Today, a reminder.

  Today was a very real reminder of how  desperately I need my savior to not only strengthen me, but even to have life. When I say "life" I don't just mean living as a warm body, but rather being in a state of fullness. I stepped outside in the cold (having snowed today it was an even more vivid visual reminder as well) and as the bitter touch of the wind touched my skin, and the smell of winter rushed me like a cold splash of water on my face, I was whisked back to memories of being homeless, struggling to eat, and seeking in desperation for anything, trying as best as I could to stay warm and sleep, and relying on God for whatever may come my way. The feeling of desperation was very real, helplessness, sadness, worry,  feeling completely worthless and alone.

    Given this very real reminder of my past struggles and the complete helplessness that I had been brought back to, I was forced to looked up to God and give thanks for everything that I now have. The blessings that He has poured out on me have been very great and undeserved. We have all gone through struggles and we have all thought "What in the world can I do? Why do I have to be so stressed and worried?" Sometimes to tears, sometimes in anger, but always in need of something... When we experience this sort of neediness I have to consider it one of the greatest blessings our God has given us. The realization that something is just not there, that there is something we NEED. To be able to come to Him and say in complete humility "This is too much Lord I cannot handle it any more and I need everything you can possibly give". At that moment allowing Him to fulfill His promise of joy and fullness... even in the darkest moment of our lives and the most tedious struggles! Some video encouragement; Through the darkest valley

    Through Christ we can lay our burdens down, something that is very difficult for this generation to do because of the pride they have in self.. there is such a search for happiness and fullness in everything but the true meaning of the words! In Christ there is so much peace that it brings forth joy without effort! We do not have a single thing to worry about! There would be the argument at this point by some people that you must still worry about things in order to get them done and be motivated. Not really... this is where the bible speaks of wisdom. I was told my a man once that wisdom is knowing what to do in a situation before that situation even arises. This is why we are encouraged to seek after wisdom so fervently! If we can gain wisdom and reliance on God what will we have to worry about? We will already know the answers...

    If at any time you don't know what to do or are stressed to the point of breaking, just STOP. Stop what you are doing and bring yourself in humility to God. Instead of work, school, social media, place His word in front of you. Allow Him to grant you wisdom, to place His hands around you and keep you warm, let Him feed you, let Him give you rest... take a deep breath and release all of it. Do not try to further what you are doing or dig yourself back to the top of your emotional hole. There is a rope just to the side of you, take a break from digging and remove yourself from that easy to slip into "tunnel vision". That rope will be seen and all you have to do is grab it. you don't even need to climb. He will pull you up. He will grant you the most perfect form of happiness you will ever experience, that has been and continues to be His promise.

   

Growth

To start things off here is an excerpt from a book called the Devine Mentor by Wayne Cordero; 

    "Shortly after I became a Christian, I found myself complaining to God about the quality of my church's academic-style preacher who often flew things at a high altitude where I was unable to cruise. I began my complaint in the bathroom after a service.
    "God!" I called out, hoping I was alone in the men's room. "I'm not getting fed. I'm dying here, suffering from malnutrition!"
    I'm not sure if it was a chuckle from the stall next to me or a reply from heaven, but I recall becoming acutely conscious of something as the Spirit spoke to me from the depths of my own anguished being.
    What about ME? He seemed to whisper. Am I not enough? Why are you blaming others for your lack of growth? You are depending on a once-a-week feeding, but as you grow up you must learn to feed yourself! I will be your Mentor."


    That last paragraph should speak to us all... "What about ME? Am I not enough?"  All too often we find ourselves relying on a pastor/preacher to tell us what it is we need to learn or what we need to read, after all God is supposed to speak through them to us right? Well... yes, and no. We are to create disciples that create more disciples. We are all preachers, we are all given the role of mentorship once we have been mentored ourselves. This doesn't even always apply to a "new Christian"  there are plenty of people who have been a Christian for quite a long time and yet lack a mature relationship or even a realization of what that relationship should look like. This comes almost every time from the fact that they do not feed themselves, they do not allow God to be ever present in their life PERSONALLY. To give Him access to what happens everyday and to take that to Him and say "Lord, teach me". To take time out of their busy day and devote it to Him, or even continual conversation with Him throughout the day.

 Matthew 7:7  "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you."

    All of what Is told in this verse is nowhere close to passive, it is action.. which requires doing. Not just saying "ok Lord teach me I'm here." If we require knowledge what do we do? We go to someone who knows what they are talking about, the sole job of a preacher is to encourage a more personal relationship with God. Not to become the relationship we have with God. Going to His word in our own free will and opening our hearts and minds to HIM then allowing Him to manifest Himself in us. Seek out the source of knowledge and you will be granted truth and wisdom. This is not to say that you should not go to church and listen to your pastor, these men have been called to do what they are doing. But you need to always refer back to the word and the Holy Spirit to solidify what it is that they have taught. Then allowing God to teach you something that is even more relevant to your life than you had thought. He wants to teach us, in fact He is DESPERATE to teach us!  He will be there for us and teach us, but we must seek Him out. To show Him we are willing to learn all that we can from Him.

Beauty

Beauty is no rarity, but an attractive spirit is a diamond among coal. Found only ever through faith and protected over the ages. Created by beauty in order that beauty could remain pure through the eyes of the heart. Creating a display within the prism of ones spirit by which one can stand in awe. Observing the glory of what shines through it and what surrounds those that are blessed with its sight. Heed not it's shell, lifeless and without purpose, but only to display such greatness and majesty that is projected with passion from beyond itself. A light portraying such vivid colors and sounds that it can only be seen by the heart. Blessed are those that have seen it, those that have been graced with the presence of true beauty. And great are those that treasure it, that hold it dearest among all possessions.

How gracious our Lord is when we live by faith..

Deuteronomy 28:1-2  “And if you faithfully obey the voice of the LORD your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the LORD your God will set you on high above all the nations of the earth.  And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the LORD your God.”

 Everyone wants to be part of something, a piece of a bigger puzzle. Have you ever noticed how we as humans are drawn toward giving ourselves a purpose? Or putting great effort into trying to find one? And if we don't we feel worthless, like there is no point to our lives.. depressed and stressed out. And to think, it is just as simple as this verse states above. Blessings will OVERTAKE you... so much that you are overwhelmed with good things. All if we trust in His voice and LISTEN to it. set high above all the nations? Whaat? You mean to be seen through His glory as great... TRULY great? Among nations.. WOW.. what a thought! There is a song called "promises", one of my favorites by a band called Sanctus real, in it they say "hold on to the promises" meaning to believe in what God has promised. No matter what anyone else says, each and every one of us is called for greatness. But we have to be sure and pay attention and seek out the desires of our heart.. not our desires to satisfy what we want. Which can often and easily be confused. But the desires of our heart, through love are always good and always fully satisfying, He promises to fulfill those desires, each and every one of them. He only asks that we commit those things to him, that's all, to seek out through those things ways to glorify him. Don't be shy about it, sure you may get made fun of, but for every jab you take more blessings will pour out onto you! This means that we must live by faith, no one likes to risk things for what they do not know, it is one of our many flaws as humans. But we absolutely MUST live FAITHFULLY, this means taking risks. If you are truly making a jump for God, (even if it is in the wrong direction) He will provide for you. But NEVER just attempt a free-fall without a parachute, what do I mean? PRAYER, pray intensely. with reverence and with humility, submitting each and every move you make to Him. Yes He knows what's going on and can see it happening, but we must show faith in praying to Him, there is nothing wrong with asking Him to provide when you are on the edge of the cliff, about to make that life or death jump. In fact He wants you to ask! And ask often!

1 Thessalonians 5:17 pray without ceasing

James 1:6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.

 So then my great brothers and sisters, Pray, Be humble before God, Find peace in His will for you, And JUMP, jump like there is nothing to catch you. But knowing that there always will be :)

A personal relationship, it's not about us.

  Today it seems that everything in this world promotes the idea that all things are about us. It is all about our selfish desire to get what we want and making sure everyone knows we feel good about doing it. Too many churches nowadays preach solely on love alone, but not a reciprocated love, only the saving part of His love. They also need to remember, Christ died for us in order that we could be wiped clean of our sins. Not so that we could sin again, then to ask forgiveness with the intent on further sinful actions.
  So many times I find myself in my mind going back to the analogy of fatherhood.  His love for us and our relationship with Him is the perfect example of a relationship between a father and a child. When children misbehave there are consequences to their actions. The father must allow the consequences to happen out of love for his child. not because he wants them to endure the repercussions, but because he desires for them to reach into wisdom that is on the other side of the punishment. And standing with that child making sure that they know the only reason for it is love and love alone. Not anger, not frustration, but a true love and will for them to receive a gift of wisdom.
  We can then take a look at Jesus and who He is. He is the firstborn of God's family. And much like the firstborn of any family, He was the example for all the children to follow. Someone to uphold the laws of the house and to show righteousness in his Fathers eyes. Many Christian ( and I have been guilty of this myself) are always complaining about their struggle and expecting God to come, swoop in and take them away from everything bad. it is not that He won't or can't do this, but it is a simple matter of this, "If you love me, you will obey what I command" John 14:15 Then continuing on in verse 21; "Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him."  God gave His firstborn authority, having full trust in His one and only son. So again, it is not that we MUST do these things in order to be loved. We are already loved. But when we receive His love, we should want to give it back! Being unselfish with it, wanting to show Him through the actions we perform selflessly unto others. And yet at the same time doing it only because the spirit within us drives us to do it, and through this glorifying God further. So for Christians during struggle, what is it that we are learning, are we sitting there just whining to Him? Or are we speaking life into others with our words and our actions? In faith that what we are going through is simply the wrapping paper for a greater gift of wisdom and understanding?  We are to follow in His image, and His leadership. Which now brings me to this point as far as following him and seeking to walk in his image. Not His SHADOW not behind, not below, but IN His image as though we are one with Him in every motion of our body. We could look at Christ like this, He is  cookie-cutter and we are all this dough that life has just rolled flat, pounded on, rolled over again, and repeated. A big nasty blob of gross. He then cuts out all the crap around us that is not our true form. Everything that is not us, that is not WHO we are. He forgives and cleanses us of everything. We then become not a giant blob of ugliness, but through grace have the ability to become re-created in His image.  However, we cannot become so focused on the fact that he has accepted us for who we are, that we forget His love truly does deserve a love in return. There is a great image of Christ's Love for His father in Philippians 2:6-8;

 Who, being in very nature God,
    did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
rather, he made himself nothing
    by taking the very nature of a servant,
    being made in human likeness.
 And being found in appearance as a man,
    he humbled himself
    by becoming obedient to death—
        even death on a cross!

  One of the most touching forms of Love is humility, Christ sacrificed absolutely everything for his father, and the knowledge of His love for us. Christ humbled himself all the way to the cross. Our Love should reflect the same, becoming humble to ourselves in order to be servants. Not that we are slaves, but because the love we have within us requires us to act in such a way that it would please Him, Because of the love we have for our older brother, the Son of God Himself.

Be a man.

   Dear men, I know that the subject of Love has been twisted and warped, pushed aside, and has come very close to being wiped out from the characteristics of a "MAN". However I encourage you to love, Not meaning that you have to be all mushy gushy all the time... But a REAL love. One that inspires you to do great things. To  stop and assist someone on the highway, carry groceries for an elderly lady, open doors, all of these things are simple and yet great at the same time. Not because of the action itself  but because of the character it creates within you. A strong man is of noble character. Nobility as defined by the dictionary would be this; an exalted moral or mental character or excellence admirable in dignity of conception, manner of expression, execution, or composition. In order to be a man, we must NOT put ourselves first. But if we do it is only that what we achieve will give us the ability to provide for someone else.  It is our duty to look out for others and to protect others. We are not to "go with the flow" or be followers of mediocrity. Stand out and stand tall. We are leaders, but in order to lead, especially in todays time, we need to become men of such a noble character that it encourages others to become leaders and to stand out themselves.   What is the one thing that will drive a man through a battle, torture, and despair, giving him the ability to face all odds in order to get back to those he.... loves. It goes deeper than just a love of family, of a wife or children. But to every single person that you come in contact with. I understand that as men we are naturally prideful. We tend to focus on ourselves, the mission at hand, and the goals that we have set in front of ourselves. But in order to truly be strong, we absolutely have to love. Anyone can go through life and  do nothing, but we are not those people. We are to seek out wisdom and to put it into action, to seek out love and place the love that we have within the grasp of those that need it most. Fortifying them and strengthening them. So I urge you to be  strong, courageous and of a sound mind. look for opportunities to Love and to exercise noble character. Never wait for them to come to you, the opportunities are around you at every moment, seize them. Let love create your character.

What power we have through Christ!

 One thing I find that Christians struggle with today is a full realization of how much authority and power we have over this world. We are the stewards of God's creation.. He has set us in charge of everything, ALL of it! Not only the physical but also the spiritual, the power of God is given to us to perform the impossible! And through the Spirit He guides all things around us to work for us if we simply trust Him and act in His will. There have been many times where I have made a commitment in something in order to be taught by Him from the opportunity he had given me, then Him fulfilling his promise to make things happen for us. One of these instances I began to become worried that I would not be able to make it to the commitment I had made because of my job. We were headed to a job that started at 3pm and would have taken until at least 8 or 9 pm. However, when I consulted with God on what His desire was for me, letting Him know my concern and telling him that I would very much like to make it on time and be able to participate in my previous commitment. Well, when we arrived at the job the plumber had somehow gotten almost all of his equipment stuck and was unable to get it out the entire time we were there... so we could only get a certain amount done.  Making it possible for me to leave, get home, change, and arrive EXACTLY on time.

    And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

 We are all as Christians called for his purpose. We may live a godly life as best as we can, giving an example of Christ through our actions, which is good! Yet many of us do not fully step out into the spiritual when the chance has been given. Christ said to perform greater things than he did. The two need to be one, the spiritual and the physical. Walking in his presence which is the Spirit always.  The power Has been given to us to heal, cast out demons, prophesy, and many others.. all we need to do is seek these gifts out. Some are not as gifted as others, but if we ask we will receive! It is a promise.. and I am inclined to believe that God is not one to break a promise. I know the thought of this can freak people out.. the idea seems cool, but to ACTUALLY do it? Well that's just weird... But how many people do you think freaked out when Jesus was healing people? And when He cast demons out? Or even bringing people back to life?  Do we believe part of what God has said? Or all of it..

     If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer. Matthew 21:22

     If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. John 15:7

  The power we possess through the grace of God is immeasurable, applicable to all things in life.  As long as what we are doing we have committed to Him fully. OK.... NOW LET'S GO BE POWERFUL!