Standing for Beliefs

“If you do not believe in something you will fall for anything.” That quote is one that I’m sure everyone has heard more than once. It’s sound advice. We all also have heard stories of people that stood up for what they believed in no matter what the cost. Some of these stories appall us, others yet, excite us.

The moments that really take hold are the ones that inspire awe in us. These range from Rosa Parks to Ghandi to the founding fathers of this county. They also go to people that are less known such as the monks that set themselves on fire in protest, to the man in Gastonia, NC that robbed a bank for one dollar just to get medical treatment. They can be figures that will be remembered for ages to come like Jesus Christ, to the man that will be forgotten tomorrow.

As Christians we are told that by our faith we shall be known. We are told there is a way that we should act. Look through the first few books of the New Testament and we are slammed with expectations. Jesus tells us to be more like him each and every day. To do that we must go against the grain of society, culture and modern thought. To go even further, we have to go against the policies of the companies in which we work for. But to do that costs. We have to go against injustice, reach out and help people.

Paul went to jail for the rest of his life, when with a few simple words, he could have lived as a free man. Jesus went to his death with Pilot trying to get him to phrase “Truth” in an angle that lead to un-truth, when he could have so easily said something to set him free. Rosa Parks could have given that white boy her seat. What kept them from taking the easy way out? It wasn’t right, it was against their ideals. They stopped accepting, “Well that’s the way it’s always been done.”

Just because that’s the way it was done does not make it right. Today the world is in uproar. Look all over the world and there are protests and people fighting for change because things today are not right. When a man is turned away from a hospital because he does not have the money to get the surgery that he needs, that is just not right. But yet we support the systems that make this possible and accept that is the way of it.

I understand the concept of obeying the laws of the land, but do we have to accept them? What if a law goes directly against something we believe in? What if it goes against a teaching in the bible? Do we still accept it? We give unto Cesar what it Ceaser’s, but when do we do like Moses and make them let out people go? How many of you do not like what is on TV these days, but still have cable? If you do not like something, but you accept it and continue to let it come into your home… who’s at fault?

The world is not our own and our bodies are made of sin and are of this world. Newton’s laws of physics proves that change takes action and is hard. “An object at rest will remain at rest.” Even bigger than that, “An object in motion will remain in motion until it meets equal and opposite force.” So, if we are in a routine of sin, it takes at least as much effort to stop. So what does it take to turn us in the other direction? To change what we are doing instead of just stopping, well it takes more. You have to put in more effort to make a life change than the force effecting us in sin.

 That is why I believe that as Christians many of us continue accepting the way the world is. Think about how hard you would have to push back to get the entire world to change from the way it is currently going? That would be humanly impossible, alone. That is why we have another idea ingrained in our heads. We are each part of a greater whole. We cannot be as big of an impact as Jesus by ourselves, it requires all of us working together to make this change.

This change that I am talking about it not just a single change, no it is a complete change. We must stand up for our ideals, our beliefs, and more importantly for one another. “This fight is one that we cannot win alone,” said Dane Johnson. He is exactly right as well. We are fighting a world that wants us to accept the way things are. It wants us to be a cog in the machine and just live life according to the way things are planned out for us.

I mean we have our lives plotted out for us in a simple checklist:

Go to school, get good grades, graduate, go to college, get a job, get married, get a house, have a family, send them to school, make sure they continue to do the checklist, pay taxes along the way and die.

Along the way we get little add-ins that society tells us we have to do to be accepted. Dress a certain way, eat certain things, get credit cards, go in debt. I mean even as we look at the way the financial market is right now. We have to have credit to buy a house, a car or even to have certain jobs. Yet the bible tells us PLAINLY to not lend nor borrow. As we get in debt, we use it to live beyond our means, which leads us to more debt.

So are you a Christian? Do you live by these models? Why?

I am tired of hearing Christians say, “It’s the way society is, and we can’t change it.” I say that if we are going to be more like Jesus, YES we can change it. Do not accept that the world is broken and just “Paint over the wallpaper.” We are being that are told to go into the world and make disciples of the world. If the world were disciples then the world would change.

Do not accept the status quo. Do not accept that’s the way things are. Do not do it because I said so. Do it because it is what Christ asked us to do. Help your fellow man, and help see the love of God. We can change the world; we have been as a people for thousands of years. Let’s not stop today, let’s not stop now.

If you do not believe in Corprate Greed, stop Supporting It! If you don’t want crap on your TV, stop Watching It! If you are against the Debt System, stop using it! If you do not like a company, stop shopping with them. Do not accept that’s the way it is, or I have to because society tells you to. Take a step closer to Christ. If we continue to support the system that is degrading society and pulling it further and further away from what God would want, we are just as guilty when we fall into line. Make a change starting with the person you look at in the mirror each morning, then to your home, then in how you live your life.

Make changes in your life, and make a difference in the world. Opinions always welcome.

Two Men of God

There are two men, both of which were born Jewish, both of which are responsible for committing murder, both were locked in Prison for the rest of their lives; while incarcerated both wrote for God. Yet one of these men we as Christians hold up in high esteem and the other many of us think has gotten more than he deserves and still condemn him for what he has done. This story is about two individuals with similar stories that go down two different roads that lead to the same place. This story is about Saul and David Berkowitz. They are better known as Paul and Son of Sam.

Many of you know the story of Saul who spent many years seeking out and killing Christians. He was an upright Jew of that day and age that was hell bent on snuffing this thing called Christianity. While on the way to get some more of them and kill them God intervened and struck him blind. God sent him to a Christian where he saw the light and saw again. This did not stop him from being locked up and sent to Rome where he spent the rest of his days.

Many of you know the popular portion of the story of Son of Sam. He’s a serial killer, so how can I even compare him to Paul? Son of Sam, after spending 10 years in Prison for crimes that he committed and admits that he committed, God found a way into his heart. He wrestled him down and took him through the motions of his rebirth.  This is something that I have gone through first hand. It takes a lot to look at what you have done and admit it before God, to yourself and to the world.

David did this, but how can God use someone that is locked away from the world? Well he showed us this in the past, when we look at half of the New Testament, it was written by a man that was locked away in Prison serving a life sentence. The sentence he was serving however was one based on what God asked him to do outside of Prison, not for the crimes that he committed to other human beings before becoming a Christian.

David was arrested for his crimes he committed before he became a Christian, but God has shown him the mercy of forgiveness that none of us deserve. He too has written for God, his book is titled “Son of Hope” for there is hope for everyone. His road was a very ugly one dealing with issues from childhood including sezures that he described as feeling like something was coming into him. There is proof of this in the bible where Jesus came across the boy who suffered from sezures as well. Jesus asked the demons name and they said “Legion for we are many.” Jesus cast these demons into a herd of pigs.

Demonic possession can cause one to do a lot of things, I can attest to this myself.  David does not blame these demons for the whole issue, he considers it a contributing factor, but not the cause. The flesh is weak and can be tempted with many things. Son of Sam killed six people. Saul was responsible for hundreds of people losing their lives. Yet we hold up Paul, and we would not spit on the Son of Hope if he were on fire. Why is that?

God does not state that either of them are any better than the other. God states the exact opposite; he states that they are equal. Today Paul is a saint and David is another prisoner sitting in prison eating up tax payer’s money. Paul is inspiration for all of us. David is only a mass murderer. My question to each of you is this, do you forgive people that you do not know? Are you capable of forgiving Casey Anthony, Amanda Knox, Son of Sam, Charles Manson? Are you capable of forgiving Joseph Craig, your neighbor on the sex offender registry, or the boy that stole your car or just hurt your daughter?

We do not question or even hold offense to Saul because he’s Paul; we saw what God did with him. We do not yet know what God will use all of these people for. So let me ask you again, why can we forgive one or some of these and not the rest? Why can YOU forgive some, but not all? Why do we believe that God can use Saul and not the Son of Sam? Do not question who God’s servants are, only God knows our hearts.

Son of Hope's Testimony:  http://www.ariseandshine.org/Testimony-&-Translations.html

How to turn the lights on for those clinging to the Darkness

I received a letter today, it is from a friend that I help lead astray. This friend followed me through the occult life that I was living and clung to my teachings more than I’d care. He finds himself accepting a plea for 16 to 21 years for multiple bank robberies. I have been working with him to help him find faith in the God that I know and love, but now, what do you say to him?

This man is someone that trusted me and followed me into hell. His morals ripped apart, just as mine were. His life torn asunder, just like mine were. This situation broke him down and brought him a little lower into hell, and justly so. As he sits and states, “God has abandoned us all, wait what God? There is No God.” I cannot help to feel sorrow in my heart for him.

I know that he committed these crimes, and he does not deny them. What is hurting him so, is how long he will be going to a Department of Correction facility and the fact that his “partner in crime” is getting 10 years probation and he is getting 16 years in prison. So what do you say to someone whose faith has never been built, and what ground you have helped him make is torn asunder?

God is just and he knows what he is doing. One of the greatest contributors of the New Testament spent the last years of his life in Prison as well, but he had faith going in and through that. I know that there are many people that have found faith in prison and many go on to write books and lead prison ministries. So what about him now, is his path to be locked in to go down this road? Or can he overcome this lack of faith at all? How do you help someone that is in this situation?

I plan to be there for him and support him and continue to be his friend. I will continue to witness to him through my acts of faith. Life is hard enough without falling into these pitfalls. When the devil whispers in your ear to do this or that, and you listen… suffering occurs. I know this, I have lived through this. When you do not turn from Satan and pull to Christ, I understand that the suffering continues. What now? What happens when the suffering continues when you are pull to the Lord? How does faith prosper like that?

We have many lessons in the bible speaking of enduring through suffering to build stronger faith. We also have many lessons speaking of the fact that God will wrestle with you until you surrender to him. Those who do not surrender will suffer. What do you say though to the suffering man that will not surrender? How do you impact that person’s life? How can you show someone clinging to the darkness how good the light is? That is my prayer right now, how can I and everyone else show these people the light of the Lord?

May you all have Mercy, Peace and Love in Abundance.

A Letter to those in need

How do you help someone that does not want help? This is something that is weighing on my heart heavy in the dark days that we are living through. Many pains have people beat into acceptance and submission. However this does not have to be. There is power in the promise of Jesus Christ and Lord God Almighty.

This message is for those that are hurting and feel like your dreams are gone. This is something that I want each and every person that reads these words to pass to a friend that is hurting. God Loves you regardless of where you are right now. I see people going through many struggles and through strife, but God is there with you. Though we may walk away from his glory and grace, he is still there. Each of us are a prodigal son whom runs off to be in the world, but our Father is there waiting for us to turn to him.

This world is a very mean place and filled with hate. We fear daily for many things. Where is the future heading? “Where have we come from,” I say. The road is a long one and there are many twists and turns, yet there is hope.  This is not easy, but you must hear me if you want to save yourself or those that you love. You cannot trust the world to allow you to fix your problems; the world will just leave you in angst, pain and misery. There is but one road to follow to find love in your heart and a safe place to rest your head.

God gives us the promises, and he upholds them. Through all the struggles that I have been through, even when I was not following him, he still kept his promises. I have had everything that I have NEEDED, not the things that I want, but those things that I need. They have always been there. Even when I ran from him, he still kept his promise that he made to me, even when I had broken my promise to him. I am not special, I am just a man.

Jude 1:2 tells us “Mercy, Peace and Love be yours in abundance.” There is a peace in my heart now, even as I walk through the storm. The Lord has, and continues to show me his mercy and Love is something that is all around me. I try as I may to pour it out on others as it has been poured down on me. What hurts my peace and love is when I see people that are broken and bruised that have loving arms wanting to reach out and help, and they just refuse to accept the help or give people a chance to be the voice of God.

God uses everyone around you if you allow him. He uses the wicked just as much as the righteous. All you have to do is submit yourself to God and allow him to use you and use others around you to help you heal and get better. Only after you trust in the Lord Fully will he move to raise you up. It is not up to us, when we can’t fix our own mess. Honestly, none of us can really fix our mess. We have to depend on God. He is there for you, you just have to let go of your hurt and your pain for him to take it away.

We call God our Lord of Peace; he is that and so much more. We call him the great physician; let him be that for you. We call him the master of all; stop trying to take that away from him. Trust in the Lord and it will be given. He will not move as long as you resist him. He will wrestle you until you are in a position to surrender to him. Give it to him and allow yourself to still serve him in the darkness and you will be blessed by the flood.

Our lives make us feel like we just have a checklist of things that have to happen. Our priorities are not of God. Chuck Paulinuik said it in Fight Club, “We are not the clothes we wear. We are not the car we drive. We are not the contents of our wallet.” This message was not a Godly message, but used Godly words to prove the point. I am sorry, but Corporations are not the solution to our problem. A better job will not bring us closer to God. When God has another job for you, listen and he will guide you. Trust in him and he will carry through the storm. The Lord knows your heart, your fears and anxieties. The Lord knows what will make you happy, just let him GUIDE YOU TO IT!!!

Lift up his voice and sing his praises in the storm and you will see it through the end and be better off for it. God knows you better than your spouse, your mother, your father or even yourself. Let go of what is killing you and pick up the only thing that can bring you life. The word of God and take hold of his hand and allow him to lead you to peace.

Let love guide you. Do not allow yourself to be pulled or swayed by the voice of fear and doubt. These roads lead you to darkness. You are no better than the Idolaters if you allow depression take hold of you and pull you away from God. Anything that you put first will be taken to last if it leads you on to pain. God will remove everything that is preventing you from hearing his voice, so just listen.

God loves you too much to give up on you. He has too much hope for you. It does not matter if your greatest sin is thoughts that you do not follow through with, or a lie that you speak or rape and murder. God loves you and he will pull you through the darkness and into the light if only you let him. He loves everyone the same, with purity and grace. None of us are perfect and if you have committed the least of these you have committed the greatest.

When you begin to look at others to judge them, remember that. What they have done is no worse than what you have done yourself. Through the darkness we will see his face. In our darkest hour and in our darkest place, just listen and he will be there. We all have that place, that hour, that moment, or that person. The darkness will pass, and darkness cannot exist where there is light. The light will drive out the darkness if you allow it. If you hold onto your darkness it will lead you to the darkness and deeper and deeper until you find yourself in a pit of despair.

There is no hope in the darkness, which is only hope in the love of God. I cannot and will not set idly by and allow those that I love fall into or back into the pit. So I stand here now in the Full Armor of God and will stand beside you. I will not let a brother or sister fall into that pit without a fight. I give this one to Tom Petty, “You can stand me up at the gates of hell and I won’t Back Down!” I look to Joshua for guidance, a mighty warrior who stated, “As for me and my family, we stand for the lord.” So I ask you now, are you tired of hurting? Are you tired of going down the same roads with the same results? Then stand up, God is with you. Then look to another source of support. God is with you. Raise your eyes to the lord, God Loves You.