To Him be the power

1 Peter 5: 5-11
5 Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because,
"God opposes the proud
but gives grace to the humble."

6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.

7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

8 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.

11 To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.

Oh what glorious words this morning. To Him be the power forever and ever says it all. No matter what happens to us He is with us, He cares for us, and in the end He will win it all for us. That's how much He loves us!

Again I see we are reminded to keep a watchful eye for the devil. It's funny to me that Peter would talk about the devil being like a lion. Just the other day I was watching a National Geographic program about lions and how really tricky they are. First of all, the lions send out the females to hunt and bring back food, they just walk around roaring and keeping their pride in check. That's about what the devil does too. Most of the time he really doesn't have to do anything. We do it for him. It's just his presence that keeps us doing what he wants us to do. That is why it is so important to keep our eyes, hearts and minds on Jesus Christ. It's true, what you dwell on is what you become.

Enjoy your Saturday!

Sweet Potato fries without frying

Spray or oil a sheet pan. Preheat oven to 400.

Microwave 3 large sweet potatoes for about 4 minutes. They should be just starting to soften but not soft. Let them cool in the freezer for about 10 minutes. Peal them and slice into fries. Put 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour in a flat dish. Add salt and pepper to taste. Dredge the fries in the flour and shake off all excess flour in a net strainer or colander. Place fries on baking dish. Spray with non-stick olive oil or canola oil spray. Bake about half done, turnover fries and re-spray. When they are almost toasty brown, spray them one more time. Serve hot.

I've eaten sweet potato fries all my life. I can remember walking down to Mrs. Jackson's house and she would make me fries to eat with cane syrup. It's good to have memories that anchor you to your heritage.