(a "sermom I preached" to a dear friend; and to MYSELF, lol)
God wants us to "fear not" and He wants us to continually seek Him, sow His Word, and be DOERS of The Word (Matthew 6:33, Mark 4:14 and James 1:22).
God says we're supposed to love Him with ALL our heart, mind, soul and strength (Deuteronomy 6:4, Matthew 22:37, Mark 12:30 and Luke 10:27). I know for a fact that I've not been doing that on a daily basis :(. But we should be seeking God even MORE than a heroin or meth addict seeks a fix! It's amazing that hardcore drug addicts literally "die to self" and are willing to risk their lives to pursue "the fix", but yet we don't have many Christians in the world that are willing to die to self and pursue the Almighty God :(.
His Word is so crucial. The battles we face every day always start in the mind. That's why God's Word says it's vitally important for us to "renew" our minds DAILY (Romans 12:2, 2 Corinthians 4:16 and Ephesians 4:23). When our minds are continually renewed, we think like God; which causes us to hear Him on a much deeper level, which causes us to BE like Him. He wants more than anything for us to be just like Jesus - that's one of the reasons He sent Jesus to die for us. He loves us more than we could ever fathom with our earthly minds, and He wants us to live in complete victory. Jesus said we WILL have trials, but He overcame the world (John 16:33), and He wants us to overcome as well, through 100% trust and reliance on Him.
I think a perfect analogy would be this:
If you really wanted to go on a hike to some amazing place in another part of the world, but you had no experience or knowledge of that place, you would need a guide; someone who HAS experience and could help you on that journey. Our lives are that journey. Every day we need our "guide" (the Holy Spirit) to show us the way and to help us to navigate. Otherwise we're basically just "winging it", and that ultimately will not lead to true victory. We might get lucky sometimes (and even then, it's only God's Grace that protects and sustains us; it's not luck at all).
I truly mean no disrespect when I say this, but if someone says they are giving God 100% of their heart, mind, soul and strength, but then the moment something major happens in their life, they start to question Him, they're not FULLY surrendered. Using the "guide" analogy again, it would be like saying to the guide every 5 minutes "Are you SURE this is the right path?", when the guide has been on the journey so many times, he could walk it blindfolded.
I believe that one of the main reasons you struggle and question Him is because you don't have a great enough revelation yet of His love for you. Trust me man, when you do, it transforms you. And I'm not saying you don't know Him. I'm just saying that you might want to try something radical. For instance, take a 1 week vacation, but rather than doing what you would normally do, take that week and go somewhere secluded by yourself and spend every waking moment of that time seeking Him; spending time in His Word, praying, meditating. I guarantee if you do that, you will have radical revelations and grow in your faith in ways you never thought possible. Again, this message is for me as well because I need the same thing in my own life.
Sometimes we have to completely fast from the world. That's one of the reasons the bible tells us that we have to die to ourselves and crucify our flesh (Mark 8:35, Galatians 5:24, Luke 9:23, Galatians 2:20, Romans 8:13, etc). Our flesh is always talking to us. For one person it might be saying "Don't work so hard! This company doesn't appreciate you! You should just play some games or go take a nap - no one will know!". Or for another person it might be saying "Come on man, you know you want another hit off that pipe! Take it!!" Or for another it might be "Look at how hot that woman is! You want her, don't you!?". But if our hearts aren't completely hardened, even if we're not walking on the path we SHOULD be walking on, we know in our spirits what is truly right or wrong. But if we're not strong in our spirit, our flesh will win that battle every time. Romans 7:15 speaks about this: "I don’t understand my own behavior - I don’t do what I want to do; instead, I do the very thing I hate!"
2 Timothy 2:15 tells us to "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."
I believe one of the things that verse is telling us is that, if we diligently seek God, and we dive into His Word and continually renew our minds, we will BE who He called us to be (and one of the things God wishes for us is that we would triumph over evil every time we're attacked).
Remember when Jesus went into the wilderness to fast, but satan came along and tried to tempt Him 3 times? EVERY time satan tried to tempt Him, Jesus immediately responded with God's Word! That's how we should be. Every time we hear lies in our head or we feel ourselves being tempted, we're supposed to have God's Word SO stored up in our hearts that we don't even have to think about how we're going to respond. We will just immediately REACT by speaking God's Word to counteract those lies. Which reminds me of the verse in the bible "out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks" (Matthew 12:34 and Luke 6:45). If we're filled with His love and truth, it can't help but to overflow out of us into every facet of our lives.
I think it's natural for us to feel fear and all the other natural emotions that can rise up inside us. But I DO believe that God's goal is for us to be so filled with the revelation of His love for us that we will NEVER be a victim of fear.
Look at Jesus example when Him and the disciples were in the boat on their way to the other side of the lake. A great storm rose up and started thrashing the boat, to the point that the disciples literally feared for their lives. They went to Jesus and found Him sleeping, lol! That was their first clue! They should've had enough sense to see Jesus sleeping and be like "Dang, if HE'S not afraid, why should WE be!?". But instead they woke Him up and were basically like "Dude, don't you see we're about to die!?" And the first thing Jesus did was spoke to the storm and calmed it (He was demonstrating His authority, and ultimately SHOWING his disciples "Guys, you don't have to be afraid! I am WITH you!"). The very next thing He did was he asked his disciples "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?". That's the exact same thing God says to you when things don't go right in your life and you start to question Him. It's the same thing He does with all of us - we all fall short in that area.
But when we continue to renew our minds to these revelations and mediate on them, we will start to be transformed by His love and truth. We WILL get to a point where we have absolutely no fear. When something tries to rise up against us, rather than being afraid or questioning how we're going to handle it, we'll be at peace, trusting in Him, and seeking Him to show us how to be victorious (and in many of those moments, we'll actually know what to do and how to respond because we'll have reached the level of understanding and confidence that it takes to properly respond to the lies that try to make us doubt and be fearful).
His Word says in Hosea 4:6 "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge".
That's why we gotta preach the gospel - people are lost and need His truth.
It's cliche, but it's true: John 8:32 says "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."
* Free from fear
* Free from the bondage of addiction
* Free from being victims of temptation
* Free from doubt
* Free from anger
* Free from everything that isn't His will for our lives
You might not realize this, but I appreciate when you talk to me about stuff like tonight because God encourages me and refreshes my spirit while He's using me to encourage you. He is SO good like that! Proverbs 27:17 ;)
Can I preach some more? :D
Look at David! He was SO confident in God, he not only went up against Goliath, but he RAN out to meet him on the battlefield. And that was AFTER seeing an ENTIRE army scared out of their wits and too fearful to fight him!
As we both know, he eventually became king and won MANY battles through The Lord. But even with all that victory in his life, he still had struggles. In 1 Samuel 30, it says "And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God."
David is a good example to us in that verse (verse 6). He was GREATLY distressed. But despite the pain he was in, he STILL knew His God was good. So he encouraged HIMSELF. He didn't wait for someone else to do it. He didn't even ask God to help him out of his grief. He encouraged HIMSELF. Sometimes we gotta do that. We gotta remind ourselves that God IS good and wants the best for us, no matter what we're going through.
Joseph went through a pretty hellish journey too. His brothers hated him so much that they sold him into slavery, and then they lied to their dad about it. And then he eventually ended up in an Egyptian prison. But he never gave up his hope in God. And God turned the tables! He went from being a prisoner to being the second most powerful man in Egypt! I guarantee you he would NOT have had that kind of victory if he had sat in that prison feeling sorry for himself and doubting God.
God was able to take care of Joseph while he was in prison because Joseph was fully trusting in God's ability to take care of him (despite his circumstances).
We HAVE to know that, even when there's a major storm in our lives that's risen up and is threatening to destroy us, we have to know that Jesus won't let that storm destroy us - and we HAVE to FULLY trust in Him. If we don't, there's a chance that the storm WILL destroy us.
That's one of the reasons God has given us SO many examples in His Word. He is telling us "Hey! Trust me!"
Look at Matthew 9:18-26. A ruler (a man of power and authority) came to Jesus and worshipped Him and said "My daughter is dead, but if you lay your hand on her, she will live!". And on the way to the dude's house, Jesus stopped to address a woman who needed to be restored. Then Jesus finally arrived at the guy's house.
And Jesus said "the girl is not dead, but just sleeping". The people in the room laughed at him! They knew in the natural, she literally was dead.
The first thing Jesus did was put all the naysayers outside (He had to get rid of the spirit of unbelief that was polluting that environment). Then Jesus raised her from the dead and the fame of that miracle spread throughout the land!
Thursday, June 21, 2018
Wednesday, April 11, 2018
Your Body Is The Temple Of The Living God!
HIS Spirit dwells within you! The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead dwells within you, and quickens your mortal body, giving life to your flesh and bone (Romans 8:11).
Let's continue to water our spirits with the living Word of God!
Something I'm really feeling in my spirit: We have been bought with the precious blood of Jesus, and for GOD's purpose. This life does not belong to us; it belongs to HIM. I believe we've been too far drifted away from God and He wants us to be fully surrendered to Him so we can be used by Him and experience the blessed life.
Let's keep starving the world and keep feeding our spirits!
Let's continue to water our spirits with the living Word of God!
Something I'm really feeling in my spirit: We have been bought with the precious blood of Jesus, and for GOD's purpose. This life does not belong to us; it belongs to HIM. I believe we've been too far drifted away from God and He wants us to be fully surrendered to Him so we can be used by Him and experience the blessed life.
Let's keep starving the world and keep feeding our spirits!
Thursday, December 21, 2017
A Response To "The Poem"
(a response to a friend of mine who asked me what I thought of this poem)
First the poem:
I knelt to pray but not for long…
I knelt to pray but not for long,
I had too much to do.
I had to hurry and get to work
For bills would soon be due.
So I knelt and said a hurried prayer,
And jumped up off my knees.
My duty was now done
My soul could rest at ease.
All day long I had no time
To spread a word of cheer.
No time to speak of the Almighty to friends,
They’d laugh at me I’d fear.
No time, no time, too much to do,
That was my constant cry,
No time to give to souls in need
But at last the time, the time to die.
I went before the Most High,
I came, I stood with downcast eyes.
For in His hands God held a book;
It was the book of life.
God looked into his book and said
“Your name I cannot find.
I once was going to write it down…
But never found the time”
My response:
Proverbs 26:23 - Burning lips and a wicked heart are like a potsherd covered with silver dross.
Proverbs 26:24 - He that hateth dissembleth with his lips...
Proverbs 26:28 - A lying tongue hateth those that are afflicted by it...
James 3:2-12 - For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body. Behold, we put bits in the horses' mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body. Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth. Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.
Proverbs 15:4 - A wholesome tongue is a tree of life: but perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit.
First the poem:
I knelt to pray but not for long…
I knelt to pray but not for long,
I had too much to do.
I had to hurry and get to work
For bills would soon be due.
So I knelt and said a hurried prayer,
And jumped up off my knees.
My duty was now done
My soul could rest at ease.
All day long I had no time
To spread a word of cheer.
No time to speak of the Almighty to friends,
They’d laugh at me I’d fear.
No time, no time, too much to do,
That was my constant cry,
No time to give to souls in need
But at last the time, the time to die.
I went before the Most High,
I came, I stood with downcast eyes.
For in His hands God held a book;
It was the book of life.
God looked into his book and said
“Your name I cannot find.
I once was going to write it down…
But never found the time”
My response:
That first section tells us the core problem, and
foreshadows what the entire poem will be about: The person in the poem
has a major issue of the heart.
Matthew 6:21 - For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
It's
easy for people to say that they care about something, but when they
dedicate the majority of their time to things other than the "something"
they claim to care about, they show their true colors.
One
immediate example that comes to mind are diehard Facebook users. The
first thing they do when they get up in the morning is check to see if
they have any new notifications, and then they start checking their feed
or play a Facebook game. Then they check it again before they start
work. Then they check it on their break. Then they spend their entire
lunch hour browsing their feed. Then they check it quick before
dinner. Then they spend the rest of the night on there after they put
their kids to bed.
Their treasure (and their heart) is in Facebook.
I
know that can sound extreme and kinda brutal, but it's a sad reality
for a lot of people :(. And whether people want to admit it or not,
when people obsess about things like Facebook or drugs or any number of
things, they're "worshiping" those "things"; those "things" become a
"god" in their life. And God commands us not to do that (Exodus 20:3 - Thou shalt have no other gods before me.)
If
we were to use the poem writer as an example, we might say that his/her
"treasure" is in the "constant busyness of life" (sadly, many people are like this :(.... They always
put their chores and busyness of life before the other things that should be more important).
The next verse that comes to mind is Luke 6:45 - ...for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.
A paraphrase of that verse might sound like this: "The words that someone consistently speaks are a direct representation of what's in that person's heart".
One example of that could be one of those people that everyone has
experienced at one time or another - it's the person who's always got an
attitude, never smiles, and they're always talking like their pissed
off at everyone and everything. Their outward appearance, actions and
words are a direct representation of what's in their heart (they're
miserable and unhappy).
The next verse that comes to mind is Proverbs 4:23 - Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
One way of interpreting that verse from Proverbs is like this: "Guard
your gates (your eyes, ears, mouth, and essentially your spirit; what's
coming in and going out) and guard your thinking, because your life
will be directly effected by what comes in through your gates and what
goes out from your gates". Or, "be careful and thoughtful about every decision and action you make, because those decisions and actions will shape your future".
First
and foremost, we have to guard our gates, because what comes in or goes
out will have a direct effect on our thinking; and our thinking will
shape everything else (I'll talk more about this a little bit later).
Let's look at our "gates" in more detail:
1. We should be guarding our eyes;
we don't need to see everything that's possible to see in this life.
Some things are better left unseen (seeing a car wreck for instance,
where a person's body is all mangled - or watching a horror movie).
Some people say they "love watching horror movies because they're so
scary". But when people watch horror movies, they're literally opening
their hearts to a spirit of evil.
2. We should be guarding our ears;
we don't need to hear everything that's possible to hear in this life.
Example: A child is born knowing very little about themselves and the
world around them; they have to learn it over the course of their
childhood. Now let's imagine a child who lives in a home where the
father is a miserable drunk. If the father continually tells the child
on a daily basis, "you're no good" or "you're never going to amount to
anything", the child will be at a disadvantage of "believing" the lies
that the father keeps telling him/her (Proverbs 23:7 - For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he).
3. We should be guarding our mouths;
in more ways than you might imagine. There's the obvious one where we
should be careful about what we eat or drink (alcohol for instance is
basically liquid poison that has seriously harmful effects on our
bodies). But there's another majorly important one: we have to be
careful about what we "say".
Quick segue: God tells us in His Word (in Genesis 1) that one of the early principles/laws we should be aware of is the law of sowing and reaping. There are MANY examples of this in the bible, but one that immediately comes to mind is Galatians 6:7 - ...for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. We can sow and reap good things, or we can sow and reap bad things.
There
are MANY ways to "sow". One way is by speaking words. If a friend of
yours is always talking negative (whether it's complaining, or talking
bad about others, etc), if you keep hanging around that person, their
negative words are going to have a negative effect on you (even if it's
something as simple as "Man, listening to this guy complain all the
time is bumming me out! I gotta stop hanging out with him because I
don't wanna be bummed out every time he comes around!").
Another
way to "sow" is by "thinking". If a negative thought comes into our
mind, and we make the mistake of entertaining it, it can eventually
dominate our thoughts. One example of this is a drug addict who wants
to quit doing drugs, but he/she still wrestles with the initial "feeling
of getting high". If he/she makes the decision to stop doing drugs,
but a thought comes into their mind about how good it would feel to get
high, if they don't get rid of that thought quickly, he/she will
continue thinking about it (entertaining the idea), which could
eventually lead to getting high again.
Matthew 9:4 - And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts?
If Jesus
was with the person from our previous example, where the drug addict
started entertaining the thought of getting high, He might say something
similar to what He said in Matthew 9:4 ("Why are you entertaining those evil thoughts? They'll only lead to your destruction!").
4. OK, now let's talk about the last one; our spirit.
Just like our bodies need food and water on a daily basis to stay
"fueled", our spirits need "food" on a daily basis as well. We don't
eat food and say "that'll keep me full for the next week", but yet so
many "Christians" think they only need to "eat" on Sunday (when they go
to church one day per week). We can't "get faith" one day, and then
expect to survive on that faith days later. We need to be filling
ourselves every day (getting faith every day).
Look at the example of when the Israelites were in the wilderness and they had to collect manna every morning (Exodus 16).
They couldn't collect "extra" and save it for the next day. They could
only collect once per day (except on the sixth day, but that's a
different conversation all together), and they could only eat what they
collected that day (they had to depend on each day for each day's
supply). It's the same with faith. We can't go to church on Sunday,
get filled up with faith, and then expect to make it the entire week off
that one day of fuel.
Sorry,
gotta segue again on that one, lol. "Church" is not actually a
"place"; it's "people". WE as Christians ARE "the church" (the body of
Christ).
OK, referring back to "faith" and how to get it: The bible says that ...faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God (Romans 10:17)
There are three ways that "faith comes by hearing":
1. We silently read God's Word (or the faith-filled, Holy Spirit
inspired words of a godly friend) and we hear the Holy Spirit speak to
our heart.
2. We read aloud God's Word (or
the faith-filled, Holy Spirit inspired words of a godly friend) and we
hear the Holy Spirit speak to our heart while/through hearing our own
voice speak.
3. We listen to a pastor or friend speak God's Word (or
faith-filled, Holy Spirit inspired words) and as we listen to the words
being spoken, we hear the Holy Spirit speak to our heart.
OK,
continuing on - let me reference our ears again: we should be guarding
our "ears". We don't need to hear everything that's possible to hear in
this life. For instance, there's a lot of music that sounds great, but
the lyrics are horrible. And worse yet, if we sing "bad lyrics", we're
not guarding one of our other gates; our "mouth".
So
many choices we make in life, especially when done consistently, will
literally lead to life or death (spiritually and sometimes even
physically). So many of the decisions we make (whether it be to say
something or not say something, or to do something or not to do
something) can have a major impact on our future. One of the most
powerful decisions (and actions) we make are when we speak words. For
instance, people say "sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me". But you know what?... They're full of crap, lol.
The
bible has a lot to say about the words we choose to speak (and keep in
mind, this isn't a 100% exhaustive list - this is just some of the verses in the bible that talk about the tongue and the power of spoken words):
Proverbs 18:21 - Death and life are in the power of the tongue...
Proverbs 26:22 - The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.
Proverbs 26:23 - Burning lips and a wicked heart are like a potsherd covered with silver dross.
Proverbs 26:24 - He that hateth dissembleth with his lips...
Proverbs 26:28 - A lying tongue hateth those that are afflicted by it...
James 3:2-12 - For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body. Behold, we put bits in the horses' mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body. Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth. Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.
Psalm 52:2 - The tongue deviseth mischiefs; like a sharp razor, working deceitfully.
James 1:19 - Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.
Proverbs 18:4 - The words of a man's mouth are as deep waters, and the wellspring of wisdom as a flowing brook.
Proverbs 18:6-8 - A fool's lips enter into contention, and his mouth calleth for strokes. A fool's mouth is his destruction, and his lips are the snare of his soul. The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.
Proverbs 15:1-2 - A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger. The tongue of the wise useth knowledge aright: but the mouth of fools poureth out foolishness.
Proverbs 12:18-19 - There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the wise is health. The lip of truth shall be established for ever: but a lying tongue is but for a moment.
Proverbs 12:13-14 - The wicked is snared by the transgression of his lips: but the just shall come out of trouble. A man shall be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth.
James 1:19 - Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.
Proverbs 18:4 - The words of a man's mouth are as deep waters, and the wellspring of wisdom as a flowing brook.
Proverbs 18:6-8 - A fool's lips enter into contention, and his mouth calleth for strokes. A fool's mouth is his destruction, and his lips are the snare of his soul. The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.
Proverbs 15:1-2 - A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger. The tongue of the wise useth knowledge aright: but the mouth of fools poureth out foolishness.
Proverbs 12:18-19 - There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the wise is health. The lip of truth shall be established for ever: but a lying tongue is but for a moment.
Proverbs 12:13-14 - The wicked is snared by the transgression of his lips: but the just shall come out of trouble. A man shall be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth.
Proverbs 12:6 - The words of the wicked are to lie in wait for blood: but the mouth of the upright shall deliver them.
Psalm 141:3 - Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.
Psalm 34:13 - Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile.
Proverbs 26:20 - Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out: so where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth.
Proverbs 21:23 - Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles.
Matthew 15:11 - Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.
Proverbs 15:28 - The heart of the righteous studieth to answer: but the mouth of the wicked poureth out evil things.
Proverbs 15:4 - A wholesome tongue is a tree of life: but perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit.
1 Peter 3:10 - For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile...
Make no mistake, spoken words are powerful! Words and actions are seeds, and they can be positive and sown in good soil - or they can be negative and/or sown in bad soil.
(continuing on from my earlier comment of "I'll talk more about this a little bit later")
Here's another example of why guarding our gates (and ultimately our heart/spirit) is so important:
One of two things will shape the way we think: "the world" or "The Word".
1.
Either the world will shape the way we think, or God's Word (His Truth)
will shape the way we think (our minds / we're either going to have the
mind of the world, or we're going to have the mind of Christ). By the
way, 1 Corinthians 2:16 says that, as "believers", we HAVE the mind of Christ (but we have to KNOW it, and we have to DO something about it).
Colossians 2:8 - Beware
lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the
tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after
Christ. (Be sure you are not led
away by the teaching of those who have nothing worth saying and only
plan to deceive you. That teaching is not from Christ. It is only human
tradition and comes from the powers that influence this world.)
2.
Our thinking shapes/produces our emotions. You know how powerful
"feelings" can be. And negative feelings can have a major negative
effect on us (and ultimately our destiny).
3.
Our emotions produce our decisions (our "will"). Think about how
powerful just ONE "bad" decision can be (for example: some people
literally have decades of regret over one bad decision they made many
years ago).
4.
Our decisions produce our actions. Think about this for a second: You
know those times when you're faced with a decision, and you think about
the possible consequences of making that decision, and then you act on
it (you either decide against doing whatever it is you were considering doing, or you decide to do
whatever it is you were considering doing). That's why it's so
important that our hearts and minds are in the right place (the right
"frame"); so we'll make the right decisions (which lead to the right
actions).
5.
Our actions produce our habits. A simple example of this one is
someone who smokes. The majority of people who smoke don't try it for
the very first time and say "Oh man, this is great!". They smoke
multiple times before they get past the initial harshness and crappy
taste, but before they know it, they're addicted and can't stop. That's
a perfect example of where I'm going with this whole thing: In a
person's heart, they know, in their mind/thinking that smoking is
harmful to their health (before they ever actually "decide" to smoke).
But if they don't let that truth shape how they "feel", then they'll
make the wrong decision, which leads to the wrong action, which
eventually leads to the wrong habit.
Let's
look at a more blatant example: I know how addictive my personality
can be. And I also know how addictive drugs like crack, heroin, meth,
etc, can be. Just knowing those two things protects me from ever doing
down a road of destruction.
a. I know the truth, so it shapes the way I think.
b. My thoughts about how addictive and destructive drugs are has a direct impact on how I feel about drugs.
c. My feelings about drugs shape my decision (to NOT do drugs).
d. My decision to not do drugs protects my actions (I take the proper action; I steer clear of drugs).
e. My action to avoid drugs and not do them produces a daily habit of avoiding drugs and not doing them.
f. This leads to #6...
6.
Our habits produce our character. Someone who's got a solid handle on
1-5 (whether it's positive or negative) will end up being someone that
you look up to, or someone that you feel sorry for. You don't have to
be "smart" or "a good person" to have a solid handle on 1-5. Some
people are experts at making poor decisions one after another. But
other people become good at making good decisions on a daily basis.
7.
Our character produces our destiny. And when I say "destiny", I don't
just mean the last days of someone's life, or "retirement age". We can
arrive at our destiny every day of the week. And ending up at the wrong
destiny day after day will eventually lead someone to a place where
their life is almost over but they have more regrets than they can count
with regards to the way that they shaped their destiny over the course
of their life.
Let me go back to talking about "faith" again for a moment.
Romans 12:3 says ...according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
Notice it doesn't say "a measure", but it says "the measure". God gives EVERY person THE
measure (we all get the SAME measure of faith). But how strong it
becomes within us depends on how much we feed our spirits and exercise
it (faith).
Hebrews 11:1 says Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
If
we have "hope", but we don't have faith, we're only "hoping" that
something may or may not happen some day in the future. But if we have
"faith", we HAVE the thing we're hoping for; it becomes ours immediately
(we possess it).
Example: As a believer, before I accepted Jesus'
sacrifice (and all that He redeemed me for and from), I had a choice to
make: I could either believe what God says (and act on that belief by
accepting the free gift of salvation), or I could refuse to believe what
God says (thus acting on that false belief, being forever separated
from God in this life and the next life).
That
might seem like a confusing example, but here's where I'm going with
it: EVERYONE believes something. They either believe something that's
true, or they believe something that's false. But either way, no matter
what they believe in, they have conviction about their belief; which is
actually "faith" (unwavering belief). They're convinced that what they
believe in is "right" (even if sometimes it's not). So "faith" doesn't
always have to be a reference to something "positive". People have
"faith" in wrong things all the time :(...
Side note (for people who say they'll just remain neutral): In the song "Freewill" by Rush, there's a lyric: "If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice".
See, it doesn't matter what people say they believe in or don't believe
in, or even if they say they're not going to make a decision - every
one of those actions is a choice.
Let
me expand on this some more: Non-believers don't have an understanding
of what it means to be a Christian, or "how to get to heaven". And
some of them don't want to understand, nor do they want to "go to
heaven". But there are some who are sort of on the fence; they like the
idea of going to heaven, but they don't know what it takes to get
there. If they could learn more, they could eventually "make an
informed decision". These people have "hope" (hope that they might be
saved someday), but they don't have faith; their hope has no substance
yet - it's basically just a "wish" (it may or may not happen - it's just
them hoping that something good MIGHT happen someday). But if that
person hears the good news of who Jesus is, why
He died and rose again, and what His plan is for their life, their hope
can be transformed into faith (and they can know for certain that they
have what they believe).
This makes me think of two verses:
Mark 11:24 - Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
Matthew 21:22 - ...whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.
I
don't know about you, but when I accepted Christ, I didn't really
"feel" any different inside. And I certainly couldn't "see" God in the
flesh or have a physical "claim ticket" from God that proved "You are
100% saved now!". BUT, I knew in my heart that I was saved; I believed I had received, immediately.
Romans 10:10 - For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Here's
another example to drive it home: If you receive a legitimate call
from a man named "Bill", and he works for a legitimate hotel franchise,
and he legitimately tells you "You've just won a
FREE three-night stay at one of our luxurious hotels. We'll be mailing
you an official claim ticket that you can present to the checkin staff
when you arrive. If you have any trouble, let them know that you got
the claim ticket from Bill - here's my phone number as well
(815-555-1234).", you may initially think to yourself "this is too good to be true!" (the same thing that many non-believers think the first time they hear about Jesus
and salvation...). But you know that the guy, the hotel, and the
"award" are all legitimate - and when the official claim ticket arrives
in the mail, you're like "Dang! Here's my official claim ticket!"
When you go to the hotel, you have an unwavering conviction that you're going to be staying there for free; you're expecting it.
Now
let's say that, after you arrive at the check-in desk, there's a shady
employee there and he's like "This is a mistake, you didn't win a free
stay at our hotel. I'm sorry, you're going to have to pay for your
room. (maybe because he wants to rip you off for instance)". You're
gonna be like "I don't think so! I have an official claim ticket, and I even have Bill's number if you'd like to call and talk to him!"
It's
very much the same way with faith and salvation. God Himself has told
us (by His Word and by His Spirit) that He loves us and wants to have an
intimate relationship with us, and He's freely given us the gift of
salvation through the sacrifice that His Son Jesus
made on our behalf. And for those of us who have firmly believed what
God has said and done, and we've received Him into our hearts, we're
convinced that we're "saved" (unwavering belief - faith!).
Sometimes
the devil will try to fill our heads with lies and get us off track
(and ultimately get us to stop believing God and start believing satan
and his lies instead), but just like that shady employee at the hotel
checkin desk, we're like "Oh no you don't satan! My salvation has been bought and paid for by the blood of Jesus! I've got my official claim ticket right here, and there's nothing you can do to keep me from it!"
This
all started way back in the garden. God demonstrated His Sovereignty
(through all that He created) AND His Love (by creating us in His image
and likeness). And after he created Adam and Eve, he proclaimed The Blessing
over them AND their descendants (empowering them to prosper in
everything that they said and did). But then satan came along and
started spewing lies; trying to get them to believe something other than
what God said (which ultimately led to them being deceived).
There's
so many things wrong in that early story - things I'd really like to
talk more about (with regards to satan of course, and with regards to
the way that Adam and Eve handled that situation), but I think that's
another topic for another time, lol.
BUT, that doesn't mean I'm done just yet! :D
Another side note: We believe in God without seeing Him. Non-believers don't believe in God, because they
can't see Him. I've always been fascinated by this. Not only because
there are so many signs of God in His creation alone, but also because
people believe plenty of other things without seeing...
OK, let's go back to talking about "faith". The bible says "the just shall live by faith" in at least four different books (Habakkuk 2:4, Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:11 and Hebrews 10:38). The quick "Shuey paraphrase" for that would be "the
people who have accepted the free gift of salvation, and thus having
been justified and in right standing with God, THEY MUST LIVE BY FAITH".
Ultimately, we need to be living examples of what James 1:22 says - ...be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
And
having faith in what God says will often times mean "going against the
grain" or believing in things that seem insane to the rest of the
world. But God never promised that things would always make sense -
He's called us to believe and obey what He says, and He's promised to
provide for our every need if we do that.
Let's look again at Hebrews 11:1, and let's pay close attention to the first three words: "Now faith is".
Faith
is "now". Faith doesn't say "someday". Just like our salvation is "a
done deal" the moment we believe and receive, everything else with
regards to faith is the same way.
I'm gonna go off on a bit of a tangent, but hang in there with me.
Prior
to Adam and Eve sinning, the world was perfect. God created it
perfectly (animals didn't kill and eat each other, hurricanes didn't
destroy things, etc). But the moment Adam and Eve sinned, "the curse"
came into the world. And God knew in advance that man's freewill would
lead to things going awry - that's why He had to have a "plan B" (God's
original plan, "plan A", was the perfect world He created, and mankind
created in His perfect image and likeness. But mankind also has a
freewill, and He knew mankind would rebel against Him; mankind would
ultimately try to define "good and evil" for themselves, rather than
following God's example).
Revelation 13:8 says that Jesus
("the Lamb") was "slain from the foundation of the world". God knew
man was going to fail. But because He loves us more than we could ever
imagine, He provided (in advance) a perfect sacrifice that would
permanently "seal our fate" (in a good way!) for anyone willing to
believe and receive.
Another
quick side-note: Non-believers always make the comment "How can a
loving God send people to hell!?". The answer to that is not so simple
to articulate, but it IS relatively simple, conceptually.
First of all, God created hell for satan and all the angels who willingly decided to rebel against Him (along with satan) - He didn't create hell as a "punishment" for mankind.
Second
of all, God is a gentleman. Just like a good man would never force
himself on a woman who wanted nothing to do with him, God will not force
himself on anyone who will not receive Him. People who have willingly
resisted God and said that they want nothing to do with Him, they will
get exactly what they want in the next life because hell is ultimately a
place where its inhabitants are permanently separated from God. Why
would God force someone to spend eternity with Him if they've spent a
lifetime on earth resisting Him? That would be like a man on earth
pursuing a woman his entire life, all while she continues to resist him,
constantly saying "leave me alone!", but then when they both die, he
forces the woman to spend all the rest of eternity with him. It makes
no more sense in that example than it does for God to do the same thing
with anyone on earth who refuses Him.
OK, back to "faith", again! Now let's look at "healing".
God's Word says in 1 Peter 2:24 "by whose stripes ye were healed". Notice it says "WERE healed". Healing is a "provision". It's part of the "salvation package". When Jesus
died and rose again, defeating sin and death, He redeemed us from "the
curse" and everything that goes with it (sickness, poverty, etc). 1 Peter 2:24 is essentially saying "Jesus took all your sickness on the cross, buried it in His death, and defeated it when He rose again". Matthew 8:17 also speaks of this by saying that Jesus "took our infirmities, and bare our sickness".
Galatians 3:13 - Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us.
So
if He took our infirmities, and bore our sickness, and if by His
stripes we WERE healed (ultimately before the foundation of the world -
before we were ever born), then we have to act on that truth - we know
in our hearts and minds that God's Word is true, which should shape how
we feel about that truth (convicted/convinced), and we should ultimately
make a decision to act on what we KNOW.
Another quick segue: "Knowing" is not always "knowing". Our circumstances can say "Dude, you're sick! You clearly have all the symptoms of a sick person (coughing, sneezing, stuffy head, etc)",
but God's Word/God's Truth trumps circumstances. I'm not saying that
we have to deny circumstances. If a cold has come against us, clearly
there are physical signs of the sickness. But what I AM saying is that
we, as children of the Most High living God... we SHOULD be resisting
sickness. We don't deny its existence, but we SHOULD be denying its
power and/or authority over us. Sickness is not from God, which means
it can only be from one place; satan.
James 4:7 tells us to "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."
When
sickness comes against us, we have a choice. We can either do like the
world does and simply accept it as something that we supposedly have no
control over, or we can act on the dominion that Christ empowered us
with, and we can resist sickness; standing on our promised healing (part
of our "salvation package").
Deuteronomy 30:19-20 - I
call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set
before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life,
that both thou and thy seed may live: That
thou mayest love the Lord thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice,
and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the
length of thy days...
We don't need to ask God to heal us. He already did that before we ever existed in the physical realm.
When God's Spirit was moving upon the face of the waters, and darkness was upon the face of the deep (Genesis 1:2), God didn't say "Oh man, this sucks! It's dark! I wish it would be light!". God used faith-filled words to speak "Let there be light", and there was light (Genesis 1:3).
It's
the same with our "benefits" as believers. We have to know what our
benefits are, and we have to act on that knowledge (following the
appropriate spiritual laws).
Notice
in that last sentence, I said "spiritual laws" again (I said it way
earlier in this letter). Just like there's the "law of gravity", there
are spiritual laws; such as "faith worketh by love" (Galatians 5:6).
Let me list a few verses about love and why it's so important:
Matthew 22:36-39 - Jesus
said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and
with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great
commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy
neighbour as thyself.
(another quick note: we as believers can't love God without trusting Him - and we can't trust Him without loving Him)
Proverbs 3:5-6 - Trust
in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own
understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy
paths.
1 Corinthians 13:1-8 - If
I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love
others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had
the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and
possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move
mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. If I gave
everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast
about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained
nothing. Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or
proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable,
and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about
injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives
up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every
circumstance. Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages[b] and special
knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever!
God IS love, and He wants us to walk in love because "love never fails".
OK,
I'm gonna end it there, but I still wanna talk about some other things
after you've had time to digest all of this (things like: God's command
to Adam and Eve in the garden; Genesis 1:28 / "Identity" and how
important it is; John 10:10 / "Confession" and what it really means).
Friday, September 1, 2017
How To Tell Where Your Life Is Headed
(from Terri Savelle Foy)
Have you ever felt trapped or stuck in life even though you've worked so hard to make a change?
Some people spend years trying to obtain the missing piece that will bring the breakthrough, cause transformation, and propel them to their dreams.
I meet people in conferences around the world who really want to see their life grow, some who are truly desperate for change.
We all have a God-given desire to increase, expand, and enjoy an abundant life. But that desire can turn into frustration when we're out of order with God's process to receive it.
This example will show you what I mean:
There was a young girl who was violated as a teenager, got in an abusive relationship, got pregnant before marriage, miscarried the baby, was diagnosed with skin cancer, betrayed, rejected . . . but one day, she started making positive declarations-she became her own best cheerleader.
She began declaring things like:
I'm loved by God.
I'm confident.
I'm forgiven.
I'm courageous.
I'm highly favored.
She said this over and over until her thinking began to line up with her words.
Today, this girl is a success coach to hundreds of thousands of people, the founder of a growing ministry, her books are sold all over the world, she helps women's safe houses and rescue centers across the USA, and she's writing this letter to you!
Even though God had forgiven me and had a plan for my life, I was stuck. But when I changed what I was saying, everything else began to change.
I want you to experience this same kind of transformational power. Become your own best cheerleader and you can live your dreams!
God has so many great things in store for you, but if you really want to know where your life is headed, listen to the words coming out of your mouth.
If you change what you're saying,
you will change what you're seeing.
How you talk to yourself determines how successful you will be. Period.
The words you speak can help you:
- lose weight
- get good grades
- achieve promotions
- close sales
- have meaningful relationships
- develop good habits
There's a reason God tells us in Proverbs 18:21 that life and death are carried through the power of our tongue. Let me give you an overview of what I call The 5 P's of a Personal Pep Talk.
(1) Positive. Simply put, avoid negative statements and speak what you want, not what you don't want. Don't say: I'm not overweight or I'm losing weight. Begin declaring: I'm at my perfect weight of 125 pounds; I am fit, firm, and muscular.
(2) Personal. Make scriptures/declarations personal to you. The most effective and powerful weapon you have is to speak God's Word out of your mouth. Begin to say, "God is working all things together for my good. I am blessed coming in and going out. I delight in the Lord and He gives me the desires of my heart."
(3) Present tense. We're prone to make declarations in the future tense. "I will make more money. I will get that job. I will have a baby." It places your faith in the future: one day, someday, just not now. Start your declarations with "I am, I enjoy, I have."
(4) Precise. Vague goals produce vague results. It's ineffective to say, "I am losing weight, I am making more money, I have better relationships." Be specific as you declare and release your faith.
(5) Passion. When you speak affirmations and declarations you're believing for, act as if it's already happened. Would you say it in a monotone, passion-less way? No! You'd say it with conviction and excitement! Your faith is the evidence of what you can't see yet in the natural . . . so speak it with passion!
There's so much more I want to share with you about this vital topic. . .
We're doing everything we can to help people make their dreams bigger than their memories and fulfill God's assignment for their lives.
There's certainly no way I could step out of my comfort zone and do all God has called me to do if I hadn't learned to give myself a pep talk.
There's something God wants you to accomplish during your time on the earth. A big step to see that become a reality is to begin using your words to create your world.
Have you ever felt trapped or stuck in life even though you've worked so hard to make a change?
Some people spend years trying to obtain the missing piece that will bring the breakthrough, cause transformation, and propel them to their dreams.
I meet people in conferences around the world who really want to see their life grow, some who are truly desperate for change.
We all have a God-given desire to increase, expand, and enjoy an abundant life. But that desire can turn into frustration when we're out of order with God's process to receive it.
This example will show you what I mean:
There was a young girl who was violated as a teenager, got in an abusive relationship, got pregnant before marriage, miscarried the baby, was diagnosed with skin cancer, betrayed, rejected . . . but one day, she started making positive declarations-she became her own best cheerleader.
She began declaring things like:
I'm loved by God.
I'm confident.
I'm forgiven.
I'm courageous.
I'm highly favored.
She said this over and over until her thinking began to line up with her words.
Today, this girl is a success coach to hundreds of thousands of people, the founder of a growing ministry, her books are sold all over the world, she helps women's safe houses and rescue centers across the USA, and she's writing this letter to you!
Even though God had forgiven me and had a plan for my life, I was stuck. But when I changed what I was saying, everything else began to change.
I want you to experience this same kind of transformational power. Become your own best cheerleader and you can live your dreams!
God has so many great things in store for you, but if you really want to know where your life is headed, listen to the words coming out of your mouth.
If you change what you're saying,
you will change what you're seeing.
How you talk to yourself determines how successful you will be. Period.
The words you speak can help you:
- lose weight
- get good grades
- achieve promotions
- close sales
- have meaningful relationships
- develop good habits
There's a reason God tells us in Proverbs 18:21 that life and death are carried through the power of our tongue. Let me give you an overview of what I call The 5 P's of a Personal Pep Talk.
(1) Positive. Simply put, avoid negative statements and speak what you want, not what you don't want. Don't say: I'm not overweight or I'm losing weight. Begin declaring: I'm at my perfect weight of 125 pounds; I am fit, firm, and muscular.
(2) Personal. Make scriptures/declarations personal to you. The most effective and powerful weapon you have is to speak God's Word out of your mouth. Begin to say, "God is working all things together for my good. I am blessed coming in and going out. I delight in the Lord and He gives me the desires of my heart."
(3) Present tense. We're prone to make declarations in the future tense. "I will make more money. I will get that job. I will have a baby." It places your faith in the future: one day, someday, just not now. Start your declarations with "I am, I enjoy, I have."
(4) Precise. Vague goals produce vague results. It's ineffective to say, "I am losing weight, I am making more money, I have better relationships." Be specific as you declare and release your faith.
(5) Passion. When you speak affirmations and declarations you're believing for, act as if it's already happened. Would you say it in a monotone, passion-less way? No! You'd say it with conviction and excitement! Your faith is the evidence of what you can't see yet in the natural . . . so speak it with passion!
There's so much more I want to share with you about this vital topic. . .
We're doing everything we can to help people make their dreams bigger than their memories and fulfill God's assignment for their lives.
There's certainly no way I could step out of my comfort zone and do all God has called me to do if I hadn't learned to give myself a pep talk.
There's something God wants you to accomplish during your time on the earth. A big step to see that become a reality is to begin using your words to create your world.
Tuesday, June 13, 2017
Ian's Revelations About Marriage
(an email my son sent to us)
WHY do people need the state’s permission to marry? For most of Western history, they didn’t, because marriage was a private contract between two families. Agreement to the match, not the approval of the church (as an institution, i.e. catholic church, the pope, etc.) or state, was what confirmed its validity.
For 16 centuries, the church also defined the validity of a marriage on the basis of a couple’s wishes. If two people claimed they had exchanged marital vows (even out alone by the haystack), the church accepted that they were validly married.
In 1215, the catholic church decreed that a “licit” marriage must take place in church. But people who married illicitly had the same rights and obligations as a couple married in church: their children were legitimate; the wife had the same inheritance rights; the couple was subject to the same prohibitions against divorce.
Not until the 16th century did European states begin to require that marriages be performed under legal auspices. In part, this was an attempt to prevent unions within aristocratic families between young adults whose parents opposed their match.
The American colonies officially required marriages to be registered, but until the mid-19th century, state supreme courts routinely ruled that public cohabitation was sufficient evidence of a valid marriage, as in "why would they be living together if they weren't married." By the later part of that century, however, the United States began to nullify common-law marriages and exert more control over who was allowed to marry.
By the 1920s, 38 states prohibited whites from marrying blacks, “mulattos,” Japanese, Chinese, Indians, “Mongolians,” “Malays” or Filipinos. Twelve states would not issue a marriage license if one partner was a drunk, an addict or a “mental defect.” Eighteen states set barriers to remarriage after divorce. Of course some of the more racist and discriminatory laws have been reversed today.
Governments want to regulate procreation and inheritance, as a way for the people in power to assert their superiority.
Then, governments began relying on marriage licenses for a new purpose: as a way of distributing resources to dependents. The Social Security Act provided survivors’ benefits with proof of marriage. Employers used marital status to determine whether they would provide health insurance or pension benefits to employees’ dependents. Courts and hospitals required a marriage license before granting couples the privilege of inheriting from each other or receiving medical information.
In the 1950s, using the marriage license as a shorthand way to distribute benefits and legal privileges made some sense because almost all adults were married. Cohabitation and single parenthood by choice were very rare.
Today, however, possession of a marriage license tells us little about people’s interpersonal responsibilities. Half of all Americans aged 25 to 29 are unmarried, and many of them already have incurred obligations as partners, parents or both. Almost 40 percent of America’s children are born to unmarried parents. Meanwhile, many legally married people are in remarriages where their obligations are spread among several households. Obviously people should be getting married, but do they really have to get married the way the government defines it? And how many of these statistics would line up better with a positive future if we changed the definition of marriage from the modern "license" to the "old school" union.
Of course this doesn't factor in worst-case situations like, some dude "marries" 8 women and it's valid because his local "church" approves. But we rather regulate it through the government and have a more stable system, albeit based on regulation, control, money, etc. Or would we rather regulate it based on principles of love, devotion, and righteousness.
Jesus didn't seem to have a whole lot of "political" opinions, but based on the way He told off the pharisees for oppressing people and making everything about money and control instead of God and actual people's feelings and emotions; I can't help but think that Jesus would be opposed to institutionalization.
Institutionalism tends towards reducing openness to self-evaluation. In institutionalism, "self-evaluation" comes down to the leadership judging the ordinary members, but not the institutional leadership themselves being subject to judgment. Yet the Bible teaches, "Beloved, don’t believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world." (1 John 4:1). God tells the ordinary Christian to be skeptical about all teachings and to compare them to what the Bible says. Paul commended the Bereans who exercised skepticism towards his own teachings. "These (the Bereans) were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so." (Acts 17:11). It's less honorable to gullibly accept whatever is taught, even if such teachings happen to be correct. Even Jesus said, "If I don’t do the works of my Father, don’t believe me." (John 10:37). He doesn't want gullible followers. Those He describes in the parable of the sower, "And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness; And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are offended." (Mark 4:16-17).
Adam and Eve were married weren't they? Did God put a Senate house and an Executive branch in the garden? Seems to me like marriage is pretty clearly illustrated in the same place God tells us His perfect vision, the basis of creation, our purpose, and even the meaning of life as we know it -- in Genesis; and in Genesis, what is our foundational depiction of marriage?
Only three components: God, Adam and Eve.
And ultimately that is what it boils down to.
WHY do people need the state’s permission to marry? For most of Western history, they didn’t, because marriage was a private contract between two families. Agreement to the match, not the approval of the church (as an institution, i.e. catholic church, the pope, etc.) or state, was what confirmed its validity.
For 16 centuries, the church also defined the validity of a marriage on the basis of a couple’s wishes. If two people claimed they had exchanged marital vows (even out alone by the haystack), the church accepted that they were validly married.
In 1215, the catholic church decreed that a “licit” marriage must take place in church. But people who married illicitly had the same rights and obligations as a couple married in church: their children were legitimate; the wife had the same inheritance rights; the couple was subject to the same prohibitions against divorce.
Not until the 16th century did European states begin to require that marriages be performed under legal auspices. In part, this was an attempt to prevent unions within aristocratic families between young adults whose parents opposed their match.
The American colonies officially required marriages to be registered, but until the mid-19th century, state supreme courts routinely ruled that public cohabitation was sufficient evidence of a valid marriage, as in "why would they be living together if they weren't married." By the later part of that century, however, the United States began to nullify common-law marriages and exert more control over who was allowed to marry.
By the 1920s, 38 states prohibited whites from marrying blacks, “mulattos,” Japanese, Chinese, Indians, “Mongolians,” “Malays” or Filipinos. Twelve states would not issue a marriage license if one partner was a drunk, an addict or a “mental defect.” Eighteen states set barriers to remarriage after divorce. Of course some of the more racist and discriminatory laws have been reversed today.
Governments want to regulate procreation and inheritance, as a way for the people in power to assert their superiority.
Then, governments began relying on marriage licenses for a new purpose: as a way of distributing resources to dependents. The Social Security Act provided survivors’ benefits with proof of marriage. Employers used marital status to determine whether they would provide health insurance or pension benefits to employees’ dependents. Courts and hospitals required a marriage license before granting couples the privilege of inheriting from each other or receiving medical information.
In the 1950s, using the marriage license as a shorthand way to distribute benefits and legal privileges made some sense because almost all adults were married. Cohabitation and single parenthood by choice were very rare.
Today, however, possession of a marriage license tells us little about people’s interpersonal responsibilities. Half of all Americans aged 25 to 29 are unmarried, and many of them already have incurred obligations as partners, parents or both. Almost 40 percent of America’s children are born to unmarried parents. Meanwhile, many legally married people are in remarriages where their obligations are spread among several households. Obviously people should be getting married, but do they really have to get married the way the government defines it? And how many of these statistics would line up better with a positive future if we changed the definition of marriage from the modern "license" to the "old school" union.
Of course this doesn't factor in worst-case situations like, some dude "marries" 8 women and it's valid because his local "church" approves. But we rather regulate it through the government and have a more stable system, albeit based on regulation, control, money, etc. Or would we rather regulate it based on principles of love, devotion, and righteousness.
Jesus didn't seem to have a whole lot of "political" opinions, but based on the way He told off the pharisees for oppressing people and making everything about money and control instead of God and actual people's feelings and emotions; I can't help but think that Jesus would be opposed to institutionalization.
Institutionalism tends towards reducing openness to self-evaluation. In institutionalism, "self-evaluation" comes down to the leadership judging the ordinary members, but not the institutional leadership themselves being subject to judgment. Yet the Bible teaches, "Beloved, don’t believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world." (1 John 4:1). God tells the ordinary Christian to be skeptical about all teachings and to compare them to what the Bible says. Paul commended the Bereans who exercised skepticism towards his own teachings. "These (the Bereans) were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so." (Acts 17:11). It's less honorable to gullibly accept whatever is taught, even if such teachings happen to be correct. Even Jesus said, "If I don’t do the works of my Father, don’t believe me." (John 10:37). He doesn't want gullible followers. Those He describes in the parable of the sower, "And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness; And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are offended." (Mark 4:16-17).
Adam and Eve were married weren't they? Did God put a Senate house and an Executive branch in the garden? Seems to me like marriage is pretty clearly illustrated in the same place God tells us His perfect vision, the basis of creation, our purpose, and even the meaning of life as we know it -- in Genesis; and in Genesis, what is our foundational depiction of marriage?
Only three components: God, Adam and Eve.
And ultimately that is what it boils down to.
Tuesday, April 25, 2017
5 Scriptures to Help You Remain Thankful in the Midst of Pain
(by Kenneth Copeland)
"Chronic". "Nagging". "Debilitating". Those are the words often associated with pain. If you find yourself dealing with extreme pain and need encouragement, be sure to read Kenneth Copeland’s article, “3 Things to Do When the Pain Is Too Much”. In it, Brother Copeland shares his own healing from excruciating pain and the connection he discovered between gratitude and overcoming pain. And as you apply that lesson to your life, stand on these five scriptures that can help you remain thankful in the midst of your pain as you stand for your healing.
1. Psalm 136:1: “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.”
2. Psalm 18:2: “The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety.”
3. Jeremiah 29:11: “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord. ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.’”
4. Philippians 4:13: “For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.”
5. 1 Thessalonians 5:18: “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”
Don’t wait another day to begin thanking God for all the good things He has done for you…even in the midst of your pain. Let these scriptures serve as a starting point for your declarations of gratitude!
http://blog.kcm.org/3-things-pain-much/
It was just after Labor Day 2004, and I was at the height of one of the most intense battles for healing I’d ever fought. A few days earlier I had ruptured a disc in my back. It felt like a toothache that was 4½ feet long—from my hip to the tips of my toes.
The experience left me mad at my legs.
It left me mad at the devil and anyone who came near me.
And I hadn’t slept in days.
Never had I hurt as badly as I did at that moment. All I wanted to focus on was the pain and getting free of it.
God met me in it, but in a very different way than I would have imagined. Below are three things He taught me to do when the pain almost seemed too much.
1. Express Gratitude by Faith
I was on the back porch facing another sleepless night. One heating pad was wrapped around my calf. Another was wrapped around my thigh. Each was held on by a bathrobe sash. The heat was turned as high as I could get it. But nothing seemed to help—I was still lying there on my back crying.
I didn’t feel very grateful. I certainly didn’t look very grateful.
Right in the middle of all that pain, though, the Spirit of God dropped it into my heart to begin shouting out my gratitude for all my heavenly Father had done for me.
“Oh, Father, I’m so grateful to You! I’m grateful that my other leg doesn’t hurt. I’m so grateful my arms aren’t hurting, my fingers are all working well, and my head doesn’t hurt—it is sleepy, but it doesn’t hurt!”
In the midst of all that pain, by an act of obedience I expressed gratitude to God…by faith!
Instead of focusing on the pain and hurt, I filled my thoughts and mouth with gratitude for my life, for my family, for all the years I’ve been in ministry, and for every other good thing that arose in my spirit.
I started praising and thanking God and the more I praised Him, the less pain I had in my leg.
And as I was expressing my gratitude to Him, God began talking to me.
The more He talked, the better I felt. Each day I progressed; not one day was as bad as the day before.
There were a number of things that brought me to the place where complete healing manifested in my body. Thousands of my Partners; many believers from Spirit-filled churches; faith-talking, true healing-believing doctors; my family and friends; all added their faith to mine.
Nothing, however, had more impact than what began that night on the porch. The moment I began thanking God for all that was going right in my life, I was on my way out of the problem.
If you are experiencing pain, then I encourage you to make the decision to thank God for all the good things He has done in your life.
2. Make the Decision to Focus on Gratitude
If you’ll think about it, we only have two real options in times of extreme pressure. Those options are to focus either on the problem…or the gratitude. In regards to pain, you cannot choose to focus on the pain you are experiencing and gratitude at the same time.
For instance, what happens if you have one sore finger? You may have nine fingers, your toes, arms, ears and numerous other body parts that are working perfectly, but that isn’t your focus. No. All you can think about is how you are going to get that one finger healed. You begin confessing healing scriptures and try to decide what else you need to confess or do, to stop the pain.
But if you don’t water those confessions with praise and thanksgiving, your focus on the one sore finger—or whatever problem—will continue to dominate your thinking.
If you don’t redirect your focus, the problem can consume you. So start giving God thanks for everything that is working right. Praise Him for all the good things He has done in your life. As you do, you’ll come to a place where you can release your faith and receive your answer.
“Yeah, but Brother Copeland, you don’t know what has happened to me.”
You’re right, I don’t. But I do know you’re breathing—not pushing up grass!
So just start thanking God for your life! Remind yourself that no matter what your circumstances are—it could be a whole lot worse. You’re not dead yet!
3. Stop the Enemy With Your Praise
And this principle applies to far more than just receiving healing. Expressing gratitude by faith will change everything around you. It will change the whole complexion of your life.
I’m not saying the challenges will be over when you start filling the atmosphere with shouts of praise and thanksgiving. In fact once you begin praising God with purpose, you’ll become a prime target for the devil. Why? It’ll scare the daylights out of him when you begin operating in gratitude…and he’ll try to stop you.
He’ll use the only tactic he possesses. He’ll try to steal that word out of you by stirring up your flesh. Mark 4:16-17 tells us, “These are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard The WORD, immediately receive it with gladness; and have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for The WORD’s sake, immediately they are offended” (KJV).
The enemy will try to get you to become offended. But that will only work if you have no root—if you’re not grounded in the love of God.
However if you are loving The LORD your God with all your heart, soul and mind (Matthew 22:37) and expressing your gratefulness for all He has done, you are becoming rooted and grounded in love. That’s what Paul wrote to the Ephesians. He said:
I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God (Ephesians 3:16-19.)
Become so filled with His love that offense can’t come near you. Praise Him for His marvelous love. Praise Him, and as you do the enemy will be stopped cold because praise “stills the avenger” (see Psalm 8:2, KJV).
Fill your mouth and the atmosphere with gratitude—thank God for all He is, for all He has done and is doing in your life—regardless of the pain you are experiencing. You and the world around you will change!
"Chronic". "Nagging". "Debilitating". Those are the words often associated with pain. If you find yourself dealing with extreme pain and need encouragement, be sure to read Kenneth Copeland’s article, “3 Things to Do When the Pain Is Too Much”. In it, Brother Copeland shares his own healing from excruciating pain and the connection he discovered between gratitude and overcoming pain. And as you apply that lesson to your life, stand on these five scriptures that can help you remain thankful in the midst of your pain as you stand for your healing.
1. Psalm 136:1: “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.”
2. Psalm 18:2: “The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety.”
3. Jeremiah 29:11: “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord. ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.’”
4. Philippians 4:13: “For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.”
5. 1 Thessalonians 5:18: “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”
Don’t wait another day to begin thanking God for all the good things He has done for you…even in the midst of your pain. Let these scriptures serve as a starting point for your declarations of gratitude!
http://blog.kcm.org/3-things-pain-much/
It was just after Labor Day 2004, and I was at the height of one of the most intense battles for healing I’d ever fought. A few days earlier I had ruptured a disc in my back. It felt like a toothache that was 4½ feet long—from my hip to the tips of my toes.
The experience left me mad at my legs.
It left me mad at the devil and anyone who came near me.
And I hadn’t slept in days.
Never had I hurt as badly as I did at that moment. All I wanted to focus on was the pain and getting free of it.
God met me in it, but in a very different way than I would have imagined. Below are three things He taught me to do when the pain almost seemed too much.
1. Express Gratitude by Faith
I was on the back porch facing another sleepless night. One heating pad was wrapped around my calf. Another was wrapped around my thigh. Each was held on by a bathrobe sash. The heat was turned as high as I could get it. But nothing seemed to help—I was still lying there on my back crying.
I didn’t feel very grateful. I certainly didn’t look very grateful.
Right in the middle of all that pain, though, the Spirit of God dropped it into my heart to begin shouting out my gratitude for all my heavenly Father had done for me.
“Oh, Father, I’m so grateful to You! I’m grateful that my other leg doesn’t hurt. I’m so grateful my arms aren’t hurting, my fingers are all working well, and my head doesn’t hurt—it is sleepy, but it doesn’t hurt!”
In the midst of all that pain, by an act of obedience I expressed gratitude to God…by faith!
Instead of focusing on the pain and hurt, I filled my thoughts and mouth with gratitude for my life, for my family, for all the years I’ve been in ministry, and for every other good thing that arose in my spirit.
I started praising and thanking God and the more I praised Him, the less pain I had in my leg.
And as I was expressing my gratitude to Him, God began talking to me.
The more He talked, the better I felt. Each day I progressed; not one day was as bad as the day before.
There were a number of things that brought me to the place where complete healing manifested in my body. Thousands of my Partners; many believers from Spirit-filled churches; faith-talking, true healing-believing doctors; my family and friends; all added their faith to mine.
Nothing, however, had more impact than what began that night on the porch. The moment I began thanking God for all that was going right in my life, I was on my way out of the problem.
If you are experiencing pain, then I encourage you to make the decision to thank God for all the good things He has done in your life.
2. Make the Decision to Focus on Gratitude
If you’ll think about it, we only have two real options in times of extreme pressure. Those options are to focus either on the problem…or the gratitude. In regards to pain, you cannot choose to focus on the pain you are experiencing and gratitude at the same time.
For instance, what happens if you have one sore finger? You may have nine fingers, your toes, arms, ears and numerous other body parts that are working perfectly, but that isn’t your focus. No. All you can think about is how you are going to get that one finger healed. You begin confessing healing scriptures and try to decide what else you need to confess or do, to stop the pain.
But if you don’t water those confessions with praise and thanksgiving, your focus on the one sore finger—or whatever problem—will continue to dominate your thinking.
If you don’t redirect your focus, the problem can consume you. So start giving God thanks for everything that is working right. Praise Him for all the good things He has done in your life. As you do, you’ll come to a place where you can release your faith and receive your answer.
“Yeah, but Brother Copeland, you don’t know what has happened to me.”
You’re right, I don’t. But I do know you’re breathing—not pushing up grass!
So just start thanking God for your life! Remind yourself that no matter what your circumstances are—it could be a whole lot worse. You’re not dead yet!
3. Stop the Enemy With Your Praise
And this principle applies to far more than just receiving healing. Expressing gratitude by faith will change everything around you. It will change the whole complexion of your life.
I’m not saying the challenges will be over when you start filling the atmosphere with shouts of praise and thanksgiving. In fact once you begin praising God with purpose, you’ll become a prime target for the devil. Why? It’ll scare the daylights out of him when you begin operating in gratitude…and he’ll try to stop you.
He’ll use the only tactic he possesses. He’ll try to steal that word out of you by stirring up your flesh. Mark 4:16-17 tells us, “These are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard The WORD, immediately receive it with gladness; and have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for The WORD’s sake, immediately they are offended” (KJV).
The enemy will try to get you to become offended. But that will only work if you have no root—if you’re not grounded in the love of God.
However if you are loving The LORD your God with all your heart, soul and mind (Matthew 22:37) and expressing your gratefulness for all He has done, you are becoming rooted and grounded in love. That’s what Paul wrote to the Ephesians. He said:
I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God (Ephesians 3:16-19.)
Become so filled with His love that offense can’t come near you. Praise Him for His marvelous love. Praise Him, and as you do the enemy will be stopped cold because praise “stills the avenger” (see Psalm 8:2, KJV).
Fill your mouth and the atmosphere with gratitude—thank God for all He is, for all He has done and is doing in your life—regardless of the pain you are experiencing. You and the world around you will change!
Wednesday, July 13, 2016
Revelation on John 10:10
God's Word tells us that satan comes
to "steal, kill and destroy" (John 10:10). I used to perceive that verse
like I think a lot of other people do ("stuff lost", "people dead" and "eternal
life lost"), but God opened it up more for me this morning!
The thief comes to:Steal - Our identity! If we lose our identity, we don't know who we are in Christ (or if we knew it at one time, we forget it when we let him steal it through disobedience), so we lose access to everything that that God-given identity would give us access to.
Monday, September 7, 2015
James 1:22
God wants us to be "doers" of His Word. One of the main reasons this is so important is because there are many times when we can change and shape our circumstances.
Genesis 1:28 tells us to "Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it..."
If we're not doers of the word, being obedient to what God tells us in Genesis 1:28, our environments will subdue and have dominion over us.
Genesis 1:28 tells us to "Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it..."
If we're not doers of the word, being obedient to what God tells us in Genesis 1:28, our environments will subdue and have dominion over us.
Thursday, January 15, 2015
Scriptures to Help You Stand Strong Against the Flu
(if I remember correctly, this is a re-post of something I saved from kcm.org back in 2015)
Is it that time of year; the time of year when the flu starts making its rounds? If you are determined to stand strong against the flu, or you are currently feeling the symptoms of the flu, here are 10 scriptures to help you stand strong against it.
- James 4:7: Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
- 1 Peter 2:24: He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed.
- Romans 4:20: Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God.
- Hebrews 10:35-36: Do not, therefore, fling away your fearless confidence, for it carries a great and glorious compensation of reward. For you have need of steadfast patience and endurance, so that you may perform and fully accomplish the will of God, and thus receive and carry away [and enjoy to the full] what is promised. (The Amplified Bible)
- Matthew 9:22: Jesus turned around, and when he saw her he said, “Daughter, be encouraged! Your faith has made you well.” And the woman was healed at that moment.
- 3 John 1:2: Dear friend, I hope all is well with you and that you are as healthy in body as you are strong in spirit.
- Psalm 147:3: He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds.
- Psalm 103:3: He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases.
- James 5:14: Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord.
- Matthew 17:20: “You don’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them. “I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.”
Right now, begin to study and recite these scriptures to yourself and think about their meaning and their truth. Take a stand against the flu and enjoy the blessing of having health and healing this season!
Sunday, November 23, 2014
God's Love & Promotion
(a re-post of something I heard Bill Winston say)
God took Joseph from prison to prime minister in one day! He can take you from nothing to everything in a moment!
God took Joseph from prison to prime minister in one day! He can take you from nothing to everything in a moment!
Sunday, April 27, 2014
Praise Report
There was a "test fest" in Jacksonville, FL (IT Pro Camp) where they were giving all attendees the opportunity to sit for various IT certification tests, so anyone who passed would receive their certification for free.
There were 185 tests that day, and me and another tester (Jyoti Chawla) tied for 1st place with the highest test score of the day!
Glory to God!
There were 185 tests that day, and me and another tester (Jyoti Chawla) tied for 1st place with the highest test score of the day!
Glory to God!
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
God's Unconditional Love
My wife and I were just talking about how many times we've heard people make comments like:
"I'm angry at God because I prayed that he would save my dying mom, and He didn't!!" or "I prayed and prayed, but it wasn't good enough. God didn't answer my prayers!"
And the Holy Spirit led us through various thoughts about this.
We were reminded that God looks at the heart, and that OUR heart toward God has an effect on how we deal with the trials of life. God never changes the way He thinks about us, so we should never change the way we think about Him. If we know His Word, it shapes the way we think.
Jeremiah 29:11 - For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
If Joseph (read Genesis) let the trials of life change the way that he thought about God, the chances of his people and the people of Egypt surviving the famine would've been slim to none. But because Joseph never stopped loving and trusting in God, God was able to turn a terrible series of events into one of the greatest examples of redemption in the history of mankind.
People need to know that, when God created Adam and Eve and everything else, He did it out of love. And His creation was perfect. Adam and Eve had paradise and the opportunity to live a perfect life with God. But satan tempted them to doubt God's Word, and they made a choice that caused sin to enter into a perfect world.
And as mind-boggling as it might seem, God allowed it to happen because of His abundant love for Adam and Eve (and the entire future human race). I think it's safe to say that most of us understand that Adam and Eve were like kids in the sense that, if God had protected them from making that poor decision, it would've only been a matter of time before they made another poor choice down the road. God knew before He ever created them that they would sin and that mankind would eventually turn away from their Creator. But God created us anyway, because of His abundant love. And then, as if THAT LOVE wasn't enough, He Himself came down to the earth He created, and gave up all of His authority and rights, and died for a world of sinners and people who would never receive Him; again, all because of His abundant love.
People want to make their relationship with God "conditional". "If you will do *this thing* for me God, then I'll believe in you". But God's love for us is unconditional. If it wasn't, He could justifiably destroy us all, and we would totally deserve it. But thank God that He is not only a "just God", but He is a "loving God".
Romans 5:8 - But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
God has definitely shown me that, no matter what I go through, He is ALWAYS there. And He's also shown me that I can have the full blessed life He planned for me before my birth, if I will continually seek Him. I've already seen the manifestation of that since He led me and my family to Florida. I've experienced some of the greatest blessings of my life since being down here, and I know that the best is yet to come!
"I'm angry at God because I prayed that he would save my dying mom, and He didn't!!" or "I prayed and prayed, but it wasn't good enough. God didn't answer my prayers!"
And the Holy Spirit led us through various thoughts about this.
We were reminded that God looks at the heart, and that OUR heart toward God has an effect on how we deal with the trials of life. God never changes the way He thinks about us, so we should never change the way we think about Him. If we know His Word, it shapes the way we think.
Jeremiah 29:11 - For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
If Joseph (read Genesis) let the trials of life change the way that he thought about God, the chances of his people and the people of Egypt surviving the famine would've been slim to none. But because Joseph never stopped loving and trusting in God, God was able to turn a terrible series of events into one of the greatest examples of redemption in the history of mankind.
People need to know that, when God created Adam and Eve and everything else, He did it out of love. And His creation was perfect. Adam and Eve had paradise and the opportunity to live a perfect life with God. But satan tempted them to doubt God's Word, and they made a choice that caused sin to enter into a perfect world.
And as mind-boggling as it might seem, God allowed it to happen because of His abundant love for Adam and Eve (and the entire future human race). I think it's safe to say that most of us understand that Adam and Eve were like kids in the sense that, if God had protected them from making that poor decision, it would've only been a matter of time before they made another poor choice down the road. God knew before He ever created them that they would sin and that mankind would eventually turn away from their Creator. But God created us anyway, because of His abundant love. And then, as if THAT LOVE wasn't enough, He Himself came down to the earth He created, and gave up all of His authority and rights, and died for a world of sinners and people who would never receive Him; again, all because of His abundant love.
People want to make their relationship with God "conditional". "If you will do *this thing* for me God, then I'll believe in you". But God's love for us is unconditional. If it wasn't, He could justifiably destroy us all, and we would totally deserve it. But thank God that He is not only a "just God", but He is a "loving God".
Romans 5:8 - But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
God has definitely shown me that, no matter what I go through, He is ALWAYS there. And He's also shown me that I can have the full blessed life He planned for me before my birth, if I will continually seek Him. I've already seen the manifestation of that since He led me and my family to Florida. I've experienced some of the greatest blessings of my life since being down here, and I know that the best is yet to come!
Monday, December 23, 2013
Faith Grows Exceedingly When Love Abounds
(2 Thessalonians 1:3)
(followed by:)
Selfishness is the foundation of fear (which, in its simplest form, is not putting God first)
Love is the foundation of faith (Galatians 5:6)
(followed by:)
Selfishness is the foundation of fear (which, in its simplest form, is not putting God first)
Love is the foundation of faith (Galatians 5:6)
Saturday, August 3, 2013
"GRACE"
GRACE = God's Riches At Christ's Expense
By no means am I trying to simplify "Grace", but it IS a neat acronym ;)
By no means am I trying to simplify "Grace", but it IS a neat acronym ;)
Monday, June 24, 2013
Reflection & Encouragement
Less than a year after I had been working for Lake Medical Imaging, our IT Director had his son come work with us for a few weeks to pickup some experience with members of our team (at the time, he was wanting to start a career in IT, but had no experience at all).
When he was eventually assigned to work with me for a couple of weeks, we had several chats about computer technology and his desire to pursue a career in IT.
I wrote him an email in June 2013 that was not only encouraging to him, but was encouraging to me as well (gleaning growth by sharing). I'd like to share that "letter" here on my blog:
You've been asking some very good questions about your future, and I've given you some decent answers. But I haven't given you the most important answers.
The bible says in James 1:5, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him". I know from experience that God can and will guide you into all the truth you need, if you'll diligently seek Him, and wait on Him.
You've asked me how I know all the things I know and how I'm able to do all the things I can do. And I've given you some examples of things I've done over the years to help me get to where I am. But out of all the years I've spent working towards growth in this field, every single bit of growth I've gotten has been a blessing of the Lord. There are so many times when I look at my skills, and I know in my heart that it's all because of God that I can understand and apply all the knowledge I have, because it's all God given. There are times when I look at my accomplishments and I'm amazed at what God's done through me, not at what I'VE done. I am nothing without Him, and can do nothing apart from Him.
You have integrity and a great work ethic, but you lack wisdom, understanding and experience with regards to IT skills. And you don't lack these things because you're not capable of having them. But it just takes time. And God can help you get there.
When I first started in this career, just before I got my first IT job, I tried to pass the MCP exam and failed pretty badly. I was SO crushed, that I thought maybe I wasn't cut out for a job in IT. But there was one thing that kept me from giving up: the passion that God put in my heart. I LOVE Information Technology, so there was no way I could NOT keep pursuing it. And I've seen God do so much in me and through me that I would've never imagined when I first started.
I encourage you to seek God continually with this path that you're on. He will guide you in every way, and provide you with opportunities that are perfect for YOU.
When he was eventually assigned to work with me for a couple of weeks, we had several chats about computer technology and his desire to pursue a career in IT.
I wrote him an email in June 2013 that was not only encouraging to him, but was encouraging to me as well (gleaning growth by sharing). I'd like to share that "letter" here on my blog:
You've been asking some very good questions about your future, and I've given you some decent answers. But I haven't given you the most important answers.
The bible says in James 1:5, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him". I know from experience that God can and will guide you into all the truth you need, if you'll diligently seek Him, and wait on Him.
You've asked me how I know all the things I know and how I'm able to do all the things I can do. And I've given you some examples of things I've done over the years to help me get to where I am. But out of all the years I've spent working towards growth in this field, every single bit of growth I've gotten has been a blessing of the Lord. There are so many times when I look at my skills, and I know in my heart that it's all because of God that I can understand and apply all the knowledge I have, because it's all God given. There are times when I look at my accomplishments and I'm amazed at what God's done through me, not at what I'VE done. I am nothing without Him, and can do nothing apart from Him.
You have integrity and a great work ethic, but you lack wisdom, understanding and experience with regards to IT skills. And you don't lack these things because you're not capable of having them. But it just takes time. And God can help you get there.
When I first started in this career, just before I got my first IT job, I tried to pass the MCP exam and failed pretty badly. I was SO crushed, that I thought maybe I wasn't cut out for a job in IT. But there was one thing that kept me from giving up: the passion that God put in my heart. I LOVE Information Technology, so there was no way I could NOT keep pursuing it. And I've seen God do so much in me and through me that I would've never imagined when I first started.
I encourage you to seek God continually with this path that you're on. He will guide you in every way, and provide you with opportunities that are perfect for YOU.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)