“All of Me,”

 Oh, Heavenly Father, in Your Word I see myself as one loved by You. Help me reflect daily based on all of me not just a limited amount, as well as on Your love to others in all I do and say. In Jesus' Name.When it's all said and done, there's usually more said than done. How do you try to see to it that you do what you “whispered” what you were going to do? 

God is “spirit” (John 4:24) and as such has no physical or material form. This characteristic of God has always been difficult for me to understand. We have a spirit linked to a physical body and are closely tied to the material world. But we run into a problem when we try to measure God; we find He is immaterial and therefore immeasurable. He is infinite in every way. God resists quantification and will not submit to our attempts to scrutinize Him, classify Him, and decipher Him.

It seemed like yesterday as a freshman in college, where my first real mentor, tutor was speaking a language to me that really stood out in my cognizance, like a pipe dream. But was I listening? He said to me, you want to be different, treat your academics, your spiritual being like your athletic life; but how do we actually live up to it? On campus, I had deep bonds with people who helped me develop my athletic game. Teammates had my back. Coaches pushed me with slogans, “one heart beat” the pig got up and walked away poem”. Suddenly, you look at yourself in a mirror for a variety of reasons, all of which ... make you continue to response with,how big isGod? "What Do Others See?".

As a recruit I had heard that saying from most schools on that engaging footprint of soil. But the hullabaloo that was said, “it is not the school who creates great student athletes, but it’s you who should hold yourself to a higher standard” didn’t resonate to me; but dare to be different did.

I started taking things extremely seriously, I thought, before everything. It is an easy path to go down, but not a very enjoyable one or even challenging. Being dedicated to the little gods(sin) was the easy way out, yet the path that often many takes. The question is what about the big God? Very big guy; as the immature child in me could just as easily laugh at this truth-seeker question with confusion, in this area of perception verses reality?

 More than that, the God that is transcendent; He is so “other” that we can never fully understand Him. At the same time, we are made in His image, and He loves us (genesis 1:27; John 3:16). 

So here I was, getting ready with the encouragement of the Holy Spirit, being brought to a saving faith reflection saying,” Being a Christian child how do you feel in this sinful pouring rain”? Change that song to the following:

^“Sing to the Lord a new song;    sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord, praise his name;    proclaim his salvation day after day. Declare his glory among the nations,    his marvelous deeds among all peoples.” Psalm 96:1-3

“But be doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the Word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like”. James 1:22-24

Have you look at yourself in a mirror for a variety of reasons, all of which have something to do with your personal appearance, “You use mirrors to shave and put on make-up. You look into a mirror to be sure the image you present is the image you want others to see and finally we look into a mirror going away, forgetting what you look like, resulting into a mirror that accomplishes nothing.

James 1:22-24 says the same is true of looking into the "mirror" of God's Word. By hearing the Word of God, James says, you see what you are like. Looking into the mirror of God's Word should help you do your best, that is, present the image that you should present to other people as a Christian. If, however, you look into the mirror of God's Word and forget what you looked like, you will probably not make a good appearance to others either.

To make a good appearance to others as a child of God, James says it's not enough to just look into the mirror of God's Word—i.e. to be only a hearer of that Word. You must also remember what you looked like so that you can make a good appearance before others as a doer of God's Word. To be a doer of the Word means to put your faith into action, showing others how Jesus' life and teaching are visible in your life. When people see you as one of God's children, you will look like His Son, even as we are daily more and more conformed to the image of our Savior (see Romans 8:28-30). How do you think hearing the Word and not doing it leads to one being deceived? Plagued by sin as we are, how do we become consistent doers of the Word?

As you can see, it's important to look into God's mirror and to examine yourself in the light of God's Word regularly. This exercise is maximized, too, when we read and meditate on Scripture in a way that digs deeply into the texts themselves. Paul knew this was true for Timothy when he told him to give his all when spending time in God's Word: "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the Word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15).

God's Word shows us who we are. It reveals the glory of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and gives us the Person (Jesus) we should try to show others in the mirror of our lives.

 God Bless You and This Ministry!

Acts 17:1-15

“Fear and Trust Make Idols”

 Ultimately, the answer to this question is “sin.” It is the sin nature of man that causes us to worship modern idols, all of which are, in reality, forms of self-worship. The temptation to worship ourselves in various ways is a powerful temptation indeed. In fact, it is so powerful that only those who belong to Christ and have the Holy Spirit within them can possibly hope to resist the temptation of modern idolatry. Even then, resisting the worship of idols is a lifelong battle that is part of the Christian life (Ephesians 6:11; 1 Timothy 6:12; 2 Timothy 2:3. 

Numb with shock and disbelief, the “I” inwardly would like to take a moment with silent, drink a cup of coffee full of my past perception of life in conjunction with a taste of coffee cream reality. In the midst ofmy idols seeking solace from the hardships of life along with the turmoil presented in our world. The things of this world will never fully satisfy the human heart. They were never meant to. The sinful things deceive me and ultimately lead only to death Romans 6:23). Often as I sing, my words shout out, “Should we embrace it as a badge of honor and a privilege that we, like the apostles, have "been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for his Name?

That was the morning after everything changed, the morning after having a conversation with my college mentor about, faith and how we could reset the diversity and inclusion conversation. During my whole youthful life, I walked a thousand miles up against more implicit bias specific to my race and to be honest, I had built up a lot of anger. At the time, I didn’t realize how it had affected my beliefs, growth and living a godly life in Christ Jesus 

. 

This is when with the help from the Holy Spirit and fellow brothers who reached out to my broken heart changed my attitude; joining Jesus moment to an open heart, mind with one person at a time. I started singing, Hallelujah to the Lord!  My camouflaged sinful attitudes started on a path of Love and I stopped (over-time) being occupied with anger; a song based on injustice grounded on the pigmentation. My view began to be a big deal leading me to be all about” ME’”, pure hateful sin.

Why do people create hero worship of fear? Why might they risk their lives to rescue them using a mask that of appearance that stands a spiritual dilemma. Everyone lives with fear. 

We do not know when the next quake will strike, when the next war will rage, what painful disease will overtake us, or the day of our death. These and other fears drive us to search for security. What compel you to look for help in your hour of need. Can we worship something or someone more powerful than ourselves? 

The describes about idols by Paul in Romans 1:23 sounds pretty foolish. The next step down on this ladder of unrighteousness is that we begin to worship the creation instead of the Creator. We refuse to give God credit and instead we honor created things. That’s not right. As Paul describes this idol worship, we trade the glory of the immortal God for images that look like mortal people and animals.

In other words, God has revealed Himself by what He has made as a glorious and eternal being. We should see this in the beauty of creation (Psalm 19:1). How could He who made that not be a glorious being Himself? Look at how long creation has gone on and on beyond the lifespan of men. How could He who made that not have an existence longer than everything that exists? 

Humanity, however, having rejected the creator God, creates our own, lesser versions of the mortal things HE has made, and we worship those. We worship our pale version of the creation instead of the creator of it all. God does not show partiality or favoritism (Deuteronomy 10:17; Acts 10:34; Romans 2:11; Ephesians 6:9), and neither should we. James 2:4 describes those who discriminate as “judges with evil thoughts.” Instead, we are to love our neighbors as ourselves (James 2:8). 

 Understanding the good things of this world are gifts from God, meant to be enjoyed with a thankful heart, in submission to Him and for His glory. But when the gift replaces the Giver or the created replaces the Creator in our lives, we have fallen into idolatry. And no idol can infuse our lives with meaning or worth or give us eternal hope. As Solomon beautifully conveys in the book of Ecclesiastes, apart from a right relationship with God, life is futile. We were created in God’s image (Genesis 1:27) and designed to worship and glorify Him as He alone is worthy of our worship. God has placed “eternity in man’s heart” (Ecclesiastes 3:11) and a relationship with Jesus Christ is the only way to fulfill this longing for eternal life. All of our idolatrous pursuits will leave us empty, unsatisfied, and, ultimately, on the broad road that most people take, the one that leads to destruction (Matthew 7:13).

Understanding contemporary idols can help us to understand why they prove to be such a powerful temptation. An idol can be anything we place ahead of God in our lives, anything that takes God’s place in our hearts, such as possessions, careers, relationships, hobbies, sports, entertainment, goals, greed, addictions to alcohol/drugs/gambling/pornography, etc. Some of the things we idolize are clearly sinful. But many of the things we idolize can be very good, such as relationships or careers. Yet Scripture tells us that, whatever we do, we are to “do it all for the glory of God” (1Corinthians 10:31) and that we are to serve God only (Deuteronomy 6:13; Luke 16:13). Unfortunately, God is often shoved out of the way as we zealously pursue our idols. Worse yet, the significant amount of time we often spend in these idolatrous pursuits leaves us with little or no time to spend with the Lord.

God’s Word is given to guide and protect us, as well as to bring Him glory. 

As 2 Timothy 3:16-17 teaches, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

God Bless You and This Ministry!

“The Fall from Knowledge”

 To “know” something is to perceive it or to be aware of it. So, my inquiry, is it clear that the knowledge of God is the most valuable knowledge a human being can possess? Or simply being aware of God’s existence is sufficient? Can that knowledge of God be required to encompass the deep appreciation for a relationship with Him?

For the Christian, knowledge implies a relationship. “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me” John 10:14. He also told His disciples, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” John 8:32. By contrast, Jesus said to the unbelieving Jews, “You do not know [my Father]”. Therefore, to know Christ is to have faith in Him, to follow Him, to have a relationship with Him, to love and be loved by Him.

Over the years I think that most peoples, beliefs do not rest on a power to perceive, what is not evident with the average mind. My song,” a Spiritualdiscernment” is the ability to tell the difference between truth and error. It is indispensable to having wisdom. But the Old Testament bears witness to the fall from knowledge. Countless, truthful and faithful people have been mistakenly led to believe that it is utterly impossible for a child of God to fall from the grace of God. Early in the Bible we read about people continuing to worship God after the fall into sin (Cain and Abel Genesis 4:1-5, Noah, Genesis 6:7-10; Melchizedek, Genesis 14:18-20) 

You see as we look at creation, we should recognize the beauty of its order and our responses are ones of sincere worship for the creator. But because of our sinful nature we make up our own religion, ignore God’s order, abuse ourselves and our neighbors; revealing that we have not read the obvious truths of God in the order of the universe. Truth ignored today with excuse’s?

Jesus taught that some would receive the word with joy and believe for a while, but in a time of testing would fall away (Lk. 8:13). He announced that some branches — disciples — would be pruned from Him — as the vine — and be burned (Jn. 15:1-6).

 Hosea 4:6 says, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” What was it that Israel did not know, and why was that lack of knowledge so dangerous?

 It’s important to note the structure of the verse: “rejected knowledge” is parallel to “forgotten the law.” This fits the context of the opening verse of the chapter, which states that Israel failed to acknowledge the LORD as their God (Hosea 4:1). The people did not simply lack knowledge; they actively rejected it. Humm, which emphasizes Israel’s lack of knowledge was not mere ignorance, but active sin against God. Do we continue to do that today? 

I remember as an immature Christian making a superhero of some of my prominent Christian family members, friends, leaders, elders, or even pastors; remembering as I entered the church, thinking, laboring under the delusion, that I had arrived in heaven already! Boy was I wrong.It was a tremendous shock when this tender young sinner myself, on this faith journey as a milk toast saint, to learn that not everyone in the Lord’s church is honest and good; not prepared for the perception of reality!All people are utterly corrupt and “without excuse” before God’s judgment (Genesis 6:5; Romans 1:20) “There is no faithfulness or steadfast love, and no knowledge of God in the land; there is swearing, lying, murder, stealing, and committing disloyalty; they break all bounds, and bloodshed follows bloodshed.” The people were only ignorant of the Law because they actively ignored it.

I for one idealize that person to the point of near perfection. To many times my hero failed, it destroyed the faith of the one who I admired and put doubt in my trust for God. I needed to seek that knowledge of the Lamb and the worthy of “His” name. 

It certainly is not sinful to have great respect and confidence in good colleagues and family. But in the final analysis, one’s trust must be in God Almighty and in His Son, Jesus Christ! They will never do wrong. They will never disappoint us (Heb. 13:5). As we join Jesus on his missions, is to follow Christ’s call:helping a believer believe, think, sharing the gospel with the lost world through God’s wisdom and strength.

The Bible commands us not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together but to use that time for encouraging one another in love and good works (Hebrews 10:24). It tells us to confess our faults to one another James 5:16). In the wisdom literature of the Old Testament, we are told that as iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another (Proverbs 27:17). There is strength in numbers (Ecclesiastes 4:11-12). 

The coming of Jesus Christ illustrates God’s love to the fullest degree. Jesus died for the sins of all people, offering every person the opportunity to come to faith in Him John 3:16; Ephesians 2:8-9. To those who do believe, Jesus is “wisdom from God” 1 Corinthians 1:30. Because of Christ, there is no need for anyone ever again to be “destroyed from a lack of knowledge.”

Surely, it is to the advantage of all of us to learn those areas of weakness which can precipitate apostasy.

Not a single person is beyond the possibility of falling (1 Cor. 10:12). We must be diligent to support our souls against failing the grace of God. And we must learn to give back in assisting each other on the road to heaven.

That is why as Christian we must do to develop spiritually discernment. We must know the authentic so well that, when the false appears, we can recognize it. By knowing and obeying the Word of God, we will be “trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.” We will know God’s character and will. This is the heart of spiritual discernment – being able to distinguish the voice of the world from the voice of God, to have a sense that “this is right” or “this is wrong.” Spiritual discernment fends off temptation and allows us to “hate what is evil; cling to what is good” Romans 12-9. 

God strengthen us to this end.

God Bless You and This Ministry!

More Than ploys, “hallelujah”

Is three generation of imbeciles enough? 

When I hear a question like the above, I seriously think of Jesus prophecy on, 'this generation will not pass'; He is speaking of future events. Jesus had already told those living during His earthly ministry that the kingdom had been taken from them (Matthew 21:43). Therefore, it is imperative that Matthew 24-25 be seen as dealing with a future time. The word generation refers to the people alive in the future when the events of Matthew 24-25 take place; namely, the people living when the predicted events occur.

Essentially, Jesus is saying that, once the events of the end times begin, they will happen quickly. The age of grace has continued for a very long time. But when the time for judgment finally arrives, things will be wrapped up without delay.Are you ready?Do not delay another moment. Trust Christ now.

What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?  Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies.  Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?  As it is written:

“For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:31-39

God is for us, says Paul in the above scripture,Christ’s faithfulness—and ours, by God’s grace—overcomes the worst that life and work can do to us. If career progress, income, or prestige is our highest goal at work, we may end up disappointed. But if salvation—that is, reconciliation with God and people, faithfulness, and justice—is our chief hope, then we will find it amid both the good and bad in work. Paul’s affirmations mean that no matter what the difficulties we encounter with our work, or the complexities and challenges we face with co-workers or superiors in our workplaces, the love of God in Christ always abides with us. The love of God in Christ is the steadying force in the midst of adversity now, as well as our hope for bodily redemption in the future.

 And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food.Genesis 1:29 So why be fearful? How does someone taste and share the goodness of God? (Daily) 

"Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights." This certainly includes a life characterized by goodness. In letting the Holy Spirit control, us, we are blessed with the fruit of goodness. As others see our good works, they will praise our Father in heaven (Matthew 5:16). 

I get it. Your favorite restaurant is a,“all you can eat restaurant”? Unlimited food. These restaurants give you all-you-can-eat for one fixed price. You grab a plate, fill it with food, eat, and repeat. As many times as, you want with less need for faithful servers. Sounds like a pretty good deal, but how do these restaurants make any money? With just a few ploys, like using smaller plates, putting cheap items towards the front (carbs we can’t resist), and using drinks to off-set other costs, all-you-can-eat restaurants are able to accomplish the same goal as any other, as they share their strategiesof good news with “food”. Get people in the entrance?Then, just below a large board displaying that good news food, it usually says “thank you for not sharing. Those last words were certainly understandable in that context of a business trying to make money. However, it is very different in the Christian Church? Where there is an unstoppable impulse to share the Good News of Jesus the Bread of life daily as we join Jesus on his mission. Or is it?

However, due to the sinful natures we all possess (Romans 2:10,23), my question arises, how do we share the Gospel and with whom? we often allow selfishness to rule instead of sharing and generosity. Regardless of chronological age, we can still be toddlers in our attitudes. We don’t want to share. Beneath our plastic smiles and socialized responses, our sinful hearts may be thinking, “What’s mine is mine, and what’s yours should be mine.” Sharing is seen as a nice concept that makes me full on the outside, but a little too uncomfortable to put into practice.

I have read portions of the passage from Roman 8:31-39 (particularly vs 31-39) out loud at countless sickbeds. Often, I have read them when it was unlikely that I would be seeing a gravely ill person again on this earth. Never have I failed to be comforted personally by these affirmations, even as I trust that the patient and relatives were too.

However, this is not just for hospital rooms. Paul writes to encourage the Christians in Rome, in their often-hostile environment, to keep the faith. Be confident in Christ no matter what. Whatever happens, says Paul, God is going to keep working with those who love him (vs28) for the supreme good, namely to become like Jesus Christ (vs 29). 

Christian sharing can take many forms, but it is the heart attitude that matters to God (Matthew 6:2-4). We who have been bought and set apart by the blood of Jesus must be eager to share what He has entrusted to us, whether it be time, energy, or resources. Sharing reminds us that we are not to set our affections on things of this earth, nor store up treasures that have no eternal value (Colossians 3:2; Matthew 6:20). Sharing also keeps us humble, frees us from the love of money, or all we can eat and teaches us to die to ourselves Romans 6:6; 1 Timothy 6:10). We are most like Jesus when we freely share ourselves with those He brings into our lives. 

Wow! to be like Jesus! This very day, in your little victories and your trying moments, take heart that in everything God works for good!

God Bless You and This Ministry!

Make The Days Count

Here is a big question for you: Are you willing to change your way of life, and grow in every aspect you need to grow to make "This Journey" Happy? 

Do You Have a critical spirit?

Days, Weeks and Years, The band plays on;

And yet within, I know a Righteous Standard, and thus eternal end can be seen for Fear is my trust; within my journey, as I follow Jesus on his mission.

He knows the plan; each step is His; with the help of the Holy Spirit that keeps me every day.

Distrust, Strife, Conflict each holds a corner of the world which is based on, “All about me”. but what about Love!

My heart is full of Song for the Christ-within, the word speaks the absolute Truth. 

For His Blood with Him forever lives!

So, Lord, again I Praise Thy Name, and ask with all my heart,

Help me through every day, week and year;

To walk, Lord, where Thou Art.

“they are conceited and understand nothing. They have an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions”. 1 Timothy 6:4

This text completes Paul’s highly practical instructions to his friend and student, Timothy. The major focus of this passage is proper Christian conduct, and the avoidance of evil. Paul gives several character flaws common in those who teach false doctrine. He also provides a stark warning about the dangers of greed and materialism. He also provides a stark warning about the dangers of greed and materialism. Those who become obsessed with wealth open themselves to virtually any other sin one can imagine. Timothy is given a clear mandate to uphold his faith and testimony, along with Paul’s blessings and encouragement. What say You?

Every Epoch I “am” Hustling?

Distrust, Strife, Trial and Conflictdistracts us from our ultimate purpose of making disciples. Jesus left us with one clear purpose—make disciples of every nation (Matthew 28:19). Fulfillment of that command is Satan’s biggest fear, so he keeps us tangled in our own petty disagreements, disappointments, and disputes so that we limit our impact on the lost world. When we allow these negative words, distrust, strife and conflict to dictate our choices, we fall short of the mandate Jesus gave us.

You see those negative things area strong and ongoing conflict over a fundamental issue. They are deeper than argument, broader than disagreement. Usually involves bitterness andsometimes violence.By the time you have grown into adulthood, you will have experienced someone trying to make themselves look better by putting down someone else. Maybe you even tried it yourself. Humm. 

So, you attempted to elevate yourself by diminishing their accomplishment. We see strife today often in the political realm, as candidates for office launch vitriolic attacks against their political foes.  You might have even heard a business competitor trash-talk or warn you about that business. Well this ploy for me is ineffective it only shows their insecurity or even jealousy and trust become an issue. But there are some people who have yet to learn this lesson. It is best to resist the temptation to bash, instead, simply listen and respond by listing your companies’ accomplishments, emphasizing how this sustained performance will benefit them. Bingo, “you have my business”. Distrust, Strife and Conflictwithin families can result in lifelong emotional scars. Those things between nations can lead to war. When strife etc.… occurs among believers, the church’s testimony is tarnished and Christ is dishonored.

Our culture has become saturated with celebrities and simple folks attacking each other on social media. Irreverent comments, identity politics and manufactured rivalries are the staples of reality television, and just about everywhere we look there are people trying to make themselves look better at the expense of others.

The Bible warns against discord and reproves those who cause it: “It is to one’s honor to avoid strife, but every fool is quick to quarrel” (Proverbs 20:3; Proverbs 18:6 and 22:10). But avoiding friction is difficult; even in New Testament times, conflict cropped up in the early church 1 Corinthians 3:3;1 Timothy, 1 Corinthians 3:3; 2 Corinthians 12:20The cause of strife is underlying sin: “What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you?” (James 4:1). 

Disharmony can develop when a difference of opinion becomes the priority in a relationship. Strife is always accompanied by pride and an unteachable spirit in one or both parties. Proverbs 13:10 says, “Where there is strife, there is pride, but wisdom is found in those who take advice.” When someone refuses to consider another viewpoint and demands his own way, friction results. Someone bent on, it’s all about me “will not allow compromise, negotiation, or humility. Strife alienates friends, divides families, and destroys churches.

A spirit of Distrust, Strife and Conflict in a nut shell is a Critical spirit. Ittears down those around us and robs us of our own ability to enjoy life. When we become overly critical, we miss out on the beauty that God has placed in this world. Small blessings go unnoticed, and we stop being thankful. Overcoming a critical spirit requires gratefulness, a willingness to forgive, an accurate understanding of God's grace (it’s free!), an intentional refocusing of our thoughts, and a commitment to share the truth in love. Overcoming a critical spirit is a matter of sanctification, and we have the Holy Spirit’s help with that 2 Thessalonians 2:13. As we submit to God, read His Word, and pray for grace, we will find that the critical spirit gives up control to the Holy Spirit of Christ.

 The challenge then is to truly learn how to consider each yourjoy.You can endure whatever circumstances are making you quake in your boots right now. If you have been saved through faith in Jesus Christ—you have all you need; God’s view:Proverbs 6:16-19

God Bless You and This Ministry!

How does God make tight loose change of us?

Or for you, Metonymies, How does God change us? 

Should you not fear me?” declares the Lord.
  “Should you not tremble in my presence?
I made the sand a boundary for the sea,
    an everlasting barrier it cannot cross.
The waves may roll, but they cannot prevail;
    they may roar, but they cannot cross it.
 But these people have stubborn and rebellious hearts;
    they have turned aside and gone away. (Jer 5:22,23)

I am slowly bringing it together. I think about this topic most days? How does God bring about a makeover within the human heart? A change that is so deep that you begin to hate what you once loved, and love what you once hated. How is that “Sugar Bear”? A struggle with my Achilles’ heel, “weakness”.

I’m in the fourth quarter of this renewal game of life as if my frail bark had weathered a heavy storm, a come back which has made every extremity in my body groan. Do not attribute this illness to my having labored too hard for my Master. For my sinful nature gets in the way. Such toils as might be hardly noticed in the camp for the service of one’s realm, with energize astonishments we follow Jesus on his mission for the service of our God with Love. 

This barrier! Is our love of sin? We love it. Ask yourselfintuitively, “we have sinned”?  I say, we know better, But?  We all bear the very image of God Himself; when we sin, we mar that likeness. Sin becomes a big smudge on the man in the mirror, and it diminishes and it gets in the way of the beauty and holiness we were designed to reflect. 

Romans 3:23 says, "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God." 

You ask an alcoholic to part with his precious bottle and to him it is unthinkable. What is going to cause a person who is into (fill in the blank), to give it up when the appetite has been so strongly cultivated, perhaps even for years? How do you bring about a change? Or you think about somebody like me who harbored bitterness and anger my whole life as a “Invisible Man” from the world, not seeing the exceptional me, I use to think,” is this a Parable of Our lingering Time”? As I enjoy my candy, orange slices. Realizing,” I am nobody but myself”? Hmm 

To us it is of great comfort that we can have these feelings because they seem so right and so just and so justifiable, and yet, at the same time, those feelings may be destroying us, but who cares about being destroyed? “What I’m thinking about is only right,” we say to ourselves it’s about me, so how do you dislodge that? I dislodged it or freed myself on the field as an athlete and with many years of influent with mentors and the help from the Holy Spirit.  As I am reminded of presence conversion!

This conversion is metamorphous. It is an inner transformation. It is not simply a difference in appearance. It is even a difference in very nature. That’s how deep God’s transformation goes in our lives, so that which we loved, namely sin, we begin to detest.

We’d like to become spiritual by osmosis. We’d like it to happen while we are asleep. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to go to sleep worldly and wake up with a heart that is hot for God? Like taking a spoon full of sugar, suggested by the movie, “Mary Poppins”. One question I have asked myself anda common accusation against our Christian Faith, "If we are born in sin, how is it fair for God to judge us for our sin?"
We need to answer this with love and patient. In particular, some people say that God sets us up for failure and then punishes us for the failure that He caused. If that were true, it would indeed be an unfair situation. Does God unfairly judge us for something we have no control over? This is where you, become the Christ in you(teacher), and say, what do you mean about that? Let’s, “look for the answers found in the Bible”.

God is not only fair, but merciful. The Bible’s teaching about personal sin doesn’t end with a declaration of man’s guilt. Romans 5, which tells us that sin and death entered the world through one man, also tells us of the greatest blessing, which also came through one man. God’s gift of grace came through Jesus Christ (Romans 5:15) and overflowed to many. 

“For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.” Romans 5:19Jesus Christ died for the sins of the world, so that the world might have life through faith in His sacrifice. That’s not “fair”—that’s grace!

And that’s what we’d prefer, but transformation doesn’t come that easily, and there’s a lot of pain, but there is a way. Transformed lives begin with the gospel message of Christ, for in it is the power of God. It is the gospel that brings us salvation: “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith’” (Romans 1:16-17.

My seriousness “wit” asks the question through Prayer, oh heavenly father help us with everything that I say in this message be important to us. Help us conclude absolutely crucial with truth, asking you God for such a great miracle to actually speak to human nature through your word, and to change what we once loved. Thanks for your grace to do whatever your plan points out needs to be done in our life to be altered by your power.

Father, we are helpless in the face of our loves, without you, and so we ask that you make tight loose change of us. There are some who come today with arms folded, hard hearts, intending to not change, we pray that you might surprise them with the mighty work of your Holy Spirit. And may all of us in one way or another be changed today for the better, for the glory of God, because after all, there is nothing else that matters. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

God Bless You And This Ministry!

Impacted by impressions, “The Truth”

“Helping a believer believe and helping a believer Think”!

Do you have your confidence in God as opposed to yourself?

Are you exercising faith in God because He is the “Saver of the soul”? Rather than trusting in your strength or wisdom?

Are you a believing believer?

Who in the world would not want to understand the truth? Everybody wants what they believe to be the truth, don’t they? No one would purposely believe in them, the “Big Lie”, (fill in the blank) would they? Sad truth is, if you hear it enough like in today’s world of thirty second sound bites, they would. In fact, every day the world struggles very hard to make what is not true appear to be true. You see the primary rules of the big lie are: never allow the public to chill; never admit a fault or wrong; never concede that there may be some good in your rival; never leave room for alternatives; never accept blame; concentrate on one enemy at a time and blame him or her for everything that goes wrong; people will believe a big lie sooner than a little one; and if you repeat it frequently enough people will sooner or later believe it. Sound familiar currently? Like Days gone by, “the band plays on”!

“And Sadducees came to him, who say that there is no resurrection. And they asked him a question, saying, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies and leaves a wife, but leaves no child, the man must take the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. There were seven brothers; the first took a wife, and when he died left no offspring. And the second took her, and died, leaving no offspring. And the third likewise. And the seven left no offspring. Last of all the woman also died. In the resurrection, when they rise again, whose wife will she be? For the seven had her as wife.”

Jesus said to them, “Is this not the reason you are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God? For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. And as for the dead being raised, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the bush, how God spoke to him, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not God of the dead, but of the living. You are quite wrong.” Mark 12:18-27

This text gives us an excellent example of how the Sadducees evade the big questions in their religious life and try to make the teaching of the resurrection look ridiculous or untruthful. And today some are still avoiding the big questions of life by asking less important ones or replacing it with the power of impressions, or the big lie, “which can influence our spiritual lives”? These impressions if you get my favor of thought, ‘flow in a constant stream often times uninvited in ways that make me wonder’, “by what authority it does come from?” It is a mistake not to allow the Scriptures to be our final authority; or, as Jesus put it to the Sadducees; "You are greatly mistaken."

Sometimes instead of leaning on the Lord, people use situation ethics, to try to determine right from wrong. What is this human standard? People of Truth, Is it possible to argue this formula, a + b = “nothing is not wrong”; because it is according to the situation? Because You see Identify Politics’ contained by unfruitfulness, Has been your formula?

My Spiritual prospective,” we have to be reminded we cannot do this alone” by Dietrich Bonhoeffer:

“O God, early in the morning I cry to you.

Help me to pray and to concentrate my thoughts on you:

I cannot do this alone.

In me there is darkness, But with you there is light;

I am lonely, but you do not leave me;

I am feeble in heart, but with you there is help;

I am restless, but with you there is peace.

In me there is bitterness, but with you there is patience;

I do not understand your ways, But you know the way for me…

Restore me to liberty, and enable me to live

now that I may answer before you and before me.

Lord, whatever this day may bring,

Your name be praised.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer

“Whoever walks in integrity walks securely,

but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out.” Proverbs 10:9

As we walk this Faith journey, joining Jesus on his mission, do we create our friendships and relationships based on his Truth or Has your career been made or stalled depending on how the world viewed your capacity. As I view our Political world it often is selected not by what they actually believe and represent, but what people think they believe, representing a truth of an inspirational speakers, “Big Lie”, of Truth.

To me our views of God, of spirituality, and of the church have all been impacted by impressions from our life experiences. So, what’s the essential big question? Do we busy ourselves with the less important questions so that we do not have to face the big questions dealing with our relationship with God and the mission of the Church? There is that danger. Or is it we live in a society today that craves spirituality, but does not have an interest in absolute Truth.

In order to understand absolute or universal truth, what must we do? First, we must begin by defining truth. Truth, according to the dictionary or Truth according to the bible? Truth, according to the dictionary, is “conformity to fact or actuality; a statement proven to be or accepted as true.” Fortunately, there is such a Creator, and He has revealed His truth to us through His Word, the Bible. Knowing absolute truth/universal truth is only possible through a personal relationship with the One who claims to be the Truth-Jesus Christ.

Jesus claimed to be the only way, the only truth, the only life and the only path to God (John 14:6). The fact that absolute truth does exist points us to the truth that there is a sovereign God who created the heavens and the earth and who has revealed Himself to us in order that we might know Him personally, God with us, we are not allow anymore. He is the standard for absolute truth, and it is His authority that establishes that truth.

The truth is; God is never far away and he is in control. Don’t be afraid to take steps of faith, even if they seem to you to be giant ones. God will never let you down! Let’s learn from Jesus visit with the Sadducees and remember to talk about the big questions, “Whom do I belong too? Who am I? What is my Purpose? And where do I stand in my relationship with God?” The conversation is still relevant.

God Bless You and This Ministry!