Living in the World

I don’t mean to sound harsh, and my language may be strong but I hate the world. I don’t like what the world has to offer me. I don’t like what the world does to me. I don’t like what the world does to others.  I know you all pretty much feel as I do.  There are those out there that are unsaved and don’t understand the suffering they endure for no good reason.  They don’t understand that the world is ruled by Satan and he uses the world and all the temptations in the world to keep them echelons away from Christ. It frustrates me. It angers me. It just makes me mad. 

 

I dislike Satan very much, well, okay, I hate Satan. He is evil, he is disgusting, he is vile, and he is all that is darkness. There is nothing good from Satan. Nothing is worth entertaining with him. He is the disdain of heaven and is the enemy of all of the saved.  Satan deserves hell and deserves our hate for him.

 

The world is tricky though. Satan has had thousands of years to refine how he gets people, keeps them away from Christ, and tries to snatch us away from our Savior.  The world offers people with so many pleasures and temptations adverse to Christ that it is second nature in our society. We are prey for him and he is trying to snare us in his traps.

 

The world is both bold and subtle in how they try to lead us astray from Christ.  Society is in demise. It is falling apart. It’s disheartening to see society falling apart. Society is falling at a faster rate of speed, exponentially getting worse and worse with each passing day.

 

Gay marriage is a bold statement by society to try to slap Christ in the face of Christian values.  This lifestyle is being shoved down our throats. If we don’t agree or follow the status quo, we are set aside on the fringe of society, looked down upon for our “hate.”  Homosexuality is put before us now in everyday life. Look at television. There are multiple shows, including children/teen shows that blatantly flaunt homosexuality as normal. It to me seems like the media wants kids to think it is okay and actually encourages kids to “explore” this horrible lifestyle.  

 

There is a new show on one of the cable stations that is about a couple that cheat on each other and explores sex with multiple partners. The commercials for it make it seem like it is okay to do this, that it is fun, exciting, and that it is normal.  I haven’t watched it, nor will I ever expose myself to such mockery to my Christian values.

 

Yet it is out there. The agenda of the world is there for people and children to eat it up, getting brainwashed without unsaved people even noticing it.  Not only that, but Christians can fall prey to this type of “in your face” programming the media pushes out through the air.  The flaunting of homosexual lifestyles can make people question whether this lifestyle really is wrong.  By constant bombardment from media some Christians are okay with homosexuals and the lifestyles they live. This is bad.

 

When Christians start to sway towards accepting homosexuality, we are in trouble as a collective group. It makes those of us who value what the bible says as hate mongers and unloving.  I don’t hate gay people. I’m charged in the bible to love everyone and to pray for people. I just know that what they are doing is wrong and if my belief of wrong is seen as society as hate, then I’m guilty and won’t apologize for my beliefs. The Word says it is wrong. Period.

 

To me, we can’t seem to escape this fallen world but are trapped in it like an innocent man sent to prison. We can’t escape. We can’t leave. We can’t do anything to change the situation. This demise of society is prophesized and will spiral more out of control until we are raptured. I can’t wait for that day.  In a way, I welcome the demise of society and the falling of the world because it just means we are getting closer and closer to being taken up with Jesus. 

 

The world is full of temptations. Look at television again. How many shows out there glamorize sex and portray sexuality that is free and without consequence. The women are seducing in their dress and flaunt their body. This makes people think that is okay to dress skimpy and sexuality is not something to cherish with a spouse.  It disgusts me and I will turn the channel or turn my eyes away from the TV when commercials come on that are selling products with sex.

 

Greed is another big part in the demise of our world. Money, money, money. This is what people want.  There are preachers out there that try to tell people that by faith they can be rich. They tell people they are poor because they don’t have faith in God.  They tell people if they give [them] money then tenfold will be given back to them.  They try to use God for greedy desires. This is not godly behavior.  I have not found anywhere in the Bible where it says that God wants us to be wealthy. God wants our hearts, souls, and minds.  Many people have been convinced that blessings from God should be of money or material goods.  My blessings are that I have a job, can support my family within my means. Most of all, my blessings are spiritual with spiritual growth and advancement in my walk with Christ. 

 

The world also glamorizes the abuse of drugs and alcohol.  Advertisers not only use sex to sell alcohol but you ever notice that the people in commercials are always having fun? I would like to see a commercial that shows the drunk on the street with a bottle of Mad Dog in a paper bag, throwing up with slurred speech and disheveled clothes. Nope, won’t ever see that reality of addiction in a commercial or TV show.  Drugs and alcohol are always tied to good times by society. When I was a police officer, ever single incident I was called out to involved alcohol and/or drugs in the incident I responded to.  Really, I’m serious.  But the world says it is okay. 

 

We are surrounded by these temptations and the failing society. We have to survive though. We have to endure to the end.  We must not cave into the world or the wiles it tosses at us on a daily basis.  If you are truly saved, you won’t fall for the ills of the world or be swayed by the world to accept those things contrary to what Christ taught.  We are in the middle of a battlefield. We are in the midst of evil. Be strong my fellow warriors. We will be victorious. 

 

I’m angry at the world but feel bad for the unsaved.  There are so many out there that are blinded to the truth. They don’t see past their outstretched hand and only live day to day for pleasure and ultimate demise.  It’s no wonder we Christians have such a hard time talking to people about God.  Godlessness is so ingrained into the unsaved minds that we almost need a sledge hammer to get through to them.

 

I question the validity of some people who call themselves Christians. I call them worldly Christians. They live in the world Monday through Saturday.  Then on Sunday they are “Christians.”  They come to church to feel good about themselves. They come to get forgiveness for their actions during the week and start right over again Sunday night.  If you saw them on the street, you would never know they went to church because, again, they are worldly Christians. 

 

Don’t get me wrong. We Christians are not perfect by far. We mess up sometimes, fall into the world and take steps backwards in our walk. We at times fall off the path. We are not worldly Christians though because we get back up, ask for forgiveness and then get back on track with Jesus. We learn from our mistakes. We don’t repeat them day after day. We make mistakes, get convicted by the Holy Spirit for our wrong, and learn our lesson to not repeat it again.  Worldly Christians mess up and mess up and mess up, never learning from their mistakes but continue repeating them over and over again. They take two steps back and stand there, waiting for the next Sunday so they can feel good about themselves and then go home and start messing up again.

 

These worldly Christians give us real Christians a bad name.  I would say that there are a lot a people out there that say they are Christian because they go to church sometimes, maybe Christmas and Easter. They say they believe in a god, but it isn’t the God I believe in.  They want their cake and want to eat it too. They want to have the benefits of salvation but want to enjoy the sins of the world too.  They think that as long as they are good people, believe in God, and are not affiliated with other religions then by default they are Christians.  Wrong! And it makes me angry.

 

True Christians don’t fall for the world. They know they are in a godless society and live around godless people.  The true Christian recognizes the situation they are in: surrounded by evil.  They are always looking up, not around for the next feel good thing fad. If you are a Christian, you should feel uncomfortable in this world because it is not where we belong. 

 

I get more and more uncomfortable in this world as I see it going down the drain into the sewer. I see more demise of the world as I gain knowledge of Christ and His teachings. I am able to better see evil and avoid evil things in this world as my walk with Christ moves forward.  I can discern better what is right and wrong through the eyes of Christ. 

 

Where do you stand? Are you a worldly Christian or a real Christian? Do you love the world more than you love Christ? Do you seek out pleasures first and before seeking Christ? Do you skip your bible study to watch that football game on Sundays?  Where do you fit, with God or the world? If you are the latter, then it is time for you to reevaluate your standing with your faith.  You need to reorganize your priorities and get in line with Christ.  Go back in your mind to when you were first saved. The zeal you had, the love you had for Christ. The desire to do His will. Get reenergized again.  Pull yourself out of the world and get with Christ again. 

 

If you are the former and fit in with God, great! Then you know and are assured where you are going when the rapture occurs.  You are defeating the world one battle at a time.  You are staying on the path of salvation and are not swayed by the world to bend in your faith. 

 

The world is a horrible place to live right now.  It is full of evil. It is Satan’s playground and base of operations to keep people from Christ and to try to yank us from our faith in God.  I hate the world and I hate Satan. You should too.  Take heart though that Christ conquered the world and will come back soon to take us away leaving those unsaved to fend for themselves. We can survive and not be swayed by the demise of society or the messages spewed out by the media to try to change us from where we stand on the Rock of our faith.   Stay strong in your faith and we will overcome.  God Bless you all.

Overcome

“for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith,” 1 John 5:4 (NIV).

 

Oh boy, do we face obstacles and challenges in our life from the world.  I mean, every day, isn’t there something that you have to face:  A decision, a challenge, a temptation, and some obstacle that you have to overcome? We can do this because we ARE born of God, rejuvenated through Christ, the Son of God, Jesus the Christ, in our heart and minds.  Simple in concept, right? Yes, but to practice this is a challenge faced each day we live our lives. I think the only time I don’t face challenges is when I’m asleep (I jest), any other time, it is obstacle after obstacle, challenge after challenge. Really, I mean, doesn’t this get exhausting to anyone else?  I get exhausted from it and yes, fail, but get back up like a boxer knocked down, and come back to win the battle with the world.

 

We all have challenges that we face individually, but across the board, I think you can deduce that we all face similar challenges though they may be disguised as such to each of us individually.  Take for example… hmmm… temptations, as a general item we all face this. You may be tempted by lust, or by alcohol abuse, or something else, but in the end we are all tempted, however it manifests itself to us individually.  It’s the world that tries to lure us into its grip. Tries to hold us down and tries to make us slip up, all with the goal to take us away from Christ through sin and the guilt we feel after we commit sin.

 

Is it just me or do we face more challenges and obstacles in our lives as we grow with Christ? I wonder sometimes if that as we grow, we notice those things contrary to Christ and the bible.  Or, is it that the world and Satan are trying harder to pull us away from our God by giving large and little temptations, each tailored for each of our weaknesses? I guess after pondering it, it is both.   We grow and we recognize more sin in our lives and as we grow, Satan uses the world to try to overwhelm us with sinful thoughts and temptations. 

 

How do we overcome the obstacles in our lives, the challenges we face daily? Duh, Christ of course! If you’re like me though, sometimes I try to fight the battles by myself, leaving Christ out the picture because I think I am strong enough to face challenges on my own, without the need for Christ. This misadventure of action will always result in a slap in the face, or shall I say failure, on my behalf to look to Christ for help.  It is a lesson I seem to fail at sometimes, but when I finally come to my senses, I reorganize my thoughts, and look up and trust that Christ is the advocate for me and will be the lead soldier in my fight to overcome.  When I do remember to ask for direction from the Holy Spirit, things turn out okay and it is much easier to overcome the challenges I face.

 

This is easy for those of us who know Christ and have the Holy Spirit in us.  The world will not overcome us, but we will overcome the world.  You will know this from the actions and attitude you have when challenges from the world face you nose to nose, foot to foot.  You ever see someone not saved face challenges? They get upset, they spin around trying to figure things out, they yell, they act out, etc.  It is like they throw a tantrum or something. It is quite comic for me to watch this, especially at work. There are lots of unsaved folks at work who get spun up for just the little things and can’t control their emotions for it.  Those of us that are saved, face adversity with a calmness and gracefulness that others can’t understand. They look at us like we are crazy because we are calm in the storm of life and they don’t understand why we are not spun up like they are. It confuses them. 

 

I have this calm demeanor about me at work and in life in general.  I don’t get angry, I don’t act out, and I stay calm in the storms that come my way at work and outside of work. I mention work because I spend most of my time there, and can see those that are saved and those that aren’t and so it is a good place for me to observe this.  A deadline is coming up and the product isn’t done? My coworker, who isn’t saved, gets upset, angry, and frustrated.  Me, I’m as calm and steady as a Sunday afternoon.  I have the attitude of Christ and know things will work out and I need not worry.  I know I can overcome the challenges I face at work and when I do this, it really confuses people, and even though they take my calmness as a “don’t care” attitude, I on the other hand, know that everything will be in control and I know I won’t slip into anger or disdain, which is contrary to the Word.  I personally get a kick out of watching unsaved people spin around till they are dizzy. If you work, take a look around and observe those around you and you will see what I see.

 

If you do face challenges that you WILL overcome, you know in your heart that Christ is with you. Seek Him and He will be there with you to fight those challenges.  With our faith in Him, we will overcome because we have the faith of God in us and we are warriors of faith that will win the battles and wars we face.

 

“To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne,” Revelation 3:21 (NIV).

 

Our entire lives we have and will to continue to have challenges and obstacles. We faced them before we knew Christ, before we were saved, and now we face even greater ones that try to take us off track.  To be victorious, to sit with Christ in heaven, we have to continue to endure the things thrown at us by the world.  We have to overcome daily and weekly and yearly.  To be victorious, we must take it on challenge by challenge. On the battlefield of life, it is easier, for me at least, to take on skirmish at a time, one challenge at time. If I try to look forward to subsequent battles, I find that I get discouraged by thinking ahead. I mean, I do look at the finality of my endeavor, which is heaven, but here on this world, if I take the effort of anticipating the challenges I may face next week, next year, etc., I am discouraged for it is hard to fight each day. For me it is exhausting. Maybe you are blessed to not facing as many challenges as others, and that is great, but many of us do face great challenges in our lives that we have to fight daily. 

 

Let’s take for example, the lustful desire.  It can be lust for another or the lust for something material.  For some, it is sex, money, alcohol or drugs… you get the picture.   For some this is a daily battle for them. You fight, fight, and fight. You fail. We cannot expect to win each battle, for we are sinful creatures and give in and lose the fight, but ultimately, it is our choice and our strength in God that determines this.  I look at myself and see how weak I was in my walk with Christ in the beginning, failing and losing battles all the time. Yet as my faith has grown and my walk has continued, I find that I overcome more than I fail.  I am sure, with hopefulness, that as I continue to grow with Christ, I will continue to have more victories than failings and the tide of the battle will be on my side more than less. 

 

Philippians, 4:13 (NIV), says “I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”

 

With strength we will overcome. Why? Because God says that we will overcome with our faith and strength in Christ.  But how do I get more strength, you may be asking? For those of us that are saved, we know that we get strength through Christ. But how do I do that, you say?  Through prayer, through studying the bible, and by living a Christ like life.  Notice the verse says “through him who gives me strength.” It doesn’t say “through strength” for if it left out “through him” we would assume and expect that we could gain our strength through other means other than of God. 

 

We cannot get strength in Christ to overcome by our own devices, but we need Christ to give us the strength to overcome. Sometimes I believe people think they, on their own, have gotten more strength in Christ.  This type of thinking gives us the sin of pride.  The verse clearly states that Christ gives us our strength, not us giving ourselves strength.  If we didn’t need Christ to get strength, then what good is Christ in our lives? Christ freely gives this strength to overcome the world if we just ask Him to and believe that He can and that He will give us the strength to face the world. 

 

Just knowing Christ is not the end to all adversity.  We get strength in Him to overcome the world and Satan.  If we leave Christ out of the formula, then the sum will be wrong. If we let God give us the strength to overcome, we will.  One of the hard parts is letting Him give us the strength.  It isn’t an overarching strength that will give you tools by which you can defeat the enemy, but is strength for each situation and each obstacle you will face.  For each challenge, we must ask for strength to overcome. For each obstacle we can get the strength Christ to overcome.  We can gain this strength by continually seeking and asking for it each day.

 

“Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always,” 1 Chronicles 16:11 (NIV).

 

This verse adds to the Philippians verse above by adding to “seek his face always.”  Always have Christ on your mind, always mediate on Him.  What does this mean to you? For me, it is always thinking and keeping my heart open to Him throughout the day. I’m always thinking of Him and talking to Him in my thoughts and actions.  I pray, I study the word, and I talk about Him as much as I can to those that listen. 

 

In facing obstacles then, I seek Him even more, so that my thoughts and actions are focused on Christ like mindedness, not my mind.  I fail sometimes, but it’s a lot less than I used too.  I find that focusing on Him in my thoughts all the time gives me a sense of peace and joy and gives me a positive attitude throughout the day. 

 

Those of the world don’t understand and therefore they flap in the wind, going this way and that way trying to solve problems.  If they had Jesus, then this would be easier for them to overcome.  Unsaved folks just don’t understand how we think and act and just don’t get it: that through Christ we get strength and we overcome. They continue in a vicious cycle that they can’t get out of. Yet we with Christ have escaped that cycle and can move on in life with a hopeful expectation of being able to overcome the world and everything it will through at us with the end result being in eternity in heaven with fellow believers and Christ. 

 

The world will continue to throw things at us regardless of what we do and where we stand with Christ. We will overcome though.  We will win battles in our life that the adversary throws at us daily.  I’ve got Jesus and I overcome.  When I forget to seek His strength, I fail.  When I seek his strength, nothing can hold me down. Nothing will keep me away from my God. Nothing.

 

If you are reading this and aren’t saved, there is hope for you.  Christ can give you the strength to overcome challenges and obstacles that you’re facing. He will give you the tools to overcome. All you need to do is accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior. This is a huge step, but if you want to overcome the battles going in your life and get to heaven, He is the only way to conquer the world and get to heaven.  If you want to go to go to heaven you must not be overtaken by the world.  You need to accept Him in your heart as your Lord and Savior. 

 

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world,” John 16:33 (NIV).

Hard Pressed

“We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body” (2 Corinthians 4:8-10).

You ever feel pressed, perplexed, persecuted, or struck down by people? I have.  It’s hard. It seems like some days are just too hard, too much working against us in our walk with Jesus.  Satan attacks us from every possible angle you can imagine. He is always there waiting to pounce on us, to tear us away from Jesus. He is always there to keep people away from Jesus using every trick he has in his handbag to keep people from coming to Christ and being part of the plan of Salvation. 

We are pressed on all sides. We must be strong in these times. The enemy is working harder than ever to keep people from Christ. The world is pressing on us in every possible way. Satan is using the world and worldly people against us to keep us from our calling; to be with Jesus. Satan uses the world to entice us away through media, through unsaved people, and anti-Christ’s that twist the word of the Lord to try to make us think that the Word is irrelevant and useless in today’s world. 

We are pressed but not crushed. We can overcome the wiles of Satan by being strong in Lord Jesus. Through our faith we can overcome the pressing of evil that is upon us. We can overcome anything that Satan throws in our path. To do this we need to pray always, seek the Lord daily, and renew our relationship with Jesus every day, every hour, every minute of our lives.  By doing this, keeping Jesus and his commands in the forefront of our minds, we can overcome and not be swayed by the tricks and turns that Satan throws at us. Jesus is stronger than Satan and His promises of overcoming the world and Satan are true. We need to just put our trust in Christ and hold on to our faith.

We face persecution. It may be subtle, or it may be obvious, but we are all facing persecution of the Church today. We are being marginalized by the world as a fringe group of fanatics that won’t conform to what the world is saying is now normal: gay marriage, abortion, worshiping other god’s (entertainment industry, hobbies, etc.).  When things are happening in our country, in our communities, in our churches that are contrary to what the Lord has written in His Word; that is subtle persecution of us true believers and followers of Jesus Christ. When the government says that gay marriage is now the law of the land, we are being persecuted. When late term abortions are part of the norm, we are being persecuted. This is because when we disagree with these types of government policies and law, we are considered in a negative way and are told we are bigots or hateful.

Then there are the obvious persecutions we face. When we are treated differently (negatively) because of our faith, such as when we proclaim to others what we believe and are put down because of what we believe, we are being persecuted. It isn’t so bad in this country because we are not being killed or sent to prison for our faith, yet.  Nonetheless, when we are being treated negatively or marginalized for our faith, we are still being persecuted, just not to the level that some face in other countries. How long will it be until us true believers are marginalized in this country to the extent that we face imprisonment or bodily harm. Just look at the military and how they now say us Christians are a threat to the military’s good order and disciple and expressing Christian beliefs to others can lead to prosecution in the military. How long until that spreads to mainstream America?

Know though that we are not abandoned. Christ is with us always, even in the face of persecution, whether subtle or obvious. Christ is our rock that we can stand on to be assured that we are saved with Salvation through Grace to eternity.  Christ in you works with you to help you through the persecutions you face. Regardless of if it is a bigoted attitude towards Christians, or being killed or imprisoned for our faith, Christ is with us and we are assured of our Salvation. There is nothing to fear then because He is with us always and will be the blanket wrapped around us to protect and be with us in times of trouble. We will face trouble, but be assured Christ is with us during those times.

Being struck down is tough. I think we have all had a situation where, because of our faith, we have been knocked down emotionally and spiritually. This is especially true when we try to share our faith with an unbeliever. It is not our job to change their hearts, but we are called to introduce Jesus to the unsaved. The vileness of some people can be very hurtful and disheartening.  Most people not interested in Jesus are nice about it to me, but I have heard the vileness of some people that curse the name of Jesus because of their cold hearts. We are human and we hurt when we are turned away or shunned because of our faith.  God is with us though, even in these situations.

Don’t lose heart because even if you feel you are struck down, beat down, or set apart because of your faith; we cannot be destroyed if we are in Christ. People cannot destroy us, nor can Satan working through the world and unbelievers destroy us. They may hurt our feelings but they cannot destroy our faith and hope in Christ Jesus.  Jesus is stronger and more powerful than any evil force in the universe. We should not lose heart because we are struck down at times by others, but we should be made stronger in our faith when we face adversity.

Adversity is part of being a Christian. This is something we should embrace, for it will make us stronger in Christ Jesus. For the unbeliever, if you are not for Christ then you are against us. If you are against us, then you are of the world and support the works of Satan. You can switch teams, so to speak, and be on the side of Jesus and eternity with Him in heaven.

To be with Jesus is not easy in the world we live in, but the troubles we face are minimal as compared to the trouble you will have if you choose the world (and Satan) and spend eternity in hell instead of heaven with Jesus.

Jesus is the promise of Salvation through Grace. Believe in Him, commit yourself to Him, and follow Him, and your eternity will be heaven, not hell.  What you, as an unbeliever, may not know is that God sent His only Son, Jesus, into the world to be the sacrifice for all humanity’s sins. That means He was sacrificed to cover my sins, your sins, and everyone else’s sin for those that believe He is the Son of God that died on a cross for us.  This may be hard to grasp, but it is truth and can be counted on as truth. If you believe in Jesus and put your trust in Him (heart, soul, mind) then when judgment comes, you can be assured that your sins are already forgiven and heaven awaits your soul.

If you choose not to believe in Jesus, you will die, just like everyone else, but the difference is that you will be accountable for your sins and will not have an advocate for you when you face the judgment seat of God. You will go to hell. This may sound harsh to you, but it is truth: Jesus equals eternal life in heaven, and no Jesus means eternal damnation in hell.

Choose Jesus my friends. If you are playing church and don’t really believe in Jesus, it is time to choose. If you don’t go to church but want eternal life in heaven, now is the time to accept Christ as your Lord and Savior. You cannot earn heaven, for it is a gift of God that was given by Grace through the sacrifice of Christ if you believe on His name, His life, His death, and His resurrection.

Find a church that teaches the foundations found in the bible. Study the bible and seek the Lord for yourself. More importantly, pray to God for revelation and assurance that Jesus is the real deal. Cry out to the Lord that you want eternity with Him in heaven and pray for Jesus to be part of your life, the main part of your being and life.

Being part of the world (and Satan) isn’t easy. With Jesus, you will face trouble in the world, but eternity with Him is worth it. I pray that those reading this that are not saved are touched by the Holy Spirit and gain a desire to seek the Lord and to learn about and accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

Choosing Jesus is a journey worth the trip. You will be changed and will see the world differently as you do now.   You will see the world with Satan for what he is: a deceiver. With Jesus you will feel a love that is indescribable. Choose wisely, for your eternity is at stake.

The Enemy

The enemy is after me in a big way this week.  He is fighting hard and it is stemming from an experience I had at a new small church we went to on Sunday.  We’ve been looking for another church because our old church has drifted away from speaking the truth to “fluffy” messages aimed at feel good messages. The pastor there is more concerned with getting more people and even has a marketing strategy to do so. Part of it is doing series after series of feel good messages with a focus on trying to get people to come back to church each Sunday to feel good about themselves and not hear the truths from the Bible.

Anyway, we went to this small church, about 20 people, after being invited by a friend.  The pastor actually was teaching from the bible, which was surprising to me because I expected another “feel good” church. It was refreshing.  After the service was done there was the alter call. I didn’t go up to it for I didn’t think I needed prayer for anything.  Once the alter call was finished the pastors mom, who was helping pray for people, looked directly at me and waved me up. I didn’t move. She did it again and I reluctantly went up to the alter. She immediately stared at me in a concerned deep stare and began speaking in tongues at me.  Then she was speaking Spanish and my wife had to interpret it for me. She said I suffer from great depression (true) and the enemy is using it to keep me away from a full relationship with Jesus.  She said the Lord wants me to get past the depression for he has many plans for me. She said He needs me fully because my depression is a road block to my relationship with him.

She was so right. It is amazing and miraculous how God uses others to give us messages.  I felt my heart sink for she knew my inner weakness and my heart melted because that was something I needed to hear.

So here I am Monday morning.  The enemy is trying his hardest to overcome me, more so than ever before with my depression. He almost won twice in the last two years, but I sought through pray what I should do and twice in one year I was hospitalized in a psychiatric hospital for coming close to suicide. Right now my mind is filled with suicidal ideations and I know it is the enemy trying to take hold of me after my release of this burden yesterday. The thoughts are unending and are bombarding me with feelings of worthlessness and hopelessness of a future. In my heart I know this to be untrue and I keep praying and praying to get these feelings out of my head, but I’m having a real hard time with it. It seems that no matter what I do, these thoughts will creep back into my head.

I rebuked Satan and his intrusive thoughts. I rebuked him and his evil desires for me. I rebuked him in my mind and heart.  I received a prophetic word from a stranger and I hold fast to the words she gave me. I know I will overcome because God said so through her.  Since writing these words, my depression has vaporized and I feel alive again.  Being on the verge of tears and thoughts of harming myself are gone. Here it is Wednesday and I haven’t felt depressed since I battled with Satan on Monday. Glory to God!

I don’t think I’m alone in this.  From responses I get from people, Satan uses our weakness against us and the power of his suggestions can be overpowering.  The power of Satan is great, but the power of Christ is greater.  When faced with Satan and his attempts to lead you away from God, or in my case to harm myself, have strength in Christ to overcome. Take a moment here to rebuke and pray. Over and over again rebuking Satan and the thoughts he is putting in your mind. Knowing that I received the prophetic word on Sunday has caused Satan to try his hardest at getting me to give up. After rebuking him, I felt a peace in my heart and a confidence in my soul that yes, I am not controlled by Satan. I am the child of the Most High. 

“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours,” Mark 11:24.

“If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you,” John 15:7.

I have asked God for a lifting of my depression and a rebuking of Satan, and His answer was immediate.  I’m also asking God what other plans He has for me and I’m patiently waiting for that answer. During the alter call, the prophetic word I got was that God has greater plans for me and greater works for Him. Right now, my ministry is writing these articles and getting into teaching bible studies now.  Yet I patently and excitedly wait the revealing of what God still has in store for me.  I eagerly wait.

I want to talk to you about your stumbling blocks in your life that may be similar to my situation. What road blocks have Satan put in your path preventing you from being fully committed to Christ?  What is it in your life that is holding you back? Is guilt leading to depression? Mine is. Is it a sin you committed that you think you can never be forgiven of? You can be forgiven.  Is it lust for something? You can overcome that.

I had a gentleman write me and said that he is trying to overcome lustful desires. So bad are his actions that he says he can’t look up to the Lord for the shame he is feeling for always giving in to his lustful desires. He feels there is no hope for him or his salvation anymore. This thinking was similar to mine with depression, but like me, he needs to pray and pray and rebuke Satan in that aspect of his weakness and ask forgiveness and then endure. We are to endure this world. We are to endure the hardships and the things Satan uses against us to keep us separated from Christ.

Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Regardless of what Satan tries to do. Regardless of how he tries to snatch you away from the Lord, know that God does have plans for each and every one of us. This is a promise made to us in Jeremiah. God’s plan for us is to not be defeated by Satan, but to overcome Satan and the world. By doing this we may prosper in the Lord and walk with Him into eternity. 

We may not know what these plans are but part of it is to not harm us but to give us hope. Satan will get you, through your weaknesses, to think otherwise: you aren’t good enough, shame, guilt, hate of self, etc. The Lord, though, has plans to prosper you in your life. This prospering is not material goods, but is spiritual in nature. He wants us to grow in Him. He wants us to seek Him for guidance and truth to live our lives here on this earth in righteousness while seeking eternity with Christ.  So when you think of prosper, don’t think of a bigger house or more material things, but think of your spirit, soul, and the growth you can achieve by seeking and having hope in the Lord.

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes,” Ephesians 6:10-11.

Satan is always scheming against us. He never stops. He never ceases. He never sleeps. His goal is to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10). He wants to destroy our walk with Jesus. For me, this is through depression.  He has come close but I have endured through prayer and guidance of God to seek help with the right people for treatment.  He didn’t win and won’t win. 

Satan wants you. He wants to destroy you. He wants to steal you from Christ. He wants to kill you and your relationship with Christ.  Don’t give in. Every time thoughts enter your head that you know are trying to sway you away from Christ, remember Satan’s mission to kill, steal, and destroy. Rebuke Satan. Rebuke him to leave you alone. Pray for the strength of Christ to overcome. Overcome Satan and though he will try harder and harder, your strength and hope in Jesus will ensure you overcome him. 

Jesus was tempted with everything we are, will be tempted with, and He overcame. We too can overcome all troubles we face because Christ did.  If we are faced with the schemes of Satan, we can rest assured that Christ already overcame Satan and we can too. What we go through He experienced and if He overcame, so can we.  Christ through his defeating the devil knows what we go through and what we face in the world and He is our advocate and our rest from Satan.

When Satan fights with us, it is a spiritual battle between him and you.  Put on the full armor of God in your battle with him. Ephesians tells us this in Ephesians 6:10-17:

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.  Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.  Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.  In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

With the full armor of God, wear it snugly on your heart and mind, knowing that with this armor, you can defeat the principalities that are after you and confront you:  Temptations, trials, hopelessness, depression, etc. With the armor of God you will overcome.  Lean on God’s strength to help you fight and win.  With God all things are possible and He will not allow you to lose if you have faith that He can help you win. With faith and hope in the Lord, all things are possible and defeating Satan is a sure win.

After writing this, I no longer fear my depression, for it has lifted. I no longer fear that Satan is winning in my life for I have the armor of God with me.  I know all things are possible with the Lord and with Christ as my Savior.  Will Satan come after me again? Yes, for he never quits, but I have won this battle and eagerly await the next. I eagerly await the next challenge Satan has for me because every one of my victories brings me closer to Jesus and strengthens my faith in Him and my future.

Those of you that feel like you are losing the battle, don’t lose hope, but get strength from Christ to overcome. Don’t give in to Satan. Once he can crack you, he will do his best to wedge a chasm between you and Christ with his ultimate goal of keeping you from Salvation.  Rebuke him and he will flee. Pray for strength to overcome Satan. Always look up when Satan begins to attack you.

All verses are from the NIV.

Thankfulness

I’m a bit frustrated.  I’m frustrated with myself and others.  I’m frustrated with the way my church is heading and I’m frustrated the selfishness of others and myself for using God as a handyman to try to fix my problems and how others try to use God only to fix their problems.  God is not a wrench in the tool box that is only taken out when needed to fix something. He is a God worthy of praise, period.  Can we ask for help from Him? Of course, but to only use God for fixing our problems is not what we should be praying or hoping for on a daily basis.

I’m guilty.  I have taken my thankfulness out of my prayers and have replaced it with supplications for what I need. Need of financial help, of healing of health problems, to fix my personal life, and to make life easier for me. These are all worldly needs that I have been asking for. What I’m lacking is a prayerful life and thankfulness of my spiritual well being and walk with Christ.  I had this revelation from the Spirit this week during a bible study I attended. 

This lady was talking about all her needs and how she is blessed by God with all sorts of worldly things, but not once did she talk about thanksgiving for her relationship with God or about her spiritual walk with Him. This made me a little upset and then it hit me: I’ve been doing same thing.  I was just as guilty as she was for not thanking God for Him and not giving him praise in my prayer life and my worldly life for the things He has done for me or the growth I’ve achieved in my walk with Him.  I was really convicted of this, but yet, I was still frustrated by this because it is something people and the church is doing: plainly trying to use God for their needs only.  This doesn’t apply to all people of course, but what I have seen convinces me that this is what is going on and is just another sign of the season we live in where there is a falling of the faith and the church to be leading people to Christ, only trying to make them feel good about themselves and teaching them that God serves us. We serve God and not the other way around. 

1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NIV) says: “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ.”  I have forgotten this and many others have to. When was the last time you gave thanks to God for what you have and where you stand with Him? Today? Maybe not?  I haven’t for awhile and this is something I’ve been convicted of by the Spirit.  He has told me to give thanksgiving to the Lord for everything I have, have had, and will get.  The Spirit has told me in my heart that I have neglected God by only being selfish in my conversations with Him and only thinking of myself.  Yup, I’m guilty as charged.  I will change my ways and give thanks to God and praise Him for what He has given me from blessings to trials to tests. I will praise Him for the good and the challenges I face that, in the end, will make me stronger with Christ and my walk with Him.

“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him,” Colossians 3:15-17 (NIV).

“And be thankful.” What a simple statement this is for us to live by.  Let Christ rule in our hearts and be thankful.  So simple yet so easy to forget. Sure we get caught up in our lives and troubles and tribulations, but we are charged to be thankful to God.  How can we have great peace in our heart if we don’t give thanks to Him for what we have and our spiritual walk with Him?  Looking back over the time I have taken away the thankfulness and praise of God, I can feel that I haven’t been at peace as much as I was when I gave thanks and praises to Him.

I believe that when we give thanks, we also get a sense of peace in our hearts that is over arching over any need that we have and any trouble and challenges we are facing?  I don’t say bad things we are facing because there is nothing bad about God or what He does for us in blessings, trials, and tests. We face challenges to use our faith to overcome and grow spiritually. We are presented challenges so we can overcome them; give thanks to God for the strength to face adversity in our lives, with the end result of peace in our hearts. 

“You are my God, and I will praise you; you are my God, and I will exalt you.  Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever,” Psalm 118:28-29 (NIV).

Here we are again with praise and thanks. Psalm 118:28-29 tells us to praise and give thanks to the Lord.  We are charged to do this.  We are charged to exalt Him. We are not told to use God for our own good pleasure to get things we want or need in this world.  Need more money? Don’t ask God for money, ask Him to help you with your finances and praise Him for what you do have and what He has given you financially.  Facing a tribulation or a life challenge that makes you miserable or question your faith or where God is? Thank Him for the challenge that you will succeed at overcoming. Praise Him for the opportunity to grow in better faith with Him and a spiritual growth in your walk with Him.

I’ve failed at this and I’m sure you have as well.  We are not perfect creatures but imperfect people who make mistakes and sometimes forget that we are to be thankful to God and be thankful and give praise to Him for what He is, who He is, and what He HAS done for us.  Our attention span is about as far as our next challenge. We tend to forget what God did for us to help us through our last challenge and the thankfulness we forgot to give for Him helping us through it. 

His love is enduring and never ending. He wants our hearts, nothing else, but we tend to forget this by not thanking Him enough not only for what we have but for the Salvation He has given us through Christ and the strength He gives us to endure. We need to remember to give thanks and praises to Him so that we never forget what He did for us, what He did for our salvation, what He does for us every day of our lives. Thank you Jesus for you!

“I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength,” Philippians 4:12-13 (NIV).

As frustrated as I have been at myself and others for not giving thanksgiving, I know that the Lord is still there for me, there to take charge of my life, to lead me and give me strength to endure life through blessings and challenges through my faith, his strength, and my renewed attitude of giving thanks to Him for everything.  No matter what I face, no matter what challenges I have, I know that He can give me the strength to get through life’s challenges that I face and come out of them with a renewed strength in my relationship with Him and more confidence in Him that He is my strength in want or need, and my praise for the plenty that I do get.

You too must find that strength to praise him in life’s challenges you face. Give Him thanks in your times of blessings. Give Him thanks for the strength to endure the challenges you are facing right now and will face in the future. We all receive blessings and we all face challenges, yet we forget to give thanks, get hopeless feelings, yet we need to praise Him for His strength to help us through trying times. 

Even when you are content with what you have and your faith, you should give praise. Praise is what the Lord wants from us. He doesn’t need praise to operate, he wants praise from us for what He is doing for us and the strength and perseverance we have the capacity for to endure. Praise Him for this always. A lesson I have learned.

“I will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness; I will sing the praises of the name of the Lord Most High,” Psalm 7:17.

The bible is full of verses that talk about thankfulness, gratitude, and praise for the Lord: Just look them up on Google or your concordance. I want all to realize to be thankful for the Lord, to be thankful for the things we have and to be thankful for our spiritual standing and growth we continue to get from the Lord.  Trust in Christ for you well being. Trust in Christ for your needs, for He already knows your needs.  Trust that in challenges that the Lord is with you. Trust that your spiritual walk will grow with overcoming challenges. Most of all though, give thanks to the Lord for He is mighty, strong, and deserves our praise for everything we have and everything we face in life. 

God Bless You All.

Take Comfort

“The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble” (Psalms 9:9, NIV).

When I get responses from my articles I write, a lot of them are accolades from people saying they needed to hear those words just at that time it was published (glory to God). Yet I also get a lot of responses from Christians that are suffering and are looking for comfort and validity of Christ for comfort.  I need this too in my life. Just because I can write about Christ and such, I too need comfort from Jesus.

Lately, my fibromyalgia has been flaring up very strong. For those of you who do not understand what fibromyalgia does to people, imagine having the pains, aches, and fatigue you get from when you have had the flu. Now imagine those symptoms never going away but stay with you everyday of your life. That is what fibromyalgia does to me.  At times it is not so bad, it is manageable and is in the background of my daily life, but other times it is at the forefront of my life and causes great pain and suffering.

I need comfort from the Lord at these times and seek the comfort from Him earnestly.  I give it over to Jesus and pray that His will be done. If I’m to suffer, then let it be, and if He will allow some relief, then so be it also and I’m truly thankful.  For some reason I have not gotten comfort and relief for the last two weeks and I know and trust that the Lord allows this for reasons unbeknownst to me.  As 1 Peter 5:6-7 (NIV) says:

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”

I must humble myself for the Lord, humble myself to His will and conditions for me.  Under Him I’m still protected and loved.  You too must humble yourself to his will.  There are a lot of people out there that need comfort from Jesus. Know that He is there for you, no matter what you need comfort for. Maybe it’s pain, maybe it’s mental health problems, maybe it’s financial or some addiction you are fighting to overcome. Know that Jesus is there for you and will hold your hand and give you the comfort you need to get through your troubles. He is with you no matter how bad things may seem and will lift you up when you fall down.

Jesus is the greatest of all in the universe and yet He cares and loves each one of us as His own child. Take comfort and be humble in that knowledge. He is the Lord Most High and loves you as His own, more than we can ever imagine.  Take time to ponder this amazing fact. Take the time to reflect that as big as the universe is and all the people who have lived, are alive, and are yet to come are each individually loved and cared for by the creator of ever thing.

Remember that the Lord is our strength and hope when we need comfort. He is the all in all and if you hand over your troubles to Him, you will be comforted. Will the hurt go away? Will the problems vaporize before your eyes? Maybe, maybe not, but when you hand over your hurt and troubles to Jesus, you will feel a sense of relief in your heart and a burden lifted off your shoulders. 

When I’m in pain or my bipolar causes me trouble or when my Crohn’s makes the bathroom my best friend, I give it to the Lord.  I give it to the Lord, for even though I may not find relief, I do find comfort and you can to. Hand your problems to the Lord and Jesus will give you that comfort and relief in your mind and heart that you need at that moment. 

We will always have hurts and troubles, but giving them to the Lord is our best avenue of approach to find comfort and relief.  Giving your burdens to the Lord will also help strengthen your relationship with Jesus.  If you try to rely on yourself or others to find relief and comfort, it just isn’t enough.  You may get good advice, or that hug you need, but it just isn’t the same as what Jesus can give you.  The more burdens you give to the Lord He will strengthen your trust in Him and will help you along the path of salvation by making you stronger in your faith and hope in Him. 

“A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy” (John 16: 21-22, NIV).  

For those out there that wonder why bad things happen to you, why you suffer, have troubles, have pain, etc., Jesus tells us that we will grieve in this world.  Yet he says like a woman having a child forgets the pain once the baby is born, we to will stop grieving, will not feel pain, will not suffer, and will not have troubles when it is our time to meet Jesus in heaven.  Like the pain of child birth is short, so is our life in the perspective of eternity. Our time on Earth is short and though it seems long, time is short for us like a vapor in the wind.  Like birth pains are painful and unbearable, much like our lives at times, the pain does pass and the joy comes like a new born to a new mother. 

We too are like the woman giving birth because our troubles and burdens truly are short in the scheme of eternity. Does it feel like it is short? No, especially when we suffer, but put it in perspective and ponder this: we may grieve over our troubles and burdens now, but the joy of eternity is not afar, it is closer each and every day.  One day when we pass from this world, we will be forever joyful and will be comforted in perfection forever and ever and ever.

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance” (James 1:2-3, NIV).

When you need comfort, consider this verse above.  Whatever trials or burdens, or pain and suffering you are facing, it is not only temporary like the pain of childbirth, but it places and cements perseverance of your faith in your heart. Draw strength from the Lord. Persevere through your burdens and ills. Give it to God, but persevere through the pain of life.  Know that the Lord allows things to happen to us that don’t seem fair, that hurt us and cause us troubles, all for the purpose of us turning to Jesus for comfort with the end state of salvation through perseverance of our hope and strength in our faith.

Look, we are going to face more and more adversity in the season of history we are living in. Satan and the world are and will continue to throw things at us to question our faith. The world and Satan are trying their best to cause you discomfort and draw you away from Jesus.  We will face greater and greater trials as the end comes nearer to us in this season of eternity.  What we need to do is hang on even tighter to Jesus than we ever have before.  There will be great troubles in our lives, more than we can seemingly endure, but remember what Paul says in Romans 5:3-5 (NIV):

“Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; ⁴ perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”

Regardless of what is thrown at us, we can find comfort in hope.  Hope is the strongest medicine and mindset that we can have to fight the world and Satan.  With hope we get strength and with strength we are stronger in the Lord. Don’t lose hope because of troubles and problems you may have. Find comfort in hope.  Lean on Jesus for strength and have great hope in Him for comfort. Even though it is hard, take pleasure in your sufferings. I don’t mean to be happy you are hurting, but have joy in your heart that the trials you are facing will subside and trials will give you the perseverance and strength in your heart for Jesus and eternity with Him.

I know there are lots of Christians out there facing trials in their lives. I hear from them each time I write an article and can only guess how many more out there are suffering. I see it in the church too and with friends: suffering is a great burden on us in these times we live in.  I want you to remember that Jesus is here for us, to be our great comforter. No matter what is going on in your life, Jesus is the true comforter, the only comforter we need.  There is no need for sadness, stress, despair, or anxiety about life when trials come because we are Christians and have the love of Jesus on our side as our protector.

Jesus will help you through these trials and troubles and does not want you to give up on Him. Keep your eyes and heart set on Jesus as you face the trials you are now facing and the ones and greater ones to come to you. These are tests of your faith and perseverance in Jesus. You will succeed. You will overcome. You will find strength. You will find comfort and strength in Jesus. Don’t give up on Him for He is there for you; take comfort that Jesus loves you and cares for you as you face trials.