Nice and sunny this morning in our neck of the woods, bit nippy but it is, after all, still winter.

Nice enough that we will be putting some of Ken’s beef steaks on the grill this evening and enjoy some grilling.

I am looking out my window, across the valley, and seeing the blooms on the cherry orchards, it is a beautiful sight. 

And even though my allergies are starting to act up even more, it is a good sign that Spring really is just around the corner.

Carla’s itchy green thumb is being satisfied, for now, with transplanting seedlings into used yogurt containers and putting them in her green house.  Shortly she will be transplanting those into her old milk containers that have been sized so they will continue to grow and then be ready for giving to family and friends.

Garden is scheduled to be plowed under next weekend, she is ready to get to planting.

Our hummingbirds have done well through the winter and are still around, feeding and allowing us to enjoy them.  It is interesting they way they feed, we have some that don’t land, just flutters and dips in just like they do with flowers.

While others like to land on the pegs provided for them and feed that way.  But all are quite careful to look around and see if they have something that is going to attack them – usually another humming bird that has claimed the feeder as ‘his property.’ 

That wouldn’t be all that bad, except it usually the same bird claiming all the feeders.  They can be aggressive little guys.

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1 Peter 3:15  KJV  “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:”

Experience can be the best teacher; however, it is important to be able to back that experience up with facts.

Every day that we are around people we know, they are watching us.  Are we acting as Christians should?

The problem is many of us don’t know how we should really act.  Oh, we know we are suppose to be holy, patient, kind, loving, forgiving, slow to anger – the list goes on.

We may know those things but it is far to easy to forget them under duress of one thing or another – I can ‘testify’ from experience.

It is easy to proclaim we believe in God, in Jesus and His Word, but do we really?  Are we demonstrating, from the heart, the attributes He wants us to show?

Each of us has a personality that, while somewhat similar to others, is uniquely ours.  For the most part we process things differently, we do things differently, we speak and act differently than others.

However, we also model the behavior of our mentors, teachers, trainers, for a while.  When I was working with Rookies I didn’t have to be told who their training officer was, I could see them in the way the Rookie worked.  They had taken on many of the traits of their trainer – that was to be expected.

Eventually, they learned how to work in ways that were more suited to their personality and methods of doing things – there was nothing wrong with that as long as what they did was legal and ethical.

If every police officer did things the way every other officer did them, it wouldn’t take long for the criminal element to see and use that as a means to further their own goal.

It is good to watch, learn and even model Christian behavior after a trusted person, but, be won’t be exactly like them.  As we grow in Christ can use that difference in witnessing to others; others our mentors could not reach.

However, we need to be sure our training, education and belief is based on God’s Word, not just listening to someone talk about the Word, but actually delving into it and knowing AND experiencing its truth for ourselves.

Then when someone does ask us why we believe what we do we can honestly tell them and allow the Holy Spirit to talk with them through us.

In today’s society we have to be so guarded about everything we read or see.  Far too many people get their information off the internet and actually think that if it is there, it is truth.

Unfortunately, those that would destroy God’s Word and twist the meanings of the verses find a willing audience ready to soak up the ‘latest’ ‘real information’ and repeat/repost it to others.  

2 Timothy 4:3-4  KJV  “ For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;

⁴ And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.”

As Paul warned Timothy, we are also warned that satan has his minions and will use anything he can to direct us away from God’s truth. 

His methods have changed through the years, he has upgraded his attacks using different methods, but his goal is the same, bring God down and use people to help him do it.

He normally doesn’t hit us all at once, but he is patient.  He has learned from Adam and Eve on down to us, that if he can get us to question – and not do our research, or get us to believe little lies, then larger lies will eventually drive a completed wedge between us and God.

As Christians, willing to testify and witness to the world, we are very vulnerable to attack and some of those attacks will come from questioning God’s Word, to the point that we try and eliminate one verse over another – not looking at the entire text, nor the history of God’s people – nor the advice of Paul.

That is one of the reasons we need to be prepared to “and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:”

AND, armed with the truth of God’s Word and the leading of the Holy Spirit we will not be fooled by those that want to destroy our testimony by interjecting false information.

“ For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;

⁴ And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.”

Even in the most difficult of times, Christians have been able to share their faith and have led others to salvation.

Lord, may I never falter, but be firm in my commitment to You, Your Son and Your Holy Spirit, no matter what; “and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:”

Later, Art (-: