You are the Church

Acts 11:17 If then God gave to them the same Gift (equally) as He gave to us when we believed in (adhered to, trusted in, and relied on) the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I and what power or authority had I to interfere or hinder or forbid or withstand God?

I like my church for many reasons, but one of the main reasons is because you can come exactly the way you are.  For many years as a young child I was drug from church to church to yet another church on Sunday’s by one of my family members having people lay hands on me or “trying” to have me saved.

Church became a place that no longer was about God but about how I looked, was I saved, was I going to hell or was I worthy enough to walk through the doors.  Now, I say this and want this to be clear, none of those feelings came from any of the pastors, ministers, preachers or congregations; they were all delivered by the hands of my family member.

I was taught that I must be so incredibly bad, dirty, unworthy or unloved, if I must go to all of these churches to save me from being myself.  Obviously, I never knew or understood why I was all of those things, I just knew that I must be, or this wouldn’t have become our Sunday ritual.

I would pray for God to save me, from what, I didn’t know, but please just do it, and do it soon, so I don’t have to keep doing this over and over again.  I knew that I loved God but if this is what it is about, then I want no parts of it.

I am sure that I am not alone in having a bad experience with Spiritual abuse.  I am sure that someone else had a poor role model of what God is supposed to look like and be, and that pushed you away from entering into a relationship with Him.   It sure did for me.

It took me many years to get back to going to church and to find the right church.  I like that I can look around and see young, old, families, singles, friends, people there alone, all races and all denominations attending my church.  I like that one week I can be sitting beside a guy who wears a cowboy hat and the next week I can be sitting beside someone who has a sleeve of tattoos.  

To me these are the faces of God. 

I opened this writing with the verse from Acts 11:17 If then God gave to them the same Gift (equally) as he gave to us when we believed in (adhered to, trusted in, and relied on) the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I and what power or authority had I to interfere or hinder of forbid or withstand God?

Because, who am I?  Who am I to say that because you have a neck tattoo and made poor decisions, and still do, that you aren’t gifted with the same gifts that I have?  Who am I to say that because you are older than me that you aren't as valuable as I am?   I am not the person who says how you should come to church, nor do I want someone telling me how I should come to church.

I am a jeans and sweater person, with flip flops, if that is who I am and I am coming to serve the same God you serve, what does it matter what I am wearing?  What does it matter that I have tattoos?  If you knew the story behind some of them you would know that there is indeed a deeper meaning and God is glorified in most of them.  But because I have them, does that make me less “Christian” or less “saved” then the person who does not?

I love the phrase the church is not the building you go to every Sunday, Church is who you are.  That phrase hits deep in the pit of me.  Church isn’t the building I go to worship in it’s the vessel that the Holy Spirit lives in.  I have church every day when I commune with God. 

We need to make an effort to start to love the people around us the way we want God to love us.  We have all made mistakes, we have all done things we wish we would not have done, and we have all sinned, as long as you believe and confess in Jesus, we have all been forgiven.

Why can Jesus a man who knew no sin, but became sin, for you and me, why can He overlook our faults and the faults of the people beside us, but we cannot.   Jesus paid the price that we will never be asked to pay, and yet, He opens His arms wide to embrace us with love and forgiveness.  He extends His love, grace and mercy to us every single day, but we have trouble forgiving the person who cut us off at the red light.

We are equal in the sight of God.  You might think because you have a thousand degrees, or make more money than I do that you are better than me, but I would say to you, does Jesus love you more than me?  Does Jesus extend His arms of love to you more than me?  Did Jesus die for you more than He died for me?

The answer to that, is He did not.   He loves us equally, completely and totally.

You know the song; He’s got the whole world in His hands?  I don’t think the song said He’s got the whole world, except people with brown hair, or tattoos, or piercings, or alcoholics, or drug addicts… No!  The song says He’s got the whole world in His hands.

We are the church.  Every day we wake up, we are the church.  We are God’s vessels in the earth and when you choose to turn your head in judgment on someone who has taken a different path in life than you have, you are no longer showing them a church as God created it to be.  You are showing them a church that the world created.   You are showing them you!

Recently God has told me that I am to love someone with His love, not my own.  I think this is a brilliant statement!  If I love out of my own ability to love, I love conditionally, but if I love from the abundance of God’s love, than I am loving perfectly.  I am loving wide open, perfectly, unashamed, exposed and complete. I love the way God loves me.

Trials and Tribulations

Acts 14:22 Establishing and strengthening the souls and the hearts of the disciples, urging and warning and encouraging them to stand firm in the faith, and (telling them) that it is through many hardships and tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.

This might not be the verse that you want to see today, but it might be the verse you need to see today.   I think that there is confusion, at least I was a bit confused, about what exactly would happen to me once I had a serious relationship with God.

When we went from casually dating and entered into our own personal relationship.  I thought that life would be significantly easier and that favor and blessings would just chase me down the street.  I had in my mind that rainbows, sunshine and skipping would be my knew attitude towards everything, and sorry to say this, that is not at all what happened. 

I am not NOT saying this to bash having a relationship with God at all; choosing to have a personal relationship with my Father was and is the best decision I have ever made in my life.  I love God with all of my heart, and would never try to dissuade anyone from knowing Him or letting Him love you, but I also think we need to be truthful. 

Life isn’t going to be all roses and gumdrops after accepting Christ.  There is going to be some time of pain, suffering and tears.  You are going to be lost for a moment of time, but this feeling of lost won’t be like you were before you committed your life to Christ, because now you have a savior.  Now, you have direction that you didn’t have before.  Before you were trying to soothe and heal yourself from your hurt and pain, and that didn’t work, now, you will be healed by the ultimate healer, God.  But you still have to walk through the healing.

Yes, there are amazing things that happen instantly when we accept Christ as our savior.  We instantly are forgiven, we instantly are made righteous, we instantly have eternity with God in Heaven, we instantly become the temple of God, and we instantly inherit Jesus’s birth right.   But that doesn’t mean we understand what we have, or how to live in this new space.   

And that’s ok!!

In this verse in Acts 14:22 it says Establishing and strengthening the souls and the hearts of the disciples, urging and warning and encouraging them to stand firm in the faith, and (telling them) that it is through many hardships and tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.

This verse is no longer a doom and gloom verse, that it could be, instead it’s a verse that says, what’s happening with you, is normal!!  It’s supposed to happen.  You are going to experience trials and tribulations, we have been told that many times in the Bible, so we shouldn’t be surprised when they come around anymore.   We actually need them.  I know, who needs them?  Well we do.

When we enter into a trial or tribulation we are entering into a period to strengthen and encourage us.  We are entering into a time where we are growing in our relationship with God but also as people.  When we have problems and things go wrong in our lives we are growing in those experiences.  We are being prepared for what our calling is from God.  I know super spiritual and nice words, but ultimately it hurts.  Yes, it does.

I have spent many a night, day, hour or weekend, crying out to God for help.  Asking God to remove the situation that I found myself in, or to just ease my pain.  I can say from my experience, I had to walk through the pain, tears and the situation, so I could learn the lesson on the other side.  But as it says in Acts 14:22, what did happen to me is when I was on the other side; I was stronger in my faith and much closer to God and His kingdom.

Every problem we have from the smallest to the biggest you can imagine is meant for us to grow in one way or another.  I know for sure that we are meant to trust God.  Trust Him with whatever level of trust you can give Him at the time.  As you walk through the situation you will be able to trust Him more, as you see Him show up in the problem.  You will see God reveal Himself to you throughout whatever problem you are going through. 

Maybe you are in a time where you are having a problem with money.  You could be wondering how am I going to pay my mortgage, groceries or even put gas in the car to get to work, all of these things happen for us to trust God.  Don’t be surprised if somehow, someway, it gets figured out and you are left there wondering, how that happened… God!

I can’t tell you how many times small things like this have happened in my life, and I am left thinking how did that happen, well it happened because I serve a God that though I walk through trials and tribulations, He will always find a way out for me.   God must be given all the glory for what He is doing and has done in your life, always!

The kingdom of God isn’t as easy as I thought it would be, where I would be skipping through the daisies under a rainbow filled sky, but it is filled with love and change.  The relationship I have with God is filled with, you can do this and I love you my precious child.  It is filled with encouragement and love.  It is filled with silent victories and long standing prayers, yet to be answered, but most importantly, it is filled with God. 

My God’s kingdom, is not one that is to be taken lightly, it is the place to drop all of who you were and become all of who He is.   When you are given the opportunity to transform into the image of the one who is, and will always be perfect, there is going to be trials and tribulations, because we are far from perfect, and even farther from deserving to have this opportunity.  It might be difficult to enter into the kingdom of God, but the pain and the challenges are completely worth going through, for the life in God, on the other side!

 

Changed...Renewed...Transformed

I recently met someone who had such a profound impact on my life that even I don’t fully understand what has happened.   He has forever changed my life.  He opened me up to things I never thought I’d be around and brought out feelings in me I never thought were possible.   He has completely changed me in his coming and has completely changed me in our current distance. 

The reason why I say this is because at this moment he has no idea the impact he has made on my life.  He has no idea that I have cried tears of sorrow and tears of joy since first meeting him.  I tried to explain to him one time, exactly what he has done for me but his mind was not open to receiving good information about himself. 

You see the person that I am speaking about has a drug problem, a who am I problem, a self-esteem problem, am I worthy problem, a problem spiritually and a problem asking for help.   This person is being swallowed up by his self-loathing and distance from who he was created by God to be.  He has accepted what the world has said about him and not what God has said about him.

I have a problem sometimes being vulnerable and expressing myself to people who I am completely vulnerable too.  He happens to be one of those few people in my life that I am utterly vulnerable to.  I tried to express what I see in him and what he has brought into my life in the short time of knowing him, and the look of complete shock on his face left sadness in my heart for him.

He doesn’t see what I see when I look at him.  He doesn’t see the light of God in his eyes that I see.  He doesn’t see the abundance of love in his heart that I see.  He doesn’t see the gentle nature that I see.  He doesn’t see the warm spirit that I see.  He doesn’t see a smile that tells you it’s going to be ok, that I see and he doesn’t see the joy that he brings to my life that I see.

I see him through lenses that allow me to see past the world’s assessment of him and into what God has created in him.  I see past the tattoos and muscular physique into the small boy who wants to be accepted and loved. I see past what the years of drug use and low self-esteem has taken from him and I see what God is using him for and restoring to him.  

I see him opposite of how the world sees him; but he sees himself as the world sees him.

In Romans 12:2 Paul is telling us how we are to see ourselves.  How we are to conduct ourselves and what we are to allow influence us and not influence us.

Do not be conformed to this world (this age), fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs), but be transformed (changed) by the (entire) renewal of your mind (by its new ideals and its new attitude), so that you may prove (for yourselves) what is the good and acceptable and perfect will for God even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect (in His sight for you).

His view of himself has run parallel with the view the world has of him, so he has allowed the world to conform his thinking.  He has adapted his life to conform to the worlds thinking as well.  He has made attempts to change his behaviors and his surroundings, but he hasn’t changed his thinking.  He hasn’t changed how he views himself.  He hasn’t declined the worlds thinking and adopted God’s thinking.

When I was reading this verse today all I kept thinking about was this person and the sadness it brings to my heart that he has conformed himself to the world and has allowed the world to change him.   I kept thinking of all the people who have this very same mindset.  Who think that because they have made bad decisions or have used a different set of morals to measure their lives that this is what they have to be, always. 

That’s not true.

You see if that was the case this verse that breathes hope and a promise to those who have made bad mistakes, which is all of us, by the way.  Speaks of change and transformation and renewal.  If those words were omitted we would all be lost but, we are not.  This verse is telling us there is a way to change your view and that’s by renewing your mind.  Changing your mind, restoring your mind. 

There is an aspect of all of us that the world has altered or changed, some deeper than others.   Like my beloved man, he has allowed the worlds view to develop a deep hold on his life, but that doesn’t mean that all is lost to him.  Those words change, restore and transform apply to him as well.   But there is work that we all have to do.

We have to make a decision.  A hard decision but a decision.

You have to stop listening to the words the world wants to attach to you, and start to listen to the words that God says you are.   Can you please read that sentence out loud to yourself five times, slowly?   Hear the words.  Feel the words as they are coming off of your tongue and escaping your mouth.  Listen to them with your heart, mind, soul and spirit and allow them to bury into your inner being.

YOU HAVE TO STOP LISTENING TO THE WORDS THE WORLD WANTS TO ATTACH TO YOU, AND START TO LISTEN TO THE WORDS THAT GOD SAYS YOU ARE!

Big difference.  One is trying to attach or label you with its perspective and limited understanding.  One wants to keep you at its level to not feel threatened or left behind.  The other, God, is calling you as you already are!  God is calling you by the adjectives that describe who you already are and have been since birth.

When we allow the world to tell us what or who we are, we are living by the standards of evil.  We are conforming to a lifestyle that speaks of sex, greed, gluttony, drugs, war, violence, hate, crime and indulgence.  We are speaking of dark places and destructive forces.

When we allow God, our creator to tell us who we already are, we are living by the good and acceptable and perfect will of God.  The things that are good, acceptable and perfect to him will soon become the same to you, once you restore your thinking and actions.  God is the opposite of darkness.  He is of love, light, abundance, joy, peace and fulfillment in Him. 

He is not about shaming you into relationship with him, like evil is.  He is about loving you and restoring you into a relationship with Him.

God wants us to turn from the corruptible things of this world, and look towards Him for our source and supply.  He wants us to conform to His ways and image and shun the evil things that are running rampant in the world.   This is His perfect will for your life.  Not to hurt you but to love on you till you are healed and made whole through Him.

I wish there was a way to change the mirror for the man who changed my life.  I wish there was a way for him to look through my eyes and see what I see.  I am sure if that was the case, he wouldn’t have walked away from love and back into darkness.  

Many times God gifts us with people in our lives to teach us things and we often wonder what the lesson was for the other person.   I know that in this occasion this lesson isn’t over, it’s just on hiatus and one day he will come to me asking for help to find his way back to God and away from the destructive forces that the world has offered.

I will leave you with this, as this one has been probably the hardest for me to write.  I’ve even found myself gingerly touching the keys in writing about this, but God put it on my heart, so I needed to share the words.  Keep in mind when we stumble across people who are looking at themselves through the eyes of the world, they are the people Jesus sent us to help. 

These people that the world has engulfed, swallowed, chewed up and devoured. These are among the people that God has called us to love.  These are the people that God has asked us to be Light and Salt too.  Please keep all of this in focus when you judge someone who has made poor decisions or looks differently than you do. 

Ask yourself, as I do now, am I being like the world or am I indeed transformed (changed) by the (entire) renewal of your mind (by its new ideals and its new attitude), so that you may prove (for yourselves) what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect (in His sight for you).

 

The pruning process is never fun!!

I have a bush in front of my house and every year I tell my mom that I want that bush removed.  It’s an attractive bush.  The colors are year round, and it changes throughout the year.  It will go from a vibrant red, to shades of almost purples and then to a deep green.   This bush has been a problem for me for over ten years, but yet it remains.  

I say to myself every year, one of these years, I am going to have that bush removed and then plant flowers in its place, but every year goes by, and still that bush remains.  The reasons I don’t like the bush is it grows so quickly, which means that I have to trim the bush.  I don’t like to do any kind of gardening, so this work goes into the gardening field for me, which already brings a negative.   

This bush also has very sharp bristles on each one of its leaves so no matter what angle I am trimming the bush I am getting pricked the entire time.  Then cleaning up the branches also is painful, because of the bristles and, they always cause a slight allergic reaction in my hands.    

Now, I am sure by this time you are wondering why I am going on and on about this bush, and wishing I would just remove it already.   I promise I am going somewhere here.  The reason why this bush never gets removed is because of its roots.  My mom insists that the roots of this bush have to be deeply embedded into the earth.   She says this would cause quite problem for the front of my home, since the bush is right in front of my concrete steps.  

Every day I look at this bush I scowl and wish it was gone.  This is also how I feel every time God decides to trim away at my flesh.  Ahhh now we see the coloration! 

In John 15 Jesus says I AM the True Vine, and My Father is the Vine-dresser.  (2) Any branch in Me that does not bear fruit (that stops bearing) He cuts away (trims off, takes away); and He cleanses and repeatedly prunes every branch that continues to bear fruit, to make it bear more and richer and more excellent fruit.  

 Jesus says that He is the Vine and that God is the Vine-dresser.    Jesus is what the fruit is connected to but God is the one who designs and beautifies the fruit.   Jesus then goes on to say that any branch in Me, or us as believers in Jesus, that does not bear fruit, that stops believing in Jesus, obeying him and his instructions, and lives a fleshly life, they will be cut away.    

I don’t think this is saying that Jesus is going to walk away from them and shun them, but I do think he will allow them to live their lives and suffer the consequences of their decisions.  I don’t think that Jesus will stop loving them, but he will allow them to see the destruction that is in front of them.   If Jesus would continue to shield, or protect the person who has chosen to live by their fleshly desires instead of allowing them to see the wrath of their decisions, He isn’t helping them.   

This is like the alcoholic who decides to change his life but still allows himself to live the same life that he did before he stopped drinking.  His decision to stop drinking was a smart decision but his decision to not change his lifestyle will lead him right back to drinking.  He hasn’t made any steps to change what helped create the problem.  If Jesus would not allow us to experience the wrath of our bad decisions, we would believe we could live the way we wanted and never experience any ramifications for our poor behavior.   

Jesus has to allow the backslider to be exactly what they are, and feel the effects of what they choose.  As soon as this person repents and comes back to Jesus, he will be forgiven and Jesus will open his arms and welcome them back lovingly, and the process of healing will start again.   

We have all experienced doing life our way and the ramifications of our poor decisions.  We have all seen that life away from God and his guidance is going to lead us into dark places, where we are not able to flourish.  

If I would decide to not trim back my bush every season, this bush would take over the front of my house.  I would have problems walking up my steps to get into my home.  I would have problems getting out of my car, to even try to get to the steps.  Every time I would brush up against it I would be pricked by one of the bushes sharp edges.  This wouldn’t be an enjoyable experience every day and one that would grow old very quickly.  It would cause me to make a decision and then act upon it.   

Jesus goes on to say that He cleanses and repeatedly prunes every branch that continues to bear fruit, to make it bear more and richer and more excellent fruit.   When you stay connected and plugged into Jesus and obey His teachings, you are going to produce good fruit.  You will be able to be impactful in the world, with the word of Jesus and cause other people to want what you have.  You are then able to bear good fruit into the kingdom of God.  

This sounds great, right?  It is great in theory, but don’t forget that to keep producing good fruit, stronger fruit, richer, more excellent fruit, you have to be pruned and trimmed.   

When I trim back my bush, the colors are more vibrant, the branches grow stronger and faster.  This happens because I trim the bush.  When God trims you, you grow stronger in your faith and trust of God.  Your fruit will become more of a witness to the people around you, so you can them bring more people into the Kingdom of God.  Your life is more of a testament to the goodness of God, because you are being trimmed and pruned.

Just as trimming and pruning is not fun to do on a plant or tree, it is not fun when it is happening to us.  When God sees that there is something in you, a stronghold, a bad habit or personality trait, that He needs to remove from your life, He will begin to trim it away.   

He will begin to place things in your life to bring out what He is trying to change in you so that

He can begin working on them.   He will allow people to enter your life to be used to help mold you and remove the things that are blocking you from growing in God.   

Whatever He is trimming or taking out of your life, He is doing, not to hurt you, but to make your connection with Him stronger.  He is trying to bond you together by removing the thing that is getting in the way of your connection.  God desires to be connected to you, so if there is something or someone that is getting in the way of what He is trying to do, in and through you He will start to make some changes.  

He might remove the person or thing.  He might start to use the person or thing to change you, which in my experience, this is how He works with me.  God will use something that I desire to remove things in my life that He cannot use to work through me.   He will remove things that will get more attention than He will, and God is a jealous God, so you can’t put anything before your relationship with God, and expect it to stay there.  

What we must remember, just like my bush, the longer the bush is connected to the vine, the stronger the roots will be.  The stronger our roots are in God, the stronger our connection will be to Him.   He will then be able to work through you and establish a better fruit within you, because you are rooted firmly in who He is.  All of this in the end will bring glory to God.   

If you look around you, you will be able to see if you are producing good fruit or not.  You will know by the life you are leading.  You will know by the desires of your heart, and if they match up to the Word of God.   Good fruit is easily detected once we open our eyes to see it.   I also believe that bad fruit is easily detected, as well, but again, we must allow ourselves to see it.  

Jesus tells us that He is the Vine and that God is the Vine-dresser, so as long as you stay connected to the Vine, God will be able to adorn you with richer, more excellent fruit.    

 

Your Shepherd is calling you...

I am not a big shopper, but when I do go shopping, I like to go with my mom.  I trust her advice on my purchases and know that she will give me an honest answer on what I am buying.   There have been many times while shopping with my mom that we have been separated and I have to yell out for her.  We can be in a crowded store and as soon as I yell out for her she recognizes my voice, and knows that I am calling her.   My mom knows my voice because she is familiar with me.  She knows me almost as well as I know myself.
                                                     

When I yell out for my mom she will respond and I feel a sense of relief knowing that she is there and I will be able to find her.  She will often either come to me or tell me where I can find her, so that I am not walking aimlessly around the store in search for her.

This is exactly what God does for us.  In John 10 Jesus uses the parable of sheep to explain his connection to his people.  Jesus says that his sheep will know his voice and that he calls them by name and leads them out.   After the shepherd has brought out all his sheep he will walk ahead of them, but the sheep will follow him because they know the voice of their shepherd.   

He then goes on to say that his sheep will never follow the voice of a stranger, but they will run away and hide from him because they do not know or recognize his voice.   

Jesus is saying that he is the shepherd and we are the sheep.   Jesus is calling each and every one of us into a relationship with him, to know him intimately and to trust in him.  While in the process of trusting Jesus we will begin to know his voice.  We will begin to deepen in our trust of him so when he walks in front of us, guiding us and shows us the way to go, we will follow him anywhere he leads us.  

The shepherd, Jesus, will not be worried about his flock following another voice because the bond, trust and relationship between Jesus and his flock will already have been forged.  There will be no separation because the two have already become one. 

This does not mean that the enemy won’t try to break the relationship between the shepherd and his sheep.  In fact it’s quite the opposite.  The enemy will try to break the bond between the two, where there are two or more, there is God.  This is a fear of Satan’s.  Satan does not want to allow people to follow Jesus, and grow in Faith and Trust of him, because it strengthens God’s power in the Earth.   

There have been a few times while I have been shopping with my mom that I can’t find her and when I call for her she does not respond.  There is a panic that happens on those rare occasions.  I will frantically start looking for her until I find her.   While in search for her I am calling her name, until I hear a response. 

This is what Jesus does with us.  We will be searching for him.  Searching for what is missing in our lives, for something to take the pain away, to ease our loneliness.   The whole time Jesus is calling out our names.  Jesus is saying I am over here.  Keep looking and you will find me.  You will start to have desires to change your life, or to not participate in activities that once brought you joy and satisfaction.  This is Jesus calling you into relationship with him.   

Jesus is saying I am right here.  I am waiting for you to find me and I will not leave this space or stop calling your name until our relationship is so close that you will know my voice anywhere I am.  You will follow me and never have to seek for me again.    

We all come to finding Jesus by our own paths.  We all have a personal route to take that will lead us to Jesus, but the outcome is the same.  Once Jesus starts calling your name and bringing you into relationship with him, there won’t be another voice you will want to listen too.   The voice of the enemy will still be there but your ears (hearts) will only be tuned in to hear the voice of your shepherd, Jesus.

The closer your relationship with Jesus gets the clearer his voice will become and this is why in verse 10:4 he says, when he brings his own sheep outside he will lead them and they will follow because they know his voice.   There will be a yearning in your heart to know Jesus deeper and to become one with him, so when he says now it’s time for you to follow me, you will obey his request.  

He will now lead you into the purpose you were created for.  The voice of Jesus is a voice that will always be calling your name, no matter how long you have dedicated your life to him.  No matter how close your relationship is with Jesus, he will never stop calling your name.   

Just like the closeness a mother and daughter have, that when I call for my mom in a crowded store, she will always know my voice; your Heavenly Father will always know your voice and will never stop calling you into a closer relationship with him. 

 

God can remove the scales from your eyes.

Do you know anyone who has blinders over their eyes?  It doesn’t have to be actual blinders, but they see in life what they want to see and believe what they want to believe.  They can be living in a complete lie or void of reality but nothing you can say to them makes them change their minds.

I know someone like this, and he lives in the lies that are fed into his mind by satan and satan working through people around him.  There was no way for me to show him that his thoughts were untrue, because his perception became his reality.   His perception or his reality was not what the truth was, but he believed the lies, and in return, gave up.

In reading Acts 9 tonight, the story of Saul, made me think of my relationship with this person, and how deceived he was, just as Saul was before the scales were removed from his eyes. 

We all know the story of Paul, who was once, Saul.  We know how his transition happened and how Jesus appeared to him on the road to Damascus.  Saul, was actually on his way to bring Christians in to Jerusalem, so they could be put into jail, or worse, killed.  Saul was known as the Christian killer.  He killed many Christians for their belief in Jesus and claimed that they were speaking blasphemy against God.  Saul was dead set in his beliefs and thought what he was doing by killing innocent people was justified and right.  He thought that he was avenging God with his behavior.

BUT GOD… or in this case BUT JESUS.

Jesus came on the scene and put a stop to Saul’s wicked ways and hardened heart.  With just the brightness of His being caused Saul to fall off of his horse, as Jesus approached Saul he cried out, who are you, Lord?  Jesus called out to him with a simple answer, I am Jesus.  The one you are persecuting.  

Could you imagine!!! 

Saul has been killing people because they believed and were speaking about Jesus, and here He is in front of your eyes.   Could you imagine the immediate shame, guilt and sorrow you would feel for all the lives you have taken, all the blood of Christians that is on your hands.

There is no question or wonder, why Saul immediately asks Jesus, what is it that you desire me to do?  Who wouldn’t be asking Jesus, what can I do?  How can I make what I have done right, now that I know the truth? 

Jesus says to him in Acts 9:6 but arise and go into the city and you will then be told what to do.   Now this is some day!  Saul started out planning on arresting and putting Christians into chains and taking them back to Jerusalem and now, here he is on the side of the road, blind, off his horse and talking to Jesus.  That is some day.

The Bible tells us in Acts 9 that Saul did not eat or drink for three days and remained in prayer.  At the same time, Jesus appeared to a disciple named Ananias, and told him of Saul.  Jesus, instructed Ananias to go to Saul and heal him from his blindness. 

Ananias, rightfully so worried, responds to Jesus with, but Lord, do you understand who this man Saul is.   I think this is hilarious, because Ananias is speaking to Jesus, who knows all things, and asking Him if He really knows who Saul is.   Of course Jesus knows who Saul is, He created Saul.  He knows this man’s heart, but He also knows what is inside of this man’s heart in the future.  He sees who Saul will become, and of course Ananias does not. 

At this time Ananias is like my friend.  He is trapped in the lies of fear and confusion.  Ananias is being used by satan to try and stop the working of Jesus.  Satan knows that Saul has a great possibility in him and if he is working now for Jesus, instead of for him, like Saul had been, he is going to lose a great worker.  Satan, will do anything to deceive us and stop the works of God, but what satan needs to understand, he has already been defeated.   Jesus has already won, and since we are in Jesus, so have we.  The plans of God will not be stopped. 

Ananias does as Jesus has instructed him and goes over to Saul, who again, hasn’t had anything to eat or drink for three days, and is blind, and I am sure scared out of his mind.   Ananias lays his hands over Saul’s eyes and the scales fell off of Saul’s eyes.   Ananias then tells him that Jesus came to him and told him that Saul is a chosen instrument of His and that he will bear His name before the Gentiles, kings and the descendants of Israel.   Ananias then baptizes Saul and this begins the great work of Saul/Paul in this world.

This story just breathes life into my soul.  This story tells me that the scales and blinders can be removed from a person’s eyes.  This story tells of redemption, restoration, transformation, forgiveness and purpose.

We all have the ability to have all of these things through Jesus.  Maybe Jesus isn’t going to knock you off of your horse and appear to you on the side of a road, or maybe He will, but Jesus can remove the scales from your eyes too.

Jesus can take your life like He took Saul’s and completely transform it into something wonderful.  Remember that Saul was full of hate, anger, and contempt and bitter.  His heart was hardened to the world and he took it out on the Christians.  I would think that Saul was jealous of the relationship Christians had with Jesus and his own lack of relationship with God, and that’s why he was attacking them with such force.

Saul was one of the worst men in the Bible and he became one of, if not the greatest warrior for Jesus.  Saul’s eyes were opened to the truth and his perception changed, as his heart was changed.  He was no longer clouded by the negative feelings and distractions of satan and was able to accept, receive and feel the love of God in his life.

Saul’s heart was made tender in moments to not only Jesus but to His ways.  We can have all of these things that Saul had.  We can become transformed soldiers for God, here on this earth.  Jesus can take your hard heart and make it tender and open to Him, you just have to let Him do it.

It took Saul to be thrown off his horse and seeing the image of Jesus to change his mind and perspective, what will it take for you to experience the same change in your life?

 

Born Again???

Jesus tells Nicodemus in John 3:3 that unless a man is Born Again he will not enter into the kingdom of God. 

I know that for many years, before I was actually Born Again, I didn’t quite understand those two words.  I understood, and believed, that Jesus died on the cross for me, and my sins, but I didn’t understand that I actually had to be Born Again to accept what Christ had done for me.

When Christ sacrificed himself on the cross for all of us we didn’t have to do anything to receive this gift.  Meaning, there was no amount of good deeds, or earthly work, that we could do that would atone us for what Christ had already sacrificed.  

An example I like to use is Mother Teresa.  While we all know that Mother Teresa was a wonderful woman, and was an extremely selfless woman, there was no amount of good works she could have done, or did do, that would equal the sacrifice that was already made for her.   Even Mother Teresa would not have gotten into Heaven based on her works here on earth.   Mother Teresa needed to be Born Again to enter into the kingdom of God.

I believe there is a very large misconception in the world that if we are good people, are kind, helpful, God fearing people we will be able to get into Heaven just based on that.   What this also does is keeps people from entering into Heaven, I believe, because they look at themselves, and what they lack, and the many things they did wrong, so why even try.  I think this lie influences people to give up on pursuing God.   This is a lie from the enemy!!

When Jesus told Nicodemus all he had to do was be Born Again, Nicodemus says, how is that possible?  How can I enter back into my mother’s womb as a man or as an adult?  We all know logically that is impossible, but that is because we are thinking with our minds and logic and the things of God surpass human understanding.

 

What Jesus is asking us to do is to Believe.  He is asking you to believe that he did in fact hang on the Cross, and suffer a death that no human will ever understand.   He wants you to Believe that he paid the ultimate sacrifice for your sinful life. 

We have to confess with our mouths, and believe with our hearts, that Jesus died for your sins, on the cross, and that God raised him up three days later, to sit at the right side of God in Heaven.

When you pray the Prayer of Salvation, or are Born Again, you are asking for God to live inside of you.  I know again, logically, how is that possible?  Well we know that a person cannot physically come and live inside of you, but a spirit can. 

God is a spirit; he is not flesh and bones, as we are here on earth.   We are actually spirits as well, but we are spirits in a body, so when we see each other we are seeing the outer shell, or the casing of the person.  When you look at someone you are rarely seeing their spirit, you are seeing their flesh and bones.

When you think of God as a spirit being, and not a human being, then you can understand that God the spirit can live inside of you.   Jesus told the disciples ,after God raised him from his death, that he must leave this earth to take his seat in Heaven, with God, so that the Holy Spirit aka God’s spirit, can live inside of everyone.

Jesus is God’s word, or the Bible, made flesh, so when he came to earth he was just like you and I, encased in a body of flesh and bone.   This body limited Jesus to only being able to be in one place at one time.  When Jesus was raised into Heaven to be with God he was able to be replaced, so to speak, with the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit is able to be in multiple places at once, because he is a Spirit. 

When you are Born Again the Holy Spirit comes to live inside of you and allows you inner man or your spirit to be made whole, and perfect in an instant.   I will tell you this; if you try to intellectualize this process it will be very difficult for you to understand.  This is where Faith and Trusting the Word of God comes heavily into play. 

God wants to be with you at all times and to do that, he gave us his Spirit.  His Spirit will direct you in the will of God for your life.  The Holy Spirit hears directly from God on his purpose for your life and he then helps direct you and keep you on the track that God has for you. 

We will often say, I had a hunch, or a feeling in my gut, that this was wrong for me to do, well that’s the Holy Spirit directing you.   As a believer I will say, this doesn’t feel right in my spirit.  I don’t have peace about this situation, or vice versa.   We are all saying the same thing but with different vocabulary.  The non-believer doesn’t recognize the Holy Spirit, because they haven’t been educated on what the Holy Spirit is, so they speak from their limited understanding.

To be Born Again is a choice that we must make with our Hearts, and our mouths, and then we receive the Free Gift that Jesus died for us to have.  This gift is free because there is nothing we could do to receive it, but believe in what Jesus has done for each and every one of us. 

We all come to this path in different ways but once we have arrived we all receive the same gift and an ability to carry God on the inside of us.  We no longer are the guiding force in our own lives; we are now living for God and allowing his ultimate wisdom to show us the way to go. 

We are made perfect in an instant, in our spirit man, and then God works with us to take what has been deposited inside of us, and move it from the inside out.  Sometimes this can be a painful transition, as almost any change can be ,but the life that you will now have will be worth the temporary pain. 

When you are Born Again, and accept Christ as your savior, you instantly avoid spiritual death.   Your name is written in the Lambs book of Life.  Jesus was considered the Lamb, as he was our sacrifice.  The Book of Life is where God places the names of all of those people who have accepted Jesus as their savior.  To have your name written in the Lambs Book of Life is saying that you will have eternal life with God.  Though your body, your flesh and bones, will die, your spirit, your soul will forever live on.  

This all will make sense when you understand that your body is just the vessel here on earth.  Just like your car is the vessel used to transport you from one place to another, your body is given to you to live your life here on earth. 

We can over spiritualize the two words Born Again, and make is something that God never intended it to be, and allow two words to keep you from your life, in eternity with God, or you can do as Nicodemus did, and understand that what is of Flesh dies of Flesh, and what is of Spirit is alive with Spirit. 

Come to Jesus and accept his free gift of salvation and have your name added into the Lambs Book of Life!!  

 

Prayer of Salvation 

God I want to thank you for Jesus.  I want to thank you for sending him to be the sacrifice for my sins.  I thank you Lord that my sins of yesterday, today and tomorrow have been forgiven with the Blood of Jesus.   I believe God that you sent Jesus to the earth to die on the Cross for me.  To shed his perfect Blood for me.  To cleanse me of my sins.  I believe Lord that you raised Jesus on the third day and you sent your Holy Spirit to live inside of me.  I believe that Jesus is sitting in Heavenly places with you Lord.  I believe this with my heart and I confess with my mouth, that Jesus is my Lord and Savior and you are my God.  I believe that today my name is written in the Lambs Book of Life and I will spend eternity with you Lord.  I thank you for sacrificing your son Jesus, your precious gift for my sins and I ask you Lord to send the Holy Spirit into my life to live on the inside of me.   I accept and receive today these free gifts from you God and purpose my life for your kingdom.  In Jesus’ Holy Name, Amen.

 

God's Promises for all of us!!

Abraham’s story resonates with me and other believers for so many reasons.  This is the story of Hope, Faith, Positivity, Perseverance, Trust and Obedience.  This is the story of a man who never chose to look behind himself, or at the situation that lay in front of him.  He always chose to look at God. 

I think one of the reasons that Abraham’s life is told repeatedly throughout the Bible is because it meets you where you are.  His story can meet you as a new believer or a non-believer in Christ.  His story can meet you as a person believing God for a child.  His story can meet you as a believer who is lost, or who has been a believer for forty years.   There is something for everyone in Abraham’s life. 

Abraham’s dedication is something that we can use, not only in our relationship to God, but in our daily lives.  We can use his characteristics in our work place, in our relationships, in our families and field (inset whichever sport you play).

Abraham stood for something and really stood for it.  He didn’t let the darkness of the world around him or his own mind; stop his belief in what God had promised him.   God promised to make Abraham the father of many nations, and so he did.   He didn’t do it because Abraham was the best person, or the one who deserved it the most, He did it one, because He promised him, but also because Abraham was devoted to God.

Abraham was obedient to God’s plans and promises and held tight to them, never letting them out of his sight or heart.  Abraham spoke words of power and encouragement over his situation.  It says in Romans 4:18 (For Abraham, human reason for) hope being gone, hoped in faith that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been promised, So (numberless) shall your descendants be.   He wasn’t speaking words in opposition to God’s promises.

He wasn’t walking around saying, Hmm, I wonder if God is going to do this for me?  I wonder if He really will come through.  No, Abraham did believe.   In Romans 4:19 it says.  He did not weaken in faith when he considered the (utter) impotence of his own body, which was as good as dead because he was about a hundred years old, or (when he considered) the barrenness of Sarah’s (deadened) womb.  (20)  No unbelief or distrust made him waver (doubtingly question) concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong and was empowered by faith as he gave praise and glory to God.

So we see he how Abraham was speaking.  He was praising and giving glory to God.  He was, by the way, doing all of this before, God gave him the promise.  He was so filled with faith in God’s promise to him, that even before he saw it with his own eyes, he was praising and glorifying God for it.

This is what we are supposed to be doing.  We all have dreams and desires.  We all have things we believe for.  I personally am believing for God to heal the person who holds my heart, from addiction and heal our relationship.  I believe that God will restore us, heal us, and build us up in Him.   We all have prayers that we say over and over again, until we run out of breath, but we all also have a wonderful God.

We have the same God that Abraham had!  We have the same GOD that Abraham has!  The same God that came to Abraham and said, you will have a son at 100, and his name will be Isaac and you will be the father of many nations, is the same God that we serve today.

The same God that Abraham was Fully satisfied and assured that God was able and mighty to keep His word and to do what He had promised (Romans 4:21).  Is the same God that watches over you every day?   This is the same God that chose you.  Who called you into a relationship with Him?  The same God that knows your yesterday, from your today, and your tomorrow.  The same God that stores your tears in a jar because they are so special and dear to Him, because, they are yours.   The same God.

The God who fulfilled every promise that He gave to Abraham and then some, I might add, is the same God who is going to fulfill every one of your dreams and desires, as well.  He says, Now to Him who, by (in consequence of) the (action of His) power that is at work within us, is able to (carry out His purpose and) do super abundantly, far over and above all that we (dare) ask or think (infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams) – To Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever.  Amen - Ephesians 3:20-21.

Let’s pull a page from Abraham’s life and put into practice the things that he did.  Let’s allow our hearts to go where Abraham let his heart go, and believe.  Let’s live with hope, faith, and trust, that God will not only deliver his promises, but he will super abundantly, deliver his promises.  He did it for Abraham, and He can and will do it for you, and me!!

 

Freedom

Acts 5:19 But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and, leading them out, said (20) Go, take your stand in the temple courts and declare to the people the whole doctrine concerning this Life (the eternal life with Christ revealed).

This is a very powerful verse and direction for every believer, whether they are a new believer or have been walking with Christ for many, many years.  When you read these words and think about the power that comes with them, you can begin to see the purpose of our lives as Christians, or followers of Christ.

To me these two verses, more so verse 19, showed me that every single problem I come into, God will find a way out of it, for me.  This shows me that not only am I going to find myself in situations, that look dim and bleak, but when those times come upon me, as long as I know where my provision lies, I will be set free.

Maybe the freedom won’t come as it did for Peter and John, but there will be a freedom given to me. God sent an angel of the Lord to open the prison doors for Peter and John, and God will do the same thing for you.

Freedom comes in many different ways.  Sometimes freedom can come as it did for Peter and John.  There are many people who are falsely accused of crimes, which they did not commit, or happened to be in the wrong place, at the wrong time, and are behind bars because of that.  God can set those captives free by working behind the scenes to bring truth forward.

I think one of ways God has worked, and is working, in my own life, to bring me freedom, is by bringing peace to my mind.   I have been sexually, mentally, physically and spiritually abused, in my life here on earth, and God has taken those broken pieces, and has begun to heal them, from the inside out. 

The power of God’s word brings healing, peace, and clarity, to our minds, among many other things.  I had decided that I have lived in terror, fear, anxiety and anger for so long, that I wanted to be free of those things.  I wanted to know God, in a different way.  I was hoping, and crossing my fingers, that along with knowing God, I would be set free, of those things that had held me in bondage to my past. 

I set myself to have a relationship with God, my savior, and understand, that the things I have heard, seen and read, that God did in other people's lives,  were not things that happened just to good people, or people that I deemed to be good, but were available to me.

I saw myself as not worthy of God’s love.  I felt like God had turned His back on me, and did so, because I wasn’t worthy, or deserving of Love.   These are all lies that satan tells us to keep us from the love of God.   But you see, what happened to me, is God would send people into my life that loved Him, and in return loved me, and they would begin to chip away at the hardness of my heart, through Him.

Just like God sent an angel to Peter and John, to open the prison doors, God sent angels into my life, to open the prison doors of my mind.  There are many people who are in the prison of their minds, for one reason or another, and God wants so desperately to set you free.  

God’s love is like a rain that washes all the dirt away.  It cleanses you from the evil that you think of yourself, or have allowed other people to bring into your life.  You slowly change the way you view who you are.  Your sight changes internally, because you are adopting, and changing your vision, and aligning it up to how God sees you.

God doesn’t see you as broken, dirty, unworthy, unlovable, fat, ugly, a loser or whatever negative thing, that plays on repeat in your mind.  God see’s you as His child.  God see’s you through the eyes of love, for He created you.  He made you the way you are today.  He knew who you were, are and who  you will be, before He called you into relationship with Him.

There is nothing that we do, that can change how much God loves us.  Nothing! You are loved as much today, as you will be tomorrow, and the day after.   For many people it’s hard to understand this kind of love, because we haven’t experienced it before and we don’t know how to love like that with each other. 

God is our example of Love.  He is perfect love, and perfect love casts out fear.  He sent  us Jesus, to give us a savior, because He loves us.  We have a perfect example of love every day He wakes us up.

Healing takes time, and yes, there is work you must do as well.  God can, and sometimes does, heal people instantly, but for most of us, it’s a process, and one we need.  You know the saying it always gets darker before the dawn.  That can be true, as you walk through your healing with God.  But be calmed in knowing, God will never walk you into a storm that He will not walk with you through and then use for your good in the end.

Many times after we have our freedom, or are coming close to the end of our storm, there will be a direction from God.   He will tell us the next steps to take, and gives us the way to take them. 

We see this in Acts 5:20, when the angel of the Lord, tells Peter and John to go to the temple and declare to the people the whole doctrine concerning Life.    Freedom was given to them, so that God could use them, and many times, most times, freedom is given to us, so that God can use us as well.

I don’t know what your individual direction from God will be, but I do know that there will be one.  As you are walking through your healing with God, listen to His words.  Listen to the spirit inside of you, and I am positive, your direction or next task will be revealed to you. 

Healing is hard.  There will be tears, anger, frustration, loss of patience and sometimes confusion, but at the end of the healing, there is freedom.  There is peace, there is joy, there is clarity, and there is love.   We stand before God closer to the person He created us to be.  We stand before Him with eyes opened and hearts able to receive and give love.

We stand before Him free!!!

Are we begging God or is He begging us?

Have you ever had to beg someone that you love to do something either for you, or to not do something they were going to do?  This requires a lot of effort, time and the right words. 

I have found in my life that when it gets to the point of begging, for something or someone, I have crossed over the threshold of asking to almost demanding.   The need has gone from simple to immediate, or even for someone’s safety. 

There are so many degrees of begging.  We can beg someone for their forgiveness.  We can beg them to listen to us in their time of need.  We can beg them to trust us, when they are indecisive and lack wisdom, or experience.  Begging can take on so many forms but I think the message of urgency and care is always the same.

In Romans 12:1 Paul is literally begging us, his words, not mine, to make a decision.   I APPEAL to you therefore, brethren, and beg of you in view of (all) the mercies of God, to make a decisive dedication of your bodies (presenting all your members and faculties) as a living sacrifice, holy (devoted, consecrated) and well pleasing to God, which is your reasonable (rational, intelligent) service and spiritual worship.

Paul is begging us to make a decision, and to make the right one.  He is not asking us to make this decision lightly, he is asking us to make it with our intelligence.  But he is also saying that rationally, this decision shouldn’t be a hard one to make.  He is begging us to make this decision with all that we are, and to come to it quickly, I think. 

He is saying, I think, bring all of you.  Bring the broken, the worn out, the overworked, and the out of shape, the unhappy, and the underpaid and overwhelmed portions of yourselves, and bring them to God.   Dedicate all of you, every part of you that you have, even the parts that you think God doesn’t want.  The parts that you think you cleverly hide from Him, which is impossible by the way, but bring that too.

God wants all of it.  He wants you to dedicate all of yourself to Him and serve Him.  Worship Him.  Make a decision that you are not going to change in five minutes.  Make a decision that you can be proud of for the rest of your life.  One that you will be happy to share with all of those around you.  Make that decision. 

Don’t make this decision and then still remain the same person before you made the decision.  With all the same intent and sins.  No, make this decision and surrender yourselves, and all that you are to God in worship and service, and allow Him to change you.

Paul is appealing, a nicer way to say begging, for us to see what he sees.  He is nicely trying to get us to open our eyes to the life that we are missing, when we are either halfheartedly serving God, or not serving Him at all. 

To many times we think that we are going to do this “God” thing, in our way, and Paul is saying, nope, that’s not how He is asking you to come to Him.  He is asking you to come to Him completely.  He is asking you to give Him all that you have, good, bad, ugly and beautiful, give it to Him.  Surrender it to Him. 

This is the time you pull out the mirror and you look at yourself in the face and search for how good of a job you’ve been doing at running your own life.  How have you been doing at juggling taking care of you?  Do you think you really are controlling what is happening with you?  Do you think that you are the master of your own universe, or reality?  I am sorry to tell you that you are not.

You never were and you never will be. 

God is, has, and always will be, in control of what is happening to you and around you, so with that knowledge in hand, now is the time to just surrender.   You have given it a good try at keeping it all together, and have done a good job at convincing yourself it was you, but it wasn’t, so now that the truth has been revealed, and we all know that you are not the miracle worker you wanted us to think you are, stop lying to yourself. 

Allow God to take over.  Hand in your resignation papers and subscribe to being an employee of God’s instead of trying to make God your employee.

Paul is begging us in Romans 12:1 to give all that we have to God for a reason.  Paul knows more than we know.  He is doing what we do, when we have insight, wisdom or experience and want to shield the people we love and care about from making bad decisions.   Paul, is asking you, begging you, to trust him on this one, and more importantly trust God, and give Him all of you.  He won’t run from you and He won’t ever turn His back on you.  He will take all of you, all of you, even the ugly stuff, and make it beautiful in His sight!    How’s that for begging!!