There is an old saying, “IF IT WALKS LIKE A DUCK, QUACKS LIKE A DUCK, LOOKS LIKE A DUCK; IT’S A DUCK! Well, not so simple in Christendom. It is possible to talk; act, and look like a Christian and still be on just as straight a path to damnation as the devil! Jesus addresses this in Mathew chapter 7:21
"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' 23Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'
Examine their response to the Lord. These were obviously not people out living it up in the world having a good time. They addressed him as Lord, knew the power in His name and were busy with the work of the church. These were church folk! Unfortunately being church folk doesn’t qualify us for entry into heaven. God said, “be ye holy for I am Holy” (1Peter 1:16). Now if you believe Satan’s lie which says, to be holy you cannot have fun, and you allow that lie to keep you from coming to a true knowledge of God, I feel for you; you’re missing out! Jesus said He came that we might have a more abundant life. (John 10:10) Consider this: the church folk were rejected because Jesus never knew them. Even though they worked hard, they never repented of their sinful condition and accepted Christ as Savior. Yet the thief on the cross next to Jesus, did acknowledge Him as Lord and repented, but never got a chance to “perform” any “good works”. He was received into the kingdom based on his faith. What do people say when they look at you? What appearance do you give? Change comes AFTER we receive Christ. He changes us. No matter how much WE change our own behavior, we are still in need of His cleansing blood.
How many people do you know who claim to believe in God yet have no concept of what that means? people want there to be a God who can save them and they want there to be a heaven where they can go and spend eternity with God, yet they are unwilling to pay the price of entry! Dying to one's self and following Christ is a difficult thing to do, that is why God promises His Holy Spirit to those who place their trust in Jesus Christ. Only through the power of His Spirit can we live the Christian life, not by our own strength. Those professing faith but who are not part of the family of God, sooner or later expose themselves by their life style.
15 “Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves. 16 You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. (Matthew 7:15-17)
What makes someone a quitter?
Is it not finishing something they started? Is it giving up on one’s self or is
it giving up on the process? Whatever your definition is, one thing stands
true; no one admires a quitter. Quitters are viewed as weak—and we’re not talking
physically here—and as unreliable. So then, why do so many people quit?
When I was learning how to
swim I had to make it across the swimming pool lengthwise and back again. Our
neighborhood pool went from a 4 ft deep section gradually into10 ft. Only those
who earned their swimmers badge were allowed beyond 4 ft. I wanted so badly to
earn mine so I could jump of the diving boards like the bigger kids. Though I
didn’t yet have my swimmers badge, the lifeguard would allow me practice my
pool-length swim if I got there earlier than everyone else. I would get there
when the gate opened!
At first I started out by
diving in at the deep end and swimming as far as I could into the safety of the
more shallow end. I kept doing this until my distance increased more and more.
Eventually I was able to dive in at the shallow end, swim to the deep end,
touch the wall and turn and swim back to the shallow end, however, I did not
make it all the way to the wall. When the day of my test came I knew I would
have to find it in me to make it if I wanted that badge.
Why would anyone swim half
way across the pool and stop? If you stop and turn back, didn’t you in essence
swim the equivalent of the whole length? Life can sometimes be just like that
pool, however, because we don’t face the threat of drowning we sometimes give
up on the process, on our self and on those depending on us to complete the
course. Galatians 6:9 reads;
And
let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint
not.
Many of us become weary
because our focus has been taken off the finish line. We forget about the
reward, we forget why we started the race in the first place and we begin to
consider the burning in our lungs, the heaviness of our breath, and the pain in
our muscles.
Others change their mind in
the middle and decide they no longer care for the reward, and rest becomes the
only focus for them. But, do we truly
rest? If you are a Christian and God has a calling on your life—a calling you
have quit on and are running away from—I come to tell you that rest will escape
you until you answer!
For
God's gifts and his call are irrevocable. (Romans 11:29)
You may be able to find
temporary peaceful moments by way of your environment and the people around you,
but the spiritual and mental turmoil that will haunt you will rob you of true
peace. Life is a challenge and every challenge brings with it difficulty. How
long we have to endure is based on how much we need to be pruned by our father,
and how much pruning he has to do depends on how still we remain while he cuts.
When I was a kid my father used to tell me that if just took my whippings like
a man they wouldn’t last long, but I fought and tried to avoid the belt, so it
took a longer time.
God wants to perfect us by
affliction, for a tried character is one that can be relied upon. If we quit in
the midst of the process we rob ourselves of the valuable lessons and the
growth God is trying to bring out in us, and after all, we have yet to look
forward to it, because God never quits on us.
2Consider
it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops
perseverance. 4Perseverance must finish its work so that
you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
(James 1:1-4)
Have you ever wondered why certain people appear in your life and make contact, only to seemingly disappear? Why did that man or woman walk up and speak to you of all people? Why did circumstances lead that person to connect with me and not someone else? I used to ask myself that question often until God gave me an answer one day. It wasn’t the answer I wanted, but it made me aware and accountable.
It was 1985; The U.S.S Constellation had just docked at North Island Naval Station in
While I sat there for what seemed like twenty minutes, rehearsing in my head what I would say and trying to muster up the courage to say it, he rang the bell and walked off the bus. I was left there feeling unmistakably guilty of resisting God’s Spirit and not sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. What followed were feelings of inadequacy and thoughts of me perhaps being that man’s only opportunity to hear the gospel. “What if he died?” I asked myself. What if I was his last chance before he got hit by a car or died some other tragic death? Would I be held responsible? Would God hold it against me?
I’ve since learned in my twenty-five years of walking with God, that most Christians suffer the same struggle I suffered that day. Many of us are crippled by the thought of having to speak to a total stranger and what’s more, discuss “religion” with them! In our society it is said that you do not discuss politics or religion; those views and opinions are best kept to one’s self, right? Well, so says our society, but we are Christians, not of this world, just passing through, friends of God not of society. Should we be guided by that same rule? What does the word of God say about it?
Simply put, that view is completely wrong and contrary to what Jesus instructed us to do. In Matthew 28 He told us to go preach and share the gospel with everyone. He also gave the parable of The Sower in chapter 13, in which we see The Sower (Jesus) spreading seed all over the place, regardless of what kind of ground it falls on. Beloved we are the keepers of the world’s most precious and important message; a message so important and powerful that only it has the potential to change the world by changing the hearts of men. What do you do with such a thing, keep it to yourself? God forbid!
Don’t let fear keep you from simply sharing with someone that which brings you joy. Tell someone about the great and wonderful God you serve. Tell them your story and open up about what He’s done for you and what He’s delivered you from. You never know, that person may have been brought to intersect your path specifically because only your testimony, the way you tell it, can reach them.
Though I agonized that day, I was also delivered. You see, I prayed and asked God to fix that in me. He sent a man of God who prayed with me for a bold spirit; since then I have yet to shut up about Jesus! Next time your path intersects with someone in a seemingly arbitrary way, remember, nothing with God happens by chance, for the steps of the righteous are ordered by God. Speak up and say something!
You never know what people are going through as you daily pass by them . Private suffering follows many around as they seek a way out. Many, in pain, silently accept their fate without protest and settle into a rut as they resign themselves to the idea that things for them are just meant to be the way they are. Too many have abandoned hope; there is nothing worse than hopelessness. The idea that something terrible has no fix, and that suffering and pain have no end, is terrifying to me. For this reason alone I thank God daily for saving me!
I know that if left to my own devices, I would have never chosen God. I would have followed after my own lusts and desires until either death found its way to me or me to it. In the course of my growth I have made more mistakes than I care to remember, I've hurt people who love me and have fallen short of the mark more times than I hit it. Most of the time the foolish things I did hurt my own growth and life had caused me to become pessimistic about my own outlook and future. I started to believe that I just wasn't destined to contribute anything of worth to the world. I stopped believing in the dreams that God had deposited inside of me and started believing that where I was in life was all that I could achieve for myself. I experienced struggle after more struggles, never quite making enough room between the proverbial water's surface and my nostrils. Have you ever had that feeling? Have you ever felt that if just one more thing goes wrong in your life you would be going under? For a time in my life I learned to listen to that voice of despair and accusation more than to the voice of God. The accusing voice was able to magnify my mistakes so much so that I began to see no good in myself. This led to self destructive behavior.
God planted many talents in me; from my youth I knew this. However, during several crucial moments in my life--moments that would define my self image--people failed me; from my own parents who loved me, to other adults in my life who were supposed to afford me guidance and encouragement. Words spoken by these people, who probably meant me no intentional evil, served to kill, severely retard and in some cases prevent from germinating, seeds of hope inside of me. Dreams I shared were shot down and ridiculed; I was basically told that good things weren't meant for people like me and that my path would never lead me to greatness. Subconsciously those words stayed with me for a long time and they only seemed to surface whenever I did something that directly contradicted them. In the end, they would always win, as I would certainly find a way to undermine my own success, creating an excuse for failure. This cycle was so frustrating that when an important part of my life in which I thought I had achieved success started to fall apart, I considered suicide.
I must tell you, that I shared this with people I thought were close to me. Only a few of the ones I shared it with took me seriously; the rest dismissed it as unbelievable. I don't blame them; I actually can see why they reacted the way they did. I am full of life, I love people and I love God. Why would someone like me ever consider suicide, right? Well, I did. In fact, I did more than consider it; I had all the tools necessary to do it and prepared myself to carry out the act. I was stopped only by the thought that my children would have to carry that the rest of their lives. I feared I was dooming them to life of silent pain just like what I had lived in the past. I thank God for bringing them to my memory.
Perhaps you can identify with my suffering, or perhaps you know someone who can. Maybe you have been there yourself and so can sympathize. Whatever the case may be, I am here to tell you that God never intended for your life to be less than great. God did not create you to walk around in the prison of low self-esteem and self-hatred. Self destruction is not what He has in store for you, but blessings, success and abundant life. I know, because He delivered me from that prison by His grace and mercy. He showed me that life did not have to be the way people said it would be. He gave me back the hope that I had lost years earlier when death was spoken into my life by people I looked up to. All I had to do was look up to Him! Friend, God is a loving merciful God of second, third, fourth...innumerable chances! Don't give up on yourself because he hasn't given up on you. Stop allowing the memory of past failures to keep you from having future successes; let go of memories that God himself has forgotten. He said he would remove your sins from you as far as the east is from the west and would remember them no more. Get up, dust yourself off and call upon the name of the Living God. Acquaint yourself with his promises that you may know what it is you are holding on to!
It is God's enemy who seeks to steal our joy and take away the realization of who we are in Christ. Friend, do you know that the bible declares those who trust in Jesus Christ as coheirs with him? I think of this and ask myself the obvious question; what is Jesus' inheritance? If someone is an heir and they tell you that you are an heir along with them, wouldn't you want to know exactly what it is you stand to inherit? Of course you would, and the answer may frighten you; EVERYTHING! Yes, your eyes deceive you not, EVERYTHING. The universe and all that is in it has been given to Jesus and He has made you partaker in his inheritance. There is a great future for you right here on this earth in this life. You don't have to wait to die and go to heaven to experience joy and success in good measure. Jesus said that anything you sacrifice for His name's sake he will pay it back to you 100 fold IN THIS LIFE! Satan wants you to believe the opposite and quit on your quest to reflect God's greatness in your life. Jesus wants to show His power through you, why don't you let him?
It is not too late. Like me, perhaps you have listened to the wrong voices and given up on what God wants to do for you; He still wants to do it! There is nothing too hard for God and He is much greater than His enemy could ever wish to be. Get your bible, it is a good starting place because in it you will find everything He has ever wanted to tell you about Himself and about you. Everything you need to know to change your thinking and renew your mind, which will help you break out of the prison of self defeat. May He bless you so.
“Now all the believers were together and had everything in common…And every day they devoted themselves to meeting in the temple complex and broke bread from house to house” (Acts 2:44-47)
“I go to church”, is a phrase I have heard proudly flow from the mouths of many people over the years. Some wear it as a badge of honor, others as a qualifier, yet others as some type of proof of faith. The question is; do they even know what that really means? I venture to say that the majority do not. Those words usually indicate that the person speaking them is a member of a local congregation which holds scheduled services on designated days and times at a designated place. By saying they "go to church" they mean that they show up to the physical address or the brick building with the cross on the front and the pews inside. But what does it really meant to go to the church?
CHURCH: The original word is from the Greek (New Testament) eIkklhsiea, transliterated ekklesia. It is a compound word from kaleNw (kaleo) which means ‘to call’ and eIl, which means ‘out from’. Def: a gathering of citizens called out from their homes in to some public place, an assembly. (Merriam-Webster)
What is obvious here by the root definition of the word we use today, is that it was never intended to describe a physical structure or building of any kind. The word refers to people who have changed their position from one place to another on the strength of a call. As Christians, this is what we are; people who have changed our position from being sinners in the world, to saints (‘set apart’) of God.
To say that we go to the church means that we are going to, calling on, depending on and looking to the rest of those whom have also been called out. Are you going to your brothers and sisters in Christ? Do you call on them for your strength and encouragement; for your daily interaction, for your advice? Or is your interaction with them limited to the few minutes you see them before and after “church” on Sundays?
The importance of fellowship cannot be minimized in the body of Christ. Hebrews 10:24 & 25 tells us,
“…Let us be concerned about one another in order to promote love and good works, not staying away from our meetings, as some habitually do, but encouraging each other…” (HCSB)
Make sure that you are replacing the ungodly things of your past life, with the godly. This is not just limited to things, habits and behaviors, but more importantly to the influence of people in your life. Make sure the people whom you choose to surround yourself with are able to influence you for God, not the world.
MinRa
Marriage used to be a well respected institution. At one point in our society it was an honorable thing to be married, have a family, go to church on Sundays and have picnics in the park. Today, however, people are making their exits from vows and commitments to marriage just as fast as they entered! What has happened to this once honorable institution? Is this a result of a society increasingly growing farther and farther away from a world view that includes God? Is there a deliberate attack on marriages by the enemy of God?
Marriage is still God's example of his relationship with the church. It stands to reason that because of this Satan focuses his attack on the institution of marriage and what it stands for. He is wily and deceptive and carelessness plays right into his hands.
Today’s generation is the “right now” generation. From microwaves, to bullet trains people seem to have less willingness to wait for things. We hate lines, we hate gridlock, we hate commercials; we hate waiting! Simply put, we want what we want when we want it and we want it yesterday! Unfortunately this same approach finds its way into the process of choosing a spouse. If an engagement or courtship period takes place at all, it is either not long enough, improperly done or at worse it ends up in a sinful situation by way of cohabitation. Neither of these is conducive to making a Godly decision. The quickness with which people get married in today’s society is eclipsed only by the quickness with which divorce follows.
Statistics show that divorce rates are highest within the first two years of marriage. They slow down and spike again between the 8 to 10 year stretch, picking up again in the 20th year. The first two years contain the highest number of recorded divorces. Having said that I want to clearly state that nothing is too hard for God. Despite couples starting off wrong, God can bless that marriage and make it a shinning example of His love, but only by the submission of both husband and wife. However, the odds of two people who rush into such a serious commitment without giving it proper consideration and time, both committing to staying and working it out, are low. It also holds true and the opposite end of the spectrum, with couples divorcing after 20 years. What fault in the foundation finally cracked? What was the quality of the materials the marriage was built on? If love was strong enough to carry it 20 years, then why condemn the building? Was it love that carried it that far, or tolerance?
Regardless of your view, God desires that marriages last and that they represent the true love they were meant to represent. Ephesians chapter 5 speaks to the way each partner is to approach the marriage. 1Corinthians chapter 13 speaks to the true definition of love. When we obey the way God set things up to work, there is little room for Satan to do damage. So say I, what do you say about it?
22Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. 23For the husband is the head
of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the
Savior. 24Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to
their husbands in everything .25Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.
(Ephesians 5:22-27)
Today’s
The age of communication has brought us a long way from Morse code. It has done more to connect the world than at any time in human history. Satellites orbit our planet in a careful dance reminiscent of rush hour traffic, bouncing and transmitting signals for everything from cell phones to cable television. With this entire mass communication taking place, my question is; what are we talking about?
The bible tells us that there is a wisdom the world subscribes to that is opposite to God's wisdom. A way that seems right to men, but the end result is destruction. How are Christians making their presence felt in this day and age? Is it the mega churches and their pastor's who are responsible for speaking God's truth to the lost, or should you be speaking it too? Fact is, forget about we; what are you talking about?
I personally wouldn't care to see another Paris Hilton or Britney Spears headline unless it had to do with one of them sincerely coming to faith in Jesus Christ. However, these types of headlines dominate popular culture in
"This book of instruction must not depart from your mouth; you are to recite it day and night, so that you may carefully observe everything written in it. For then you will prosper and succeed in whatever you do."
(Joshua 1:8, HCSB)
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