free will

God has given us free will to make our decisions, chose our own path, live our lives the way we want to. This puts the responsibility in our own hands of what we make of our lives. Along with the free will, he has given us the lifelong “phone a friend” pass with the Holy Spirit working within us. The cool thing about the way this “phone a friend” works is that not only will he be on standby at all times, he will even call or text you.. all you have to do is know what the ring tone sounds like. 

We do have our challenges though, as the devil is constantly attacking and looking for weaknesses to throw us off our game. When we stay close to the phone and keep in touch with God, our ability to shed the evil one and his attacks is on par with Barry Sanders shaking would be tacklers in a one on one open field meeting. But when we drift, and we will, and forget to use our lifeline and put the phone on silent mode, we will let the devil in with his deception and our free will – we will make mistakes. 

Eventually, our phone will come off silent mode or well dial out for help and by the  Grace of God thanks to the sacrifice of our Lord and King Jesus Christ, we will once again be forgiven and made new, our sins washed. 

Amen! 

Seek the Lord to find the answers

Enjoy serving the Lord, and he will give you whatever you ask for. Depend on the Lord.  Trust in him, and he will help you.  He will make it as clear as day that you are right.

Everyone will see that you are being fair.

Psalms 37:4-6

You formed the way I think and feel. You put me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because you made me in such a wonderful way.  I know how amazing that was!  You could see my bones grow as my body took shape, hidden in my mother’s womb.  You could see my body grow each passing day.  You listed all my parts, and not one of them was missing.  Your thoughts are beyond my understanding.  They cannot be measured! If I could count them, they would be more than all the grains of sand.  But when I finished, I would have just begun.

Psalms 139:13-18

So now anyone who is in Christ Jesus is not judged guilty.  That is because in Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit that brings life made you free. It made you free from the law that brings sin and death. The law was without power because it was made weak by our sinful selves. But God did what the law could not do: He sent his own Son to earth with the same human life that everyone else uses for sin. God sent him to be an offering to pay for sin. So God used a human life to destroy sin.  He did this so that we could be right just as the law said we must be. Now we don’t live following our sinful selves. We live following the Spirit.  

Romans 8:1-4

People who live following their sinful selves think only about what they want. But those who live following the Spirit are thinking about what the Spirit wants them to do. If your thinking is controlled by your sinful self, there is spiritual death. But if your thinking is controlled by the Spirit, there is life and peace. Why is this true? Because anyone whose thinking is controlled by their sinful self is against God. They refuse to obey God’s law. And really they are not able to obey it. Those who are ruled by their sinful selves cannot please God.  But you are not ruled by your sinful selves. You are ruled by the Spirit, if that Spirit of God really lives in you. But whoever does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Christ.  Your body will always be dead because of sin. But if Christ is in you, then the Spirit gives you life, because Christ made you right with God.   

Romans 8:5-10

God raised Jesus from death. And if God’s Spirit lives in you, he will also give life to your bodies that die. Yes, God is the one who raised Christ from death, and he will raise you to life through his Spirit living in you.  

Romans 8:11

So, my brothers and sisters, we must not be ruled by our sinful selves. We must not live the way our sinful selves want.  If you use your lives to do what your sinful selves want, you will die spiritually. But if you use the Spirit’s help to stop doing the wrong things you do with your body, you will have true life.

Romans 8:12-13

Use your words – Wisely

Just over 8 years now into this parent thing and I’ve mastered the phrases, “use your words” and “use more words”.  It’s to a point that I don’t even reserve the right to use the phrases when talking to my kids, I find myself saying it to friends, coworkers, family members and even my spouse (not recommended) (Love you Kelsey).  We ask for those  around us to use their words and to use more words so that we know we have successfully received the communication that is coming in our direction.

What I’ve recently started to learn about and understand more is the power that words really do have.  Words can hurt, words can heal, words can express love, words can express hate, words are an extension of our heart and soul.  God created the world by using his words (Hebrews 11:3) – I’m glad he used his words wisely that day.

Get in touch, stay in touch with the holy spirit that lives inside you  to help make sure the words you are using are chosen wisely.  Be aware of the audience and be aware of the impact that you can have on others.  You are Gods hands and feet and voice, do your best to use the hands feet and voice in a way that is pleasing to God.  It is easy to let the devil get in the way, but that  snake can be overcome.  Take joy in silencing the Satan, celebrate the victories over him and let Gods light shine for all to see when you speak.

Our bodies listen, I’ve seen it time and time again with people that talk about sickness and injury are often the ones that deal with health issues on a regular basis.  Then you can look at the polar opposite and you have people who have never been sick a day in their life – it is not a coincidence that those are the people speaking of constant good health and praising God for the healing that has already been provided.  The Physical bodies that we are renting for our short stay on earth are no match for the power of God.  It is often forgotten in this day and age with the advancements of science  and the health care industry, but there is only one “Great Physician” and he doesn’t require insurance or a copay.  Sure, he has some people working as hands and feet, but don’t be afraid to give God your health care burdens, he will provide and he has already healed mind, body and soul and given you a perfect spirit.

WWJD, WWJS… He would and did jump into the pit and help the sinner out of the hole.  He would and did say, let those without sin cast the first stone.  He would and did say “I tell you that everyone will have to answer for all the careless things they have said. This will happen on the day of judgment. Your words will be used to judge you. What you have said will show whether you are right or whether you are guilty.”(Mathew 12:36-37)

I often times feel that Christians, myself definitely included, feel that it is wrong to speak up about our faith and share the good news.  Don’t be shy, don’t be afraid, share and speak the truth whenever and wherever you can, just do it in love as should be the case in everything you do – do it in love in the presence of God.  Spend the time listening to the Holy Spirit to keep your confidence high and spend time in the word to continue to learn more about faith and God.

Amen

 

The Holy Spirit that lives in me

 

The one and only thing about each and every one of us that is perfect is the Holy Spirit that lives within us.  Take the time, get to know Jesus – grow that personal relationship with Jesus by talking to him through the Spirit that lives within.  Make yourself vulnerable, you have nothing to hide, your dirty laundry is already been spilled.  Talk to God through prayer, listen to God through the spirit that is within, do this now, do this later, do this at every turn to find out which way to go.  Use the combination of your God given gifts and the power of the Spirit to become better, to do better, to be better.  It’s not hard, you just have to stay strong, stay focused.

Letting your heart and soul drive your actions isn’t the recipe for success that you have been taught for all these years.  Heart and soul might get you short term success, but for everlasting and eternal life it has to be with the holy spirit behind the wheel of the temple that God has asked you to manage.

Thank God each and every day as much as possible and share with him your struggles – let Him use the Holy Spirit to answer your questions and guide you throughout the day.  Google can be your friend, but it don’t mean squat unless it passes the QC of the Spirit that is at your disposal 24/7.

Be strong, stay strong in the conviction.  Share the word, make sure that your loved ones know the good word, know the story of God – father, son and Holy Spirit.  Help those those that are in need, not just in need physically, but also Spiritually.  When others have lack of faith or no faith, don’t give up on them, they need to be informed and educated.  The bible is the book of truth, make sure loved ones get the message, give the word to those that can’t get it themselves, share the message whenever you can.  Praise God for his works, praise God for everything, if for nothing else to start a conversation to put yourself in a position to share the good news and to share the word so that people are informed.

The sons and daughters of the one true king know that time on earth is less than a fraction of time relative to eternal life in heaven for those who follow the teachings of Jesus and the words written in the Bible.  You’d warn family, friends, neighbors and even strangers of an incoming disaster – man-made or natural, so why not warn those same people of the final destination for those who choose not to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ?

Stay strong my son – you don’t need to worry about pleasing man, just please me by following the word.

Amen!

The directions are clear if you look for them

And don’t forget to do good and to share what you have with others, because sacrifices like these are very pleasing to God.
Hebrews 13:16 ERV

Don’t be interested only in your own life, but care about the lives of others too.
Philippians 2:4 ERV

Give to others, and you will receive. You will be given much. It will be poured into your hands—more than you can hold. You will be given so much that it will spill into your lap. The way you give to others is the way God will give to you.”
Luke 6:38 ERV

Suppose a believer who is rich enough to have all the necessities of life sees a fellow believer who is poor and does not have even basic needs. What if the rich believer does not help the poor one? Then it is clear that God’s love is not in that person’s heart.
1 John 3:17 ERV

It is yours because when I was hungry, you gave me food to eat. When I was thirsty, you gave me something to drink. When I had no place to stay, you welcomed me into your home. When I was without clothes, you gave me something to wear. When I was sick, you cared for me. When I was in prison, you came to visit me.’  “Then the godly people will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and give you food? When did we see you thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you with no place to stay and welcome you into our home? When did we see you without clothes and give you something to wear? When did we see you sick or in prison and care for you?’  “Then the king will answer, ‘The truth is, anything you did for any of my people here, you also did for me.’
Matthew 25:35-40 ERV

My brothers and sisters, if a person claims to have faith but does nothing, that faith is worth nothing. Faith like that cannot save anyone. Suppose a brother or sister in Christ comes to you in need of clothes or something to eat. And you say to them, “God be with you! I hope you stay warm and get plenty to eat,” but you don’t give them the things they need. If you don’t help them, your words are worthless.
James 2:14-16 ERV

Help each other with your troubles. When you do this, you are obeying the law of Christ. If you think you are too important to do this, you are only fooling yourself.
Galatians 6:2-3 ERV

This is what I command you: Love each other as I have loved you. The greatest love people can show is to die for their friends. You are my friends if you do what I tell you to do. I no longer call you servants, because servants don’t know what their master is doing. But now I call you friends, because I have told you everything that my Father told me.  “You did not choose me. I chose you. And I gave you this work: to go and produce fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you anything you ask for in my name. This is my command: Love each other.
John 15:12-17 ERV

In the same way, you should be a light for other people. Live so that they will see the good things you do and praise your Father in heaven.
Matthew 5:16 ERV

Giving help to the poor is like loaning money to the Lord. He will pay you back for your kindness.
Proverbs 19:17 ERV

Generous people will be blessed, because they share their food with the poor.
Proverbs 22:9 ERV

Give to anyone who asks you for something. Don’t refuse to give to anyone who wants to borrow from you.
Matthew 5:42 ERV

Some of us have no problem with these things. So we should be patient with those who are not so strong and have doubts. We should not do what pleases us but do what pleases them and is for their good. We should do whatever helps everyone grow stronger in faith.
Romans 15:1-2 ERV

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its taste, it cannot be made salty again. Salt is useless if it loses its salty taste. It will be thrown out where people will just walk on it.  “You are the light that shines for the world to see. You are like a city built on a hill that cannot be hidden.
Matthew 5:13-14 ERV

Do everything you possibly can for those who need help. If your neighbor needs something you have, don’t say, “Come back tomorrow.” Give it to him immediately.
Proverbs 3:27-28 ERV

Heal the sick. Bring the dead back to life. Heal the people who have leprosy. And force demons out of people. I give you these powers freely, so help others freely.
Matthew 10:8 ERV

Getting Back at it again

Tis the season – we are two days away from the day we celebrate the birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ.  We use these days to remember the miracle of his birth as it is described in the Bible.  We use these days to re-center our lives around Jesus.  We  use these days to reflect on our relationship with Jesus.  We use these days to understand the growth of understanding we have in the Holy Spirit that lives within us.  We use these days to share the message of the miracle of Jesus, to share story’s, true story’s as described in the Word – the story’s that can’t be disputed because they are in the bible and don’t  have any explanation as to how they could have occurred except for, God did it.  Praise God for the miracles, praise God for allowing history to be documented in the Bible so that everybody has an opportunity to read it for themselves and to give a foundation for faith and belief in God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit and the life everlasting.

Sometimes we like to get hung up on negativity, sometimes we feel the need to share all the hardships that we are going through, all the problems with health and weather and finances and schedules and relationship struggles.  But we rarely spend the time to break them down and run the issues through a Bible test or a God test or a Jesus test or a Holy Spirit test.

• If you spend time in the Bible, reading Gods word, your worries will be addressed.
• If you spend time with God, praying and hearing the response, your worries will be addressed.
• If you ask yourself, what would Jesus do?  the appropriate steps to take will be clear.
• If you remove flesh and body and mind from the equation, and listen to the Holy Spirit move you, you’ll have understanding and peace with all situations

Remove the negativity from your life with the tools that God has provided.  Focus attention to the many blessings that have been bestowed upon us and share those blessings with each other.  This is a simple way to fulfill the greatest commandment:

Matthew 22:37-40

37Jesus answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ 38This is the first and most important command. 39And the second command is like the first: ‘Love your neighbor the same as you love yourself.’ 40All of the law and the writings of the prophets take their meaning from these two commands.”

You are afraid to share the word, why are you ashamed?  Don’t let the negativity take hold and do what the word commands:

Numbers 11:1 

1The people started complaining about their troubles. The Lord heard their complaints. He heard these things and became angry. Fire from the Lord burned among the people. The fire burned some of the areas at the edge of the camp

Matthew 18:15

15“If your brother or sister in God’s family does something wrong, go and tell them what they did wrong. Do this when you are alone with them. If they listen to you, then you have helped them to be your brother or sister again.

1 Corinthians 16:13-14

13Be careful. Hold firmly to your faith. Have courage and be strong. 14Do everything in love.

It was good to hear from you!  Amen!

Share it

Would you love somebody if they died for you?

Would you love somebody if they sent their only son to die for you?

Would you give praise to somebody if they gave you eternal life?

The Lord Jesus Christ has already done this and asks that we love him and love each other, doesn’t seem like too much to ask IMHO.

I’ll the the first person to raise my hand and give support and praise to the mn wild and green bay Packers or cheer on Jordan Speith, but when it comes to being vocal or outspoken about our father Jesus Christ, I’m not that guy.

Why is it okay to be enthusiastic about sports teams?

Why is it okay to be enthusiastic about bands/musicians?

Why is it okay to praise star athletes, movie stars, politicians, people with money/fancy expensive possessions?

But we’re not willing to or comfortable to express our love for God the one who died for us, the one who forgives us of all our sins… he was crushed because of our guilt, he took the punishment that we deserved and this brought us peace. We have been healed because of his pain.

The more we talk about faith,  the more comfortable it will become.  Put on the full Armour of Christ and share the good news!

Amen!

Don’t miss the point

You want something?  You already got it my friends.  This is a new way to think about how we pray, how we talk to God, courtesy of studying some Andrew Wommack material…

Read the following from James 1:2-8,before you start asking God for whatever it is,you have to have full faith and full belief that it will be so.  If you don’t, your kinda missing the point folks.

My brothers and sisters, you will have many kinds of trouble. But this gives you a reason to be very happy. You know that when your faith is tested, you learn to be patient in suffering. If you let that patience work in you, the end result will be good. You will be mature and complete. You will be all that God wants you to be. Do any of you need wisdom? Ask God for it. He is generous and enjoys giving to everyone. So he will give you wisdom. But when you ask God, you must believe. Don’t doubt him. Whoever doubts is like a wave in the sea that is blown up and down by the wind. People like that are thinking two different things at the same time. They can never decide what to do. So they should not think they will receive anything from the Lord.
James 1:2-8 ERV

Now, when we take this one step further and have the strongest and deepest faith possible, we can pretty much consider whatever it is, already done. We must remember that the same power that raised Jesus Christ from the grave is in us and as the bible says, by Jesus stripes, I was healed.  Not I might be healed or I may be healed or I will be healed.  It is, I WAS HEALED!  The healing has already been provided by God’s grace. We must stand firm on the word of God knowing that Jesus is alive and well with his power in us.  Don’t wait for God’s healing, it’s done, he’s already done it,you’ve got it.

I believe this concept can be applied across the board.  From sickness healing, to relationship building, to life desires.  Many of us put a governor on our expectations of God.  Lack of faith can be seen as a direct correlation to lowered expectations of what God can provide.  But the opposite is true as well, a strong, unwavering, abundance of faith will yield corresponding results as it relates to our experiences with God.  This is when the miracles happen.  This is called out in Ephesians 3:20:

With God’s power working in us, he can do much, much more than we can ask or think of.

Knowing this truth should motivate us not to let the potential for failure, allow you to accept less than what you really desire deep down.

Now with this being said we can’t sit back and say it’s all in God’s hands, we have a part to play.  The devil will try to get in the way, but we have to be strong and do what is said in James 4:7:

So give yourself to God. Stand against the devil, and he will run away from you.

God has given us the power and the authority to overcome and resist the devil, but we must do it.  God’s power flows according to the power that is working in us. This power is strengthened by sharing God’s Word and God’s message of the good news.

God has a plan for you, but you have a very important role to play and you need to have a good understanding of that, in order for that plan to come to fruition.  Don’t limit God by your complacency and inactivity.  Learn your part and take the limits off God.

Amen

Got it?

The directions are clear, are we listening?

Children, listen to your father’s teaching. Pay attention and you will learn how to learn. The advice I give is good, so don’t ever forget what I teach you. When I was my father’s little boy and my mother’s dear son, my father taught me this: “Pay attention to what I say. Obey my commands and you will have a good life. Try to get wisdom and understanding. Don’t forget my teaching or ignore what I say. Don’t turn away from wisdom, and she will protect you. Love her, and she will keep you safe. “The first step to becoming wise is to look for wisdom, so use everything you have to get understanding. Love wisdom, and she will make you great. Hold on to wisdom, and she will bring you honor. Wisdom will reward you with a crown of honor and glory.” Son, listen to me. Do what I say, and you will live a long time. I am teaching you about wisdom and guiding you on the right path. As you walk on it, you will not step into a trap. Even if you run, you will not trip and fall. Always remember this teaching. Don’t forget it. It is the key to life, so guard it well. Don’t take the path of the wicked; don’t follow those who do evil. Stay away from that path; don’t even go near it. Turn around and go another way. The wicked cannot sleep until they have done something evil. They will not rest until they bring someone down. Evil and violence are their food and drink. The path of those who live right is like the early morning light. It gets brighter and brighter until the full light of day. But the path of the wicked is like a dark night. They trip and fall over what they cannot see. My son, pay attention to what I say. Listen closely to my words. Don’t let them out of your sight. Never stop thinking about them. These words are the secret of life and health to all who discover them. Above all, be careful what you think because your thoughts control your life. Don’t bend the truth or say things that you know are not right. Keep your eyes on the path, and look straight ahead. Make sure you are going the right way, and nothing will make you fall. Don’t go to the right or to the left, and you will stay away from evil.
Proverbs 4:1-27 ERV

Does God really forget our sins?

In bible study last night, the topic of forgiveness within the family was on the main stage.  The bible study materials we have mentioned that God actually not only forgives our sins, but he forgets them too.  This is something that I certainly wasn’t able to wrap my head around.  I noodled on it a bit as discussion continued and I, like any good 4th grader spoke up and asked if this concept of God’s forgetfulness was legit.  There was some responses from the group members that was enough to satisfy my immediate needs… I continued the rest of the night and into this morning, reading and digesting how this could be. 

I found the following with the help of the world wide web:

Isaiah 43:25 which says that he does it,forgets, for His own purpose… which to me makes some sense as it seems more like His choice to forget rather than it being human-like forgetfulness.  That seems like a logical decision within context, as that is how it works for humans, we forgive others and the burden of the relationship is lifted.

Ok, I’m seeing the light on this concept but does God really forget?

There is also Hebrews 10,which talks about Jesus taking on all sin with his crusafiction, which is great,but doesn’t help my understanding of God being forgetful… onward.

From Psalm 103:12 we know that God removes sin from us,which is certainly a load off our shoulders and the list of verses that describe the ways and analogies about forgiveness go on and on.  With the removal of sin, now I cancel see how it can be forgotten… how do you remember something that is not there.

So, my conclusion on the topic for me at this point in my life is that God chooses to forget our sins because we ask for Christ’s forgiveness, we repent and through faith of God’s grace our sins are washed away like they never happened and are thus treated as forgotten.

And that ladies and gentlemen is in it of itself worthy of an….. AMEN!!