Mustard Seed of Faith

And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, you of little faith?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a dead calm. Matthew 8:26

I have been blessed as of late with many things of God and once again taken back by the awesome that is God. I have met people and have had conversations that I could not have had without him. I have been given a wealth of words to put to paper that I will get credit for, when they truly are not my words. Dead asleep by midnight and awake again with words to write by 1am.

Through these encounters however I have been given insight that can build towards a bit of wisdom. One of the people that I have had the pleasure to meet recently is a man named Jeff Harsbarger, a man whose walk to Christ was very like my own, he just returned to Christ 25 years before I did. Listening to some of his words a quote really moved me because of the truth of it, “Too many Christians are concerned with reacting to the Devil, when all they have to do is respond to God.”

There is a truth in that statement of true power. I’m sure that had something to do with the inspiration for this topic. I have talked about faith quite a few times, but this time I want to focus on a few different examples. In the Bible, Jesus tells us time and time again just how powerful Faith is, and even among his disciples who are right there with him, how little faith we can have.

Jesus tells us that with faith the size of a mustard seed a mountain can be tossed into the sea. Jesus tells us that all he does, he does in faith of the Father. The only time that he was not able to do miracles of magnitude was in his home town with doubt and fear around him. There were more people that did not believe than there were believers I feel.

Even with that though, he was able to heal the sick. I have pondered on the parable of the mustard seed more than once and I often asked why a mustard seed was used. We are told that it is a very small seed and it grows into a tree large enough for birds to take nest there. In this there is a deeper meaning of why Christ chose the mustard seed.

Each of us starts with a seed of Faith within us. This seed is watered and nurtured and eventually begins to sprout with proper care, just as any other seed does. This begins to grow in us and develops roots. This seed is the seed of our faith. It sprouts within us and begins to grow. Even in its infancy there is power in that faith.

From the beginning we are called to just draw closer to God through love. We are told that we have been brought into God’s covenant and that he is our tower of refuge. We are told that our faith from the beginning is powerful enough to move mountains. We have a hard time keeping this in our minds when the seas are not calm.

Even the disciples had fears and doubts, we are not perfect. Only Jesus was perfect, and we are made perfect through Christ Jesus. I tell you though, Jesus is right, faith the size of a mustard seed is capable of changing the world. Many times it is changed in ways that we do not recognize or realize.

The faith that we have in God is what keeps us safe. It is what keeps us on track with God’s purpose. How can faith of a mustard seed change the world, by continual growth and willingness to listen to God’s will and purpose. Demons had no power with Christ. Christ dwells within us. The demons even feared the Son of God and begged him. How can they have power of us if Christ dwells within us?

Without faith the sea will remain rough. Without taking up your cross daily and walking with God daily we neglect that patch of dirt that our seed is planted in and allows weeds to grow in to choke out our faith. Ever diligent and ever faithful will we keep to what God wishes for us.  I have been encouraged by what God has taught me through the words he has blessed me with. These things are not mine, it’s a God thing.

What keeps us where the devil wants us? Doubt and fear. The only power that he has over us relies in us forgetting that he has no power over us. “Greater is he that dwells in us than dwells in the world.” I may sound like a broken record, but Faith is that important.

When I was an Occultist there was a question that was asked constantly, “How does magic work?” The answer is one that Christians will be familiar with, through the belief that it will be done. It is our human will that puts forth our belief and our faith that something will be done. We believe that we are protected in Christ and have faith in the father and it is done.

It is not that we are making it happen, we believe in the truths that we have been told in the bible and through the testimonies of those far more wise than we are. I am still a toddler in my walk with God. Even at this point though there is power in the faith that has been built within me that no one can take from me, save the Lord.

Job is always a hard read for me because of all he goes through. And I understand that it is supposed to be a testament to endurance and perseverance, but honestly not many Christians want to experience what Job went through. He was blessed in the end, but went through hell on earth. In that though the encouragement that I get from it is just how much of a stalwart he was to the truth that God was God.

Job questioned why God was doing these things to him, but never denied God the right. We are his children. Job stood his ground against the devil and was blessed. I do not believe that all of us have to go through these struggles as Job did, not to that level anyway, but look at how many people were blessed by his story.

I leave with one last point. Your faith is not something to keep to yourself. Your faith is to be shared, go out and share the good news is what we are called to do as disciples. So where is the light of your faith? Do you have it tucked away under a bowl, or do you have it as a lamp for others to find the God that has blessed you? You want your mustard seed to grow into a tree; it is going to need some sun for that. You got to pull it out and that means other people will see it and want to ask you about it. That’s the scary part isn’t it, talking about your story and how you came to Christ and taking the risk that the person will reject you because you’re one of those crazy “God hates fags” people.

I would not be a Christian right now if someone had not reached out to me and shared their story. Pull your tree out of your pocket and let people see it. You don’t want to have a tree in your pocket anyway, watering it really wouldn’t be that pleasant of an experience now would it?

“We are not cisterns made for hoarding, we are channels made for sharing.” Billy Graham

GodForgives.Us

Don't Fear the Silence

“Happy is the person who meditates on wisdom and reasons intelligently,

Who reflects on his heart and on her ways and ponders her secrets,

Pursuing her like a hunter, and lying in wait on her paths;

Who peers through her windows and listens at her doors;” Sirach 14:20-23

That old saying, “You have two ears and one mouth because you are supposed to listen twice as much as you speak,” is great advice. Today we are a people that have every kind of impulse and distraction in front of us. You could say that it is so hard to get a quiet moment, let alone a quiet moment with God.

All through the bible we are told that we are supposed to be quiet and meditate on God’s word and listen to his voice, guidance and instruction. Today we have T.V.s with hundreds of channels and have access to distractions and noise at the click of a mouse or a swipe of a smart phone. Knowledge is right at our fingertips and we are a culture of ADHD. In all of that how are we supposed to find quiet?

This topic brings to mind one of my favorite books, Lullaby by Chuck Palahniuk. In this book the author writes about how we are addicted to noise and sound and has some really great quotes about life in general. It is a great philosophical read about the human condition. One of my favorite quotes from the book is a reference to 1984 by Orwell:

“Big Brother isn’t watching. He’s singing and dancing. He’s pulling rabbits out of a hat. Big Brother’s busy holding your attention every moment you’re awake. He’s making sure you’re always distracted. He’s making sure you are fully absorbed.”

With propagandas in our face every second of every day it is no surprise that we have become so absorbed with consumerism. Marketing says that we have to get the message, ploy or product in front of as many people as often as you can afford to. The world wants your attention and we give it to the world. To raise our children we must make sure that they not only go to school but have one or two after school programs that keep them busy and four hours of homework every night. That’s what they need to stay out of trouble.

If we are to meditate on God’s word daily, what does that mean? Does that mean Yoga? What is the draw of yoga besides the things the world tells us? It is a stress reduction technique and much more. It is a way to relieve stress, tension and offer peace. It is a really healthy thing that is needed in this world right now. Many people that cannot take time out to just have some peace and quiet to be with themselves and the ones they love will sit and be quiet in this activity.

At least they are getting a few moments of peace. When is the last time you sat and listened to the rain fall outside? When was the last time you just sat quietly and cleared your mind of everything that was going on in it? We need quiet. It is in this quiet that we hear God’s voice most clearly.

The man in the bible that is thought of as being the most wise human being in the bible is Solomon. God poured wisdom into him like a fount. I find it funny that he says more than anyone else the word Meditate. Webster defines Meditate as spending time in quiet thought for religious purposes or relaxation. Be quiet and listen.

You cannot listen when you speak. You must hold quiet so you can hear. Turn off the TV, close the computer. Turn off the phones, tablets and game systems. Take a deep breath and as you exhale clear your mind of everything you are keeping track of. Say a prayer to God and then just sit quietly for a minute. May mercy, peace, and love be yours in abundance (Jude 1:2). It’s there for you, but you just have to be willing to accept it.

Peace is a gift from God just as Salvation is, but like Salvation we have an obligation to seek it and hold quietly upon it. With a world of distractions how can we as a people be listening to God? Do we wonder why the world has grown so far from God and we hesitate to call ourselves Christians because we don’t want to be associated with some people that call themselves Christian. Oh I’m Christian but I’m not that kind of Christian.

We cannot serve the world and serve God. We cannot listen to the world and listen to God at the same time. We cannot talk and hear at the same time. Stop waiting for your turn to speak and take your long past turn to listen. God is waiting on you to turn your face to him and you can’t if your face is staring at Wolf Blitzer, the latest reality show, or the stock market. How hard is it to kiss your spouse without looking at them?

How hard is it to love someone that you are ignoring? It’s impossible. It is also impossible for you to receive love when you are similarly distracted. Take a walk and be with God. Maybe you need to start a little closer to the flesh and take a walk with your family, or just have dinner with them. Spend time with them by spending time with them, not occupying the same room with them to be distracted by, “Whoo hoo new building!” or checking what crops need to be harvested in Farmville.

How can you draw closer to the blood that you share in your home if you have no interest in learning about them? We are noiseaholics and have allowed ourselves to become fully taken in by the distractions of the world. You are strange when you say that you don’t watch TV or don’t have Netflix. We must share the love of Christ with others, but we also have to have the time to receive it ourselves. The importance of being quiet and sitting with God and then being with other people is without paramount.

How can we Love God with all our heart and Love others as we love ourselves if we do not take the time required to actually love them? I’m not talking about dedicating more time to study of God’s word, but that helps. What I’m saying is for one day, one night, one hour turn off all distractions and just be. Take a minute or hour to be with God and then do the same with those around you. Loving others requires interaction with others.

No matter how successful you are, you can still find yourself lonely and alone even when you are surrounded by people. No matter how poor you are, you can spend a little time with the Lord or with another person to share the love that we all have been given. Love doesn’t cost any amount of money and money can only complicate it.

The greatest gift that you can give your wife is love and affection. The greatest gift you can give your husband is love and affection. The greatest gift you can receive from God is Love. Love is all that God asks in return. Can Candy Crush love you? Will Farmville teach you anything about God’s plan for us? Can WoW give us peace, mercy and love? What is distracting you from being in love? What is keeping you from peace today? Turn it off. God has a plan for every problem. No matter how big the bug in your code, you won’t figure it out until you step away from it. God’s there in that too.

One hour, give it a try… at worst you just wasted an hour of the day, we do a lot more than that flipping channels or on youtube watching cats do silly things. How bad can it be to waste it on God?

“There are worse things you can do to the people you love than kill them. The regular way is just to watch the world do it. Just read the newspaper.” Chuck Palahniuk, Lullaby

After the Cross

“Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:1-2

To continue with the theme of the recent articles, I wanted to discuss what’s next. We have walked the journey to the Cross and accepted Christ and have been baptized for our rebirth. Now what?

To start I want to reflect for a moment over Galatians 6 for a moment. Each of us have been caught up in a sin that we cannot seem to break free from. Paul talks about his affliction of the flesh and Peter tells us about the things that he wishes he would do he does not, but the things he desires not to do is what he ends up doing instead.

Galatians gives us some instruction on how to help our family with this cycle, but I think of a bigger thing with this verse. I mean this verse can go down to someone that has a habit of telling white lies to allowing his thoughts dwell on sinful desires a bit too much. Many times we are able to forgive the person that is having this issue and able to take up the advice in Galatians 6 and gently restore the person.

What if the sin they were caught up in was something “more” than lust driven thoughts? What if it were as extreme as Rape? What if it was Murder? What about Armed Robbery? Can you or I gently restore that person? Well Jesus calls to us to do the same thing in these cases as well. Sin is sin, it’s black and white. There are no varied degrees of sin, you have sinned or you have not sinned.

But we have a hard time not putting these sins on a scale. Cannibalism certainly seems a lot worse to the human mind and to me than telling your friend that you were at the mall instead of at your house when they called and you didn’t feel like talking. But lying is sin. Cannibalism would certainly be a sin, and well sin is sin.

This mindset that there are sins larger than others is a hard thing to get beyond. There are so many emotions that weigh into the process. As human beings the more fear that something puts into our hearts makes whatever it is worse than something that we don’t really fear. Stealing a bottle of water is a lot less scary than a home invasion.

It’s only human, but for us to start looking at what is next for us, we have to start realizing that sin is sin, and grace is grace. If we are saved by grace for the totality of our sin, why cannot someone else be reconciled by the same God that gave you forgiveness? If he sees all sin as sin, and has informed us of this fact, how can we not accept that?

If you have committed the least of these then you have committed the greater as well. All of us have committed rape, murder, and idolatry in God’s eyes based on this one passage. Is that taking the passage out of context a bit? Perhaps, but I don’t think I am taking it too far out of context there.

Jesus was proving a point with similar things. He was proving that we cannot be saved by the Law that only Grace could save us. We all fell short of the Law, and that’s why he came and died for us. We have already accepted that forgiveness and grace from him. We met him at the cross and were baptized in his blood that washed us clean.

What’s next? Allowing ourselves to forgive ourselves and begin our walk with Christ. Before we can love others as we love ourselves, we have to actually love ourselves. For some people that will be harder than others. Some of us love ourselves a little too much and that just means we have to love others a lot more in the process.

This was something that was particularly hard for me to do. Forgive myself for all the people that I had hurt and all that I had done against Christ and his people. All the lives that I had touched in a harmful way and being a tempter, making people question everything that they thought they knew to draw them into darkness.

As a Satanist it was my goal to build up a base of followers that was able to tear down the grip that God has on the souls of the world. Christianity is the number one religion in the world, and I wanted to tear it all down. During my time as a Satanist, many people that I had worked with had committed suicide or spent time in mental hospitals.

The fact that I blasphemed God’s name daily and God said it is forgotten, I love you anyway. That kind of love is amazing. God loves us to the point that no matter how far you have drifted from Christ he will open his arms and welcome you home. That love is what drove me back into his arms and drove me to make life changes to ensure that I did not find myself back in that dark place again.

But how can someone that now has morals forgive himself for that kind of harm. I cannot help but feel that I am responsible for the suicides of people that I was teaching. How do you get past that? How do you forgive yourself for that? One day at a time, embracing God’s love and his mercy. It is through his grace and his love that I have been resurrected.

The man that I once was is long dead, but the memories are still there. My body and soul is marred with scars, scars are wounds that have healed but have left a mark. Khalil Gibran says this about scars, “Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.” Thomas would only believe that Christ had returned from the dead after he saw the scars on the wrists of Christ.

Remember that it is not the scars that are important; it is the fact that those wounds are healed. God is a God that heals our wounds. But not every wound heals to the point that there is no scar. Through these scars you have your story and testimony. An abusive relationship leaves scars on both people. We walk around with perfect masks hiding the numerous scars that we have on our hearts and souls.

If we focus too much on that and not the fact that they are forgiven, and work daily to allow ourselves to be transformed by the Holy Spirit and forgive ourselves, then what point do those scars have? They will just be a friendly reminder of the times that you have failed.  The greatest way we can use these reminders is going back to Galatians 6. Remember your scars and use them to help someone else with their restoration.

The deeper the scar the longer it hurts and the more tender it is. You remember the pain caused by that scar and you now have strength by coming through the other side of that wound. You survived and have power in your scars if you choose to use it. Allow these wounds to heal and become scars then use these scars to help others with similar wounds.

Helping others heal and showing love to others is fulfillment of Jesus’s new commandments to us. What’s next? Many of us have a lot of healing that we have to work through. Others of us have stories to tell of God’s grace and mercy. Others of us just need to love on people to make sure they know that Christ is not point at you with a hot poker to burn you for every wrong that you have done.

What you do with your scars is up to you. If you just want to use them as reminders of things not to do again if great. If you want to use them to help others, that is great. What Jack didn’t realize in Fight Club was that he already had scars. So what can you do with your scars?

“There is something beautiful about all scars of whatever nature. A scar means the hurt is over, the wound is closed and healed, done with.” Harry Crews

http://GodForgives.Us

Lord Cleanse Me, Again...

“I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” Matthew 3:11-12

Baptism is one of the acts that we go through in order to become a Christian. It is the recreation of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. It is the symbol of us being washed clean of all sins. We all agree on baptism being something of an important thing, and if you have gone through it, you have felt why it is so compelling.

Many times in life we wish for the slate to be washed clean, a fresh start. Sometimes we move across the country to start up again. Other times we change churches, spouses or hair color. Something that marks us as a different person than we were. We are trying to do something different to break a cycle that we feel we are stuck in. With the information age in full swing, this is becoming harder and harder to do.

There is one place we can always turn to get a fresh start and that is God. Bathed in his glory and his grace through the death of Jesus Christ, we are washed clean through him. We get a fresh start every time. We can screw up every day and ask for forgiveness and we get it every single time. That is fact, but this does not always carry over to the rest of the world.

The world says, “Hey I know you, how about another drink? No? Oh, come on for old time sake. That a boy, I knew you had it in you.“  The world knows the flesh, and all the weaknesses. That cute redhead that has your number; the buddy that has the hook up or that website that is just a click away, we all have our weakness or addiction. Sometimes it’s food. Sometimes it is something that happened years ago.

We have shown the world that we are not the same, but it doesn’t care. God does, and those that see you through the eyes of Christ will notice it. God forgives, the world forgets. The world even puts in little ways to help itself forget. Expunging your criminal record, if you can, is just like it never happened. That is why we were given Grace.

The Law holds record of all of our wrongs. Through grace our wrongs are forgotten. There are so many times when I was walking lost that a yard stick was put up to me and I was told how many ways I fell short from God’s Grace, which was a lie. No one falls short of God’s Grace, you simply have to allow yourself to receive the gift of forgiveness and Grace. The law condemns and grace redeems.

The sentiment of God Forgives and the World Forgets is this, God gives us grace and wishes us to be part of his family, but the world has built little boxes and containers for everyone to be in, and these boxes are exclusive. You have to be part of the club to be accepted. Look at country club membership. You have to pay a lot of money to just apply and even then most are invitation only. To be part of God’s Country Club you have to accept a gift given freely. Everyone can afford that, but not the country club.

“Oh I see here that in 1984 you had some domestic violence and a DUI in 1992. I think this might be a problem, we can’t let your kind in here.” Having a problem can get you put into boxes that the world easily puts people in. You are a criminal for getting caught for something that many people have done but not gotten caught. You had a girlfriend that was 2 years younger than you in high school. Daddy got mad when he caught you with his little girl, now you’re a sex offender.

Well now you and she are married, but you are still a sex offender and have to report it when you move to a new area. You can’t even pick your own kids up from school. But hey in 10 years you can petition to get it forgotten.  In the meantime you struggle to find work, face judgment around every turn, and even some churches ask you to find somewhere else to worship.  

You killed a couple when drinking and driving, and well that put you in a place that you had never thought you would be. You’ve got friends at the country club that can help you out, but still you killed two people. You are now a monster. You call your buddies at the country club and they have turned their back on you. Your perfect life just crumbled, but I’ve got good news. You want some help getting the vision of those two people lying dead while you were waiting for the police to arrive.

 You want to remember, but be forgiven. You remember to keep you from doing it again. But now that you know the cost of your problem, you want to be forgiven. God will forgive you, all you have to do is ask, he’s waiting on you. It is your choice. All you have to do is accept him and he will cover you. He will help carry your burden and help you make better choices.

Does that mean that those two counts of vehicular homicide go away? No the World wants to ensure that you are punished for that. What can you do with this now? How long will this follow you? Welcome to the bad box, criminal. But inside that box is where you go, murderer. But God tears those boxes apart with his forgiveness.

Those of you that are reading this that are not in those boxes. What can you do to help people that are? The world wants to keep these people in pain and suffering for as long as it can. The world has policies to protect the world through harming people that made a mistake in life, sometimes very large mistakes. Where is God’s grace in the earth? Through his people.

This is the message I have today. If you are in HR or a policy maker at a company, what can you do to give people a new chance? A bar fight can cost people for up to 8 years. Having sex before marriage at crucial ages can cost you 10 to 15 years. How did this world become like this? We must protect ourselves because everyone is trying to hurt us. We must save what is ours because the world is evil. If we give Bob another chance he’ll do the same thing, and we covered it up well this time, but twice… we can’t do that.

The world is an evil place, but that does not mean that grace is not there. That does not mean that Jesus is not here with us. No, it just means that we have to fight a little harder to get God’s light to shine through. Fear is a tool and a weapon that keeps us in darkness, but where God is darkness must flee. I want to call out to each and every Christian. Do what God has called us to do; let his light shine through in everything we do and everything we touch.

The world can change, but it takes people to fight for the change. And a fight does not have to be one of violence, in fact that way will assure that we will lose. Grace, mercy, peace, love, compassion, these are the tools that we must use to make the changes to make this world a world that knows the true voice of God.

How can you help? Before you hold up a ruler to the strange boy that decided to go to church today, try talking to him. Before you condemn the girl that you have seen walking down the roads and getting into cars with men she does not know, talk to her. How many weeks do you tithe time?

16 hours and 48 minutes is 10 percent of the time that we are given each week. That’s before sleep. That’s a lot of time right? How are you going to get that in? Well church probably takes care of 2 to 4 hours of it. So let’s put that down to 12 hours to get covered over 6 more days.

 So you mean that to tithe time you have to give 2 hours a day and almost 5 on Sunday? How long is your morning commute? Give it to God. Now you have one hour a day to give to God. 30 Minutes over lunch, hey you were going to McDonalds anyway, why not get that lady counting pennies some food and talk with her. You may be surprised at what kind of Good you can do for someone with just a couple dollar burgers and a little time.

You want to impact someone on a level that is massive? Write a few letters to people in jail offering them a chance to talk with someone that doesn’t know them. Some of these people are cut off from everyone as soon as they go behind bars; families turn on them, isolated. Be Christ for them. Offer them conversation and allow it to lead to more.  Instead of protesting an abortion clinic, how about spend time with a girl that is facing a hard decision. Find out why she would be willing to kill her unborn child. Why her life is so desperate that she feels that this is the only place she can turn.

We are not promised tomorrow. How can we not do something for God every day? God gave it to us, what can we do with it? Who can you take to the river and baptize? Who can you show the light of God? You know how good it felt to go under the water and become a new person. How can you not share that with someone who needs the Love of Jesus? What can you do? Write a letter. Take a homeless person out to dinner. Pray for an open heart and open eyes and God will give you a chance to serve.

John had no idea that Jesus would come to the river and bless him with the chance to take him under the water to be cleansed and freed from the sinful body that our perfect God was encased in. John was blessed that day, because John got to be the hands of God and baptize Jesus to set his feet upon the path to the cross for us. We all were blessed by the living water. So what’s next? You like it? Share it.

“If you learn from defeat, you haven’t really lost.” Zig Ziglar

Packing: How do you trust God?

“Don’t take along gold, silver or copper for your money-belt. Don’t take a traveling bag for the road, or an extra shirt, sandals, or walking stick, for the worker is worthy of his food.” Matthew 10:9-10

When preparing for a trip it seems like we have so much we take with us. We have to make sure we have enough clothes, shoes, more clothes for activities and well shoes for that too. We have to make sure we have some way to communicate and pass the time in the lull, not to mention enough money to get what we need and a few things we want.

But, what else do we take with us? Expectations, worries and concerns. There are so many stories in the bible about trips and journeys and most of us will not take a trip as big or impressive as half of those in the bible. What did most people in the bible take with them? Most of these people took the clothes on their backs and very little else.

We can start by looking all the way back to Exodus, yeah they took all their belongings because they were moving to a new place not knowing where they were going, but they didn’t take with them enough food for the journey. Quite frankly, they had no clue how much food they would need to take. What did God do for them? He rained food for them to feed them.

Now one thing that has held constant is that most of us still take worry and concern with us. Even as we step out and knowing that we are traveling to do something that God wishes us to do, there is still concern.  We trust God, but still our flesh keeps us from trusting completely. What then? Why do we all fall so short from what God wishes for us?

Most of these trips, especially the spiritual ones, are made to help us draw closer to God. We are told not to worry so many times in the bible, but we are never told not to question. In fact we are told to question everything to test it to see if it is Godly or if it is something to cast aside. 

With Spiritual journeys we typically carry with us a lot more than physical journeys. We carry not only worry, but doubt and then there is the luggage from our past. We carry with us every time we have fallen, every time we have struggled to stand. Is this a bad thing? It depends on your perspective. If you focus on it as a doubt and a list of all the times you have failed or you have been failed, then it’s a bad things. If you carry it with you as a reminder of how many times you have fallen on your face and eventually gotten back on your feet, or how many times God has been there, then that is a positive reassurance for you.

There is a lot that goes on in every day life that packs on a lot of negative energy, emotion and habit. So to combat all of this what do we do? How do we prepare for the world and what it has for us? Well if we look at the lessons that we are given from God’s word, then we have what we need. We have instructions. When you rise, put God in your heart with a prayer.

Start the day with a conversation with God to prepare you for the day. Second spend a few minutes while you are getting some coffee in your system to read a few passages from the bible, even if it is one or two chapters. While you are on your commute, talk with God about whatever is on your heart. These are all things that you can do.

Just like exercise for the body daily is great for keeping your body in shape. Do a few bible curls to strengthen the soul. A few mind games or puzzles for the mind. That is one thing from eastern philosophy that is spot on, true strength lies with not only the body, but the mind and soul as well. The mind and body must expand to the spirit or soul or it is not complete.

We humans are three parts of one whole, and from that an extension of the one true God. We are body, mind and soul. Father, Son and the Holy Spirit; three parts of the same whole. So strengthen that which is your weakest you cannot focus on the weakest part, but the other two will help you strengthen the weakest part. A knee is not just two bones meeting; there is muscle and ligament with that muscle. If you have a weak ligament you have to work on the muscle to help it out.  

So when we are gathering together things for a journey, you have the physical needs as well as the mental and spiritual ones. Careful how you pack your bags though, if you pack in too much you leave no room for the chance encounters that can be life changing, and no room for new things to be added to your life.

God uses all journeys in a multitude of ways. It is only after we have gone through them do we come close to getting what God intended for us. Sometimes it is many years down the road before we have developed the wisdom to understand what we have gone through and why. So I leave you with a question to answer for yourself.

What have you gone through in your life that you still cannot understand why you did it or had to go through it? Pray and open your mind to see if there was a lesson that you learned through it. Was there a higher purpose for it?

“A wise man can learn more from a foolish question than a fool can learn from a wise answer.” Bruce Lee

Prey or Prayer, You Decide

“Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” Philippians 4:6

Prayer is one of those tools that we have been given by the Father as a way to let him know what we are struggling with. I have always found it interesting that we are instructed to pray about things that God knows about. God knows we are hurting. God knows when we are happy. God knows what we are truly struggling with even when we do not. So why has God given us this instruction again and again?

Prayer is our quiet time with God for one. Also, God wants us to talk with him and walk with him in all things. There are many relationships that are described in the bible about what our relationship with God is. The most common one is a parent child relationship. God is the Father and as a Father, a good father, he wants to know when we are hurting and what is on our hearts and minds.

A lot of times my father would know when something was bothering me and would know what it was, but he wanted to hear it. My father was a good man, God is still working on bringing him in to be his son, but my father always strived to be a good man. We have and still do talk a lot about what is going on and he probably knows what’s in my head a bit more than just about anyone else, except maybe my wife.

I’m able to talk to my father after years or working at it. With my dad I have shared things that I would not share to close friends sometimes. A lot of my friends still do not know the kind of life I have lived and the things that I have gone through in my life. Life has been a very interesting road for me, one that turns frequently.

I always said that I would take the road less traveled when I would read that famous poem by Robert Frost.  That road was grown up and was not the easiest road, but it was a road that called to me. I have to say honestly and truthfully I have walked the road less traveled by. I’m not sure Frost realized just how hard of a road that road could be.

The problem with taking a road that not a lot of people take is most of the time there is a good reason why people don’t travel down a road. The road is probably more hazardous, harder to travel. It may go into a bad neighborhood or have a bridge that closes frequently. It may take you to a town called Dunwich for all we know. You want to know the dangers of traveling roads that most don’t take, that is a good read for you, “The Dunwich Horror” by H.P. Lovecraft.

So let us travel down that road a bit. The road just looks overgrown at first, a little more hilly but manageable. The road becomes a bit more rocky and has a bridge that seems less than stable, but it holds up. We continue along and find that it goes down into a deep valley. It’s winter and the road has some ice on it, so going down it’s the concern. You don’t want to cross that bridge again and it looks like there are lights up ahead, so we travel on.

We begin to travel down the hill and make it into a small town that looks different. It’s a town and has all the things that we need at the moment. There is food and shelter from the storm that is brewing. The place has a queer look about it though. At first the people ignore you, and then they take interest in you. Finally someone welcomes you in. She seems friendly enough.

 She wants to know where you’re from and what you do and all the pleasantries of a normal place.  She offers you something warm to drink and eat. More importantly she wants to talk with you. Something still tells you that this isn’t a place you need to be. Do you listen or do you stay with the nice pretty woman that seems to want to talk with you.

Well it’s pretty bad outside, so why don’t I stay for a while. She offers you some wine, and then it’s late and you’ve had a bit too much wine so she offers you her bed. The wine has polluted your mind and your judgment, so you make the bad decision.  A little more, you find that is how most come to stay in this place. The sun doesn’t get down here so often, but it has everything you need.

This place is always cold and the hills leading out are always covered in ice, so it’s hard to get back out. The road to this place was hard enough to keep you from wanting to go back, and the road ahead is much harder it seems. So you stay a while, and the longer you stay the harder it is to leave. You find that this pretty, kind woman is really something a lot more hideous on the inside. You realize that this is your Hotel California.

Now in this place, dark, cold and alone, you have reached bottom. How do you begin to climb out of this pit? And what does any of this have to do with prayer? Everything.

The only way that you can begin to climb out of this pit is through prayer. You have walked a path not well traveled and have mistakenly gotten lost. You have found yourself in a place that does not see the face of God and when it does it only comes around every few thousand years. Prayer is your way out. Calling out to the Father and letting him know that you are lost and you need his light to guide you home.

You call out that the roads are iced over and you cannot climb them. God the Father sends the Sun to melt the ice. You begin to climb, but it is still not easy. The ice has melted and the dirt road is now mud. But at least you can begin to climb. You travel up and out of this hell that you have been in.

 You climb to the top of the mountain that surrounded this place and can once more see the sun. You can see how far you have come and how far from the path you have traveled. You only realize after you are no longer lost just how lost you were. The path that you missed was grown up a lot more than the rest of the road. Now you see the way out, but it will be very easy to get lost once more. So you use prayer as your guide to keep you safe.

These people are not happy that you left them and they seek to grab you once more, so you pray to keep you safe. You also pray a prayer of thanks to the Father who sent the Son to make a path of redemption for you. You are walking among enemies with snares and traps, so you pray. You are alone, so you pray.

1^st Peter speaks of how often and of what we should pray. Pray in all things and cast all your cares on the Lord your God. How do we stay strong in our Faith? Through prayer and supplication. How do we stay faithful to God? Through Prayer which builds upon Faith. What do we do when we have concern, hurts, or worry? Through prayer all things are possible.  So how then do we strengthen our prayer? Through drawing close to the Lord our God through study of his word and praying always.

In the Whole Armor of God, Paul states that the most important piece of the armor is the Shield of Faith. Faith, why is faith so important? Through Faith our prayers are stronger and through faith our trust in God is stronger. Faith is the most powerful tool that we have against sin, evil, ourselves. However we have one thing stronger, but it is no tool, and we can only access it through Faith. Prayer in faith our Lord hears our calls, and faithfully following will lead us out of our darkest situations.

That does not mean that bad things will not happen. That does not mean that God will not tear apart countries if it serves a greater purpose, but God protects those that have faith in him. All of Paul’s faith did not free him from prison, but did it allow him to spread a message that touches millions today. It did not save Christ from the Cross, but his sacrifice made all Gentiles Jews in the eyes of God. We are all his chosen people. He is our father and we use Prayer as our phone to call him up and talk with him. Prayer keeps us from becoming prey.

“The Edge… there is no honest way to explain it because the only people who really know where it is are the ones who have gone over.” Hunter S. Thompson

Reflection: Looking at your chains.

“Let us tear off their chains and free ourselves from their restraints.” Psalm 2:3

Recently I returned home for a visit. The visit was planned to revitalize my heart and soul and sometimes all you have to do in order to get away from the woes troubling you is return to your roots and have some quiet time with the Lord. The trip was really good for me; just what the soul needed.

On this trip, without realizing it when we planned it, I passed by the place I was first saved and baptized. It had been 19 years since those days. Now when you look back it’s always a dangerous thing if not done with care. We are warned all through the bible to not look back only look to the Lord and where your feet are being lead. Once you are bathed in the blood of God the person you once were is dead.

We humans have an odd habit of visiting with the dead. We visit people we miss and loved, how many times do we visit the person we once were like this? All the time you hear stories of “Glory Days” remembering fun things or events, but that’s not exactly what I’m talking about. I’m more talking about visiting with your old self like visiting the dead.

How many times have you visited a grave and talked to the grave in hopes that the person could hear you? On this trip I did a little of this. Many times have I mentioned that after I was baptized the first time I was tested and I failed those tests and ran.. Well there is a lot to that story. Looking to the church I was first saved at and then looking at the river that I was baptized in it done something to me. It made me sit quiet with the Lord and ask why I had to go through what I did.

Sitting with the Lord, I reflected on my growth. God has done a lot with the mess that was me. Growth is a hard thing. It costs a lot to grow. It takes time, dedication, challenges and struggles. But it also takes breakthroughs and victories. Man times we humans get caught up in the negative that has happened and do not focus on the good that comes from our past. Looking at what we learned from the Glory Days is just as important as the struggles and hardships in our lives.

We did not learn how to love in a day. We did not learn how to do anything in a day. But as we grow and learn, and you hear this a lot in sports, a lot of times you have to get back to the basics to move forward. That’s what this trip was for me. It helped me strip it down to the basics. They are basic foundations that you have in order to build upon.

Job 4:17-21 speaks about having a weak foundation; one without wisdom will cause the house to crumble.  Stronger still is 1 Corinthians 3:5-15:

What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? They are servants through whom you believed, and each has the role the Lord has given. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. Now the one planting and the one watering are one in purpose, and each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are God’s coworkers. You are God’s field, God’s building. According to God’s grace that was given to me, I have laid a foundation as a skilled master builder, and another builds on it. But each one must be careful how he builds on it. For no one can lay any other foundation than what has been laid down. That foundation is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on that foundation with gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, or straw, each one’s work will become obvious for the day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire; the fire will test the quality of each one’s work. If anyone’s work that he has built survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work burned up it will be lost, but he will be saved; yet will be like an escape through fire.

Growth can only come through God. Each of us go through a lot of things to get to where we are.  This passage also speaks to something else. Our work will be tested by fire, and if our work is not strong enough it will burn up, we will survive but it will be like coming through the fire.  I have survived through Christ and only by God’s grace which I did not deserve.

Now the image with this story is a place in Kentucky, where I am from. The very town I was born in, well where the hospital was at anyway, has a tourist attraction above it called Chain Rock. The story goes that this rock, which is massive in size, had broken free from the mountain. They had feared the possibility of the last few things holding it there would break free and this boulder would roll down the mountain and destroy much if not all of the town.

The people built a huge chain, large enough that you can walk across it without much difficulty, and literally chained the boulder to the rest of the mountain. That must have been a scary time for these people, but what does that say to you about faith? To me it sounds a little like this, “Lord, I trust you, I do, but just in case I’m going to do a few things just to make sure. It’s not that I don’t trust you, I’m just being careful.”

Now the further irony to this, the rock never broke free from the mountain and moreover the mountain has now built back up around the boulder securing it in place. The city of Pineville, KY is safe once more. It brings to mind Peter walking on Water. It was all about his faith that allowed him to do as Jesus had done.

Too many times do we restrain our faith and trust in the lord with Chains. There comes a time in our lives that God calls us to cast off our chains and shackles to be free in his grace. Now as we grow with a slaves mind, this is scary. When a Slave does these things it leads to death if we’re lucky and if we are not then it leads to torture and torment, or at least embarrassment.  God calls for us to cast off the changes of slavery that this world has put us in. Only if we do this can we walk with purpose and be one with God.

When God calls to us in this way, he has something for us to do. It may be as small as buying someone some shoes, a meal or going out of your way on your way home to give you a chance to touch a life that you would not meet otherwise. Sometimes it is a Mission trip to another country or just to the local homeless shelter. It might be to allow a perfect stranger in your car or worse… Into your Life! What God can do through you and with you is ultimately up to you and your dedication to the Lord.

No one can serve two masters, so do you wish to keep on the chains of slavery that this world has you under or will you cast them aside to allow God to use you? Will you walk on Water or drown? Will you chain down your faith or let God take care of your problems? All of this is up to you, how much will you allow your chains to keep you from God’s Grace and keep you from sharing this Grace with others?

Share the Vine

But He would not let him; instead, He told him, “Go back home to your own people, and report to them how much the Lord has done for you and how He has had mercy on you.” Mark 5:19 HCSB

In the Book of Mark chapter 5 we are told the story of Jesus driving out a legion of unclean spirits from a man tormented by them. This story is one that I find interesting in many different ways. One the story shows the power of God through Jesus Christ and then the biggest part of it to me is what Jesus tells the guy when he begs and pleads to come with him. Why would Jesus not let this man come with him?

For this we must look at what we are given to do with our lives even today. God wants each of us as his Disciples to spread the good news. Does this Good News stop with the four books known as the Gospels? No, it begins there. The Good News must continue and our stories add to the testimony of Jesus and validating the fact that he is the Living God.

We are still fruit on the vine.  We partake of the fruit of the vine in remembrance of what Christ Jesus did for us. Only through this act do we provide the next generation of our brothers and sisters the fruit of the vine that they need to hear to bend the knee to the God we love so much. But that is only one part of this story.

Jesus came to this region and as soon as he landed the demons came and bowed a knee to Jesus. Now to quote a great preacher that spoke about this story, “This guy was so bad that they had tried to chain him down and he busted the chains. So they ran him off to the graveyard where he couldn’t hurt anyone but himself.” *

He would cry out day and night and beat himself with rocks. The demons had given him supernatural strength, at the cost of who he was. That’s something I can relate to in my walk. When these demons come into you, they change who you are. They change you down to your thoughts. So this man had been plagued by these demons for such a time that he was exiled from his friends and family. The demons finally had what they wanted, they had isolated him completely.

These demons would have probably caused this man to die and they would drag him to the pit with them had Jesus not shown up. As soon as he saw Jesus, he ran to him, but it was not him that did the running. It was not him who cried out to Jesus. In Verse 7 it says, “And he cried out with a loud voice, ‘What do You have to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You before God, don’t torment me!’

Interesting, now this is not the first time a demon had acknowledged Jesus in such a way. In fact every time that we have a detailed account, they all know who Jesus is. Not only do they know but they are afraid of him. They begged to God for Jesus not to torment or torture them. Jesus had full authority over them. They begged and pleaded for Jesus to not send them away from this place.

Jesus had no reason to give these demons anything. These demons had done so much harm to this man that sending them beck to hell where they belonged would have been perfectly fine. What does Jesus do? He grants them their prayer. Think about that for a moment.

The Demons prayed to God and to Jesus and begged Jesus to not be sent away but allow them to go into a heard of swine. And Jesus answered their prayer and allowed them what they wanted. Jesus showed mercy on even the demons.

Now the demons in the swine ran the swine right into the sea where they drowned. This didn’t make Jesus too popular with the locals. The men who tended the swine ran into town to report what they had seen, and well the mob was gathered. As they came they saw the Frankenstein grade monster sitting at Jesus’s feet in clothes, which makes one wonder how he had been running around when possessed, and of a right mind.

So this Jesus guy fixed Frankie by sending the demons in swine, the swine had played lemmings by running into the sea, and now Frankie was clothed and not so crazy. That made them scared. I wonder which part of all that really made them afraid and why. There are so many reasons why these people would be afraid, but they had no reason to be afraid. Then again they didn’t know Jesus, not yet anyway.

Our God in the flesh showed mercy to demons and answered their prayer, but then moments later, the man that had been plagued by them he denied that prayer. Again the man wanted to go with Jesus, so thankful for what Jesus had done for him. Jesus knew that Frankie had a lot of work to do for him, but he could do more work for Jesus here.

The words that Frankie needed to speak would serve those around him best. The same people that probably tried to chain him up to keep him safe would need to see what Jesus had done for him. The family that had mourned him would have to see him live again. Only through that would these scared villagers come to know how silly it was to be afraid of Jesus.

But going back wasn’t enough, no, he had to tell his story. A living testimony, to provide these people with the fruit of the vine that was not yet harvested. The command issued to Frankie would be one of the flagstones for the foundation of what we are called to do with our own testimonies. We do not speak it to make ourselves feel better. No, we do it to help give God the grace in our shortcomings or pitfalls.

God will get the Grace in all things. Frankie provided people with the blood of Christ before we were called to remember Christ Jesus for his sacrifice. Frankie got to be the lifeblood and helping hand to allow others to know Jesus. And that is what we are each called to do. To be a disciple we must go out into the world and speak to what God has done for us and through us so others may know how good the fruit is. So others may know Jesus the way we do. So go be Frankie today, tomorrow and until the work is done.

*Quoted from Jeff Walling pastor at http://prcoc.org Check out his sermons on their website.

Safe Salvation

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ~Ephesians 6:10-12

I begin with a disclaimer on this topic, for it is controversial to an extent. This, as with all the topics I am writing about, is from my understanding that God has given me. So I start with a question. Do you believe Christians are safe from the Demons once we have accepted Christ? Let’s think about this from a biblical sense for a moment. Now let’s think about our lives and the struggles that we have faced since becoming Christians. Again, I ask, “Are we safe from Demonic influence once we have accepted Christ?”

I would love to say Yes to this question, but alas, I cannot. So let us begin with the rest of the passage from the quote above. It is from the Armor of God payer found in Ephesians 6:10-20. As we look over it and the target audience. This was written for the Ephesians church, it was written for Christians as an empowerment of ourselves to help us stand against demonic influence and direct assault.

So clearly if once we were saved and baptized in the blood of Jesus Christ we were safe from their assaults we would not need such powerful words and prayer.  This is not to scare you so much as make you aware. Many Christians and non-Christians walk through life oblivious to these influences. To an extent there is a protection for those that are truly innocent and blind to things, but that only goes so far.

Through my time practicing the occult, I opened myself up to learn and know things that humans were not meant to know and see. With each of these things, I opened myself up to what was hidden in this corner or that corner by cutting away the hedge of protection that kept me safe from it. A wall is only strong and safe as long as it is intact. Each one of these journeys I knocked a whole in the wall that was keeping me safe.

Demons are smart, they are cunning, so they are always looking for ways to get through these walls, and then sometimes God feels we need to learn a lesson or be tested in a way that allows something through to influence us. For a biblical truth of that all you have to do is look at Job.  This demonic influence can go all the way to possession. It is very hard for a demon to possess a Christian follower, but it is possible.

Each of us have our vices, as our flesh is made of sin. They begin with these vices and look to see if we will give in to their influences. If we slip, then they continue to push until they get in. I believe that some of the failed relationships of Christians are a direct result of this kind of influence. The flesh is weak, so our spirit must be strong.

Again we go back to the Armor of God. Each part is something that we must do. The prayer is instruction for us. First we learn why we need it. Our true struggle is not against flesh and blood, it is against the world, this dark world. The world has embraced sin as a way of life. In fact we are warned of being of the world and told again and again that the flesh that we wear is dead and filled with sin. Baptism cleanses the soul as a bath cleanses the flesh.

It does not stop there however, our enemies are in the heavenly realm as well. This passage may seem odd to a lot of people, but I must remind that Heaven and Hell are both in the Heavenly realm. They are beyond the physical world and cannot be touched by the flesh. That is the meaning of the Heavenly Realm in this passage. It is the spiritual world, the non-physical world, that space between and in-between all things.  That’s why the whole armor is important.

The belt of truth, we must carry truth with us and allow it to be spoken from us and about us. The truth is both a talk about being honest as well as being honest about what you have been through. It helps protect us from the spirit of lies as well as protects our mind. The breastplate of Rightousness, be as righteous as you can be in all you do. It is also the piece of armor that is most visible. Walk the walk of Jesus and do what was commanded of you.

This will help us from getting in situations that we will likely succumb to our fleshy weakness. Shod your feet with the Gospel of Peace; we must know the gospel and be ready to share it as well as allow it to be a marker for ourselves. Spread the word of love and compassion. And above all else carry with you the shield of faith.

The shield of faith. This becomes our symbol of protection. This is what we must use to put out the flaming arrows that are shot over the wall we talked about earlier. We must take great care in building our faith, repairing our shields and keep that with us always. Each and every day we must tend to it for it is what keeps us safe from attacks.

Upon your head the Helm of Salvation; we must believe in our salvation and know the power held within that salvation. We are saved through the blood of Christ, we must not doubt that fact. Carry with us the sword of the spirit which is the holy word of God. Read your bible, carry those words with you.

To quote Tyrion Lannister from “A Game of Thrones” the mind needs books like a sword needs a whetstone.” Reading and meditating on the word of God daily keeps your Sword sharp for when the enemy gets beyond the wall and our shield is not holding up, it is through the use of the word of God that we will defeat our foes. But we cannot go into battle naked. A sword alone will not save us.

All of this would not be needed if we were fully and truly safe from the evil spirits. Through this we are prepared to go into battle. This is part of what prepares us for Spiritual Warfare, but not all of us are soldiers. But by no means am I saying to ignore these powerful instructions.  Look deeply upon these words and their true meaning.

So how do you protect yourself from evil? I’ll quote a website that I came across this morning:

(11) How do I protect myself from evil?

Regular prayer and sharing with others in prayer, and worship that upholds the overcoming of all that is evil through the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Believing in the continuing presence of the risen Christ brings protection and peace. Also avoid occult practices that expose you to control by forces beyond yourself.

That sums things up pretty nicely. If you notice that last part, “Also avoid occult practices that expose you to control by forces beyond yourself.” I cannot stress that more. As you go through and learn about yourself and look for who you are in Christ, I urge you to avoid this, unless you feel a calling from God himself to learn about this.

I opened myself up to it and it drug me down as a slippery slope all the way to worshiping the enemies of God. There is something to be said for rites and rituals; you can find them in all branches of religion. They have great power, be mindful of them, you can use them to help and for harm.  May God be always with you, and share the Love the Christ spoke of.