Trick or Treat – Saved or Searching

As a kid, Halloween was one of my favorite holidays. Not only did we get free candy it also allowed me to hide behind a mask. That’s a whole different subject for my blog that I will go into at a later date, I would like to write about Halloween itself, Origins and biblical meaning.

(Warning: The history of Halloween info is from different websites, but this seems to be the general consensus on the beginnings of it)

The practices and rituals that surround Halloween are traced back to the “Druid Festival of the Dead” originating sometime around 100 A.D. It was commonly referred to as the “Samhain Festival” which was a Celtic celebration that focused on death.

The Celts in Western Europe believed that ghosts and other spirit-beings visited on Samhain Eve or October 31st. The also believed that the barrier between the physical world and spirit world was at its weakest on this date and so the ancient Druids, who were a priestly class of Celts, believed that Samhain "the Lord of Death" gathered souls of the evil dead who had been condemned to enter the bodies of animals and good people’s souls were reincarnated as humans.

The Druids would then offer sacrifices, prayers, and gifts to Samhain, attempting to lighten the punishment of the evil dead. The Druids would even pray for and to the dead in Roman temples trying to contact them through the spirit world. This is where we get séances from – and we also have religious organizations such as the Catholic church teaching about a place called Purgatory (where souls are said to go and wait for something …) which is not found anywhere in the Bible.

2 Corinthians 5:8 - To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord

Halloween came to America in the 1800’s and I assure you that the pilgrims did not go around and say “trick or treat”. A group of immigrants brought the celebration and practice of Halloween to America in the 1800s, and it was not until the 1950s that American’s began dressing up in costumes and giving candy to one another. This act was based on the Celtic offering of gifts to evil spirits, and when an offering was not made (treat) there would be an undesirable outcome (trick).

Ok, so that’s it in a nutshell but how did we come about some of the symbolisms?

• Costumes - Many take great pride in dressing up as scary creatures on Halloween and this originated from this same Celtic celebration where they hid themselves in ghoulish costumes or disguises so that wandering spirits would mistake them for one of their own and not harm them.
• Black cats - considered reincarnated evil souls that had the ability to divine or "see into" the future.
• Jack-O-Lanterns (or pumpkins) - carved out and a candle put in them to try and frighten away evil spirits.
• Bonfires - from the practice of "bone fires" which was a large fire containing bones of those that were being sacrificed to the God of Death – Samhain.
• Skeletons, Skulls, corpses - part of celebrating the ritual of the dead.
• Bats and owls - said to have power to communicate with the dead since they were reincarnated evil spirits.
• "TRICK OR TREAT" - giving treats to frustrated spirits of the dead so they would feel welcome and if they didn’t feel welcome, then came the so called "tricks" or havoc

There’s more but I think you get the point.

What should a Christian’s view be?

First we have to understand this one thing in:

Ephesians 6:12 "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against the rulers, against authorities, against the powers of darkness of this world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."

Halloween seems so harmless and yet we don’t fully understand that there is a spiritual war that is taking place and men, women, and children’s souls are what is at stake. We as Christians should not be partakers of something that derives from and represents darkness.

Ephesians 5:11 tells us to have nothing to do with the deeds of darkness...

Romans 13:12 - "Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness…

Ephesians 5:11-12 - "Have not fellowship with unfruitful works of darkness but rather expose them. For it is shameful to even speak of those things which are done by them in secret."

Does it sound like I dislike Halloween? Yes, I do.

Am I going to keep my son from going out… No.

I am going to sit him down and explain what I have written here with him. I’m going to make sure he realizes the God’s truth.

Moms and Dads, you are held accountable for your kids in allowing them to participate. Realize, Satan knows your children are vulnerable and this is his greatest opportunity to rob them right out from under your nose.

You must choose for yourself and search it out for yourself.

Joshua 24:14-15, "Now fear the Lord and serve Him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped...and serve the Lord. But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose you this day whom you will serve...but as for me and my household; we will serve the Lord."

If you’re taking your kids out for Halloween, how about instead of asking Trick or treat you ask:

Saved or Searching?

The 6 senses.

In 1988, I was blind for 3 weeks from Refraction Blindness. Specifically, the sun shining off the ice and snow temporarily blinded me. I never realized at first the gift God had given me with this. While I was in the hospital, recovering, my senses were heightened. My hearing seemed to be compensating for the loss of sight. I could hear someone walking down the hallway, and by the sound, know if they had visited me before. In some cases, I knew exactly who it was.

I also seemed to have a sixth sense yet I’m not sure how to explain it. It was like a wisdom/knowledge thing and I thought I lost it when I regained my sight. At that time I didn’t realize I had the Holy Spirit sense.

God the Father created the human body with five basic senses. The five senses given to us at our first birth are not capable to live out the true attributes of the Christian life. Christ knew that our natural five senses would not be enough. He therefore vowed to leave us with something extra, an extra sense that would come from a relationship with the Holy Spirit.

Unfortunately, many Christians have ignored, denied, misunderstood or limited the magnificent ministry of the Holy Spirit. How many times have we said to ourselves “I should have followed my first thought”, or “something told me not to do that”, or “I had a feeling this was going to happen”. I related an event that happened in my life where I didn’t listen to God a few blogs ago, could that have been the extra sense?

Often this inner promptings are from the Holy Spirit as He desires to show us the way we should go. The Holy Spirit can give us the insight, instruction and inspiration necessary for victorious living. Our 5 senses give us power on a human level; the 6th sense gives us power on a divine level.
We cannot accomplish God’s will for our lives without God’s Spirit. Jesus gave us the power. Power in this form is the Greek word, “Dunamis” often translated dynamic or dynamite. These words speak of great impact and difference making. The Holy Spirit makes a great impact on our lives when we let Him have His way. He provides for us the ability to be different than those who only operate with five senses. So, I say again, “We cannot accomplish God’s will for our lives without God’s Spirit.”

One cannot operate in the flesh and experience the life that God has called us to live. One cannot operate in the flesh and expect the best of what this life has to offer.

Jesus came that we might have life and have it more abundantly (John 10:10) .

He told us that we are more than conquerors (Romans 8:37);

He told us that we have victory in Christ Jesus (1 Cor. 15:58).

Then why do we live so blindly?

Why do we struggle so badly?

I think were not using the 6th sense…or the Holy Spirit sense.

Make sense?

Starry Eyes

When was the last time you took time to pause in wonder, and stand in rapt awe as you stared into the night sky? I am not talking about just a fleeting glance. I am talking about a long lingering look into the heavens.

The problem is we hardly ever look up anymore. We scurry around from task to task so preoccupied with the little things in front of us that we never stop to take in the majestic things above us.

How long has it been since you lay in the grass and looked for Orion’s belt or pointed out the big dipper to your children or grandchildren. Taking valuable time to stare at the stars seems wasteful, frivolous, and maybe even childish to our over-scheduled selves.

In the Navy, my job was Navigator of the ship I was stationed on. My position was on the bridge, one of the highest points of the ship. My favorite time to be up there was on what we called the, “Mid Watch”. That’s the time between Midnight and 4AM in the morning.

I liked this because besides being quiet, we always ran in a minimal lights status. That is to say, all lights on the exterior of the ship were out (except for some small running lights) and any room on the ship that led to the outside, had red lights. This is because we normally didn’t want to be seen.

The great thing about this is I could step outside into a very peaceful world. Stepping out into this was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. All you could see was the stars (literally millions of them), the moon and hear the lapping of the waves alongside of the ship.

Every sense within your self was soaking in something that was one of the most peaceful feelings I have ever experienced. From the beautiful view I described, to the soft warm breeze blowing against your face. From the smell of the ocean to the light salt taste on your lips from the ocean spray. But the stars were always breathtaking.

Psalm 19:1, 2 - The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge.

The heavens show us the handiwork of God. The stars are a display of his creativity and his power. The universe is a testimony to his wisdom. If what we see in the sky was made on purpose, then it was made for purpose.

You don’t have to be an astrobiologist to see that not only is the Earth in a prime location for life, but also observation. If we were not at the exact spot that we occupy right now the view would be obscured so much that it would be impossible to make any real observation. Our views would be so compromised that we wouldn’t be able to determine the structure of our own galaxy, much less the universe.

Those aren’t just twinkling little stars in the sky. They are God communicating with us. They are God revealing himself to us. And yet, Human language even when it is inspired by the Holy Spirit will never be able to paint a full and complete picture of God’s glory.

The next time you turn your gaze upward take some time to stare. Because a quick glance upward isn’t enough time for your brain to understand what it is seeing. Just when you begin to grasp the majesty and the complexity of what you are looking at remember, it was all spun off of his fingers. This universe we are so impressed with is his playground.

This view is a testimony not just to his existence, but to his greatness.

Isaiah 40:25, 26 - “To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?” says the Holy One.
Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.

Interesting comparison, isn’t it?

Want to view God's greatness?

I recommend you get some stars in your eyes!

Trust: a risky dive!

Sitting in small group the other day, a great brother in Christ mentioned Bungee Jumping as an analogy for his faith in God. Now I have never bungee jumped but I have cliff dived from 100 feet.

Where I grew up we have these slate mines just outside of town. The way these slate mines worked, is the miners (miners- you know those who dig for resources. Not MINORS – those little people running around the house) dig in a box shaped fashion straight down till they reached the slate. As they dug further and further down, eventually they would hit an underground lake which would fill the mines up with water.

They would then abandon the current mine and start digging in another place. What this achieved was a square shaped lake, with slate walls. These walls would tower from 20 feet to 200+ feet. As kids, we would climb the mountain and emerge at the top of these walls.

The dare was to top the last dive of the previous diver. Now the skill and daring of this is, when they dug straight down, they sometimes would hit rock outcroppings (non-slate type). Instead of removing these outcroppings, they worked around them. So, in diving off the cliffs, you had to make sure to dive where there wasn’t an outcropping.

There were other hazards besides the rock outcroppings. Living in New Jersey, the water maintained a 60 degree temperature or less… cold! There was also the hazard of the higher you jumped the further you went under the water. The deeper you went, the harder it was to see the hazards. And let me also mention, that when you dive in, how you dive regulates whether it hurts or no.

Of course, risk was heavily involved. The higher the dive the harder it was to see the hazards. You relied on a spotter, a close friend to be close to the bottom and tell you where to dive. So besides risk, trust was involved as well. I survived every dive I made but thinking back now, it was a pretty risky thing to do.
I did learn something from this.

Faith means nothing if it doesn’t have risk. Faith and trust go hand in hand, and that means so do faith and risk because trust is a risky business. You can tell me that you trust me to hold your money until you’re blue in the face, but until you have actually put the money into my hands, you haven’t really trusted. It’s the same with faith.

Most of the sermons I’ve heard on the passage about Jesus walking on water have focused on Peter, who finds himself sinking into stormy seas when he begins to doubt Jesus. But if we only focus on the moment that Peter sinks, we will have missed the boat. Literally!

We can focus on Peter sinking if we want to, and it seems like most of us do. But that’s not the whole story. Peter walks on the water. He walks on the water just like Jesus. He sinks after a few steps, yes. But for a brief moment, Peter walked on water.

Peter showed great faith in getting out of the boat and going to Jesus. The reason he sinks is not because it was wrong to get out of the boat. Peter only sinks when that faith waivers. The greatest failure in this story is not Peter but the rest of the disciples, who sat huddled in the boat, still wondering if they were seeing a ghost. Peter’s faith may have been weak, but it was much stronger than the rest of the bunch. Peter had boldness.

Peter does take an incredible risk in getting out of a boat on a dark and stormy night. But the key here is, he doesn’t put out the first toe until Jesus has said to him, “Come.” If Jesus is not anywhere near our boat, we would be crazy to get out and try to walk on water. We can’t do that on our own. But when God appears on the scene, new possibilities open before us and we listen for the guidance of God. And if God says it’s OK, you can take that to the bank (pun intended). We are not called to be reckless, but we are called to trust.

Jesus doesn’t chide the others for staying in the boat, but later it is Peter to whom Jesus says, “You are the rock on which I will build my church.” The church is founded on the one who dared to get out of the boat.

Maybe the kind of risk you are called to has more to do with how you do ministry rather than where you do ministry. Maybe Jesus is standing there outside the boat and calling to you, personally. Maybe God is calling you to a new ministry within the church, or a new job, or a new attitude.

A ship in a harbor is safe, but that’s not what ships are built for. God calls us to set sail. And once we’re out on the raging sea, we see God and some new possibilities. Jesus is on the water and bids us come.

If you want to walk on water, you must first get out of the boat.

There will be hazards.

The water may be cold.

There may be raging waters and bad storms.

But God has called you out!

Ready to take the dive?

Making God Smile

Ephesians 5:10 – “and find out what pleases the Lord.”

Do you think you have made God smile? Have you ever wondered that if something you said or you did made God smile? I know as a single parent there are things that my children have done that make me smile.

Especially my son…he seems to have inherited my sense of humor.

You know what makes me, as a Dad smile?
1. When my son says “I love you Dad”, without it being in reply to my love for him.
2. When he reminds me to say the “blessing” over the food when I forget.
3. When he questions me about God or a scripture he has heard.

Yes, these are a few things that make me smile! The point is, we as parents have dreamed, trained, and disciplined our children. We have that hope that they would follow the right path; keeping a close relationship with us.

God wants and desires the same thing,

This is the way that God intended for us to relate with him, but like most children, we don’t always listen. We look for different ways to relate to God, just as children look for different ways to relate to their parents. God wants us to love Him and He also wants us to TRUST Him. And I mean with the kind of trust that it would take to build an ark in the middle of land because God told us to.

My son can be a know-it-all at times; it didn’t used to be this way. There was a time he hung to every word I said…he actually still does to a point. I can feel that time slipping away… The truth is we do that with God too! We act like we trust Him to guide and direct our every step; that is until the day comes when he sends us somewhere we are not comfortable with.

Can you imagine this conversation between Abraham and God?

God: “Abraham, this is God speaking. I want you to leave everything and go to the land I will show you.”
Abraham: “Where’s that?”
God: “If I told you, you wouldn’t believe me.”
Abraham: “Try me.”
God: “its 1500 miles from here in a place called Canaan.”
Abraham: “Never heard of it.”
God: “I know, and guess what else? I’m going to make you the father of a great nation.”
Abraham: “That’s impossible. I don’t have any children.”
God: “Don’t worry.”
Abraham: “What do you mean, don’t worry?”
God: “Just trust me.”
Abraham: So God “Let me see if I’ve got this straight. You want me to leave everything, travel across the desert to someplace I’ve never heard of, and become the father of a great nation.”
God: “Right.”
Abraham “Is this some kind of joke? What am I supposed to tell my wife?”
God: “That’s your problem.”

Hebrews 11:8 it was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going.

Abraham didn’t question God and just did it! Do you see how trust is connected with having the type of relationship with God that would make him smile? The questions for today are, “Do you make God smile?”

Do you have a loving and close relationship with His Son Jesus Christ?
Do you make God smile by Trust and obedience?
Do you acknowledge God and do you serve Him?

I don’t know about you but I don’t just want to make God smile.

I want to make God smile as far as the East is from the West!

Kapeesh?

Bow and Arrows

I saw a wonderful and inspiring situation yesterday. Let me set it up for you; it was Sunday morning; it was 7:30AM; and I was pulling into the parking lot waiting to start bringing volunteers to church. Walking through the parking lot was a man.

No, more than a man he was a DAD!

How did I know he was a Dad? He was pulling this neat little wagon that had 3 sections…like a train. In each section there was a little boy maybe 2 years old. Identical triplets; all boys; Blond Haired; Matching outfits; and to top it off, he had a poodle on a leash, leading the way.

As I said hello to him and offered God’s blessing to this beautiful situation, I asked myself this simple question: What is on this man’s heart? I guess I should have asked but I just didn’t want to break up this wonderful picture. I wish I had a camera with me.

Think about it, Sunday Morning… 7:30AM…Dad is out for a walk with the whole family with the exception of Mom. Mom is probably home, sleeping in. I’m sure this was his intention. Dad did this so Mom could sleep in late…..And it wasn’t even MOTHER’S DAY!

What a great Husband and Father!

I never found out about his faith but the next time I see him, and I’m sure God will make our paths cross again…I will most definitely ask. I’m almost positive this Dad is the Spiritual Archer of his home.

Why “Spiritual Archer?”

I read the following verse in Psalms and it inspiration hit me like a ton of bricks:

Psalm 127:4, “Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one’s youth.”

Dads are warriors, and our children are like arrows. When dads shoot correctly, kids can hit the mark, but the arrows are no more effective than the archer. A dad who shoots straight; must be strong; the arrows must be straight and Dads are given the awesome responsibility from God to shape and straighten these young arrows the Lord gives to us.

Children aren’t naturally born straight arrows; they can be bent and shaped. If you were going to bend a tree in a certain direction, the time to do it is while the tree is just a young sapling, still soft and pliable.

Someday, if you’re not there already, you will send your arrows out. Every dad comes to that time when the arrows are released. Our intent while we have our children at home is to make them spiritually sharp and emotionally straight. Once they are out on their own, we keep praying for them and remain available to them as a counselor, when they seek that or need that.
But until they’re gone, we must remain on the job. Sometimes people like to talk about juvenile delinquency, but the real problem is parental delinquency, especially dropout dads.

As Dads, we must stand for Jesus and stand against the enemy, if you want your children to stand when you send them out against the enemy. You must take whatever steps are necessary so you can, be fully right with God, and so your children can succeed against the enemy.

Spirit-filled Christian families are Satan’s worst nightmare. Give direction and projection to these arrows, and with the winds of grace send them out into adulthood, and...

Proverbs 22:6, “Train up a child the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it.”

Amen!

Did you hear that?

If you read my blog, “Forgive and Forget or Revenge and Regret “you will remember the event in my life that taught me about forgiveness. There’s more to the story that I didn’t reveal at the time. So now, here’s the beginning of the story.

As you may or may not have read, I was attack by a stranger. Or so I thought. The actual beginning of the story is I was sitting at home that night. I got a call from a friend, to pick HER up from work. Apparently, her husband was called away on Military Duty and she needed a ride home.

After I hung up the phone, and got ready to go pick her up…I had this deep thought that I wasn’t supposed to go. Being a babe in Christ, I didn’t realize God was telling me not to go. There were a few other signs…. I couldn’t find my keys so I had to use my spare; a friend had called with free tickets to the Premiere of Star Wars (starting in 30 minutes) and my car wouldn’t start but a neighbor was nice enough to jump start my car.

Think God was trying to give me a message?

I still went and the events that unfolded changed my life forever.

People have a tendency to listen only to what they want to hear. God’s Word informs us that "The heart is deceitful above all things." In Ezekiel 12:2, God complained that "these people have ears to hear but they never hear, eyes to see, but they never see"

To our own detriment, we can be selective in our hearing. God does a lot of speaking and we miss most of it. God gave us two ears but only one mouth. Some people say that’s because He wanted us to spend twice as much time listening as talking. Others claim it’s because He knew listening was twice as hard as talking.

God is always speaking to people; the key is that we must want to hear Him.

You probably would never want to go Computer shopping with me. My eyes glaze over, my brain shifts gear; my ears get clogged and let’s not talk about standing in my way. You could tell me my hair was on fire and I wouldn’t hear you (if this ever occurs, please put it out). Talk about zoning out God and others!

Some people are this way with God; they get this idea in their heads that they have to have this item, job or relationship and take their eyes off God. Some even convince themselves that this is what God wants for them so it must be ok! When it fails, who’s the first one they blame?

In order to listen to God, we very often, must give up or lay down something we want to grasp or control. It is God’s desire to reveal Himself to us through His Words and thus, call us to new life, new hope, and new beginnings!

We must put God’s will before our heart. Our hearts can be broken but God’s heart is perfect. The only way we will truly know God’s heart is by listening and reading his word.

Did you hear that?

God is speaking.

The Coffin or the Cross?

Not all of us are good at picking up on the warning signs around us. If your wife refers to you as “the ex” when she is talking to the milk man – that could be a vital sign you are missing. If the boss keeps talking about how much more efficient the office temp who filled in while you were on sick leave was – that could be a sign you are not picking up on. When co-workers start greeting you with, “Are you still here” – it may be too late.

Every day we need to be reminding ourselves that this world is not our home! You have daily choices to make and warning signs to watch for. In my opinion, you have 2 daily choices… You can live the way the world wants you to and end up in a coffin. OR... you can follow Jesus by taking up his cross daily.

Luke 9:23-25 - Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?

Here are my keys to “taking up his cross daily”:

1. Healthy Christians connect with God daily! Proverbs 8:34 - Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway.

2. Healthy Christians maintain balance in all areas of their lives. What areas of life do we need to be balancing?
The spiritual life. (Your relationship with God)
The social life. (Your relationships with other people.)
The career life. (Your work or education.)
The physical life. (Your diet exercise and overall health.{ Yes, Steve I know})
The family life. (Your wife, kids, parents, grandparents…)
The ministry life. (Your service in response to God’s call.) You can become unbalanced by doing too much or too little in all of these areas of life – they are all vital to a fulfilling and Godly life.

3. Healthy Christians talk about spiritual issues in a positive light with other believers and they watch for Spirit lead opportunities to engage non-believers in spiritual conversations.

Are you having any faith based conversations?

Luke 6:43-45
"No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thorn bushes, or grapes from briers. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.

If you don’t want to talk about God, you’re not taking up his cross you may be headed toward flat-lining.

If you only want to talk negatively about faith issues, I don’t mean you should never speak up if you see something wrong, I mean if all you want to do is complain – that’s not taking up the cross, it is revealing something about your heart.

If you have fallen into being single issue minded – that is not taking up his cross. If you have an issue over some theological, doctrine or prejudice ideal, and that is all you want to talk about – that is a bad sign.

Don’t get cross with me, God said it first.

So, which will it be…the Coffin or the Cross?

Camouflaged Christians

Romans 12:1,2
I beseech you therefore brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
I have read this scripture about 100 + times and I thought I got it. I didn’t, well, not until today. I attended a men’s Christian weekend and just got back last night. Verse 2 was the theme scripture but in the hustle and bustle of the weekend, I didn’t get it.
As sometimes with me it happens, my heart was set on service and not the theme (I was hiding in service). The first day on this retreat, I wore a camouflaged shirt. I didn’t realize how that shirt represented my thought process. The purpose of camouflage is “to not be seen” - to go unnoticed. To “blend in” to the surroundings; not “draw attention” to ourselves and it’s an advantage for the military and for sportsmen, but it’s disastrous for Christianity.
I wanted to be in the background, not seen and not draw attention to myself. God didn’t see it that way; he put me right out front (unhappily for me at first). Even though I didn’t want to be there, God still made me shine. God ripped off my Camouflage!
How do we avoid becoming a Camouflaged Christian?
To not be Camouflaged, there must be a:
• Difference in our LOGIC - because we have a different MIND ( I needed to change my mind)

• Difference in our LABOR - because we have a different MISSION (My mission didn’t change but the method did)

• There Must Be A Difference in our LIVES - Because we have a Different MASTER

The World can’t afford for us to be Camouflaged Christians.
Mt. 5:14-16 14
“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. “Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

How do we keep from becoming camouflaged?
There has to be:
1. A Presentation - present our bodies to God as living sacrifices.
2. A Separation - avoid conforming to the world’s ways
3. A Transformation - renew our minds through Christ
4. A Demonstration - prove we belong to God by doing His will.

I don’t know about you but I am going to stop fighting God’s will for me. I’m going to stop hiding and become the man God wants me to be. I’m not going to try to restrain myself from doing God’s will in community because of a fear of Public Speaking.
This fear, I’m throwing into the garbage!

Vessels: Some empty, some cracked

I heard a wonderful sermon on the Holy Spirit this weekend. He used analogies that amazed me and inspired me. I’m going to share one of his analogies in my own way. Just know, his words sunk into me deeply.

There’s a story of a Pastor who was talking to one of the newest members of his church.
This member wanted to know, “How do I find God? What I mean is now that I believe Jesus was sent to save me; I want to know God more. How do I find him?”

The Pastor guided him to the Baptismal Pool and led him into the water. Grabbing the member’s shoulders he immersed him totally into the water. Instead of releasing him and helping him out of the water he kept him under the water until the member started struggling. Finally, the Pastor released him.

The member was upset and asked him why he had held him under the water so long. The Pastor replied, “when you were under the water, what did you want more than ever?’

The member stated, “Air”.

The Pastor replied, “When you want God as much as you wanted that air, you will find him!”

How desperate are you for God? How much of God’s Holy Spirit do you want? When do you want God to pour his Holy Spirit in you? When will you claim to be God’s Earthen Vessel?

No matter who we are or where we come from, each of us have been created to be vessels of the Holy Spirit.
II Corinthians 4:7 - but we have this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.

It’s easy for me to look at myself as an earthen vessel…..a large vase! But…. My vessel is cracked (I can think of a hundred jokes with this but I’m not joking here). I daily need to refill my vessel because of my sin.

You are an earthen vessel. What you decide to put in your earthen vessel is your choice. God has the better plan for your life to fill you up with His “…excellence of power… His Holy Spirit”

As I said though, mine is cracked, I constantly need to seek God and replenish my cracked vase. I don’t ever want my vase to be empty but because I sin, (I’m cracked) it does. It also flows out of me because I share God's wonderful Holy Spirit with others that are empty.

God won’t pour his blessings into a vessel that is filled with the cares of life and the love of this world and its sin. God is looking for EMPTY/CRACKED VESSELS to fill!
God will continue outpouring His Holy Spirit for you.

Are you ready to receive? Do you really want to know him?

Are you an EMPTY or CRACKED VESSEL ready to be poured into?

Don’t Pull your Punches!

Before I went into the Navy, I spent 3 months hanging with my friends. We drank; smoked; hunted (while we drank and smoked) and generally made a nuisance of ourselves. Why I never got busted or arrested? I guess God had different plans.
During this time of being a free spirit, my friends would continuously harass and ridicule me. They kept trying to remind me of what I would be missing once I joined the Navy. The thing is when I reported to my first duty as a Sailor, that first day; the first person I met was the man that got me curious about Jesus. I heard of Jesus but I didn’t know Jesus till this day.
What is my point? Friendship is extremely important and crucial to those in our society today. Many people feel that friendship is the single most important thing in one’s life; that nothing should come between friends.
Do you want to know something; they are right. Friendship is an important thing and it is special and it is something that needs to be cherished. Some of the greatest relationships we will have in life are those that we have with close friends and I am sure that there are those of us that can affirm that and could share stories of people who are close to them and who have been lifelong friends.
What makes someone a friend?
Is it their willingness to not let anything come between you and them?
Is it their ability to make you laugh and have fun?

Someone who is a true friend will be your friend no matter what you go through and no matter what happens to you. A true friend will be your friend if you put on 50 pounds or if you get married or if you lose the use of your arms or your legs. A true friend will love you at all times, no matter what. Physical or mental condition plays no factor in determining true friendship.
Proverbs 17:17 says: “A friend loves at all times and a brother is born for adversity.”
Recently, a very close friend of mine sat me down and they let me have it – in a good way. They were straight with me, flat out cut to the core honest with some things that they had noticed in my life. They, in a loving way, told me the observations they had made of the things which were holding me back from being all that God has for me to be and the behavior patterns they have observed which are holding me back from experiencing life to God’s fullest and His best.
I realized that they were right and that they were only telling me this because they loved me and wanted the best for me. This person is a genuinely, real friend. When the conversation had ended my friend asked me if I was mad at them for telling me what they had told me. I simply answered, “No”, and then proceeded to thank them for being honest.
Do you know how refreshing and encouraging it was for me to hear that. At the time my friend was pouring out the observations they had made of some potentially damaging traits in my life I was shocked and my ego was damaged a little, but when it was all said and done, God used those words of honesty to motivate me to take action and rid my life of those behavior patterns.
Do you want to know something? Ever since that conversation I have been successful, with God’s help, in getting rid of those damaging traits in my life and it all started with heartfelt honesty from a very dear friend who said, “I want you to experience life to God’s fullest and best.”
Who wants a friend who is going to lie to you all the time and always tell you what you want to hear? I know I don’t want friends like that. Friends like that aren’t really your friends. People who tell you what you want to hear must not really care about you because they are content to see you suffer with mediocrity and settling for second best in your life. They are afraid to speak the truth because they are afraid they might cause some ripples in the pond of your life or cause a little discomfort in your relationship.
Ecclesiastes 4: 9-12 “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down his friend can pick him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”
I want to challenge you today that if you do not have friendships like this, search for those who would fit the description and begin to talk with them. I want to challenge you to establish genuine friendships with others. I believe that the early church in Acts 2 is how God intended for His church to be and I believe that will come by having genuine friendships begin and grow.
Want to be my friend?
Don’t pull any punches then!

Forgive & Forget NOT Revenge & Regret

Please forgive me…I’m not perfect. Praise the Lord!!!

Being not perfect, I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life. I have attempted to atone for my failings but unfortunately, I can’t remember them all. I doubt you can as well and I’m sure you have made one mistake in your life. Maybe one that you don’t remember; maybe one you did when you were younger: and maybe one you’re doing right now!

That’s were forgiveness comes in.

How many of you realize that, without compassion of the Lord Jesus Christ, you would not be sitting here reading this?

Some may ask, well how can I forgive them?

Situations that require forgiveness are ones where the pain inflicted is personal, unfair and deep. Things like betrayal, brutality, abuse, manipulation and gossip (all physical and emotional aspects). We hurt; we are likely to find some hatred in our heart. Specifically with hatred is the time most needed to forgive.

These times also breed a revengeful heart (a symptom of hatred). The rule of the world is “do unto others as they have done unto you”. We try to separate ourselves from the pain and hatred. We involve ourselves in things that are important to us, to distract from the negative. We even blame ourselves saying , “It’s partially my fault, I should have never let that person get so close”.

When we choose to forgive, we choose to lay aside our right to extract revenge or blame. Once we make that decision, we give God a chance to operate. We leave the ultimate justice and vengeance to God. We deliberately choose for ourselves the path of forgiveness.

Some would argue that choosing such a path is inevitably going to make us a patsy; yielding all our power and are going to end up as a doormat. Yet there is a power unleashed in this decision that cannot come from any other source.

Someone once did something to me that really hurt me. They attacked me while I was going to pick up a friend, and beat me senseless. They tried to strangle me and also cut my throat. I was a new Christian at the time; I had just got saved a few months before. In the man’s statement to the Police as to why he did it, mistaken identity. He thought I was someone else.

While awaiting the trial date, I hated! My hatred was so deep I sat and plotted to destroy this man’s life no matter what the consequences. God worked on my heart though and by the time of the trial, I was more at peace with his actions.

He was tried and released into the custody of the Military (That’s a longer story). I visited him in the Navy Brig (jail) and told him I forgave him. With a very genuine attitude, he apologized to me. I’m not sure what ever happened to him but I’m sure God was there for him.

Would it have made it harder on this man to forgive himself, if I didn’t forgive him?

When we have been wronged, we like to caricature our wrong doer. We see them in one way and one way only. Forgiveness requires us to look for the real person behind what we have created in our minds. We begin to see they are weak, needy and fallible. We begin to reason for our hearts to turn toward mercy instead of hate.

Why?

Didn’t God do this for us? Didn’t God look beyond our sin and saw something worth loving?

Maybe it’s a good idea that we should look beyond the typical stereotypes and signs. Maybe we should do what Jesus taught us to do, Love!

We need to treat others the way Jesus treated others.

God did it for you!