Open Heart Surgery Part 1: Working your life away

What's your heart motive?

Man, folks, I literally just finished the most inane argument a couple could have with my husband...cell phone alarms. I adore my alarms.I make an alarm for all sort of things. Getting up, leaving for school, picking up for school, 10 min bed warning, go to bed...it's just plain fun to me even though I don't need them. I have awoken every morning since before high school between 5-5:30am without an alarm clock. I am rarely if ever late, even though sometimes I try and I still end up being early. It's just not in me to be late. I don't like it. I don't like wasting peoples time any more than I do my own. I especially detest being late for church or work...


Apparently, my grandfather who died several years before I was born, use to get up at the crack of the crack of dawn. Once upon a time he was a farmer, had the worst luck of any man ever to live. Bought a horse that died the next day. However the man was "thrifty". He didn't waste nothing! Not even water. When he was done his meal and if there was a desert present, he'd flip his plate and use the bottom! "Why dirty another dish"? He'd say.

I guess as a farmer, he made the best use of his day. My mom recalls him working hard before he had to give up farm living. I honestly don't know much more about him then his temper and how hard he worked. But I really don't think there was much joy in his life. He drank an awful lot and was miserable more times than not.  At least that's what I heard of him. And I often wonder why.

I know this lovely person, he's a super hard worker. But man, he's miserable. He works all day long, day after day and just complains like the devil. Never happy, never satisfied, hard to be around...and completely alone. He has put WORK in front of GOD.

Folks, God did created us to work. That was part of the plan. That's why Adam was told to take care of the garden of Eden. He was meant to work it, but in his work he was meant to enjoy it.

Eccl 2:24 There is nothing better for people to do than to eat, drink, and find satisfaction in their work. I saw that even this comes from the hand of God.


Eccl 3:22 I saw that there's nothing better for people to do than to enjoy their work because that is their lot [in life]. Who will allow them to see what will happen after them?



Work was intended  to be fulfilling but as usual we've changed the rules of the game. See we WORK to LIVE and that's not how God intend us to be. Now cool your jets bub before you quit your job or start spitting at the screen, let me explain. YES we must work in this world to get money, that is our "lot in life", but our problem is, we aren't working for the joy that it should bring, we are working to provide for our families and our needs.

Eccl 6:7 Everything that people work so hard for goes into their mouths, but their appetite is never satisfied.

That is because THIS IS NOT OUR JOB! THAT IS GOD'S JOB! He supplies our needs.

2 Cor 9:8 Besides, God will give you His constantly overflowing kindness. Then, when you always have everything you need, you can do more and more good things.

Philip 4:19 My God will richly fill your every need in a glorious way through Christ Jesus.


See we are seriously wasting our work time working so hard for so little gain. We need to stop and revise how we approach the way we "work".  

The bible says in Deut 2:7a "The LORD your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands."

So we know that what we already do is blessed, even if it's cleaning up with the "Honey dew" wagon or church toilets after a street outreach breakfast. But HOW we do it is the key to being JOYFUL and fulfilled in our work situation.

The Bible says in Col 3:23 Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. 


Our work place is our MISSION FIELD. We are to show the rest of the world the true JOY of the LORD that is suppose to be filling up our lives, instead of going to work pitching a fit because so and so has asked you to do a little extra. Do it with joy because God sees every little detail you are doing. Instead of sitting with the chronic complainers, refuse to complain and be glad you have a paying job!


Me...I've been unemployed since I move to this little island 2.5 years ago. Recently, I stopped searching for work, and decided that since summer is almost here, and I'm far to cheap to pay for a babysitter when school is out, that I would start to focus my time on something far more important and that is getting right with God.  

See I use to apply to any and every job I could...I didn't even get a reply from Tim Hortons!!! And who knows more about coffee then me?! Hardly anyone I know! But I am blessed that my husband has a job that takes care of us, so that I can have this training time. 

This is not to say that I don't volunteer. I volunteer alot. I volunteer at church, at school, at community events. I'm a great volunteer that no one can pay! Story of my life. I work hard and do take the odd paying jobs too that come way. I have subbed as the janitor of my church. Nothing is beneath me. I cleaned literally pooped cover stalls after the street out reach breakfast at our church. I swear, the man was trying to paint "A Starry Night" on the stall walls in poop!!! I suffered! I suffered greatly! And now you get to imagine it.(I'm a giver)  But you know what, instead of freaking out, I just sang my little heart out the entire time I scrubbed that stall clean. Because I had a job to do, and it was to clean. I am very efficient with my time when I get out of my way and start praising God for the opportunity to serve Him. A  pastor friend of mine asked me years ago, if God asked me to clean toilets would I... I guess I would. 


Friends, there are some seriously horrendous jobs out there, and if you shift your focus off of you providing for you, and focus your faith on the fact that you are working to honour God, I guarantee you THINGS WILL CHANGE!

 See, the key here is putting down your flesh as it is in many occasions. Our flesh demands attention and demands alot of ego stroking every so often. But when you take your focus off yourself and ask God what He wants for your life, your job can become so much easier. 

What motives your heart? MONEY OR GOD? 

Ask the Holy Spirit who lives in you to give you New and innovative ways to do a boring mundane existing job. He's smart! He's has more ideas then you can shake a stick at! When I have a hard time figuring out something, I ask God to bless my hands for the labour that I am about to do. And you won't believe the "accidents" that turn out to be exactly what I need to do! God knew! All I had to do was get out of my way!

I'm a jolly girl! Ask my husband! I love singing, whistling, and being joyful. I have a sense of humour like none other and I just love to laugh. I have a joy that is not my own, I have God's joy in my soul and it helps to make dull times fun. 

The Holy Spirit is gracious and if you call on Him to help you in your boring or overworked life, He will help you. Take the focus off of you having to provide for your family and focus it on, I work because I want to build the kingdom of God, things will change! Perspective will change. Habits will change! You will become a GIVER!!! You'll love to give, you will give so much that you will get so much more! God loves a cheerful giver and that includes your time at the grind stone!

Nehemiah 8:10 Then he told them, “Go, eat rich foods, drink sweet drinks, and send portions to those who cannot provide for themselves. Today is a holy day for the Lord. Don’t be sad because the joy you have in the Lord is your strength.”

Every day is a good day when you give it over to Jesus! Give it all man. Why be a miserable complainer when you can enjoy your life! Don't let money become your be all and end all...take the focus off of serving money and put the focus on what will honour God in your work life and watch the changes happen!

Going to the Hospital Sunday morning

Just because someone goes to church does not mean they know Jesus.

Just because someone goes to church and may quote scripture to another does not mean they know Jesus.

To go to church and expect everyone to be outgoing, friendly, and loving is ridiculous.

Yes, Jesus does change people from the inside out but people need to realize that not everyone who professes Christ is a true follower of His ways.

Friends, the best way to look at Church is  to look at it like it was a hospital for broken people, from all walks of life. 

You would not go to a hospital to find strong healthy people.  You expect to find the sick, lame, dying and dead. And so you should also approach church in the same light. Come expecting to meet the people who need Jesus.

Jesus said "come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Matt 11:28

Jesus said to them "It is not the healthy who need a doctor,  but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."
Mark 2:17

If you come to church with the mind that everyone there is on various stages in their very personal quest for that Jesus kind of perfection then maybe your heart will soften towards them. We are all running a marathon race and every single believer in Jesus will stumble at some point.

***REALITY CHECK***
WE ALL HAVE BAD DAYS!

Friends, the commanality in my all my post is the thread of Holiness.  Jesus realizes that perfection was hard but He knew we could handle Holiness.

Approaching others with the mind that they too are damaged goods may help deter that spirit of offense that many people stumble on. If your life is focused on WHAT DID GOD REALLY SAY vs Joe Blow is a JERK who goes to church then YOU heap coals of fire on our adversaries heads!

Everyone's walk is different.  But if you approach others with the Father Heart of God and in true Jesus kind of love then you truly are His disciple.

Only Jesus is perfect...I am 100% certain that I am far from perfect. I know most of my church friends are far from perfect and to expect them to be perfect is just plain stupid.

Perfection in this life is difficult but Holiness is achievable!  The quest for Jesus kind of perfection leads to holiness! If everyone put Jesus's way first all the time and put there flesh in check and actually walked the love walk this world would not be the way it is! We would be in a love filled world! But we are not...DON'T LET THAT STOP YOU!  Go against the grain and choose to walk in love even when the world around you hurts you. Choose forgiveness over offense. Choose to see that hurt people are everywhere and expect to see them in church too.

It's not about you...it's about Jesus Christ, the author & finisher of our faith.  

For such a time as this

Friends! What an exciting time that we live in! Praise God!

We are possibly on the verge of seeing the King of Glory come in! Can you imagine seeing Jesus descending from Heaven and this wicked age coming not only to it's knees but coming to an end!

Not only this good news but also do you all realize that at no other time in the history of our world has the knowledge of Jesus Christ been so known! And not only that, but millions of us actually have the same knowledge that only Jesus had while He walked this earth! Not even the disciples had the wisdom that we have today! We walk in the fullness of Jesus Christ!

Friends, time is short. Things are happening now that were written about centuries ago. I know we have been waiting 2000 years for this event, and with much anticipation we hope together.

The pieces are falling into place. The Gospel is spreading like wild fire! Souls are coming to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ!

I know I am waiting expectantly!

Friends, my mom had a saying, "we are either on the edge of disaster or the verge of a miracle,  start praying, it will change your life". So lets keep praying, keep standing firm and keep our eyes on Jesus Christ who time is almost at hand!

Don't let the fear of man stop you from talking about Jesus, get BOLD and don't back down!

Remember folks, Jesus is THE ONLY way! That's right,  if they don't believe on Jesus and His saving grace they are in danger of hell fire!

Friends, I know it's hard and I know there is some fear but the reality is this, life is short, Hell is real, Hell is forever.

If you don't know Jesus and want to get into relationship with Him, all you got to do is call on His name, confess your heart to Him and let Him walk with you. You dob't any fancy words or long prayers, "Jesus Help me, I need you" is as simple as it gets! Get plugged in and let Jesus love you!

The Gospel and Homosexuality by David Platt - The best teaching I've heard so far!

The Problem with twisting God's Word

Twisting scripture has done a lot of damage to some people. The deceit of man has caused many a soul to fall away. False teachings are everywhere.  There are so many doctrines out there, who knows what the truth is anymore! 

It's time to stop this nonsense! It's time to get back to the Truth of God's Word and the ONLY way to do that is to pick up your Bible and search the scripture for What God Really Said not what someone has devised from their own natural mind or what feel good message is being pedaled in today's world. What does God REALLY say?

Today we are going to tackle one of the more voiced deceptions that has hit the church in these modern times and is ripping apart our very fabric...

Homosexuality

Yeah you read right, go big or go home right. But here's the difference, we are going to search the Scriptures and leave our personal opinions out...What did God really say? Now of course I am going from the point of view that you who are reading this are using God for your moral compass. His Word is final in all matters. However, if you do not believe His Word, stop here, this isn't going to be of any interest to you, and may offend you. God's Word only applies to those who believe in Him.

Let's kick the hornet's nest already.

The Bible is crystal clear on it's stance on the ACT of homosexuality. God Himself calls it an abomination (kjv), a detestable sin. Keep in mind though that ALL sexuality outside of the marriage covenant is against the teachings of the bible. 

Sin is sin, no matter how big or how small. 

Let the scriptures speak for themselves.

In the beginning

Gen 1:1a In the beginning God created...

Gen 1:26 -28
²⁶ And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. ²⁷ So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. ²⁸ And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

Gen 2:21-25
²¹ And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; ²² And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. ²³ And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. ²⁴ Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. ²⁵ And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

After The Fall

After the fall as the dust begins to settle we see all sorts of bad things begin to happen. The earth is cursed, it produces thorns and thistles. Murder is the big one. One man's disobedience causes a drastic changed in the walk between God & man. 

Gen 18: 20-23 KJV

²⁰ And the Lord said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous;
²¹ I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know.
²² And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the Lord.
²³ And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?

³² And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten's sake.

Gen 19:1-11, 24GWT

19 The two angels came to Sodom in the evening as Lot was sitting in the gateway. When Lot saw them, he got up to meet them and bowed with his face touching the ground. ² He said, “Please, gentlemen, why don’t you come to my home and spend the night? You can wash your feet there. Then early tomorrow morning you can continue your journey.”

“No,” they answered, “we’d rather spend the night in the city square.”
³ But he insisted so strongly that they came with him and went into his home. He prepared a special dinner for them, baked some unleavened bread, and they ate. ⁴ Before they had gone to bed, all the young and old male citizens of Sodom surrounded the house. ⁵ They called to Lot, “Where are the men who came to stay with you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them.”
⁶ Then Lot went outside and shut the door behind him. ⁷ “Please, my friends, don’t be so wicked,” he said. ⁸ “Look, I have two daughters who have never had sex. Why don’t you let me bring them out to you? Do whatever you like with them. But don’t do anything to these men, since I’m responsible for them.”
⁹ But the men yelled, “Get out of the way! This man came here to stay awhile. Now he wants to be our judge! We’re going to treat you worse than those men.” They pushed hard against Lot and lunged forward to break down the door. ¹⁰ The men inside reached out, pulled Lot into the house with them, and shut the door. ¹¹ Then they struck all the men who were in the doorway of the house, young and old alike, with blindness so that they gave up trying to find the door.

²⁴ Then the Lord made burning sulfur and fire rain out of heaven on Sodom and Gomorrah. ²⁵ He destroyed those cities, the whole plain, all who lived in the cities, and whatever grew on the ground.  

Leviticus 18:22
"Do not practice homosexuality, having sex with another man as with a woman. It is a detestable sin." (NLT)

Leviticus 20:13
"If a man practices homosexuality, having sex with another man as with a woman, both men have committed a detestable act. They must both be put to death, for they are guilty of a capital offense." (NLT)

Judges 19:16-24
That evening an old man came home from his work in the fields. He was from the hill country of Ephraim, but he was living in Gibeah, where the people were from the tribe of Benjamin. When he saw the travelers sitting in the town square, he asked them where they were from and where they were going.
"We have been in Bethlehem in Judah," the man replied. "We are on our way to a remote area in the hill country of Ephraim, which is my home. I traveled to Bethlehem, and now I'm returning home. But no one has taken us in for the night, even though we have everything we need. We have straw and feed for our donkeys and plenty of bread and wine for ourselves."
"You are welcome to stay with me," the old man said. "I will give you anything you might need. But whatever you do, don't spend the night in the square." So he took them home with him and fed the donkeys. After they washed their feet, they ate and drank together. While they were enjoying themselves, a crowd of troublemakers from the town surrounded the house. They began beating at the door and shouting to the old man, "Bring out the man who is staying with you so we can have sex with him." The old man stepped outside to talk to them. "No, my brothers, don't do such an evil thing. For this man is a guest in my house, and such a thing would be shameful. Here, take my virgin daughter and this man's concubine. I will bring them out to you, and you can abuse them and do whatever you like. But don't do such a shameful thing to this man." (NLT)

1 Kings 14:24
And there were also male cult prostitutes in the land. They did according to all the abominations of the nations that the LORD drove out before the people of Israel. (ESV)

1 Kings 15:12
He put away the male cult prostitutes out of the land and removed all the idols that his fathers had made. (ESV)

2 Kings 23:7
He also tore down the living quarters of the male and female shrine prostitutes that were inside the Temple of the LORD, where the women wove coverings for the Asherah pole. (NLT)

Romans 1:18-32
But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness.... Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn't worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles.
So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other's bodies. They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen.
That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other. And the men, instead of having normal sexual relations with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and as a result of this sin, they suffered within themselves the penalty they deserved.
Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done. Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip. They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents. They refuse to understand, break their promises, are heartless, and have no mercy. They know God's justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too. (NLT)

1 Corinthians 6:9-11
Don't you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don't fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people-none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God. Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. (NLT)

1 Timothy 1:8-10
Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine ... (ESV)

Jude 7
And don't forget Sodom and Gomorrah and their neighboring towns, which were filled with immorality and every kind of sexual perversion. Those cities were destroyed by fire and serve as a warning of the eternal fire of God's judgment. (NIV)
 

 So what now?

WE all need to recognize that WE ALL sin and fall short of the glory of God Romans 3:23. Any form of sexuality outside of God's design is sin and WE are all guilty of sin! So what does God say?!

THE OPPOSITE OF HOMOSEXUALITY IS HOLINESS!

That's right, Answering God's call to holiness! Putting what GOD SAYS above what you SAY or THINK! This is NOT about you, it's about God and what He Desires for you! He wants you to have HIS VERY BEST!

Let the scripture speak for itself!

1 Peter 1:14-16  
¹⁴ Because you are children who obey God, don’t live the kind of lives you once lived. Once you lived to satisfy your desires because you didn’t know any better. ¹⁵ But because the God who called you is holy, you must be holy in every aspect of your life. ¹⁶ Scripture says, “Be holy, because I am holy.”

1 John 3:6-10 
⁶ Those who live in Christ don’t go on sinning. Those who go on sinning haven’t seen or known Christ.⁷ Dear children, don’t let anyone deceive you. Whoever does what God approves of has God’s approval as Christ has God’s approval. ⁸ The person who lives a sinful life belongs to the devil, because the devil has been committing sin since the beginning. The reason that the Son of God appeared was to destroy what the devil does. ⁹ Those who have been born from God don’t live sinful lives. What God has said lives in them, and they can’t live sinful lives. They have been born from God. ¹⁰ This is the way God’s children are distinguished from the devil’s children. Everyone who doesn’t do what is right or love other believers isn’t God’s child.

2 Corinthians 7:1

7 Since we have these promises, dear friends, we need to cleanse ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit and live a holy life in the fear of God.

1 Thessalonians 4:7

⁷ God didn’t call us to be sexually immoral but to be holy.

 Leviticus 20:26 
You shall be holy to me, for I the Lord am holy and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be mine.

Isaiah 35:8 
And a highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Way of Holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it. It shall belong to those who walk on the way; even if they are fools, they shall not go astray.

1 Corinthians 6:19 
Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own,
 

Psalm 51:10-12 
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

1 Peter 4:1 

Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin,

3 John 1:11 

Beloved, do not imitate evil but imitate good. Whoever does good is from God; whoever does evil has not seen God.

Romans 12:1 

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

1 Thessalonians 4:4 

That each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor,

1 Peter 4:7 
The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers.

LIVE FOR  JESUS...DIE TO SELF!

Galatians 5:16 

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.

Romans 8:13 

For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

Galatians 5:24

And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

Galatians 5:19-21 

Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Colossians 3:5 

Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

Galatians 5:1-26

For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness.

Galatians 2:20 

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

 Galatians 6:7-8 

Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.

Romans 12:2 

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Galatians 5:25 

If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.

Galatians 5:19 

Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality,

But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD." Joshua 24:15

Doubt...the Faith Killer!

Welcome to my blog,  same disclaimer, my thoughts and opinions. Write your own,  have your say. 

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I HATE DOUBT! I HATE UNBELIEF.

Why is it that you got enough faith fir the things you can see and hold but you hum and haw when it comes to God?

You got faith your phone is going to work,  your toilet is going to flush,  your going to get up or if bed in the morning... this are all acts of blind faith,  but when you are believing God for something, you put limitations on Him. 
 
Doubt and Unbelief, They KILL Faith! Lookie right there in the word unbeLIEf...LIE!! Insidious ain't it! It's a lie to stop your faith dead in it's tracks! To suck the power clean out of you!

Do you think that Jesus EVER doubted any of the miracles He performed before He did them? Ah...no! He most assuredly did not! In fact, He Thank God for hearing AND ANSWERING before He even prayed what he was about to pray!

Do you think that Jesus doubted US when He said in John 14:12-14:

12 I can GUARANTEE this TRUTH: Those who believe in me will do the things that I am doing. They will do even GREATER things because I am going to the Father. 13 I will do ANYTHING YOU ASK the Father in my NAME so that the Father will be given glory because of the Son. 14 IF you ask me to do something, I WILL DO IT!

One of the main objectives to Jesus's ministry here on earth was to equip the Saints - (you and me) with HIS NAME! HIS POWER, AND HIS AUTHORITY!

You want to know what kind of power and authority you have in Jesus Name? Get your bible open to Mark 11: 12-26!!!

¹² And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry:
¹³ And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet.
¹⁴ And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it.
¹⁵ And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves;
¹⁶ And would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple.
¹⁷ And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves.
¹⁸ And the scribes and chief priests heard it, and sought how they might destroy him: for they feared him, because all the people was astonished at his doctrine.
¹⁹ And when even was come, he went out of the city.
²⁰ And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots.
²¹ And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away.
²² And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.
²³ For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.
²⁴ Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
²⁵ And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.
²⁶ But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.

You got WORD POWER people! That's right! Everything Jesus ever did started in mind, Jesus thought it then it went to His Mouth! He SPOKE and business got done! Trees died from the roots up! Dead people hopped up out of graves! Even a heathen Roman soldier knew that all Jesus had to do was SPEAK and his servant, who was miles away, would live!!!

Authority! Par excellence!
POWER! And Bless God! That Power is in EVERYONE who believes in Jesus!

So no matter what mountain you are facing, job stress, health problems, money issues, SPEAK to it in Jesus name! Deny the problem/issue the right to rule and ruin your life! Yes, the problem exists, but it doesn't have the right to control the situation.

We weren't told to climb mountains people! We were told to SPEAK to them and toss them puppies into the sea!

I'm not saying God is going to give you billions of dollars, but I am saying that He can bring you a job opportunity that will fit the bill, and you maybe you won't even have to even apply because God is talking about you or an unexpected visitor, or any other avenue that He would use to help you,  He will. 

You're job is to walk in Faith,  and believe that God is doing what His Word has set forth to do. 

Jeremiah 1:12 AMP says, “Then said the Lord to me, You have seen well, for I am alert and active, watching over My word to perform it.” 

Isaiah 55:11 NKJV

So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.

Those are God's words, not mine. He watches over His Word, not me. Would be an awful shame should His Word return void to Him! That would make Him a liar! 

Friends, ladies, your faith is all that is required. Step out and put your trust that God is going to lead your steps. It may look like your going the wrong way, but God knows what He is doing,  trust Him,  He is El Roi, the God who sees! 

ANSWER THE CALL OR HANG UP!

BEFORE we begin, I just want to Thank You all for taking the time to read what I got to say. It is a privilege and my honour to have y'all take time out of your day for me, a stranger. However, if you are here to bother me about my grammar, take you badge somewhere else. I will get lazy at some point and horribly mess up "Your & You're"...get over it, there will be TYPO'S aplenty! So lets begin:

 

 

 

Answer the Call to Holiness! 

Today we are going to take a look at one of the more difficult aspects of Christian living, and that is the call to Holiness. 

Holiness in today's world is looked down on. It's actual considered to be a weakness. "Little goodie two shoes, oh holier than thou"and so on.

See it's kind of funny, people don't mind you going to church,that's an okay thing. Even worldly people think its good to go to church. Everyone should have a hobby. However, when you start to change your ways... Oh Lord! When you allow the Holy Spirit to start cleaning you up, inside and out, then your playing a whole new ball game! Now you are a Bible thumper, zealot, dogmatic bigot. You will probably lose your old friend's and your family may push away from you. You may end up being more lonelier then you ever where before...I have to say this, the reality is this,  the closer you get to God, the further away your old life goes. It's part of being born again. 

 

2 Cor 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
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Ephesians 4:22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts.

For at least the last 30 yrs of my life, I can remember multiple pastors saying over and over "GOD'S CALLING HIS PEOPLE TO HOLINESS! " 30 years! This isn't something new, God had been calling His people to live HIS WAY since the beginning!

Lev 11:44-45, when God was giving the laws to Moses He said "Here is the reason: I am the LORD your Good, you must live Holy lives. Be holy because I am Holy."

1 Peter 1:13-21

¹³ Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
¹⁴ As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance:
¹⁵ But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;
¹⁶ Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.
¹⁷ And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear:
¹⁸ Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;
¹⁹ But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
²⁰ Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,
²¹ Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.

Faith in God plays a huge roll in Holiness.  See it is through our Faith we are saved. We were made the Righteousness of God in Christ!  See, unlike God's choosen people the Jews, we gained God's approval by faith. We were not under the Mosaic law, so we didn't have to measure up, we just believed in faith in Jesus. That alone is sufficient to make us righteous and put us on the path to holiness. He measured up more then we could ever even dare to conceive.

Holiness and righteousness are partners together. 

Righteousness is a right relationship with God through the sacrifice of Jesus, in faith.  

Romans 1:16-17 -The gospel is the power of God for salvation because a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last. 

To receive this gift of righteousness is to be justified -found innocent- by faith! And those who receive the gift then are to live as righteous people, devoted to the service of what God declares to be right. 

WE ARE IN A WAR!

Do you realize you are in a war? I know our natural eyes only see everyday living like kids playing at a park, parents talking over coffee.  Folks going to work. Life proceeding as normal,  it's all sunshine and rainbows...but it what you don't see is the Spirit realm. In the Spirit there is a constant war that has been raging since the fall. Good vs evil in the most epic death match the world had never seen! The Battles that are fought between the forces of light and darkness are for the souls of every single person who has ever walked the face of the earth. And sadly,  the Kingdom of Light has not always been victorious.  The darkness has swallowed far too many souls. 

The CIA put out an interesting number.  On an average day -whatever they consider average,  there are 150k known deaths in a single day and 350k known births. 

I Wonder how many of those 150k were saved.  How many people died today and were ushered into hell to spend an eternity separate from God.  I wonder how many stood before the gates of hell and said "I knew the truth but I didn't want to listen, I scoffed at Jesus! Or, I thought I had more time."

How many believers went to Glory today only to realize someone they loved didn't make it?

How about this. How many of us missed the opportunity to share the gospel to someone but didn't and they passed on to eternity?  

I missed the opportunity...I had a coworker who got sick real quickly, died within months of being diagnosed with cancer. I saw her in the hospital, but never once did I even think to tell her about Jesus. Never once did I think to pray for her healing. I was young, indifferent and completely self centered. I wonder to this day if someone told her the truth that I failed to tell her.

Friends,  I personally believe that my daughter's generation will be the one to Usher Christ in! Time is short, hell is real and we have a job to do!!!  I aim to be present at that time to see the King of Glory come in! But if I go by way of the grave, I'm not going to mess up like I did with my friend! After all God said in Genesis 6 the days of man will be 120 yrs! I got the time and to preach might as well use it!

We are in some of the last battles, we got to be ready!

In the final hour of World War 2, the Germans even though they knew they had surrendered,  their leader dead, the Allies on their door steps, still managed to kill a couple of our men! Why? Personally, I believe that the men let there guard down. They assumed that since the Germans were defeated, they could be at ease.

Eph 6:10-19 tells us we got to be ready, we got to put our armour on!

¹⁰ Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. ¹¹ Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
¹² For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
¹³ Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
¹⁴ Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
¹⁵ And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
¹⁶ Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
¹⁷ And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
¹⁸ Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
¹⁹ And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,

We don't wrestle against flesh and blood! No way! We fight demons! And we already won! See when someone is attacking you, it's not them, it's the devil in them that is using them, (their mouths, fingers) to throw their arrows at you. That is why you have the authority as a believer in Christ Jesus to bind that devil from using your friend/family member against you! You don't even have to be in the same room! There is no distance in the spirit, bind that devil from spewing it's filth at you in Jesus Name!

 

We are fighting a defeated foe! But many believers fail to realize this. When the devil roars, they tremble and many fall.  But the question we got to all is why.  Why is it so easy for the devil to pick us off?

Matt 24:10 - ¹⁰ And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.

 

1 Tim 4:1 - Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;

They believe the teachings of demons.  Can you think of the top of your head and demonic teachings that is being taught? I can think of a few right off the bat.

 

Don't ever kid yourself people, just because people twisted the laws of men to says sin is okay doesn't mean squat to God. His Word is final - not yours.

I went to a church not so long ago, a very charismatic pentecostal type church. I was amazed at how many young people were there. It was great! Until they spoke...Frankly, if I was blind didn't know I was in a church, I wouldn't have guessed it from the speaking. See, one of the youth pastors I am assuming, a lady about my age was talking with 2 young girls who apparently weren't legal age to drink. One of them had a birthday coming up, making her that ripe old age of 18. The conversation started by the older lady went something like, "well you still have 3 years before you can legally drink". To which the birthday girl replied, "oh no, it's okay, my parents are going to buy me beer for my party." 

I sat dumbfounded. I was seriously taken back by the conversation that started from the older woman. She was encouraging alcohol. Now to some people, that's not a big deal...after all "everyone drinks". And lets not forget that we need to throw Jesus' first miracle in here, water into wine... Friends, as a former drinker I can speak freely on this topic, and this is what I have to say, what an epic twist of scripture! Jesus may have turned the water into wine, but no where did it say He got hammered, which is generally the rule when young kids start drinking, because it's just sooooooooooooooooo cooooooooooooooool to spend your night putting your face where other peoples butts go. Yeah...fun fun fun.

In our society or young people have the highest rate of depression and suicide than any other generation before them. The feel hopeless. We shouldn't be teaching our kids to get drunk and loose, we should be teaching them how to live for Christ Jesus, who would give them lives beyond compare if they would only seek Him first.

My oldest brother was killed in a DUI accident. He was 18, a passenger sitting in the middle of the backseat of the car when the driver slammed head on into a telephone pole because he was so drunk he couldn't see straight. My brother and a 16yr old girl died that night. The driver lived on.

We have to stop allowing the devil to have free reign with our kids! They don't have the life experience we have and their Foundations are weak! The Church has been twisting Gods Word for years to suit our needs and justify our behaviour for far too long. Even the great preacher, Charles Spurgeon when he was alive noted how weak and spineless Christians had become. We got lazy. We became lukewarm.

Rev 3:16 ¹⁶ So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.

It's time folks that this sleeping giant, the Church needs a good tasering! Get off the fence! It's time to get HOLY!

WHAT IN HELL DO YOU REALLY NEED?

Jesse Duplantis (my fav preacher and ya I know y'all hate him, get over it) said once "What in Hell do you really need?!" Seriously, think about it. What does this world really have to offer you?

Eph 5:15 Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children 

 

Stop imitating the world! What does it have to offer you?

Drinking till you puke? Oh great fun there. Multiple sex partners...russian roulette with a loaded gun...clap, clap, itch, itch. All fun and games till someone gets hurt or a nasty rash/disease.

Be ye holy for I am holy!

 What about Romans 8:31 There is therefore, now no condemnation for those that are in Christ Jesus. So that means I can still party, live the way I want! Do what I want...

Really? What in hell do you realy need?

I want to challenge everyone right now. I want to challenge all of you not to use scripture to justify worldly behaviors but to use it to crucify your flesh! I want to challenge you to walk the walk and talk the talk!

Gal 5:24 ²⁴ And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.

The more you allow God to clean you out, the easier it is to put away those childish wordly things away.

Holiness is alot easiest to accomplish than perfection. You are making the choice to seperate yourself from the things of this world and focus on Jesus, the author and finisher of your faith!

Temptation may be strong But God! God is stronger! These temptations are commonplace,  we know them already. They are just flesh temptations! The devil can only tempt you in the flesh.

Matthew 16:13 - And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

 

1 Chronicles 4:10- ¹⁰ And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested.

 

The bible tells us to ask God to Keep us from Evil. It's mention roughly 30 times in one way or another. Jesus gave us outs all the time. And He told us time and again, your not of this world, don't be like them, seek ME first!

John 15:19¹⁹ If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.

 

John 17: 15-17 ¹⁵ I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. ¹⁶ They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.¹⁷ Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

 

John 8:31-32 ³¹ Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; ³² And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

TRUTH: 

Opposite of homosexuality is Holiness

Opposite of addictions is Holiness

Opposite to strife is Holiness 

Opposite to self centered living is HOLINESS

Holiness is the opposite of a sin filled life. 

Friends hear this, and recieve this: You must daily make the effort to put yourself in submission to God. 

 

James 4:10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

 

HUMBLE YOURSELF! You got to do this yourself. You have to constantly fight your WORLD RULED MIND into submission to a WORD RULED MIND. What's more important, a few minutes of pleasure or a life time of Jesus?

The longer you give into your flesh the harder it is to put down.  The flesh is crafty and wants what it wants!

My mom smoked from age 12-46 out of her 65 yr life. She tried to quit numerous times. But would always start back up for some reason or another. She fought that temptation hard. UNTIL one day she got a revelation! She had just bought a new pack of smoke and a new lighter and as we all were driving down the highway back home, she got the deliverance from smoking that she'd been praying for! She looked at that fresh white stick of tobacco and said to it out loud "You don't control me!" and toss that sucker and his buddies and the light out the window and never touched another cigarette ever again. Heck the smell of it, which she use to like made her nauseous.

Finally, she put her desire down and her Spirit rose over her flesh!

BE YE HOLY FOR I AM HOLY!

There are awesome benefits to working your way along the path to holiness! It's not as boring as you may think. Sure, you may end up loosing interest in some things after awhile, but you find so much more. Following Jesus becomes so fulfilling and all consuming, stupid things just don't matter. I use to go out and party, but I never really enjoyed it. I always felt like something was missing. I don't like the "feeling" of a bar anymore. I go to pubs every so often to eat...the food is awesome! But I can't be bothered to hang out all night with a bunch of hissy women and horny men!

Gal 5:22-24

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
²³ Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
²⁴ And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.

When my mom died in 2004, I faced my worst nightmare and fear head on. I loved my mom dearly. She was my world. She was also my Pastor. But when she died, I thought for sure I was going to curl up in a ball and die soon after her. Even my cats mourned her! But when I went to the actual funeral, it was weird. I have never in all my life ever felt the kind of peace and indescribable joy that I felt there. I was sad my mom had left this crappy world, but I was not overwhelmed. I had peace in my Spirit. I knew I didn't have to worry about her, I knew she was in Heaven, I knew that everything was going to work out fine. Because Jesus was there with me. He never left me and even to this day, His presence is a very real thing in my life.

See, Holiness isn't hard. Perfection is, but Holiness is simple, all you have to do is just shift your focus on the things that please God, that lead you to Him. Your really not missing out on anything!  Get into His word daily, read it for yourself,  find out what God has to say about you. Ask Him to reveal to you the areas in your life that need a good scrubbing out. 

You don't have to give up anything really. You just change what you think is important. See, if you ask my daughter and husband what I value most in my personal life they will tell you Jesus. He comes before anyone and anything. Why? Because I shifted my focus off pleasing me to focusing on what pleases God, and what He desires for me. His ways are so much more fulfilling then mine. They just jive so much better than anything I could contrive for myself. He blesses me so richly it's amazing! Simply amazing!

Let me close with this final quote from my favourite Cajun, Jesse Duplantis "There has got to be a time when you love Jesus more than you love sin. There has to come a time when you hold his face dear; when it's worth more to you than some worldly fling!"

 

It's time to make your affections known. Will you finally answer His persistent loving call? Be ye holy as I am Holy saith the Lord...or go on with your worldly life...your call.