Won't Back Down

Have you ever had those moments that struck very powerfully in your mind. Today I had one of those moments. Standing in church singing and praising the Lord with all the horrible sounds that I could muster, when I closed my eyes to pray as I sang along. A line from another song came to mind and an image stood clearly in my mind.

The song was “Won't Back Down” by Tom Petty. The line of course was, “You can stand me up at the gates of hell and I won't back down.” Powerful words, but paled in comparison to the image that joined it. A truly scary image, scary for what it symbolizes.

I saw myself standing in that dark cavern that I have traveled through in my mind so many times in my past. Standing there at the threshold, at the gate was myself standing in chainmail with a very large white shield with the red cross on it. Cross helm and white sir coat with the always known red cross. Standing there I plunged a flag into the ground with and stood very strong and proudly. It was so impressive looking so large and strong and powerful. I looked as if I were a human wall with a look upon my face so sure that nothing held behind that gate would get past me.

Images similar to these have not been too far from my face in recent days. They come in different forms and shapes, but still with this power and strength that I do not possess. That is what is so scary about this image, the strength that one would have to have to stand there like that knowing what horrors await. Strength that no mortal possess. It is so humbling to see these images for me.

The Lord makes all thing possible, this truth I know. I have walked through those fires and seen their faces and know their names. Through this darkness they too know my face. My name. They know the pride, the anger that once was held within me. They know the weaknesses of my flesh. They know my lusts and desires, they know me better than I know them. They know that I once toasted a glass to their honor and their power, and stood as opposition to God.

In the end their promises of power were without ground. They could provide temporary strength, only for periods of time that God allowed. Through my own desires to be more than a human, my body mind and soul were torn asunder. I look at who I was then and do not recognize that face. They made a monster out of me and I relished in it. My faith in them was strong, so strong that I thought, no I believed that I could walk into heavens gates and tear God from the throne.

Talk about delusional. They do not have this power and they cannot give it to any man, woman or child. And now with this image in my mind. I was too weak to stand that vigil for the demons of hell. This is the same flesh, the same bones and the same blood. How can God expect that of me?

God knows my heart and he knows the good that I would love to do. He knows that I weep over the hurt that I have caused in the past. Even though I am forgiven for it, I still weep knowing all those lives that I helped destroy. The pain that I have caused to my family, friends and those that looked to me as a leader. They looked to me to guide them and give them strength. I lead them only to destruction, the same road that I was going down.

How then, in such a short amount of time, can I stand so strong for the Lord? Am I strong enough to do this? Only God knows. That is the message here. It is not about me and my past, but know this. Through all the bad that I have done, God is now getting the Glory just as he will. God's hand was the only one that could reach down and pull me out of the flames. Only his grace in good enough and strong enough to break my heart. He wrestled me and made me give it all to him.

Do I have the strength to stand at the gates of hell and not back down? Do I have the strength to stand vigil as someone to bring hope and courage to those that have none? Do I have the wisdom to know what to say to those that are going down the road I traveled? The answer is simple, No.

No, I do not have this strength. My flesh is weak and is built in sin, there is no strength in these bones, blood and mind. That is where the wicked fail. They believe that these temporal forms can bi given the power to combat things that are eternal.

“For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him so that body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. For whoever has died is freed from sin. But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus” Romans 6:5-11

Only through Faith in Christ Jesus shall we know the strength and power that God will grant. That power is through knowing that we stand with the one true God. Through his grace mercy and peace will we be empowered to do things that are far beyond what we may do. This is not a cry to say that if you want power become a Christian. No on the contrary, through realizing how weak we are, we learn that the power of God through Christ is insurmountable.

Will I stand so vigil? With the Lord of Heaven and earth beside me, behind me and in me. Of course I will. So long as I don the armor of faith and stand on the pillar of faith that is the foundation of all that we are. God is the Lord of Heaven and Earth, he became flesh in the Son Jesus Christ, whom lived the perfect life and sacrificed himself for those that could not live perfect.

Even Aristotle said that perfection is akin to a force that cannot exist here in this world even for a second. This world is broken and to be perfect you will transcend to something more and beyond all that we know. In our lives we will see these moments within ourselves for only seconds when we stand beside ourselves in disbelief. In those moments, Praise Lord that you have received the grace and glory to do his work in all you do.

I stand in opposition of what the demons in hell wished for me. If they had their way, I would probably be with them now, dead. Through that death my soul would forever be lost and held beneath. But God pulled me from that hell, and placed me here. He redeemed me and Justified my actions and made me upright. Not perfect, just as flawed and broken, but upright. There is a difference.

Those of you that feel as if you are being swallowed by the flames of hell. Know that I have stood in those flames. I willingly walked into those fires and am being prepared to possibly do the same, with a different agenda. Only God knows what he has in store for me. But I will stand with you if you ask of it. Give me your hand and together we can find a road back to more solid ground. I'll walk with you for a while, until I can get you to someone that can take you the rest of the way.

The fires became a home for me once and I stand against them now. Lord give me the strength that I do not possess. As you prepare me for what is to come, help me become more able to stand with those that are hurting. Guide me to know what to say or where to go, so all those that have lost their lives around me can have a little more hope, and find peace in you. Too many have died not knowing your love or feeling abandoned by the world, or their pride kept them from reaching out. Lord you know my heart, I know you are preparing me, I know that you will use me. Lord give me the strength that I do not have.

I leave with the prayer for the full armor of God:

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore Take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist and put on the breastplate of righteousness. As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. With all of these take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. ~Ephesians 6:10-17

A Question of Human nature

I have always thought much about people and why they do what they do. It was always hard for me to imagine how for so long that pain and suffering has existed. Receiving the question of why do people write viruses over and over, for me there is many answers, but it comes down to one. The answer is, because they can.

It is the same answer for many things. Why do people hurt one another? Why do people steal, when they do not need it? Why must the strong always oppress the weak? Why must there always be a struggle? Humans are greedy people. We want what we do not have, and, by nature, are not happy with what they have.

Greed is the root of so much that is wrong with our lives and our world. The world is a big place, but each day we try to make it a little smaller. Someone once said, in response to the question of why World Domination will never occur. The answer was, “The world is too big, and the people are too different for any one group or ideal to dominate it all.”

Many have also said you cannot change the world, but you can change yourself and help change the things you touch. Now from this point your mind could be going in many different directions, but primarily along two different paths, negative and positive. So is the reason the world becoming smaller is so someone can control it? Or as we touch so much more and so many more people, can we not more effectively change more that we touch?

But what does this have to do with viruses? How to viruses spread? Everyone knows how a cold spreads, through contact. Viruses the same way. Ideas are humanities greatest virus. They spread as one to the other. If an idea takes hold, a notion, it can spread like wildfire. We see this every day in every facet of our lives. The idea that certain clothes look cool to the idea that this diet will work for you, to the idea that this person or that person knows what they are talking about.

These ideas build our society, and society, a lot of times, define our world. We are in an information age, so now more than ever is the concept true that Ideas are some of the most powerful and dangerous things out there. We have seen this in popular culture going back for some time. Inception was not the first, and neither was the Matrix. George Orwell's 1984 showed us an idea of control.

We flash back quite a way to the ideas that changed the world. From, “Fire good!” to Jesus might know what he's talking about to, E=MC2 is a good recipe for a weapon, to if we hook computers together they are much more powerful, to hey what if I could take my phone with me. Ideas change and shape our world and our lives.

Hey if a man letting himself get struck by lightning can change the world... why can't you? I mean really think about it, Ben Franklin, indisputably one of the most revolutionary men in history really shone with the great idea of being able to harness electricity, but what did he do. “Hey guys watch this! I'm gonna tie a key to this kite to prove that electricity is real.” I mean seriously, how could ANYONE think that was a GOOD idea?

If ideas such as leaving fruit juice out too long will and drinking it will get you drunk can be accepted not only as good ideas, but major industries. Why could more fruitful ones take hold? Well they can, but the trick in this age is getting people to take on ideas that they will not make a profit and will not get them more attention. How many of you, honestly, would not jump on board with an idea that would without a doubt make you a millionaire in a year with no consequences?

How about this one, taking on the belief of an idea that would get you labeled crazy if it promised you eternal life? I bet you would for sure if you didn't get this eternal life after you died. Death is scary for most of us. Here is the problem, we want to see that there is proof of this good idea before we will take it on ourselves.

This is understandable, it is a rare kind of person that wishes to be the first to do something that could be labeled as a bad idea, but man we all want to be the first to do something that is considered a good idea. All reward with No risk. Sorry life is not so easy. Yes you can live life in such a fashion, always taking the safe road and sticking with the status quo. The Status Quo does not equal change however. If you want to change things, you really have to be willing to take that step out there and be the first.

If you want to change yourself however, this is even more difficult. You have to be willing to change how YOU do things, and do things that are against the routines that you have developed. Anyone that has been addicted to anything will tell you how hard that can be. Our bodies are influenced by our environment. Part of our environment is our history. We learn how humans have existed for as long as we have been, and we accept that is the way of things. So what if you want to believe something that is contrary to what you were taught to believe? That's hard.

Pearl Bailey had a wonderful quote, “You cannot belong to anyone, until you belong to yourself.” Now for me, what this means is you have to know who you are and be yourself before you can truly know why you believe in what you believe in. You have to develop your own idea of how the world is, and how you are. You have to walk through these fires before your faith can truly belong to you and it's not just borrowed from someone else. Only then will your walk be true.

So moving to the heart of things. What do you want our world to be like? Loving, accepting, one without war and strife? You want a world without oppression? As Michael Jackson said, “You have to start with the man in the mirror.” World change begins with you. You want others to desire to be a Christian, give them reason to with your walk. “Faith without works is meaningless.” “May they know that you are my children because they see me in you.” If you really treated others with love and you loved them as you loved yourself... most of us wouldn't call anyone anything horrible. Now if you are like me and have a bad habit of talking to yourself... well I can be less than kind to myself, but hey I still love me every chance I get.

How about we start walking with the love of God instead of trying to do his job and walking with a yard stick to see how everyone else just doesn't measure up. May God be with you in your heart and your soul. And let's keep taking that red pill and see the world for what it is, so we can begin to make it the world that Jesus would love it to be. We have to be in this world, but not of it.

Inclusive or Exclusive, the Christmas spirit

The holidays bring out a lot of things in a lot of people. For many it's a time of joy and cheer, for others that cheer has turned sour with hurt and loss. For those that are alone it can be a time of great pain. For us Christians it is supposed to be a time for us to reflect on the birth of the one that died for all of us.

During this time of reflection, it is easy to get caught up in what Christmas is NOT about. Shopping, greed, everything but the spirit of Christ. It can also make us loose sense of purpose and why God left us here and think that this is our time. No one else that does not worship this time for the same reasons as us do not deserve it. This is a big reason why there are not more of us.

This is a time for us to celebrate and truly get into the spirit of giving, it is not about consumerism and it is not of elitism. It is a time to be with family and friends, it is also a time to reach out to those that are hurting because of this time. Those people need a reason to make this time of year something worth celebrating. Times are turbulent, as they always are, we do not need more fighting, war and strife. We do not need any more lessons in greed, coveting, lust and deceit. What I call for is for each of you to reflect on one thing. Was Christ inclusive or exclusive?

Jesus was a man that none of us are capable of being, but we should not stop trying just because it's hard. It's easy to have friends that are like you, it's hard to spend time with people that you are not like. Look in the bible and reflect on the places that Jesus had dinner at more than not. He spent more time with the lawyers, tax collectors and thieves when he was living his ministry. He lived by example, he wanted all to walk with him. He lived and died so we could be with him. So why have we, as Christians, for so long shunned, killed, hurt and cast aside those that were not like us?

When I was not a Christian one of my biggest reasons for not was the crusades. We Christians went into the middle-east and slaughtered millions because they believed differently from us, to take the holy lands away from the people that had lived there for so long. We continued to oppress others that did not believe like us. The conquistadors, the people that settled right here in the US, the natives that were here had what we wanted and we took it from them. This oppression pushed me away from Christ, especially when I was told that I had no place at church when I listened to rock music, when I dressed like that, when I was not just like them.

I am a Christian and I would still wager that I am quite different than the vast majority of my brothers and sisters, but that's how I was built. God loves me for who I am, his brush painted me and that is who I am. I'm still an unfinished work, just as we all are. Lessons in the bible that really mean a lot to me are the ones that make you reflect on life and how one should live as well as the stories about how we are all his people. Jesus told the disciples to go make disciples of the world.

He also spoke to the world as the nation of Israel. Now this is an interesting thought, we are all one people under God. We are all citizens of one global country in God's eyes. Why can we not live like that? Why is it that we have to concern ourselves with what country we currently live and how it compares to others? All of them are broken because they are not all one. As long as we as a race of people fight God's plan and design we will never truly know what happiness we could have. We have the resources globally to take care of all of the people of the world, but we will not share it. We want to hold it tight and are so worried about running out.

Where is your faith? Did not your God take care of you? Did he not see you through the darkness? Did he not provide for his people in the past? Faith of a mustard seed... Until we wake up and break down these walls that we call borders and live as a whole people we will never see his plan. Here is my challenge to you, if you do not have a friend that is not a Christian, I challenge you to expand your world. If your faith is strong enough, then this is not a challenge, stand beside the sinner because we all are. Show them that Christians are not all judgmental exclusive people. Show people the Love that God has shown you. Let us begin to break down these borders and walls around us. We are a global people and our survival depends on two things, first God letting us stay here and second our ability to look beyond how we are different and see how we are alike.

Be more like Jesus, Love people, and love ALL people no matter what holiday in December they celebrate today, they could be standing with you at church if you can get past that. Remember, the healthy are not the ones that need the doctors. If you only live with the healthy and help those that are healthy, the sick will continue to die away. Two commandments is what he gave us, Love God with everything we have and Love each other as we love ourselves. I don't know about you, but I only pick on myself for so long before I get tired of it.

I love you all, and may we see a brighter future through hope. This is a time to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, who would have gave away all those gifts on that very day if he wasn't in such a weak form. For those that are hurting, I am sorry for your loss. I cannot bring back your lost ones, but I can stand with you and be a light in the darkness. I know that I have a lot of brothers and sisters that can do the same in this Holiday season let us walk like Christ.

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.