Besetting Sin

by Dawn Quintos

First of all it is the nature of man, including believers, to be easily entangled in sin.  It happens so easily … sin has great power over our flesh (Galatians 5:17). Before we invited Christ into our life, we had already cultivated habits of sin which can still plague us even after salvation.  It could also be because of our spiritual weakness.

Secondly, sin entangles us because of our fallen nature.  The Bible says in Jeremiah 17:9 that our hearts are “deceitful above all things and beyond cure.”

Thirdly, sin does not remain separate. It works its way into our motives and consequent actions.  Even the best that we do is corrupted in some way, large or small, by a taint of self-will, self-seeking, self-righteousness, or self-gain.

1 Peter 2:1 says “So get rid of all evil behavior.  Be done with all deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy, and all unkind speech.”

The question comes…How do we do that?  We know, yes, it is the work of the Spirit and if you walk in the Spirit you will not fulfill the desires of the flesh. We give all the credit for this to the Holy Spirit.  Yet, there is a responsibility that is ours as we submit to the Spirit.

Here are some principles that will assist us in dealing with sin:
1)    Don’t underestimate the seriousness of your sin.  Big or small, sin is sin. It keeps us separated from God as unbelievers. When believers sin, their fellowship with God is strained, and they are rendered ineffective for God’s work.  Sin steals our joy, ruins our fellowship with God, diminishes our fruitfulness, robs us of peace, renders our service useless, hinders our prayers, and brings discipline from God.
2)    Strongly determine and covenant with God not to sin… Take a solemn vow like the psalmist did in Psalm 119:106, and say, “God, I do not want to sin.  I don’t want to grieve Your Spirit.”  I believe it is that kind of heart purpose, that kind of bold affirmation that will propel you towards holy living.  And until you make that kind of conscious commitment to Christ, you are going to battle the same things over and over and be defeated.
3)    The third principle is to be circumspect about your own spirituality…Paul said it this way, “Let the one who stands take heed lest he fall.”  Proverbs 4:23 says, “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.”  Understand that, except for the grace of God, you would fall into any and every sin and you could be easily deceived.
4)    Resist the first risings of the flesh.  Stop them in the beginning.  It would be infinitely more difficult to stop the process near the end.
5)    Lastly, meditate on God’s word so your steps do not slip. Then we’d be able to say, like the psalmist in Psalm 119:11, “I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.”

The Annunciation by Angel Gabriel to Mary

by Dawn Quintos

The Annunciation is the term used to commemorate the announcement by the archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary that she would become the mother of Jesus Christ the Son of God.  Gabriel told Mary to name her son Jesus, meaning “Jehovah delivers”.  According to Luke 1:26 the annunciation occurred in the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy with her child who would later become known as John the Baptist.

In God’s word, the annunciation is narrated in the book of Luke, Chapter 1 verses 26-38.  The character and blessedness of Mary, the young Jewish girl chosen for this significant privilege, is clearly explained.  The question we must answer is “What does the Annunciation mean to us?”

Bishop William Willimon who for years taught at Duke Divinity school tells his students that annunciation, the calling and claiming and empowering of people to do God’s will, is the primary way that God is working to change the world.  “Through annunciation, through call and vocation, God changes the course of history, not through earthquake, wind, and fire, but through ordinary people like Mary, and like you and me, who get called, and who say ‘Yes’ to God.”

When we hear and respond to God’s “annunciation” in our lives, we are challenged to fulfill a  purpose greater than simply living to satisfy our own personal needs and desires.  We truly experience God and  get the blessed privilege of joining Him in His work. So, be blessed, and be a blessing.

 

Christ-Centered

by Dawn Quintos

Each time God calls a servant into action, He essentially says, “You can be strong and courageous because I am with you. Victory isn’t about your abilities, your strength, your skill, your armor, your gifts, or your dedication; it has to do with My presence. You can be strong because I will be strong in you.”

God knows how difficult life can be. He knows every detail of each struggle you will ever face. As a believer in Christ Jesus, you can trust that your heavenly Father will keep His word. He is with you right now, and He always will be, as He promises in His word: “I will never desert you, nor will I forsake you, so that we confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid, what will man do to me?’” (Heb. 13: 5, 6)

I love the illustration that man is like a boat tossed to and fro among the waves in the sea of life. Who’s steering your boat? What course are you on? What tools help you navigate?

In the early 1930’s, Dawson Trotman became a believer in Christ. Two years after his conversion he founded the Navigators. He sought to establish teen-aged boys in the Christian life. At first He compared the Christian life to a three-legged stool. But life in Christ was too exciting and dynamic to live sitting down, so he asked God for another idea.

God gave him the wheel illustration. Dawson believed this was a graphic model of the kind of disciples Christ wanted. After Trotman’s death in 1956 the wheel continued to change. Today the wheel is described like this:

Christ is the Center:  Just as the driving force in a wheel comes from the hub, so the power to live the Christian life comes from Jesus Christ, the center.

Obedience to Christ: The rim represents the Christian responding to Christ’s lordship through daily obedience to Him.

The Vertical Dimension—how you relate to God: You maintain personal contact with God through the vertical spokes. The Word (the Bible) is your spiritual food as well as your sword for spiritual battle. Prayer is direct communication with your Heavenly Father to receive provision for your needs. As you pray, you show your dependence on and trust in Him.

The Horizontal Dimension—how you relate to others: believers, through fellowship and non-believers, through witnessing. Centered around the Lord Jesus Christ, fellowship provides the mutual encouragement, admonition, and stimulation you need. By witnessing you pass on to others what you have received from the Lord by sharing your own experience of Christ and declaring and explaining the gospel, God’s power to save.

Let me leave you with this thought:  God acts on behalf of those who wait for Him.  If you want balance in your life, put Christ first!  Don’t start living without His lead.

My Horse Jazz

by Dawn Quintos

How faithful is God?   Well, my story will show you just that…It all started in the beginning with the mounted unit disbanding.  I had been on this unit for 11 years.  And now all the horses on the unit were for sale and the selling process would be done with a silent bidding.  My plan was to purchase Jazz with my girlfriend Jenny Shoemaker.  She’s the daughter of my 7th & 8th grade homeroom and music class teacher.  She’s also my sister in Christ.  After the silent bid was submitted, we waited and prayed.  Weeks later I was approached by one of my fellow officers who said Jazz was just purchased by an older couple.  I immediately bawled my eyes out.  I had felt like someone literally had taken from me one of my own children.  It was overwhelming.  I pleaded with God and said to Him,  “Only You can change this; no one will care for him the way that I would.”  Please, Lord, if it’s your will, please let me have Jazz. If not help me to accept this.”  My heart was literally breaking. I had been with this horse at the time for 11 years.  We had been through so much together.  He never got me hurt.  I had been in some really hairy situations.  Jazz and I together had been involved in 6 riots, 4 including the Ku Klux Klan, 2 that involved over 4 women being sexually assaulted, and two officers being attacked.  We were on hundreds of searches for missing children; some elderly, and many suicidal victims.  We had weathered long days, horrible weather, and many, many assignments.  Many, many fun days too!  We simply had a history together. 

About a ½ hour after my flood of tears, I received a phone call from Jenny Shoemaker.  She said, “I just received a phone call from your Chief of Police; he said I could have Jazz.”  This meant we were now co-owners of Jazz.  I was elated.  Words could not express my joy.  I was overflowing with gratitude to God for allowing this special horse to be ours. 

I promised my Heavenly Father that I would use Jazz as a tool for Him.  I have kept that promise.  My brother in Christ, Steve Bailey, and I have had many opportunities to witness and share Christ’s love with so many children and adults by just doing what we love–being around Jazz, caring for him, sharing our knowledge of horses, our experiences, and riding skills with people who come across our path.

Jazz is now 26; he will be 27 in January.  About two years ago he became lame and foundered (an illness in the hoof which a horse potentially can die from).  After testing with two separate veterinarians Jazz was diagnosed with Cushing’s disease (similar to diabetes in humans).  Jazz would now need to be on supplements and have a new Ferrier who specializes in corrective shoeing (very expensive).  I had prayed again to God to put the right people in Jazz’s life to help him and me.  Again, God did just that.  Most horses take a full year to recover and become stable, if they can, from Cushing’s disease.  Jazz was stable after only 4 months.

A year after Jazz’s diagnosis my financial situation became seriously shaky.  I tried to find the right home for Jazz because I couldn’t pay for him, let alone my own bills.  Again, I cried out to my Father and asked for His help.  I just wanted God’s will to be done.  I really wasn’t trying to think of myself.  If I was supposed to lose Jazz, I was preparing myself to accept it, even though it was hard to even think about it.
 
Every person I talked to who was potentially interested in Jazz didn’t follow through…and keep in mind I was not asking for any money.  I was willing to give him away to the “right person”.  All they had to do was just keep up his current care.

Somehow, I had the confidence that God would always provide us with the extra money for his stall rent, supplements, and food.  One step at a time God provided more help with loving share boarders, people who would pay me monthly to rent Jazz on certain days of the week. 
 
Eventually, as I learned to lean harder and harder and truly trust God for my well-being as well as Jazz’s, God opened even more doors for me which helped me to be in a better financial situation.  God has repeatedly taught me to trust Him.  He taught me His character. This truly allowed me to trust Him fully.  I’m not saying it was easy to go through all of this, and life hasn’t been easy.  I’m just completely grateful that I don’t have to ever go through tough stuff alone.  I am happy to report that Jazz is doing beautifully and continues to touch the lives of everyone who crosses his path.  And all praise to God who is always faithfully there holding my hand, showing me His way one step at a time.  Father God, thank You for Your unfailing love, grace, and rock-steady faithfulness.  Thank You for my precious Jazz.  He is just one of Your many beautiful creations.