Year is 5782.  It starts before the Gregorian calendar in the month of September.  Looking up 5872 in Strong’s Concordance the Hebrew word is “Ur”.  It means to “AWAKEN!”.  That is precisely what must happen and it is happening.  God is waking up  people to Truth.  We became weak with fear.  This can no longer be.

If we truly want America back in 2022, and thereafter, we are compelled to fear not.  There is no turning back. A decision must be made. If you have not made Jesus the Lord of your life, do it today.  If you have already made that commitment but have shrunk back in fear, today is your day to step out of fear.  We all must Awaken to Truth.  Fear Not.

 

Pray this prayer with me if you have never asked Jesus to be your Lord.

Lord, today I ask You to come and be my Lord.  I believe You came to die for my sins. I confess with my mouth that Jesus is the Son of God. Jesus, You paid the price for my sins by dying on the cross. I repent of all my sins. Forgive me.  Come now and live in my heart and be the Lord of my life.  Send Your Holy Spirit to help me now live this new life and to fear not.  In Jesus Name. Amen.

Pray this prayer with me if you need encouragement to fear not.

Jesus, forgive me for not trusting You in all things. Your plan has always been the redemption of man. Evil will not win.  Fill me with Your Holy Spirit to be bold in Your faith for Your faith is true and just and fears not.  I want to fear not.

 AS ONE!

Now together we all unite. Open our sight and free us from fright. We are more than conquerors in Him. Fear Not!

 Romans 8:37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. (KJV)

Isaiah 41:10 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. (KJV)

Matthew 10:28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. (KJV)

Matthew 28:20  Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen. (KJV)

 

 Written by Paula Ann Kochanek

All rights copyrighted. 

 

 

   

November Nag©

A Limerick A Day to Keep You On Your Way©

There is a history that repeats every year.

The nagging sense of the cold coming days we must bear.

Dark winter

Won’t splinter

A mind that knows repeated history keeps things clear.

Steady.  Consistent.  Repetitious.  That is what I count on as I live in the New England weather.  I may not like certain things about each of the four seasons, however, I never doubt they won’t happen, and in the order they always do. There are other things I never doubt will happen too.

The phrase “Dark Winter” comes from a chilling scenario simulation in 2001 of a bioweapon used to destroy people. The weapon,  a virus. The plan,  figure out how to tell the public. The end result, get them all vaccinated.  It is detailed and well worth your time to read. You will come across this telling quote, “The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.”   Sun Tzu

Since the Garden of Eden mankind has steadily been infected with evil plans:  Evil plans that consistently try to control others.  Cain killed Abel because of offense.  He believed it was Able’s fault God did not fully accept his offering. But that wasn’t the case. Abel gave to God the first fruits of his flock.  Abel gave his sacrifice with the right heart and the right motive.  Cain gave of his fruits, most likely not of his first harvest or a pure heart. God called Cain out on this so he could remedy his heart.  Instead, his offense deepened.  God warned him if he didn’t get control of it, it would lead to sin.  Cain would not relent and eventually, he killed his brother.  His offense turned to hate.  God continued to help by giving him a chance to explain what happened. Cain retorted by saying he was not his brother’s keeper, lying to God’s face that he knew nothing. What should God do?

Of course, God knew exactly what happened.  God is a God of justice as well as mercy.  He could have destroyed Cain on the spot. Instead, He let him go, to wander in the wilderness.  I believe God was giving Cain a lot of space to repent.  God truly is merciful.  Cain sealed his fate and grew more wicked as time went on. Even though God marked his head so no one could kill him, Cain lived a life of wandering and most likely with a constant nagging guilty conscience. He was always running from God. He built the city of Enoch, named after his first son. (Genesis 4:1-22) He multiplied his own family and lived by his own rules. God does not remove the creative gifts He gives to His children but when there is no glory given back to God eventually our sin of rebellion toward God bears fruit. Lamech followed in Cains’s footsteps when he too killed a man.  He had no repentance either, just a belief he would be avenged more than his great-great-great-great-great grandfather Cain. No one in his family could offer him the hope of forgiveness.  He lived in darkness also.

Without forgiveness, men do all sorts of evil sins to each other.  Adultery, divorce, sexual perversion, greed, human trafficking,  abortion, and the need to control the world are just some of them.  The world beomes darker and darker. 

If you have a clear mind you can see history repeating itself.  If not let me help you out.  Just as winter is coming again with the nagging truth of cold rainy and snowy days so is the hope and belief of Spring coming again.  We bear winter days with warm blankets, hot soups, and holidays.  Thanksgiving reminds us of our desire to be free of governmental tyranny.  Christmas reminds us Jesus was born to redeem us from sin and establish the  Government of the Kingdom of Heaven in our hearts and on earth.  The New Year helps us reflect and move toward new goals. Valentine’s Day is for renewing love.  Easter awakens us to the remembrance of the horrible death Jesus died so we could live free of condemnation. 

And just like that Spring is here again.  We made it through the long winter because of our hope of Spring.  We make it through life because of hope in our Creator.  Just as God created the seasons, He created a way of forgiveness.

Genesis 1:14 KJV And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years. 

Daniel 9:9-10 KJV To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him. 10 Neither have we obeyed the voice of the Lord our God, to walk in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets.

Men and women whose hearts are darkened fall prey to the lie they can control the world.  They make up scenarios like “The Dark Winter” to prove they can.  They kill others for feeling offended, sometimes with words and sometimes with weapons. I can not say for certain this is true but I read that Cain was killed when his own house fell on him. I wonder if he had a nagging feeling cold days were coming but no hope of Spring.  Perhaps that was his Dark Winter, made by his own unrepented heart trying to control the world he made without God.

As history will repeat itself, a house without God will be a dark winter.  I hope God lives in your house.

 

Pray this prayer with me.

Lord, I want to live with hope. Let me not fear a manmade lie of a Dark Winter.  In You, there is always light and hope for new seasons of life. I pray You keep my eyes, ears, and heart attentive to the seasons. Forgive me for wounding others or bringing You an unworthy offering.  Today I give You my heart.  No Dark Winter, only Light and Truth will I receive.  In Jesus Name.  Amen.

 

Genesis 1:14-15 (The Living Bible)  Then God said, “Let bright lights appear in the sky to give light to the earth and to identify the day and the night; they shall bring about the seasons on the earth, and mark the days and years.” And so it was.

Genesis 4:1-22 (King James Version)

4 And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the Lord.

2 And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.

3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord.

4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering:

5 But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.

6 And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?

7 0 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.

8 And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.

9 And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother’s keeper?

10 And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground.

11 And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother’s blood from thy hand;

12 When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.

13 And Cain said unto the Lord, My punishment is greater than I can bear.

14 Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me.

15 And the Lord said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the Lord set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.

16 And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden.

17 And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch: and he builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch.

 

Written by Paula Ann Kochanek

All rights copyrighted. 

 SIGN UP AND Receive directly to your email box!

 

 

 

Mary Ludwig Hays—1754-1832  Confronting the enemy in a time when fear had to be overcome, at the Battle of Monmouth during the American Revolution.

Wisdom Built©

A Limerick A Day to Keep You On Your Way© 

There was a woman of wisdom, a house she built.

Filled with understanding covered her like a quilt.

Fear of the Lord,

No need to hoard.

For the whored woman her quilt is heavy as guilt.

 

How can we be non-confrontational in a confrontational world?

We can’t.  And we aren’t meant to be.  The best we can do is to be in control of our emotions.  Emotions set the course of everything we do.  Feelings produce the perception of an experience causing a reaction.  Behaviour drives results. Results repeated produce a program in the subconscious mind.  This program repeats itself whenever the feeling button is pushed regardless of the circumstance.   Great marketers know this.  Great marketers can be good or evil.

Fear is the biggest market programmer.

My mother was afraid to drive on the highway.  I have a sibling who for years would not travel the highway.  My mother also fearlessly told us there is no such word as can’t.  That truth caused each of her seven children to do things that sometimes appeared reckless. But it also produced the ability to withstand the onslaught of naysayers as we chose to fulfil some of our life’s dreams.  I bought a house as a single mom back in the 1980’s.  I changed careers at 40, despite my father’s fear I was making a big mistake leaving a well-established company. A good friend was one of my naysayers as well. I have now been owned my own company for 22 years. Several of my siblings have owned their own companies as well. 

What can’t fear do?

Fear can’t control you when your hope is in the Fearless One.  That doesn’t mean you won’t feel afraid or doing something afraid.  It means it can’t control you.  My mother may have never faced her fear of the highway but she had great faith in the Fearless One.  That faith made her figure out ways to get where she wanted to be, even if it meant taking a bit longer.  And when she was in her seventies she flew alone for the first time!  

We are living in a time when fear, great fear, is trying to control us.    Can you imagine what it was like to fight in the American Revolution?  It was more than just soldiers.  Whole families were fighting for freedom.  The risk was great.  The fear,  maybe greater. October 19, 1781, was the day Lord Cornwallis surrendered, ending the American Revolutionary War, and winning our freedom from Great Britain.  There was still much that would happen to secure that freedom.  

We are again facing a great fight for freedom. Such freedoms as the right to choose our medical decisions, what our children are taught, how to run our businesses, what we can say, to name just a few.  I believe with all my heart we are living in a time that God is asking us to stand unafraid and unashamed in the liberties He gave us. Do not forget that is the greatness of America.  It may have taken several generations to put forth the greatness of our Constitution but we do not want one generation to pass and all those freedoms be stripped away.

May God grant us wisdom and courage to confront the evil using fear to tell us we can’t live free.

 

Pray this prayer with me.

 Jesus,

You came to set sinful man free. Forgive us for our selfishness.  Forgive our many leaders trying to use worldly power for greed and selfish gain. Help each one of us be confrontational against evil. Give us a love for holiness and righteousness and deep hunger for Your Word. We have not known what it is to be brave fighting with our very lives.  If this is to be in our time we ask for mercy and help to stand and fight. Our hope is in You.  Amen

 

 

Galatians 5:1 KJV      Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

 

 

Written by Paula Ann Kochanek

All rights copyrighted. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Labor Test©

A Limerick A Day to Keep You On Your Way© 

There once was a story for all of humankind.

A laborious story that tested the mind.

To find is the test,

Labor is the rest.

Your heart must search for it with eyes that are not blind.

 

Labor Day

The first official Labor Day was September 5, 1882.  Specific plans for fanfare were made and despite fear there would be chaos the event was a huge celebration of the efforts of the American worker who had made this country so prosperous.  The succeeding several years included speeches by prominent men and women.  In 1909 the American Federation of Labor called for a resolution that the preceding Sunday be Labor Sunday.  It was dedicated to spiritual and educational highlights of the labor movement.  Why does that no longer happen?

Over 100 years have passed.  I admit I needed to do a google search to be refreshed on the historical meaning of Labor Day.  Just about everyone in America knows it as a holiday. Most of us know it has to do with the working labor force and at one time the marker school would be starting that week.  And of course a paid holiday, a day to rest.

Rest is not found too much these days. The turbulence of masked and covid vaccine mandates is robbing people of the joy September used to bring.  September may feel a little sad summer is ending but the fall is always full of fun activities too.  Being bombarded with new and continuous threats of sickness and mandates is a sure rest stealer.

The Bible records God having a day of rest.  Genesis 2:3 says, “ And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.” (KJV) The Gregorian Calandar starts with Sunday so most people think of Sunday as a day of rest.  But are resting?  Do we know what it is to rest?

Scripture talks about laboring into rest.  Seems like an oxymoron.  But there is a rest for those who believe in the promises of God. It takes faith to believe that promise. It also takes work to put that faith into action.  It takes faith and works to believe that promise.  Faith, working to rest in the One who has done it all.  Faith, to stand on His promises that good will overcome evil.  Faith to believe when you can’t see how things are going to work out.  Faith, to labor in His rest. Faith without works is dead according to James 2:20.

So I dedicate September to receive the promises of laboring into rest. My faith is in Him.  My rest comes from Him.

 

Hebrews 4 (ICB)

4 Now God has left us that promise that we may enter and have his rest. Let us be very careful, then, so that none of you will fail to get that rest. ² The Good News was preached to us just as it was to them. But the teaching they heard did not help them. They heard it but did not accept it with faith.^[a] 3 We who have believed are able to enter and have God’s rest. As God has said,

“So I was angry and made a promise.
    ‘They will never enter my land of rest.’” Psalm 95:11

But God’s work was finished from the time he made the world. ⁴ Somewhere in the Scriptures he talked about the seventh day of the week: “And on the seventh day God rested from all his work.”^[b] 5 And again in the Scripture God said, “They will never enter my land of rest.”

⁶ It is still true that some people will enter and have God’s rest. But those who first heard the way to be saved did not enter. They did not enter because they did not obey. ⁷ So God planned another day, called “today.” He spoke about that day through David a long time later. It is the same Scripture used before:

“Today listen to what he says.
    Do not be stubborn.” Psalm 95:7-8

⁸ We know that Joshua^[c] did not lead the people into that rest. We know this because God spoke later about another day. ⁹ This shows that the seventh-day rest^[d] for God’s people is still coming. ¹⁰ For anyone who enters and has God’s rest will rest from his work as God did. ¹¹ So let us try as hard as we can to enter God’s rest. We must try hard so that no one will be lost by following the example of those who refused to obey.

¹² God’s word is alive and working. It is sharper than a sword sharpened on both sides. It cuts all the way into us, where the soul and the spirit are joined. It cuts to the center of our joints and our bones. And God’s word judges the thoughts and feelings in our hearts. ¹³ Nothing in all the world can be hidden from God. Everything is clear and lies open before him. And to him, we must explain the way we have lived.

Do you want that kind of rest?

Pray this prayer with me.

Lord Jesus, I surrender all my works to You.  Fill me with faith to believe all Your promises. As I now live each day for You, the best I can, please mix faith and works together to produce a life of Godly rest. In Jesus Name. Amen.

 

 

Written by Paula Ann Kochanek

All rights copyrighted. 

Perpetual Decrees©

A Limerick A Day To Keep You On Your Way© 

The peace of July has a freeing delight.

Warmth and sunshine, let’s play, even into night.

Sand on the beach,

Oh shoreline teach,

Perpetual decrees of my Maker’s might.

Jeremiah 5:22 Living Bible (TLB)

²² have you no respect at all for me? the Lord God asks. How can it be that you don’t even tremble in my presence? I set the shorelines of the world by perpetual decrees, so that the oceans, though they toss and roar, can never pass those bounds. Isn’t such a God to be feared and worshiped?

JULY

July is was that kind of month.  As a teen it made me feel I could unwind.  Adulthood didn’t change it even though it meant a 40 hour work week and raising two daughters. There was something that always shifted in my thinking.  Beach. Fireworks. Warm night breezes.

It is amazing to watch the unfolding of childhood experiences shape your adult decisions.  My mother never drove on the highway out of fear. Couple that with my father’s introverted personality and sensitive skin burning badly without shade meant our trips to the beach were very special occasions. On those special occasions, my father had a system for packing all the gear in the trunk.  With seven kids you needed a system.  He was methodical in packing the food.  I still have a picture in my head of our huge red metal coca cola cooler and dad sitting underneath the tarp in the shade.  

My mother loved the beach. So did her five sisters. They were not afraid of the highway.  If not for them I don’t think my brothers and sisters would have as many great memories of summer beach excursions.  Thankfully I didn’t fear the highway and when it was time to take my children to the beach we visited a lot.  Summers are very short here in New England and trips to the beach were always fun.  Now my children grown with their kids do the same.  Except for the year 2020…

The year the fear swept over the world like Stephen King’s Fog.  Fear is the worst and best kind of warfare to control people.  America conquered the fear of tyranny from England in 1776.  And again with the war of 1812.  This Nation has always defined her love for liberty and freedom with brave men and women. Both wars proved we would not be conquered by Britain’s need to control. Let us rise again from tyranny.

Now in 2021, our present government administration has surely forgotten the reason The Constitution was written.  We are a country of liberty and freedom.  But to use that freedom for evil will eventually fail.  For the government to decide how you celebrate freedom is an act of tyranny.  To hide behind a political scheme for control by inflicting so much fear of death and sickness by the Wuhan Virus is an evil that will not go unpunished.  Never think for one minute a Holy God is not well aware of all things that happen on Earth.   Through constant propaganda from mainstream media, many have succumbed to believe if you are not covid vaccinated you are the enemy. But the enemy is fear. 

Back to July. I am remembering to unwind!  Yes,  Fireworks.  I only recall this one time being at the fireworks with my parents.  I think I was around 6. I remember there was some sort of pinwheel sparkler that lit up red, white, and blue and said July 4^th.  I felt cheated that my parents would not take us every year to see them.  Maybe it was because there were seven kids and it was more of a hassle to load us in the car.  Maybe back then it involved driving on the highway.  I just know it was a sad feeling not being able to go every year.  My friends would talk about seeing them with their families and just like the beach I told myself when I have a family I want to see them every July 4^th.  

I was so happy my neighbor did a wonderful display last year.  Imagine you live in America where hundreds can gather to protest but fireworks get cancelled.  This year though I witnessed people be reminded listening to the National Anthem play their love for freedom.  Freedom is not free, it is bought with blood.  Jesus also bought our freedom with his blood.  Jesus is no respecter of persons.  HE died for all.  In HIM we are one.  HE doesn’t see skin color, race, age, affluence, sex, residence, and whatever else man uses to divide people.   HE does see your heart.  Nothing is hidden from God.  Mark 4:22 (Amplified Bible)  22 tells us, “For nothing is hidden, except to be revealed; nor has anything been kept secret, but that it would come to light [that is, things are hidden only temporarily, until the appropriate time comes for them to be known].” 

 When scripture says in Proverbs 9:10 (KJV), “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.”, this fear is reverence.  That is the fear we all need.  That fear will bring true freedom. That fear comes over me when I witness the beauty and sound of fireworks because it reminds that America is the land of the free and the brave.  I decree America will always be free.

Pray this prayer with me.

Lord, help me understand what freedom is. Reveal all You did to buy my freedom from sin and eternal damnation.  Fill me with Your truth to love You, my country, and my fellowman.  In Jesus Name we ask.  Amen.

Written by Paula Ann Kochanek

All rights copyrighted. 

The Star-Spangled Banner by Francis Scott Key (Sept. 14, 1814)

O say can you see, by the dawn’s early light,

What so proudly we hail’d at the twilight’s last gleaming,

Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight

O’er the ramparts we watch’d were so gallantly streaming?

And the rocket’s red glare, the bombs bursting in air,

Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there,

O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave

O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

On the shore dimly seen through the mists of the deep

Where the foe’s haughty host in dread silence reposes,

What is that which the breeze, o’er the towering steep,

As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?

Now it catches the gleam of the morning’s first beam,

In full glory reflected now shines in the stream,

’Tis the star-spangled banner—O long may it wave

O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore,

That the havoc of war and the battle’s confusion

A home and a Country should leave us no more?

Their blood has wash’d out their foul footstep’s pollution.

No refuge could save the hireling and slave

From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave,

And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave

O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

O thus be it ever when freemen shall stand

Between their lov’d home and the war’s desolation!

Blest with vict’ry and peace may the heav’n rescued land

Praise the power that hath made and preserv’d us a nation!

Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,

And this be our motto–“In God is our trust,”

And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave

O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

June Steamy Knight©

A Limerick A Day to Keep You On Your Way© 

There is a Knight all mine that breathes my love of steamy air.

It comforts me as I write my lover this longing prayer.

He is my breath,

Long after death.

My Knight is coming to rescue me, enemy beware.

 

My Knight has won every battle.©  

The middle of May was not was I was expecting. Work was going very well and I was making headway with debts.  Who doesn’t want to be out of debt? It’s a noose around one’s neck.  Our nation is in serious debt and it is also choking us.

But here in my little selfish world I was working hard and doing what I could to chip away my debt.  The debt I am responsible for.  And then, BOOM!.  Covid hit.  Hit hard.  Got it from a vaccinated client.  Yes, you heard right.  They also got sick.  Without ranting on pros and cons, so much for an experimental drug.

So down I went on May 12^th.  After a week of high fever and relentless nausea and the inability to eat, just drink as well as barely making it to the bathroom and back to the bed, my oldest daughter came with tears to convince me to go to the ER.  My other daughter was making sure I was drinking and still alive.  Bless them both dearly.  Also, many friends were praying and I felt all of their prayers.

It is true that as you get older you get very stubborn. Not showering for 10 days is quite disgusting.  But I had no strength to do so.  As my oldest daughter was crying to take me to the ER I was adamant I would not go without showering.  So she lovingly cried all the more as I let her brush my mangled hair.  The other daughter put a lounge chair in the shower so I could sit.  Oh was I ever feeling old.

Off to the ER we went.  The air on my face felt so good.  I had lost track of days but the thankfulness of being outside was wonderous.  The covid rules still in place allowed my daughter to drop me at the door while she found a parking place.  I did think I was going to pass out and could not wait for her to come and bring me inside.  She was allowed to stay until they came with the wheelchair.  After obviously testing positive for covid and two rounds of IV’s I got to come back home.  It was still several more days of actually being able to eat and stand longer than a minute.

Both my daughters were so helpful and without them I truly may have slowly died of dehydration. They made sure I drank and began to eat again. I specifically asked a friend to pray for an appetite and I know she broke through to heaven.  My oldest sister also brought food as well as another dear friend.  It almost seems surreal to have been that ill.  I did know I would survive.

How?

I never thought for one minute God was not on my side.  I prayed for more of His Presence in a tangible way but I didn’t doubt He was not with me.  Even as I felt I lost so many days and suddenly May was June God was aware of every movement I made. HIS breath is my life on earth and in heaven. HE is my shining Knight and as soon as the enemy came my Knight began His rescue mission.  He worked through the care of my family and friends, through the medical community, and my faith in His love for me.  His Grace was all over this.

I still do not know when I can return to work.  The fatigue is more than you think possible.  I will trust His provision to carry me through until that time.  He is faithful.

My prayer is for all those who have been ill from this virus or lost a loved one that God will show Himself faithful to you. He truly is the only One that is able to help us through pain and loss and somehow see in the end one day we shall be in His Presence and all this pain will be wiped away.

 

Psalm 40:10 King James Version

I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation: I have not concealed thy lovingkindness and thy truth from the great congregation.

Revelation 21:4 King James Version

And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away

 

Pray this prayer with me.

Lord, when I don’t understand Your plan help me know Your love.  In Jesus Name we ask.  Amen.

 

 

Written by Paula Ann Kochanek

All rights copyrighted. 

 

Mother’s May Love©

A Limerick A Day to Keep You On Your Way© 

The lips of the wise have learned to turn away wrath.

Knowledge and correction are like trees in their path.

Fools stray,

And display

Evil, but the wise do discern their aftermath.

 

Wisdom Answers Truthfully©  

If a ruler hearkens to lies, all his servants are wicked.

What would cause a ruler to hearken to lies?  Hearken is the old term used for listening. It’s a nice poetic word, don’t you think?  Words can become poetic, flowery, euphoric, and ultimately deceptive and destructive.  Learning to listen well starts early in life.  It is a lifelong discipline that if not carefully cultivated will ultimately bring disastrous results.

Every nation has had good and bad rulers.  When good rulers reign the people rejoice. When bad rulers reign the people mourn.  We have wicked servants in power that lie.  They are lying to the ruler. Neither will be held unaccountable.  

Proverbs 19:5 KJV

 A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall not escape.

THE STORY OF THE LITTLE BOY WHO WANTED A PIECE OF GUM

God Uses Mamas 

He didn’t have any money to buy it.  He knew his Mama loved him.  He justified taking the money out of her purse because surely any mama that loves her children would just give it to him anyway.  On the way to the store, little Joey was feeling a “little not right” about taking the money but he kept pushing that feeling aside because “his Mama loved him!”  “What flavor gum should I get? “, he thought out loud.  “Peppermint, Spearmint, Watermelon?  I can’t decide.”  He was having trouble collecting his thoughts.   The more he tried to focus the harder it seemed but this didn’t stop his pursuit of wanting that gum.

He was almost there when he saw another boy being escorted out of the store by security officers.  He pondered what may have happened and then he saw the face of the boy.  It was his friend from down the street.  “Woah, Franky what happened!”  Franky yelled back, “I just wanted a piece of gum!”.  Joey felt his pain.

Well, the little boy thought,  I am buying gum with the money my mama surely would have let me have.  “I will bring you a piece just as soon as I can.  Don’t worry Franky.”, he yelled back.  Entering the store and decided he would buy the gum his friend would like the best.  That was Doublemint.   Feeling they were both just wanting a piece of gum this was a great choice.  He headed up to the register to pay for the gum.  The cashier said the amount and little Joey pulled out the $20 bill he had taken from his mama’s purse.  “That’s a pretty big bill for a pack of gum, little Joey.”, said the cashier smiling a funny smirking smile.  Joey was a bit surprised the cashier knew his name.  For a brief moment, he wondered if his mama knew he had taken the money without asking and God told her.  Again he brushed that feeling away.  Even if it were so,  his Mama loved him. She would be happy he was going to share his gum with Franky.  After all Franky was was caught stealing the gum and would appreciate some cheering up.

Joey was on his way home now.  He had learned sharing was a good thing so he also bought three packs of gum on the recommendation of the cashier who also understood the power of a good sale to such a generous customer.  Having three packs now allowed Joey to feel good if he opened just one. So he did. TakingMout two pieces to chew for himself.  Plenty left over for Franky,  Mama, and whoever else he felt sharing with.

“Mama I am back!” Joey exclaimed with excitement and pride.  “So you are,”, said Mama in a tone that shattered his excitement into dread as well as causing him to swallow those two pieces of gum he was chewing.  They still had flavor in them.  “Where did you go Joey?’,  Mama asked again now using the tone that said you better not leave out any details.  So Joey began his story of how much he believed Mama loved him and that he wanted some gum. “Mama you were busy”, he said, “so I used my independence to take $20 from your purse and get what I  wanted. Then I got really lucky cuz I got to buy three packs of gum.  And Franky got nothing cuz he was trying to steal gum.  And I knew you would be happy if I shared all the gum, especially with Franky cuz he wasn’t lucky.  And Mama I know you just love me.  Right Mama?! Here is your change.”

When a Mama loves her children she knows their heart.  Little Joey was taught well that Mama loved him.  But that day he painfully learned taking something without permission from the Mama who loves you is as wrong as taking anything without permission from anyone.  That was his feeling of “a little not right”.  It was the feeling of his subconscious mind that God talks to.  Joey chose to brush it aside.  He chose to ignore it to continue with his selfish desire of wanting what he wanted, when he wanted it, rather than waiting for his Mama to give it to him.  We do the same thing with God.  We take what we want instead of letting God give it to us in His time and His way.

Joey was held responsible for his actions.  Yes, his Mama did find out about the $20 before Joey got to the store.  She called the store and talked to the cashier which is how the cashier knew Joey’s name.  However,  the cashier decided to take advantage of the situation.  Every person is held accountable for their actions because all actions have consequences.  Evil and good both have consequences.

If Joey’s mama let this go because after all her boy just knew she loved him Joey would continue to steal other people’s money from a false belief that love makes it okay.  She had the painful task of punishing her boy so he could understand that stealing is violating the borders of someone else’s property no matter how much they love you. 

God can be just like that Mama. 

Hebrews 4:13  Living Bible

He knows about everyone, everywhere. Everything about us is bare and wide open to the all-seeing eyes of our living God; nothing can be hidden from him to whom we must explain all that we have done.

Pray this prayer with me.

Lord, You are the all-seeing mama who loves us greatly.  There is no detail of our lives hidden from You.  Today we repent of anything that we have taken that is not ours. Forgive us.  We also ask forgiveness and repentance for those we may have caused to sin because of our selfish acts.  Help the eyes and ears of our heart do what is right in Your sight so when the time comes to explain our actions we have no remorse or guilt. In Jesus Name we ask.  Amen.

 

 

Written by Paula Ann Kochanek

All rights copyrighted. 

 

 

 

 

April Fools ©

A Limerick A Day to Keep You On Your Way©

There once was a prophet in despair.

Complaining to God, “You just don’t care.”

Justice was a joke,

Even for the woke.

Til God spoke, “Oh,  I am quite aware.”

 

Justice Is A Joke

How long is God going to let evil reign?

Up to us, we would have done things very differently because of our human view. 

The prophet Habakkuk lived in a time that sounds exactly what we are living in now.  Violence, chaos, lawlessness, Godlessness.  He said justice is a joke.  How many of us feel that same thing?  We are asking how long God?  How long before You rescue us from evil. Habakkuk was beside himself to the point he knew he would be reproved but he needed an answer.  So he waited and watched to see what God would say.

It was shocking.  And we may still be shocked today.

God said He was using the Babylonians to punish the righteous.  Huh?  We pray, go to church, live as holy as we can and God you are going to punish us?  Those Babylonians murder, extort money, ruin nations, get drunk, have orgies, sacrifice animals, worship dead idols of wood and stone and lie all day. WAren’t we the victims? 

Are we to play the victim forever?  Or stand up and make the Babylonians the victim?  Who are today’s Babylonians?  Make up your own list.  A hint. Begins with l, ends in t, and has democrats in the middle.  They have the spirit of Babylon in every part of their agenda.

Because Habakkuk was watching for to God answer, God reminded him of all He had done for his forefathers.  God always rescues the people He loves.  Habakkuk was filled with understanding that even though despair was around him God always has a plan.  The wicked will never prosper and their day in their man-made glory will come to end.  We are to keep our eyes fixed on God and not lose hope. 

Our job is still to pray and push the enemy back every chance we get.  While we do that it is also imperative to remember that God is always aware of evil and injustice.  Nothing goes unpunished whether we see it in our lifetime or not. Habakkuk realizing this broke out into song in the third chapter.  He was up on his feet jumping and dancing with worship and joy.

God is asking us to not give up, or give in.  He is on our side.  Are we on his? Can we continue to push back the enemy and still worship with song, jumping for joy?

Justice is no joke with the One who is the Highest Judge.

 

Habakkuk 1-3 (The Message Bible)    TAKE THE TIME TO READ ALL 3 CHAPTERS

 Justice Is a Joke

The problem as God gave Habakkuk to see it:

God, how long do I have to cry out for help

    before you listen?

How many times do I have to yell, “Help! Murder! Police!”

    before you come to the rescue?

Why do you force me to look at evil,

    stare trouble in the face day after day?

Anarchy and violence break out,

    quarrels and fights all over the place.

Law and order fall to pieces.

    Justice is a joke.

The wicked have the righteous hamstrung

    and stand justice on its head. “Look around at the godless nations.

    Look long and hard. Brace yourself for a shock.

Something’s about to take place

    and you’re going to find it hard to believe.

 

 

 

Pray this prayer with me.

Lord, You are the Highest Judge.  Your ruling will stand forever.  Evil will have its end.  Forgive us for our part in letting it become our ruler and not ruling over it.  Help us push back the enemy at every opportunity.  We put on our full armor from Ephesians 6.  The Helmet of Salvation, Breastplate of Righteousness, Belt of Truth, Shoes of the Gospel of Peace, Sheild of Faith, Sword of the Spirit. Go before us as our Righteous Judge to bring Your Justice back to the world. Help us be on Your side asa You are on ours.    In Jesus Name we ask.  Amen.