I woke up early this morning with these words going through my mind. It has been a while since I have written any poems. It has also been a while since I have written any posts to this blog. I felt as though I was suppose to write this one down, since I was basically awakened by it. Then felt as though suppose to post it on blog. I hope that it helps someone who reads it...
You think you are walking all alone,
Without true peace and far from home.
I've been with you all of this time...
I gave you hope when you were nine.
You think My love cannot penetrate
Through all the walls you still create?
I see the mess that you have made.
I've watched you dance in masquerade.
Why do you insist we play this game?
I know you hear Me calling your name.
You try to fill the void in all that you do.
I spend My days waiting for you...
Remember the hill and the tree;
The very cross where they crucified Me?
Give Me your burdens and your pain...
I long to make you whole again!
Give Me those burdens and your sin,
The very ones you are still trapped in.
I hold the key to open the gate;
I have made a way for you to escape!
Follow Me, I will give you My best...
A place for your soul to finally rest.
It is time for you to live again
With the Son of God and Son of man.
If you would, please share on your facebook pages so as may people as possible can read. I think it is meant for someone out there to read.
Thanks again for reading....
Saturday, November 24, 2012
Monday, October 15, 2012
"Time To Be Real"
For the first time in a month I have finally figured out why I have been suffering from writer's block. I had become too concerned with not hurting feelings, stepping on toes, offending someone, trying to write what I thought people wanted to hear, etc. In short I have not been real!
If I remember correctly, Jesus did not concern himself with those type of things. (NOT saying I am remotely comparible to Jesus of course.) However, we should strive to follow in his footsteps.
Speaking of being real, I fall short on a daily basis! Sometimes I am not 100% truthful. Sometimes I smile and say everything is okay, when I know it is not. Sometimes I do not exercise patience. Many times I let my past mistakes beat me in the head like an abusive parent beats their child. Sometimes...I even doubt God...I question him...his plan...his ways...instead of having 100% blind, unfaltering faith.
What would "the church" look like if we could all be this open and honest with each other?...Instead of wearing our false smiles and pretending like everything is okay...when we know good and well it is not!
Have we been brain washed into thinking this is "normal behavior?" This is basically no more than being like the pharisees in Christ's days on earth. The ones who had plenty of "religion." They just did not have a relationship! Those were the very people Jesus said that unless they change their ways, they would NOT see the Kingdom of Heaven! I do not want to be that way... I want to be real!
The following are lyrics from a "Casting Crowns" song entitled ""Stained Glass Masquerade" (This song exemplifies what I am attempting to say....)
Is there anyone that fails / Is there anyone that falls
Am I the only one in church today feelin' so small
'Cause when I take a look around / Everyone seems so strong
I know they'll soon discover / That I don't belong
So I tuck it all away, like everything's okay
If I make them all believe it, maybe I'll believe it too
So with a painted grin, I play the part again
So everyone will see me, the way that I see them
Are we happy plastic people / Under shiny plastic steeples
With walls around our weakness / Smiles to hide our pain
But if the invitation's open / To every heart that has been broken
Maybe then we'll close the curtain on our stained glass masquerade
Is there anyone who's been there / Are there any hands to raise
Am I the only one who's traded in the alter for a stage
The performance is convincing / We know every line by heart
Only when no one is watching / Can we really fall apart
But would it set me free / If I dared to let you see
The truth behind the person / You imagine me to be
Would your arms be open / Or would you walk away
Would the love of Jesus / Be enough to make you stay
I know I am not the ONLY one who bares this burden. I am convinced that the vast majority of christians feel this exact same way. I also know that these actions (coloured in lack of truth and substance) are what the world in general uses to view christians as being hypocrites!
If you are like me and you have had enough of these charades, let's all ban together...
.....Afterall, isn't it time to be real?
If I remember correctly, Jesus did not concern himself with those type of things. (NOT saying I am remotely comparible to Jesus of course.) However, we should strive to follow in his footsteps.
Speaking of being real, I fall short on a daily basis! Sometimes I am not 100% truthful. Sometimes I smile and say everything is okay, when I know it is not. Sometimes I do not exercise patience. Many times I let my past mistakes beat me in the head like an abusive parent beats their child. Sometimes...I even doubt God...I question him...his plan...his ways...instead of having 100% blind, unfaltering faith.
What would "the church" look like if we could all be this open and honest with each other?...Instead of wearing our false smiles and pretending like everything is okay...when we know good and well it is not!
Have we been brain washed into thinking this is "normal behavior?" This is basically no more than being like the pharisees in Christ's days on earth. The ones who had plenty of "religion." They just did not have a relationship! Those were the very people Jesus said that unless they change their ways, they would NOT see the Kingdom of Heaven! I do not want to be that way... I want to be real!
The following are lyrics from a "Casting Crowns" song entitled ""Stained Glass Masquerade" (This song exemplifies what I am attempting to say....)
Is there anyone that fails / Is there anyone that falls
Am I the only one in church today feelin' so small
'Cause when I take a look around / Everyone seems so strong
I know they'll soon discover / That I don't belong
So I tuck it all away, like everything's okay
If I make them all believe it, maybe I'll believe it too
So with a painted grin, I play the part again
So everyone will see me, the way that I see them
Are we happy plastic people / Under shiny plastic steeples
With walls around our weakness / Smiles to hide our pain
But if the invitation's open / To every heart that has been broken
Maybe then we'll close the curtain on our stained glass masquerade
Is there anyone who's been there / Are there any hands to raise
Am I the only one who's traded in the alter for a stage
The performance is convincing / We know every line by heart
Only when no one is watching / Can we really fall apart
But would it set me free / If I dared to let you see
The truth behind the person / You imagine me to be
Would your arms be open / Or would you walk away
Would the love of Jesus / Be enough to make you stay
I know I am not the ONLY one who bares this burden. I am convinced that the vast majority of christians feel this exact same way. I also know that these actions (coloured in lack of truth and substance) are what the world in general uses to view christians as being hypocrites!
If you are like me and you have had enough of these charades, let's all ban together...
.....Afterall, isn't it time to be real?
Monday, September 17, 2012
"DUNAMIS"...Say What?
As most every Christian knows, a revival (greater than one ever seen before) is desperately needed in America today! As many Christians fervently are praying for that revival to outbreak today. Along with others I am sure, I admit that I have been praying for God to show me exactly what is needed from us to see the kinds of firery revivals that are sparked by soul grabbing prophecy and miraculous healings that the Holy Spirit can pour on us so that God gets the attention of people worldwide. Along with that attention will come the praise, glory, and honor due to only God on such a massive scale that we in America and other countries alike have denied our Heavenly Father for too long! (I say what is needed or required of us because the lack of these long lasting revivals coloured by attention grabbing signs and wonders are not hard to find here in America because of God...rather He is waiting for us.)
My common sense answers to why we are not experiencing the types of miraculous healings on such a regular basis as were experienced in Christ's time are:
1) We let our desires for materialism outweigh our desires for our Heavenly Father's will to be done
2) We have faith in our minds, but struggle to have faith in our hearts
3) We pray in our own selfish desires instead of in God's will
4) We spend too much time talking in our prayer life and not listening
5) We have such a hard time fully believing God's grace for our lives that we do not feel worthy
to pray with a sense of expectation.
.....This list can go on and on, but that would be depressing to a degree. It also does not answer my question of what is needed from us to change these things. As we have always been taught, there is a long list of things we should not do; as well as a lengthy list of what we should do. But as I am growing in my relationship with God, I have realized that we make it a lot more difficult than it has to be! This brings me back to my original question : What is needed from us to unleash the upcoming revival that will change not only America but this world? What will put a fear of God back in the lives of many who no longer even think much at all about God?
Then a word came to me....DUNAMIS. And I said do what? But sure enough, as I turned through those obscure channels where you can find several 24 - 7 Christian channels, there it was...DUNAMIS.
Apparently Dunamis is a greek word with a few meanings. Two of which are "to be excellent of soul" and "the power given to perform miraculous healings."
Okay, this is an awesome start, but how do I find this dunamis or shall I say achieve dunamis? According to this teaching by a Pastor and researcher Sid Roth, one has to have your "soul wounds" healed and then the greek word dunamis (from our helper the Holy spirit) can come into us through the blood shed by Christ on the cross, along with Christ's resurrection power. Your soul wounds that remain without healing are what contributes to a lackluster prayer life.
According to this Tim Roth, one of the largest soul wounds inflicting the church today is the wound of offense...Simply put, holding onto something someone has done to offend you. Not only does this cripple your own prayer life, but also can cripple a church too (as I am sure many Pastors would attest to.) By holding onto an offense, you are therefore holding onto unforgiveness. As it is stated in the bible, you cannot be forgiven if you do not forgive others. If you cannot be forgiven, you cannot enter Heaven. So if that is where many of us are at (whether we realize it or not) then how can we possibly expect to have the Holy Spirit operate in us strongly enough to see true long lasting revivals and everyday miracles in a prayer life I believe God desires for us to have. Not just for us to experience His power and blessings, but so that the world can see His power alive and well today....so He can have the glory, honor, and praise He deserves. (Instead of the mockery, doubt, and rejection He currently gets.) Also with this type of movement people will experience lasting change and take back the power over the enemy that God has given us. The power over sickness, anger, bitterness, unforgeness, disease, etc!
In closing, I have decided to begin to pray something along the lines of: Dear Heavenly Father,
along with the sins I am aware of, please also remove any sin of offense that I may be holding onto. Thank You for Your atonement and washing away my sins including any offense my heart harbors and replace those areas with Your ressurection power and help me to become excellent of soul.
Other prayers and meditation are also needed daily, but by sincerely praying this I believe we will start to see the awesome move of God that many of us yearn for. Even though a wealthy nation full of materialism like ours has more to overcome than 3rd world nations that see this mighty move of God on a much more regular basis. I believe that by us overcoming more obstacles to get there, the power of God, the Son, and the Holy Spirit will be that much stronger!
ARE YOU READY FOR WHAT GOD IS ABOUT TO DO?
My common sense answers to why we are not experiencing the types of miraculous healings on such a regular basis as were experienced in Christ's time are:
1) We let our desires for materialism outweigh our desires for our Heavenly Father's will to be done
2) We have faith in our minds, but struggle to have faith in our hearts
3) We pray in our own selfish desires instead of in God's will
4) We spend too much time talking in our prayer life and not listening
5) We have such a hard time fully believing God's grace for our lives that we do not feel worthy
to pray with a sense of expectation.
.....This list can go on and on, but that would be depressing to a degree. It also does not answer my question of what is needed from us to change these things. As we have always been taught, there is a long list of things we should not do; as well as a lengthy list of what we should do. But as I am growing in my relationship with God, I have realized that we make it a lot more difficult than it has to be! This brings me back to my original question : What is needed from us to unleash the upcoming revival that will change not only America but this world? What will put a fear of God back in the lives of many who no longer even think much at all about God?
Then a word came to me....DUNAMIS. And I said do what? But sure enough, as I turned through those obscure channels where you can find several 24 - 7 Christian channels, there it was...DUNAMIS.
Apparently Dunamis is a greek word with a few meanings. Two of which are "to be excellent of soul" and "the power given to perform miraculous healings."
Okay, this is an awesome start, but how do I find this dunamis or shall I say achieve dunamis? According to this teaching by a Pastor and researcher Sid Roth, one has to have your "soul wounds" healed and then the greek word dunamis (from our helper the Holy spirit) can come into us through the blood shed by Christ on the cross, along with Christ's resurrection power. Your soul wounds that remain without healing are what contributes to a lackluster prayer life.
According to this Tim Roth, one of the largest soul wounds inflicting the church today is the wound of offense...Simply put, holding onto something someone has done to offend you. Not only does this cripple your own prayer life, but also can cripple a church too (as I am sure many Pastors would attest to.) By holding onto an offense, you are therefore holding onto unforgiveness. As it is stated in the bible, you cannot be forgiven if you do not forgive others. If you cannot be forgiven, you cannot enter Heaven. So if that is where many of us are at (whether we realize it or not) then how can we possibly expect to have the Holy Spirit operate in us strongly enough to see true long lasting revivals and everyday miracles in a prayer life I believe God desires for us to have. Not just for us to experience His power and blessings, but so that the world can see His power alive and well today....so He can have the glory, honor, and praise He deserves. (Instead of the mockery, doubt, and rejection He currently gets.) Also with this type of movement people will experience lasting change and take back the power over the enemy that God has given us. The power over sickness, anger, bitterness, unforgeness, disease, etc!
In closing, I have decided to begin to pray something along the lines of: Dear Heavenly Father,
along with the sins I am aware of, please also remove any sin of offense that I may be holding onto. Thank You for Your atonement and washing away my sins including any offense my heart harbors and replace those areas with Your ressurection power and help me to become excellent of soul.
Other prayers and meditation are also needed daily, but by sincerely praying this I believe we will start to see the awesome move of God that many of us yearn for. Even though a wealthy nation full of materialism like ours has more to overcome than 3rd world nations that see this mighty move of God on a much more regular basis. I believe that by us overcoming more obstacles to get there, the power of God, the Son, and the Holy Spirit will be that much stronger!
ARE YOU READY FOR WHAT GOD IS ABOUT TO DO?
Monday, September 10, 2012
"Choose Well"
For the past week to week and a half, I have had a "heavy feeling" on my heart. During this time, one of my cousins passed away from a substance overdose. As a result, a flood of emotions have gone through me as well as a deep pain for his immediate family. I have been flooded with memories of my own past substance abuse problems. Those were very dark days. It is really a miracle that I am even still alive. Which naturally brings forth the question of why are some of us rescued while others never experience the joy of breaking free from the chains of addiction? These are questions without answers in this lifetime.
Then in church this past Sunday, Pastor Tim (at Gospel Temple Worship Center) shared an internet video that he came across the prior week. My Pastor said he has never used an internet video for a message on Sunday before, however, he felt God was leading him to do so with this one. In this video a Pastor at a church with 10,000 members shared his heart's pain over his son's drug abuse addiction. This was an absolutely heart wrenching story of a child who decided to experiment with drugs only to find too little too late that he no longer has control...the drugs are now in control of him!
This Pastor painted an all too familiar (spot on) picture of how drugs seem fun in the beginning. How Satan whispers in your ear that you can control this. One more time is not going to hurt anything. See...nothing "bad" happened. A few more times is okay. While all along Satan knows that it's that next use that is going to say SNAP...I'VE GOT YOU NOW SUCKER! Before you know it, you are "using" to wake up in the morning and get up and going, to function during the day, then to wind down to sleep at night. All of a sudden...your thoughts are not your own anymore!
This Pastor asked why is this happening to his son. Afterall, he was raised better than this. His son was brought up in church. In his words, "he was not reaping what he sowed into his son." While my heart absolutely broke for him and his situation, I wish I could tell him the one thing that comes back to me time and again when I have asked God very similar questions. I truthfully believe that since he has a growing church of over 10,000 members, God is obviously using him to further His Kingdom and therefore to do much against the dark, evil desires of Satan. While this is obviously what we should all aim to do, it comes with a price. If you are a real threat to Satan, you can expect Satan to attack you, your ministry, your family....anything that you hold dear to your heart. It is called spiritual warfare! To some this will seem like hocus pocus talk. However, the fact is that there is one God and angels, Satan and demons and us humans are caught in the middle. This is by God's design. However, there is no need to fear these things. "For greater is He who is in me, than he who is in the world." We have been given the "power over principalities of darkness." We just have to recognize these things for what they are.
In closing, I know that Satan has tried to kill me for quite some time. This actually lets me know that God has big things in store for me that the devil does NOT want to see come to fruition. I also know that as big of a heart as my cousin always had for others and the way he wanted to take away the pain of others...just imagine the damage he could have caused to Satan's plan if he could have overcome. This is why Satan fought him tooth and nail to make sure he never found freedom and true life in Jesus Christ. Just as I believe that satan wants to cripple that pastor's ministry by claiming his son's life and causing that Pastor to doubt the love and faithfulness of Christ. It's not rocket science. This is how satan works.
God has given you the freedom of choice. He wants you to choose to love and serve Him. Unlike Satan, He does not want to force you to do anything you do not want to do. You can either choose to believe these simple truths and grow in true freedom and happiness day by day. Or you can choose to believe this is nonsense. Either way, whether you realize it or not, you are choosing to serve one master or another. You ARE choosing God or Satan. Please....Choose well!
Then in church this past Sunday, Pastor Tim (at Gospel Temple Worship Center) shared an internet video that he came across the prior week. My Pastor said he has never used an internet video for a message on Sunday before, however, he felt God was leading him to do so with this one. In this video a Pastor at a church with 10,000 members shared his heart's pain over his son's drug abuse addiction. This was an absolutely heart wrenching story of a child who decided to experiment with drugs only to find too little too late that he no longer has control...the drugs are now in control of him!
This Pastor painted an all too familiar (spot on) picture of how drugs seem fun in the beginning. How Satan whispers in your ear that you can control this. One more time is not going to hurt anything. See...nothing "bad" happened. A few more times is okay. While all along Satan knows that it's that next use that is going to say SNAP...I'VE GOT YOU NOW SUCKER! Before you know it, you are "using" to wake up in the morning and get up and going, to function during the day, then to wind down to sleep at night. All of a sudden...your thoughts are not your own anymore!
This Pastor asked why is this happening to his son. Afterall, he was raised better than this. His son was brought up in church. In his words, "he was not reaping what he sowed into his son." While my heart absolutely broke for him and his situation, I wish I could tell him the one thing that comes back to me time and again when I have asked God very similar questions. I truthfully believe that since he has a growing church of over 10,000 members, God is obviously using him to further His Kingdom and therefore to do much against the dark, evil desires of Satan. While this is obviously what we should all aim to do, it comes with a price. If you are a real threat to Satan, you can expect Satan to attack you, your ministry, your family....anything that you hold dear to your heart. It is called spiritual warfare! To some this will seem like hocus pocus talk. However, the fact is that there is one God and angels, Satan and demons and us humans are caught in the middle. This is by God's design. However, there is no need to fear these things. "For greater is He who is in me, than he who is in the world." We have been given the "power over principalities of darkness." We just have to recognize these things for what they are.
In closing, I know that Satan has tried to kill me for quite some time. This actually lets me know that God has big things in store for me that the devil does NOT want to see come to fruition. I also know that as big of a heart as my cousin always had for others and the way he wanted to take away the pain of others...just imagine the damage he could have caused to Satan's plan if he could have overcome. This is why Satan fought him tooth and nail to make sure he never found freedom and true life in Jesus Christ. Just as I believe that satan wants to cripple that pastor's ministry by claiming his son's life and causing that Pastor to doubt the love and faithfulness of Christ. It's not rocket science. This is how satan works.
God has given you the freedom of choice. He wants you to choose to love and serve Him. Unlike Satan, He does not want to force you to do anything you do not want to do. You can either choose to believe these simple truths and grow in true freedom and happiness day by day. Or you can choose to believe this is nonsense. Either way, whether you realize it or not, you are choosing to serve one master or another. You ARE choosing God or Satan. Please....Choose well!
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
"Reach Out and Touch This World"
I heard a very interesting fact on AFR Radio (Christian Talk Radio) yesterday. Apparently in a recent poll performed by CNN, 62% of U.S. citizens are either against abortion under any circumstance or only approve of abortion in rare cases of rape or incest (which are less than 1% of all cases!) Wow, 62% of population are against abortion, yet our elected officials refuse to take a stand and overturn the existing abortion laws! I may be a simpleton, but I thought that in a republic (such as the United States of America) our elected officials were to represent the people and the majority rules in a Democratic nation.
I can only hope that as Christians we are doing a better job of representing our Father in Heaven than our elected officials are doing at representing the majority of citizens! It does not take a PHD to see that we are living in a very dark world in need of a savior! I pray everyday that I will continue to grow into the man, father, husband, son, brother, Christian, and leader that I am suppose to be.
The only way for us to mature into the walk God has called us into (which is a daily growth experience) is to be fed. Just as Olympians cannot compete without proper nutrition and training, Christians need to be fed also in order to become the salt of the earth and light of the world we have been called to be! Beside reading your bible, praying to God, and trying on your own to develop a true relationship with Christ, it is more important now than ever to find a good Church Family where you can be fed and encouraged.
After attending a certain church for several years (and being fed and encouraged off and on) I was reluctant to make a change (even though I was being called by God to make a change.) The majority reason for this reluctance was due to my children being constantly fed and encouraged by the youth programs at the church I was attending. This was very important to me as our youth is the only hope for the future! However, over the past month or so, the tug at my spirit to take that leap and attend elsewhere was too strong to ignore any longer.
This past week I finally attended at Gospel Temple Worship Center (the church I felt God was calling me to for close to a month now.) I instantly felt at home. The spirit of God is alive and well in that place. Pastor Tim Howell has the desire and vision to see great things of God. I truthfully believe that Gospel Temple Worship Center (GTWC) is right on the verge of seeing an awesome move of the spirit and burst of growth that only comes from putting God 1st and desiring to reach the lost and broken.
As I mentioned above, as Christians we must be fed in order to battle against the powers of darkness in this world. If you are not in a church now (or if you are in a church but are not being fed) I would encourage you (if you are in the Florence SC, Timmonsville SC, or surrounding areas) to come to Gospel Temple Worship Center (if heading towards Timmonsville on Palmetto, it is on the right just past the I 95 overpass.) I believe the early service is at 8 or 8 30 and second service is at 10. We need to join together in a place where God's spirit will be allowed to lead (so we can be fed and encouraged) in order to reach out and touch this world!
I can only hope that as Christians we are doing a better job of representing our Father in Heaven than our elected officials are doing at representing the majority of citizens! It does not take a PHD to see that we are living in a very dark world in need of a savior! I pray everyday that I will continue to grow into the man, father, husband, son, brother, Christian, and leader that I am suppose to be.
The only way for us to mature into the walk God has called us into (which is a daily growth experience) is to be fed. Just as Olympians cannot compete without proper nutrition and training, Christians need to be fed also in order to become the salt of the earth and light of the world we have been called to be! Beside reading your bible, praying to God, and trying on your own to develop a true relationship with Christ, it is more important now than ever to find a good Church Family where you can be fed and encouraged.
After attending a certain church for several years (and being fed and encouraged off and on) I was reluctant to make a change (even though I was being called by God to make a change.) The majority reason for this reluctance was due to my children being constantly fed and encouraged by the youth programs at the church I was attending. This was very important to me as our youth is the only hope for the future! However, over the past month or so, the tug at my spirit to take that leap and attend elsewhere was too strong to ignore any longer.
This past week I finally attended at Gospel Temple Worship Center (the church I felt God was calling me to for close to a month now.) I instantly felt at home. The spirit of God is alive and well in that place. Pastor Tim Howell has the desire and vision to see great things of God. I truthfully believe that Gospel Temple Worship Center (GTWC) is right on the verge of seeing an awesome move of the spirit and burst of growth that only comes from putting God 1st and desiring to reach the lost and broken.
As I mentioned above, as Christians we must be fed in order to battle against the powers of darkness in this world. If you are not in a church now (or if you are in a church but are not being fed) I would encourage you (if you are in the Florence SC, Timmonsville SC, or surrounding areas) to come to Gospel Temple Worship Center (if heading towards Timmonsville on Palmetto, it is on the right just past the I 95 overpass.) I believe the early service is at 8 or 8 30 and second service is at 10. We need to join together in a place where God's spirit will be allowed to lead (so we can be fed and encouraged) in order to reach out and touch this world!
Monday, August 20, 2012
"Fear Not"
With all of the uncertainty and questions around different news coming out of independent news sources about the times we live in (including some of the information I discovered in my research for "A Bullet For Everyone") it would be easy to let your concern transform into fear. While this information is good in that it can inform you of matters you would otherwise be left in the dark about, we should never allow this information to cause us to fear the future. While we know there will be tribulations in the road ahead, we also have Christ's assurance that we (christians) WILL be victorious in the end!
The knowledge of what is unfolding right before our eyes should actually invigorate us to realize that we are actually witnessing bible prophecy being fulfilled. Just another reminder to us that: God's not dead, he is surely alive, living on the inside, roaring like a lion!...just like the powerful, popular christian song states!
This dark world we live in desperately needs to see a mighty, powerful, lasting move of God. I KNOW we are right on the verge of witnessing this coming to past! Just as there are powerfully dark forces at work, I truthfully believe we are going to be absolutely blown away by the move of God just on the horizon. While I know we are to respect our elders; I also believe this movement will be sparked by our youth! While the older generations tend to get comftorable in the status quo and normalcy of life and christian service (no disrespect intended) it is the youth who are constantly searching for something that is real, genuine, cutting edge, and trully awesome and unique!
All of this has lead me down memory lane. I remember March 27, 1994. (Two days before my 17th birthday.) I recieved a prophetic word that I would one day work with youth. That I would be like the tree planted by the river and I would bare fruit in due season. And that all I did would prosper as I was a leader like Joshua. (It went on to say many other things too.) As life went on the hope of such things seemed to fade very far away. Due to life variables, poor decisions, and allowing the enemy to steal my joy I fell away from God and have had to endure much pain as a result.
As only God can do, much like the prodigal son, I have come full circle and back to the faith. I have been realizing of late that a door will open for me to step back into his plan for my life. While I could have had a much easier path to get there, the struggles I have endured will only help me to better understand what today's youth struggle with so I can be more effective at what He has in store for me. After being in a certain industry for 15 years, it is a scary step of faith to realize it is time to look for that open door he has for me.
I am sure there are others who can relate with some if not all of this topic. Together we must remember that what satan has meant to use to destroy us, God will use to propel us into a stronger spirit filled, purpose driven life. For God has not given us a spirit of fear but a spirit of love, peace, and a sound mind.
(2 Timothy 1:7) So may we all remember to fear not!
The knowledge of what is unfolding right before our eyes should actually invigorate us to realize that we are actually witnessing bible prophecy being fulfilled. Just another reminder to us that: God's not dead, he is surely alive, living on the inside, roaring like a lion!...just like the powerful, popular christian song states!
This dark world we live in desperately needs to see a mighty, powerful, lasting move of God. I KNOW we are right on the verge of witnessing this coming to past! Just as there are powerfully dark forces at work, I truthfully believe we are going to be absolutely blown away by the move of God just on the horizon. While I know we are to respect our elders; I also believe this movement will be sparked by our youth! While the older generations tend to get comftorable in the status quo and normalcy of life and christian service (no disrespect intended) it is the youth who are constantly searching for something that is real, genuine, cutting edge, and trully awesome and unique!
All of this has lead me down memory lane. I remember March 27, 1994. (Two days before my 17th birthday.) I recieved a prophetic word that I would one day work with youth. That I would be like the tree planted by the river and I would bare fruit in due season. And that all I did would prosper as I was a leader like Joshua. (It went on to say many other things too.) As life went on the hope of such things seemed to fade very far away. Due to life variables, poor decisions, and allowing the enemy to steal my joy I fell away from God and have had to endure much pain as a result.
As only God can do, much like the prodigal son, I have come full circle and back to the faith. I have been realizing of late that a door will open for me to step back into his plan for my life. While I could have had a much easier path to get there, the struggles I have endured will only help me to better understand what today's youth struggle with so I can be more effective at what He has in store for me. After being in a certain industry for 15 years, it is a scary step of faith to realize it is time to look for that open door he has for me.
I am sure there are others who can relate with some if not all of this topic. Together we must remember that what satan has meant to use to destroy us, God will use to propel us into a stronger spirit filled, purpose driven life. For God has not given us a spirit of fear but a spirit of love, peace, and a sound mind.
(2 Timothy 1:7) So may we all remember to fear not!
Monday, August 13, 2012
"Who Is Hypocritical Now"
If you were to ask 10 people who comes to mind when they hear the word hypocrite; 8 or 9 would say Christians....that bothers me! While in too many cases that is the cold, hard truth; I can think of many other examples of hypocritical behavior that do not involve Christians. Here are just a few:
1) When gay rights activists state that we should all demonstrate "tolerance" toward the gay lifestyle, yet
many of them show "zero tolerance" toward anyone's views that are opposite of their own.
.....(EXAMPLE: Chick Fil A drama)
2) When abortion rights activists say abortion is not murder, yet when someone murders a pregnant
woman, it is considered a double murder!
3) When secular society demands we remove God from public schools, courtrooms, etc. but they ask
"why did God allow this to happen" when tragedy strikes. (Yeah this one really gets me!)
4) When gay rights supporters say they will be tolerant of Islam but not Christianity because Christians
supposively hate them. However, Christianity teaches forgiveness of sins through Christ's ultimate
sacrifice, while Islam teaches if a person is caught in a homosexual act they should be executed on
the spot!
5) When abortion rights groups say that abortion is a woman's right because it is her body and she can
do with her body what she pleases. Ohh really? Some women want to put drugs in their body but
they are not allowed to do that! Some women want to commit prostitution for quick money with
their body but they cannot do that either. (SO shall we legalize prostitution and drug use or reverse
the legality of abortion? (Because if that school of thought applies to one, it should apply to all!)
6) When anti-christian groups have removed God from our public school system to the point that
teachers can (and have been) fired for wearing a Christian t-shirt or bringing a bible to school. Yet
it is perfectly acceptable to wear Islam supporting apparel and bring the koran to school. (Or any
other (false) religion for that matter!)
So you see where I am going here. My list can go on and on but I think you get the point by now. So in closing , I would like to mention how ironic I find it that whenever tragedy strikes us, I have never heard someone say "why did buddah allow this," "why did that sacred cow of hinduism allow this," or even "why did allah of islam allow this?" You know why? Deep down inside every human creation (no matter how much some may fight it) knows that there is only one true God! He will accept and love you.....won't you come just as you are?
1) When gay rights activists state that we should all demonstrate "tolerance" toward the gay lifestyle, yet
many of them show "zero tolerance" toward anyone's views that are opposite of their own.
.....(EXAMPLE: Chick Fil A drama)
2) When abortion rights activists say abortion is not murder, yet when someone murders a pregnant
woman, it is considered a double murder!
3) When secular society demands we remove God from public schools, courtrooms, etc. but they ask
"why did God allow this to happen" when tragedy strikes. (Yeah this one really gets me!)
4) When gay rights supporters say they will be tolerant of Islam but not Christianity because Christians
supposively hate them. However, Christianity teaches forgiveness of sins through Christ's ultimate
sacrifice, while Islam teaches if a person is caught in a homosexual act they should be executed on
the spot!
5) When abortion rights groups say that abortion is a woman's right because it is her body and she can
do with her body what she pleases. Ohh really? Some women want to put drugs in their body but
they are not allowed to do that! Some women want to commit prostitution for quick money with
their body but they cannot do that either. (SO shall we legalize prostitution and drug use or reverse
the legality of abortion? (Because if that school of thought applies to one, it should apply to all!)
6) When anti-christian groups have removed God from our public school system to the point that
teachers can (and have been) fired for wearing a Christian t-shirt or bringing a bible to school. Yet
it is perfectly acceptable to wear Islam supporting apparel and bring the koran to school. (Or any
other (false) religion for that matter!)
So you see where I am going here. My list can go on and on but I think you get the point by now. So in closing , I would like to mention how ironic I find it that whenever tragedy strikes us, I have never heard someone say "why did buddah allow this," "why did that sacred cow of hinduism allow this," or even "why did allah of islam allow this?" You know why? Deep down inside every human creation (no matter how much some may fight it) knows that there is only one true God! He will accept and love you.....won't you come just as you are?
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