Amidst the Stillness

 

What do normal Christian people think about? “Sarcastically, with grace, it depends on, “who you are” as far as your uniqueness?  Now, "normal" should be used loosely because we all have our own little distinctive unique aspects of ourselves with conformational bias, and I truly believe a lot of us struggle in the world today with the words, “who am I”? 

 

A majority of us petition to be born again Christians. But what makes it so hard to take these formal requests seriously? Perhaps many think they are Christians because they once confessed Christ in the antiquity and that’s plentiful? So, Is it a new day? Or perhaps a day based on life that’s repeating itself? Like me are you doing the same things that you did last week? Performing actions that give the minimum that just gets you by. After all, you have done all this before. If you are just going through the motions of world-weariness, you may need to change your ritual of withering your time. As the expression goes, in our daily lives is there enough evidence to convict us of being Christians? 

 

Think about your answer to this question. Is it to get rid of all “outward things and focus just on “spiritual” things? No, the big problem with that. As humans we are physical as well as spiritual. We don’t just learn things by thinking; we learn by doing. We don’t just add to our knowledge by ideas, but by experiences that add up to the motions of, “who am I” in Christ. First and foremost, God says I am His beloved child: “I challenge you to See, read and learn what great love the Father has lavished on you/us. 1 John 3:1 

 

 

According to 2 Corinthians 5:17, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” we are regenerated, renewed, and born again, and this new creation is spiritually minded, whereas the old nature is carnally minded. So does the new nature fellowships with God, obeys His will, and is devoted to His service? You ever met someone new, and they ask probing questions trying to establish who your identity is. For me they look at my physique and then they response, “where did you play at”? In Christ we are adopted, justified, redeemed, reconciled, and chosen. In Christ we are victorious, filled with joy and peace, and granted true meaning in life.

 

If you identify yourself as more than one alphabet, does it leave you with a feeling of neglect for your other ABC parts? Leaving you with lovey milk toast thoughts like, “are they trying to throw dirt on my other “essential” nuts and bolts of me.  Stressing the drama as “a spoon full of sugar”; hearing voices that echo or imply that strange,” Mary Poppins mindset, an agent of moral self-change?” Retorting, “Don’t they know I’m a former feel in the blank. Leaving us with the question, Do we as Christians no longer prefer to love, vs our sin? We wonder why we so often do not live in the manner described, even though we have given our lives to Christ and are sure of our salvation. 

 

Praise the Lord, we have the victory in Christ: “The word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the wicked one” (1 John 2{14).

 

 When we are excited, afraid, worried, or elated, we tend to chew over our conversations or actions we either participated in or wish we hadn’t. We may have spells of overthinking when we are engaged in a major transitional thought, such things as political identity, diversity requirements; starting a diet or even what we tithe to the church. Maybe your, who I am identity comes from a disease or condition you have?  Or maybe God is urging us to practice our faith? That involves both what we do and help other people and what we do to work on our relationship with God.

 

Part of the problem goes all the way back to the First Commandment: You shall have no other gods. Anything we put our fear, love, and trust in more than God becomes an idol. And no idol can hold up to that kind of pressure. Our idols will let us down, and then we’re left with a broken who identity.

One way to avoid overthinking this worldly identity subject is to incorporate Scripture and prayer into one’s thoughts as we join Jesus on his mission. The psalmists give us excellent examples of this Psalm 94:19 says, “When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, Your consolations delight my soul.” 

 

The plethora of details about who we are in Christ, whom we belong to and our purpose, can be spoken in declarations as " I am a child in Christ?" that’s with you daily. So, what does that mean? Should It consume our thoughts for a short normal time? Or Thinking about it daily and giving it to the lord in prayer, with study and action which is good, but overthinking can turn a simple God honoring matter into an overly complex one.

 

"Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10 God says I am His ambassador (2 Corinthians 5:20; Ephesians 6:20), His light in the darkness, and His witness to the world (Matthew 5:13-16; Acts 1:8; Ephesians 5:8). God has entrusted us with the job of making disciples (Matthew 28:19).

 

Today, let us celebrate and remember God just didn’t go through the motions with us, He sent His Son Jesus into this world to live a whole life in our place and then die a death for us.  That is what frees us to know who we are and do the actions of our faith daily. It is what Jesus called in our Gospel lesson every day to be a “light” and “salt “of the earth. With a God honoring mindset. 

 

When we are in Christ, “we are more than victors through Him that loved us” (Romans man’s 8:37) and can rejoice in our Savior, who makes all things possible (Philippians 4:13). In Christ we are loved, forgiven, and secure. In Christ we are adopted, justified, redeemed, reconciled, and chosen. In Christ we are victorious, filled with joy and peace, and granted true meaning in life. What a wonderful Savior is Christ! That’s Who we are God’s church, a community that’s united as one! 

 

God Bless You and This Ministry!

 

 

 

 

“The View of my Heart”

“So, I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh” 

Galatians 5:16

 

In this passage, Paul is speaking the truth to the Galatian Christians. That truth applies to us as Christians, even today. He says to the believers not to waste their freedom in Christ on serving their own self, “flesh” and selfish desires. Instead, he has told those free in Christ to serve each other in love a life of self-sacrifice lived out in response to god’s love for us.

 

Have you ever been in a mindset spiritually where your reason, because of pain or sufferings, makes seeing one picture of Faith twice, overlapping and leaving you disoriented? Thinking I need an all God’s creatures’ minute, but having feelings of spiritual emptiness. Wondering what happed to my love of truth and commitment to the Word of God. Where has it gone. So much like a trance questioning, what is the God honoring move? God knew it would happen and has given us a lot of helpful advice in His Word. 

 

Sing the following Lyrics:

 

All God's creatures got a place in the choir
Some sing low and some sing higher,
Some sing out loud on a telephone wire,
Some just clap their hands, or paws, or anything they've got now

 

James warns that we can be double-vision or double-minded (literally, “double-souled”) in our understanding and relationship to God. When we pray or think about the Lord, does a competing thought or picture enter your mind, such as a lust for money or distaste over God’s intervention in our lives. Suddenly, a real contest arises over which vision we prefer. Then we have doubts, and doubts have a way of multiplying, producing a double-minded soul. This is a serious challenge to our faith. 

 

As much as we view that spiritual emptiness from day one of our journey of faith until the very last day, we (the righteous) must live by faith. Whether we are brand-new followers of Christ or seasoned, mature believers who have walked with the Lord for many years, we must trust God “from start to finish” and rely on His mighty power—the power of the gospel—to change our lives and the lives of those we encounter.

 

By its nature, sin is never satisfied. It demands more and more that makes us rebellious against God. As we speak of the sin nature, we refer to the fact that we have a natural inclination to sin; given the choice to do God’s will or our own, we will naturally choose to do our own thing. Which causes our feelings of double-minded emptiness—possibly? Or how we feel physically which impacts how we feel spiritually. The sin of apathy toward God or sluggishness in our daily lives need never be truly so because all who are born again have received the baptism of the Holy Spirit the moment they believed in Jesus. So, the key to overcoming spiritual emptiness is to “fill up” with the help of the Holy Spirit. Maybe that sounds obvious enough, but how exactly does one do that?

 

It is done by conquering the enemy within, we must yield to the Holy Spirit: “Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16). The power to win does not come from within us, as we are just jars of clay; rather, “this all-surpassing power is from God” (2 Corinthians 4:7).  

 

Jesus spoke of this danger, “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money”. Matthew 6:24, This is double-​mindedness, and it blows cold air on a heart aflame. Which is so impossible. Those who try to love both will become unstable in all their ways. If someone struggles with being double-minded, he or she should read, study, and memorize the Word, for it is the Word of God that produces faith (Romans 10:17). And he or she should pray for faith. God freely gives what is good to those who ask Him (Luke 11:9-12), and it’s good to ask for an increase of faith (Luke 17:5; Mark 9:24). 

 

If our trust in God is going to grow, we have to learn to step out in faith, moving out of our comfort zone and taking chances goingfrom faith to faith echoing a progressive, daily development of faith “from one degree of faith to another” akin to the “ever-increasing glory” of 2 Corinthians 3:18.

 

 If we believe that God will sustain us for that day, we can be free to carry out His will, regardless of the consequences. Whenever we face temptations, God will always provide a way out so that we will not be overcome (1 Corinthians 10:13). We need to look for that way out, and praise God when we find it. First Peter 1:7 says He will use trials to test our faith and to make us stronger Christians; we will be given much honor if we can stand strong and not waver. “Yet faith comes from listening to this message of good news – the Good News about Christ” (Romans 10:17).  Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:24-25). 

 

God Bless You and This Ministry!

 

 

 

 

 

“Self-Sabotage”

“love your neighbor as yourself” is not a command to love yourself. It is natural and normal to love yourself—it is our default position. There is no lack of self-love in our world. The command to “love your neighbor as yourself” is essentially telling us to treat other people as well as we treat ourselves. Scripture never commands us to love ourselves; it assumes we already do.

“Many seek the favor of a ruler but it is from the Lord that one gets justice”. Proverbs 29:26

What does favor and Judgment have similar in this proverb? What sense of judgment do you feel? My first thought is, it’s not punishment but a fair and right treatment. We natural humans love friends in high places, for they /we think that will be an advantage when in need. But promotion, prosperity, and protection are from the Lord. His favor far exceeds what any man can do for you. Trust in the Lord!

Do you have enemies? Vengeance is His; He will repay (Rom 12:19). Are your cares too heavy? He will bear them for you (1 Pet 5:7). Are you lonely? He will never leave you nor forsake you (Heb 13:6). Do you have needs? He knows them and will supply (Matt 6:25-33). Are rulers oppressing you? He is higher than they (Eccl 5:8). Are you afraid? He will hide you in His pavilion and protect you from your enemies (Ps 27:1-6).

I use to wonder during times of trial,” if the power that be”, would be my personal friends, might they help me a little with my spiritual, moral, physical and intellectual growth. What would that look like?

A true business adage says, it’s not what you know; it’s who you know? Hum. Once being a natural man, one who regarded and nurtured the victimology mindset, I thought it would be better to allow the devil to convince me of this foundation of victimology approach, which I call, “The articles of secular Faith” and adhere to the following: you are strange fruit hanging from a different tree, wondering and loss, forever trapped in the slavery frame of mind and can only say “yes to it” and hoping with time, the echoes of racism die and go away, “not so naive”. Putting my trust in man’s victimhood lectures and expect them to listen to another voice. Can I fight my way free? Or would it be better to allow the devil to convince me even more, that’s my entrapment and I can’t triumph and survive only if I put my total faith in man?

This article of secular faith promotes the idea that man does not need God or put him first. Religion is nothing but a relic of the past, teaches that there are no objective or absolute truths defining right and wrong. Its intent is to deprive something of its moral character, its spiritual influence and significance. We fight it by controlling our thoughts (Philippians 4:8), practicing Christian virtues (2 Peter 1:5-6), guarding our hearts (Proverbs 4:23; Matthew 15:18-20, and keeping good company (1 Corinthians 15:33).

But the truth is, God exists, and we do need Him. Despite this claim, the Bible is God’s truth (John 17:17). As believers living in a worldly society, we must “become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world” Philippians 2:15

You see their abilities are limited; their judgment is distorted; they are often fickle; and frequently are too busy to care about your plight because they are chasing “self”. But the better truth is this: it’s not who you know on earth; it’s who you know in heaven! Knowing God and walking with him will do more for you in all parts of life. Psalm 75:6-7 The Lord dispenses perfect equity and justice to all men. So, trust the lord and seek him daily.

Colossians 3:23-25 says, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” “Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.” In essence, this is the Christian work ethic. We are commanded to put forth our best efforts, to work from our heart and soul at whatever we do. We are accountable to God and stewards of the gifts He has given us. Our work flows out of our gratefulness to Him.

The only Ruler you should seek favor from is Jesus Christ, the King of kings and Lord of lords. He holds your life now and your destiny in this world and the next in His hands. His approval and blessing are far more important than anyone else’s, no matter how powerful they might be. Obey Him today, and seek His blessing by obedience and prayer.

God Bless You and This Ministry!