The Narrow Path Toward A Better Life

How To Defeat Worrying

2011-12-28T13:13:00.005-06:00

Planning ahead can potentially evolve into worrying, and when our thoughts go into hyper-drive, it's like being on an out of control airplane...the feelings of impending doom are highly intense.

Worry as defined in the dictionary

1.) to torment oneself with or suffer from disturbing thoughts; fret. 2.) to move with effort: an old car worrying uphill. –verb (used with object) 3.) to torment with cares, anxieties, etc.; trouble; plague. 4.) to seize, esp. by the throat, with the teeth and shake or mangle, as one animal does. 5.) to harass by repeated biting, snapping, etc. 6.) a worried condition or feeling; uneasiness or anxiety.

One can worry so much that the body actually feels the effects of exertion as if they've experienced the situation. ...

Worried Sick?

Worry is an enormous waste of time and 90% of the things we worry about never come to pass. We all run scenarios of future situations in our imagination in order to plan what will be done, but when the " what if " stigma is over focused on, worry is birthed! Many issues worried about were never a part of reality in the first place and if a person tends to be a bit negative minded, they can very well exhaust themselves in thought before the time comes to address the issue. The father of lies; "the evil adversary", is the author of deception and worry. It's not wrong to plan ahead, but there is no need in thinking of the worst case scenario happening over and over again.

If we worry about having a bad day, then we probably will have one! We can potentially evoke a negative situation into existence because irrelevant thoughts can program our subconsciousness to an extent where "the script of our worries" is played out by us when the time comes to handle the situation at hand. There is no bigger stumbling block in our business communications than stuff we have "over pondered" about. We can think ourselves right out of the deal of a lifetime.

Worrying accomplishes nothing especially when the situation has not come to pass yet; and if it has, little can be done when you just sit and fret! Worry can weaken your mind enough to where evil principalities can start influencing your thoughts. Yes indeed, one can actually be worried sick, and one can also be worried to death especially if there are high blood pressure factors and heart disease. Stress related to worry can actually effect the person's rationality, thus dangerous decisions are made that can place the individual or others in danger.

What Can Be Done To Find Relief ?

Learning to transfer stressful thoughts into the super natural realm of Holiness is often overlooked, but highly effective. Thinking that you can handle the situation is prideful, so pray about the situation and admit to Christ that you have fallen victim to yourself due to worry and doubt! Worrying never gets anything done. If you are worrying, it is a sure sign that it's time to get something done. If the situation is in physical existence, PRAY. If you can, and if it is safe...go toward the problem if it is possible. Face it! If the situation has not come to pass yet, or it is unsafe to confront the situation, do not give the opportunity for Satan to create turmoil! Pray until you have prayed! Saturating a potentially bad situation in prayer helps enormously!

Give the situation that you're stressed about to Christ, because God wants us to rely on Him totally. No, all the thoughts won't go totally away, but Christ can take the load off because his yoke is easy! What this means is he will take the weight off so that the load is lighter..."his yoke is easy"! Our spirits are lightened because Jesus bares the weight of the spiritual load. Out of control thinking torments us is in the same area where our spirit, soul, and imagination are. Worry can be defeated in the spiritual realm because it is Godly territory. Our burdens must be given to Christ to handle so that our fragile spirits are not crushed. One you speak the situation into the supernatural realm, the solution will come into mind later on; or most of the time, the resolution will suddenly manifest in your life.

Jesus says bring the worry to him.

Matthew 11

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

Jesus speaks about a comforting councilor.

John 14

But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

Jesus says don't worry about it!

Matthew 6

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in his entire splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Final Thoughts

Remember, our carnality can make us forget that we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit! We don't become robotic disciples once we accept Christ. We have to learn to lean on Christ and listen for the prompting of the Holy Spirit. Our constant dialog with God helps us to traverse through life! This dialog includes; reverent prayer, thinking about God's position on life issues, and talking to God as you would talk to a friend as you seek advice.

All Bible references were NIV 1984

When A Christian Dies. ...

2011-12-23T10:51:00.015-06:00

The ones promoted to spiritual presence with God shed no more tears, and they feel no sorrow because they are present with the one who spoke all that we see into existence. As we know our loved ones are with God, we should celebrate their life and legacy. The best way to honor the memory of a deceased love one is to pass their influence along to someone who needs it.

1 Corinthians 15 - declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory."

Our Eternal Spirit

We are eternal beings. When a person passes away from this side of existence at 90 years old we say that they lived a long time, which is true for our side of existence. Those of us on this side of life mourn for the deceased because we miss them, and it is well with us to mourn because closure is needed in the haze of loss and shock. I think the modern world forces people out of mourning far too early, but as we mourn, we should realize that those who served and believed in Jesus are in fact, undoubtedly, home ! 90 years compared to eternity isn't very much, and 20,000 years compared to eternity isn't much either.

When someone young and close to us passes on, we are totally jolted and shocked and we mourn all the more, but we must remember, we are eternal beings. This is why we must try to tell people about Jesus...so when you get cut off in the conversation and they start to argue, that's a sure sign that the seed is where it needs to be!

Honoring Jesus Through The Legacy of The Deceased

Honoring the memory and celebrating the life of the deceased is the best thing to do because those present with the father are celebrating too! The sting of death was defeated by Jesus, but this sting of temporarily loosing our loved one is felt by us, here on this side of life. We are left with a heavy heart and sorrow, and we will miss those who have passed on. On this side of existence, the breech of physical connection is seemingly irreparable, but our happy memories and the hope of seeing our loved ones beyond the grave is a balm that soothes the sting.

We celebrate the loved one's life, and who they were. The influence of the deceased can be carried on by us on this side of existence, thus their influence has potential to never die through the generations. Through you, the legacy of the deceased one's life can touch the lives of others. Sharing the wisdom of a deceased loved one can be the axis of change leading to spiritual healing for those who really need it the most.

Yes, the God kissed blessings of our deceased brothers and sisters live forever! No human, nor any evil principality can take away the Godly spiritual connection of our passed on beloved and how they touched our lives, that connection lives forever!

Around five years ago my 35 year old cousin passed away due to his airway being compromised after seizure when he was alone at home. Asphyxiation took his life on this side of life because no one was there to reposition him so that he could breathe. Wes was the closest person that I had to an actual brother. He was my cousin, best friend, and brother. I miss him very much, but with me is that spiritual connection that is never lost. I remember the good times and the crazy things we did. Every weekend I remember dogging him to get fuel, but alas, more times than not, we would end up on the side of the road. I was angry then, but now I remember...and I laugh about my refusal to walk with him. I remember him telling me that I was the best friend he had, and he always claimed me as his brother. I miss Wes, but I think he is with God, and he is home.

All Bible references were NIV 1984

Do Christians Need To Go To Church?

2011-12-12T21:31:00.016-06:00

Being a non-churched Christ Follower is something that I've experienced, and honestly, it just doesn't work well for me...at all. Fighting the adversary alone is mentally exhausting because the evil one never stops trying to breathe darkness into your mind through his constant bewitchment. The Lone Ranger needed Tonto, and Christ Followers need God and each other in a supernatural battle!

Hebrews 10:23-25

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

I'm going to list some popular excuses below. I'll bet one of them applies, or has previously applied to you. ...

I only see hypocrites at church. ...

This was my favorite line of all time...until I realized I was full of hypocrisy myself, and then I realized the entire world is double minded! Our help comes from God, and He is not fraudulent. God's truth applied to any subject matter can help us to cut the hypocrisy down. ...

My friends and I believe in God, but we don't need church. ...

If you're fortunate enough to have believing friends in your life, that means you've got folks to go to fellowship with! So, what are you waiting for? If it's because you feel out of place, not all churches sing those dusty hymns in their original style, nor do they all have inward-focused preachers. Look around and you'll soon find a Biblical church singing those same hymns in a new fashion !

I don't know anybody, and church seems like it's just for families and established friends. ...

This one is a big deal, and it's very understandable. If you don't know anyone at church it can be a pretty awkward feeling. Often times a believer stops hanging out with sinful friends, or looses them because they've made a decision for Christ. The modern life also forces us to move away from friends, and it can be difficult to meet new people. Finding a good church can be a challenge, especially for the single, divorced, or bereaved Christ Follower. Church shopping is like the first day of school over and over for some people, but for others, it can be sort of an adventure. A Christian life outside of the fellowship building is truly living for Christ, and having some good friends in Christ is critical. It's going to be hard to form real Christian friendships if you only see people from church at church, so find a church that actually follows Christ outside of the building. In other words, find a church where you can easily make friends. It takes a while to find such a church sometimes, but it is NOT impossible...don't give up!

The Bible Says Christian Fellowship Is A Great Idea

Ancient believers met every day, but we know that the modern way of making a living and the geographically scattered church community hinders that. The two verses below will get you started in your research should you want to look into the matter further.

Matthew 18:18-20

"I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will bebound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. "Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them."

I Thessalonians 5

For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

Living The Life

Establishing a life with Christian friends and staying active in the way you study the word is the key to happiness on this side of reality! Following Christ should be a lifestyle, and it works better when you do your best to include God in everything. Seeing the light of Christ through friends is an encouragement, but if one is always alone...they can't see that light. Even if you're not a social person, you still need the light of God in your life through interaction with others. Being alone is not healthy, and people can get weird if they are alone too much. Having a happy life and inner peace is mostly up to you, so do something about it!

All Bible references were NIV 1984

What Does " The Grace Of God Mean " ?

2011-11-30T19:15:00.003-06:00

In this article I'm exploring the meaning of grace because it is quite often misunderstood by seekers and nonbelievers. In the article below, I will do my best to convey an understanding. My hope is that you will seriously think about the depth of your life and what happens after you die.

Grace Definition
1. elegance or beauty of form, manner, motion, or action. 2. a pleasing or attractive quality or endowment. 3. favor or good will. 4. a manifestation of favor, esp. by a superior: 5. mercy; clemency; pardon: an act of grace.

The Meaning Of God's Grace

In the English vernacular, grace is defined first as elegance. In the latter definitions, we learn what is actually meant when someone mentions the Grace of God. As far as this side of life is concerned, grace is more accurately described as existing in a status of temporary pardon. God's Grace means that as we live on this side of life, we won't face the harshest consequences of sin, and that would be spiritual separation from God.

Grace extends to everyone, but to have a pleasant eternal existence, one must truly have faith that Jesus is their Lord while existing on this side of reality. Abiding in the believer's life nets inner peace, even through the hard times. The believer may go through excruciating physical hardship, but at the center of their being they will have peace at the core.   The true believer knows that death in this world is not the end. Once belief and faith are truly proclaimed, sin becomes highly uncomfortable and disliked.

Time Is Of The Essence

If God decided to stop his grace toward humanity, the world would be deserted in an instant. I feel that the reality of time came about because of God's Grace toward humanity. Life on this side of reality is actually a time period to get things right between ourselves and God.

Thousands of years ago Moses illustrated his God inspired claims in manner understandable to everyone of that cultural historical era, and one of his books is called "Genesis". ... Almost immediately after creation, the Grace of God became necessary if humanity was to survive. Instead of total spiritual separation, God gave humanity a grace period, thus " time " started. God veiled His side of eternal reality from us because the first transgression corrupted humanity. This corruption effects every human on this side of life. Life on our side of existence can be measured with time, but God's side of reality is infinity...our human minds can't even begin to comprehend the realm of our Lord. After Adam and Eve's first disobedience, their physicality suddenly took on the same biological life that we have, and this is evident because they quickly noticed they were naked. In my opinion, the initial humans noticed their nakedness because the embodiment of our side of life is all together different. The glorified bodies that Adam and Eve likely had previous to the fall were of an entirely different physicality. They instantly knew the disobedience changed their relationship with God. They covered themselves, hopelessly trying to hide the proof of their sin from God.

God's First Gift Of Grace

Genisis 3

The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.' "You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. But the LORD God called to the man, "Where are you?" He answered, "I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid." And he said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?"

Our Side Of Existence

Grace shouldn't be squandered or toyed with because there is consequence for sin on our side of existence. Sometimes we learn the hard way, but it's better to learn life's lessons with Christ as your savior. Now that we know what God's grace is, we should proceed accordingly!

For Those Wanting A Glorious Eternity. ...

Confess that Jesus is Lord

After confessing that Jesus is Lord, He will stand as a barrier between you and living an eternal death ... Without Jesus as our Lord, sin WILL result in eternal separation from God! Separation from God is also known as hell! With Jesus as our advocate, our sin no longer separates us from a wonderful, heavenly eternity. This doesn't mean that you won't sin anymore, but it means that you will not be comfortable living in sin.

Confess all of your sin, and then repent.

You basically tell Jesus all the bad stuff you've done...all of it. In the future, should you remember a sin you didn't confess, make sure that you talk to Jesus about it. Repenting means to turn away from sin and the sinful life style.

Repent from all future sins on this side of life.

You will have set-backs, but that's life. ... Just continue to work on a closer relationship with God through prayer, and then pushing back the darkness of evil will become more frequent. It's takes time to heal from sin, never give up!

Living out what is listed above is what it takes to receive eternal life! Read the Holy Bible, perhaps start with the book of John...John 1 and John 2 are the shorter of the three books of John, but ensure you read specifically "John" FIRST.

Biblical References

John 1

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John testifies concerning Jesus. He cries out, saying, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.' " From the fullness of his grace upon grace we have all received one blessing after another. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only,who is at the Father's side, has made him known.

Ephesians 2

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

All Bible references were NIV 1984

Does Hell Really Exist ?

2011-11-23T13:44:00.013-06:00

This is one of the most avoided topics of all in churches and in fellowship circles! Separation from God is mentioned far to many times in the Bible to be ignored. Mankind is of freewill, and with this will they make a choice. I shudder to think of my life without Jesus! Since Jesus called me, my life has never been the same. I admit the calling wasn't as strong as it is now because evidently the roar of my flesh kept me from hearing my master's voice. I stand amazed as I glance backward through time...Jesus was there all along, and he saw it all! I'm ashamed of it, but I'm forgiven.

Matthew 25

Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

Literal And Metaphorical Descriptions

Jesus referred to hell in the Bible as like the sewage pit outside of town where the runoff from blood and sacrifices pooled. In Jesus's time they called that place Gehenna. ...

Matthew 23

And you say, 'If we had lived in the days of our forefathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.' So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of the sin of your forefathers! "You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell ( Gehenna ) ?

Hell is fire, anguish, suffering, and eternal unhappiness.

Jude 1

Though you already know all this, I want to remind you that the Lord delivered his people out of Egypt, but later destroyed those who did not believe. And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own home—these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day. In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire.

2 Thessalonians 1

He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power

The Bible claims fire, but it's also claimed to be dark. ...

2 Peter 2

In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping. For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them into gloomy dungeons to be held for judgment.

Hell is burning, yet there is no fire to warm yourself by.

Isaiah 47:11-14

"Keep on, then, with your magic spells and with your many sorceries, which you have labored at since childhood. Perhaps you will succeed, perhaps you will cause terror. All the counsel you have received has only worn you out! Let your astrologers come forward, those stargazers who make predictions month by month, let them save you from what is coming upon you. Surely they are like stubble; the fire will burn them up. They cannot even save themselves from the power of the flame. Here are no coals to warm anyone; here is no fire to sit by.

Biblical Descriptions Of hell In The Bible

You will find these as descriptions of hell in the Bible; Burning, agony, suffering, dark, fire, cold, sadness, anguish, and eternal destruction. Basically hell is separation from everything that is good! One can easily see that hell is forever if contextually studying Biblical claim. God is the reason for all things pleasurable, thus being separated from God after biological death means that the person will have a bad eternal existence. The Bible claims that those who choose to not believe, or those who rebel against God will separated from God after physical life. Hell is verified and described many times in the Bible...I even get a trembling feeling just writing about this!

Hell has fire, but doesn't fire net light ? Indeed, the Biblical literal and metaphorical claims of hell can make your mind spin as you try to wrap your mind around the reality of it. We hear of fire, burning, anguish, and suffering throughout the Biblical text. I hate to say it, but folks are going to go to hell. ... How can people miss this? If there is consequence for your sin while in this side of life, then there must be consequence for rebellion against God on the other side of life. There is simply no way that God will let sin perpetuate into eternity, I'm sorry Oprah.

Rebelling Against God

It's freewill! Some people will simply not believe, and thus nonbelievers will distance themselves from the reality of God and may eventually pass into the other side of life with that view. God doesn't want programmed minions, but he wants people that honestly seek and ask Him to "reveal" his presence within their lives. If God fully revealed himself it would cause forced worship because his presence would be overwhelming. People who reject God aren't all bad people, but they are blindly enamored with humanity. To believe that humanity is the only intelligent life to exist defies all logic.

The one rebelling against God is more likely to do as their dark carnal desires dictate, and this includes slinking around doing unlawful things! The nonbeliever is also more likely to perpetrate crimes. The supernatural battle is unseen, but the results therein are observable because a true non-believer is actually convinced that the supernatural reality of God doesn't exist. ... I'd say it's a from of metal illness. Aren't you glad that you are a believer!

You do believe, don't you?

Thoughts On Spiritual Separation

No presence of God means no happiness as humanity knows happiness. I believe Jesus felt spiritual separation with his final words calling out to his Father. ... We know no response came. We know that God sent Jesus to dwell among humanity in order to defeat spiritual separation from God. If something doesn't effect the trajectory of disbelief in a person, or if the individual doesn't soften their heart, and listen...the person is not going to be happy after he biologically dies! In hell, the person is separated from God, and in this eternity they would be in burning anguish. The one separated from God has lost everything. ... The person in hell is forever overwhelmed by endless displeasure as they exist spiritual nothingness. No laughter, no peace, no love, no friends, and no tears to follow screams of anger, that would be hellish...don't you think?

Separation From God Is An Eternal State Of Misery

Ed Gungor; who is a friend of mine, taught in a sermon that the decision in not believing in God is like someone shooting an arrow in the direction of non-belief within their spirit. This launch toward non belief likely worsens throughout the person's life. ... Ed further described that the decision to reject God starts accelerates similar to matter in outer space after leaving this side of life. Basically Ed closed with this statement; " If a nonbeliever, or the one rebelling against God doesn't change their mind before this life is over, the misery and anguish forever gains velocity."

Keeping The Word Of God Alive

When thinking about eternal subjects one must keep focus on the Biblical scriptures. If one's musing and deviates away from the Bible, dialog with God, and other believers in sound doctrine, the believer gets very weird! IF this same believer convinces others that his musing is fact, a CULT forms!

The modern Christ Follower must find ways to be the Salt and Light that Jesus talked about! In our stance to preserve the teachings of Jesus Christ, we should always be firmly rooted in sound Biblical doctrine. Humankind's dealings with God have come full circle again, and again in the Bible!

We must make Biblical teaching appealing to the modern world, but we mustn't embrace a worldly application of them. With the right attitude, and with sound Biblical doctrine, we can indeed appeal to a modern seeking world without departing from sound doctrine indeed!

In order to have eternal life with God, The Bible instructs us to;

Confess that Jesus is Lord

After confessing that Jesus is Lord, He will stand as a barrier between you and living an eternal death ... Without Jesus as our Lord, sin WILL result in eternal separation from God! Separation from God is also known as hell! With Jesus as our advocate, our sin no longer separates us from a wonderful, heavenly eternity. This doesn't mean that you won't sin anymore, but it means that you will not be comfortable living in sin.

Confess all of your sin, and then repent.

Repent from all future sins on this side of life.

You will have set-backs, but that's life. ... Just continue to work on a closer relationship with God through prayer, and then pushing back the darkness of evil will become more frequent. It's takes time to heal from sin, never give up!

Bible verses were NIV 1984 and New KJV

The Evolution Of Sin Has Changed Our Lives And Communities

2011-11-20T05:56:00.009-06:00

I'm not a fan of television these days. Reality television...really? There is nothing “real” when a person enhances their appearance and adjusts his or her personality for an audience. I haven't watched television with any sort of regularity for around ten years. The exception would be College football, and TVland. Good ole' Andy Griffith...hey, now we can get a glimpse of what the good old days were all about. White lies were a regular main ingredient in the script on the Andy Griffith show, but usually the truth came out at the end of the episode...sometimes.

The Home I was Raised in, circa 1980

Ecclesiastes 3

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.

A Different Time, A Different Life, and A Different Community

1960 compared to 2011, hmmmm...I'd say those years aren't that different when considering the sin susceptibility of human kind. It's the same old 1960 sin, but the evolved 2011 satanic methodology has changed our lives. If we take the time, we can rewind time like a video, and then we can see the difference with more clarity.

Have you noticed that most modern homes do not have a functional front porch? Only 20 to 30 years ago we watched out for our friends and neighbors, and they watched out for us...it was the good old front porch era. Folks seemed to care about other people's kids back then, and they had a hand in the discipline of other people's kids, to an extent. The main interface of communication was the person to person conversation previous to the 90's. When you wanted to say something to your neighbor you didn't text them because you could probably just yell it out the window....the older reader may remember that windows were open back then!

An Increasingly Introverted Culture

In these modern times; air conditioning, televisions, and video games have all but silenced the heartbeat of the American neighborhood. Cute little communications devices such as the i-phone have made face to face conversation seem awkward...even unwanted. The modern neighborhood looks abandoned because the way we interface with the world has changed. Nowadays people don't interact with others in their neighborhood like the families of the 50's, 60's, and 70's did. As a matter of fact, families don't even interact with their own kinsmen! Due to modern times; a bad economy, and the ever changing ways of life, families are very much scattered. Family reunions are now becoming by gone events. Fear has driven us to keep our children indoors because we feel that we must hide our kids from the evil potential of the sexual maniac. The non-parental supervised game of street football is nearly a bygone memory. We can't let our kids ride their bikes down the street beyond our eyesight. ... What a rip off, I had that freedom when I was a kid!

Advances in technology have changed the manner in which we relate to the community and world, thus America has eliminated the charm of the front porch. Subtly, In the last 15 years or so, the family has encapsulated themselves within their personal forms of entertainment. Musing has been swallowed by amusement probably because it takes less effort. Front porches are now crazy looking 4 foot while unlock the door rain shelters nowadays. We've even retreated from the family room into our own individual bubbles of personal entertainment, and gadgetry. The dinner table has been replaced by the TV tray in front of your personal television. We continue to retreat further into our own little bubble. The past 7 years has been an enormous step toward a personal entertainment world. I hate that many modern kids don't have that privilege of near total outdoor freedom anymore, what a shame! Nobody seems to care or notice. ... Some wonder why their 10 year old is 120 pounds. Well, ya know. ...

Out Of The Darkness And In Your Face

Evolving sin has destroyed decent morality, and the dark adversary knows how to get to us...he is now rolling out his best master plan of all time. We are becoming more and more closed off as a culture, so what satan has done is he's seized control of the social media and entertainment industry through the minds of the administrators therein. Thus through the social communication and entertainment media, the evil one is also able to influence the politicians who govern humanity. The world governing bodies allow the social media and entertainment industry to further promote tolerance of promiscuity and homosexual lifestyles. Traditional gender role life styles and modesty are laughed at and despised. Sexual expression is badly warped, and it's nowhere near the marriage bed; as a matter of fact, conditions in this modern society resemble Sodom and Gomorrah. What's currently rated PG now was rated R in 1985. The evil one has indeed succeeded in subduing modesty through the entertainment industry and popular culture!

Casual sex discussions and sex play is a growing problem with the youth of America. According to many reports, young children are increasingly likely to have participated in perverted conversations with children, or an older individual previous to their 11th birthday...it is absolutely shocking! I would never let my child have any free reign internet access, nor total freedom with a cell phone...ever! My daughter begs me to get her a cell phone, but I've seen the trouble a cell phone can bring into a 9 to 13 years old's life. Some of the things I hear kids talk about leave me speechless! All youth's aren't subject to debauchery, but we are all human, thus we have that propensity to mess up! I'd really think twice about cell phone use for kids.

Kids 10 to 14 years old who have 24 hour communication access could potentially be receiving phone calls or participating in dirty little text conversations after bedtime. ... What are parents thinking? How can parents let their kids have cell access 24 hours a day...they will likely get a big shock one day!

Looking Back

In 1980 our family watched television frequently, but we all watched the same television; however, I had much more outdoors freedom as a child than the majority of the kids today. I remember the feel of the peddles on the bottom of my red clay stained bare feet as I rode up Giger Hill, and the sound of the wind as I streaked down the other side. My three dogs would keep pace and follow me everywhere as I rode my bike. My legs were skinny, but they were muscled with no blubber on them. ... I could easily power through the sand and rugged ground on my bicycle. I would actually wear the tread off of the tires of my bike! I had outdoors freedom, but I knew it was time to come home when the deep orange sky would que the locusts to begin their shrill call in those Milton, Florida pine trees. I remember popping a wheelie to ride up onto the front porch. At the end of a busy afternoon I went inside to eat supper and watch the one television in the living room.

The Re-birth Of A Godly Community

I say that we should give our kid's the outdoors freedom that they have been deprived of. Most of us likely had the freedom to peddle out of sight and into our world of building forts and getting our school clothes dirty when we were kids, so why can't our kids do something similar? If a neighborhood committee can be started to inform you that your mailbox is the wrong color, why can't parents in the neighborhood step outside and take a shift in watching the kids as they hit your end of the street? For that matter, why do we stay inside all the time? Light the grill, and burn a cow...let's all get to know each other!

If you don't have many neighbors, at least get involved in, or find a church that has an outreach attitude and serve the community...I'm trying to work towards that now as a matter of fact. As long as the denominations of the body of Christ believe that Jesus is Lord and the risen savior, then all Christ Followers should have enough common ground to face a lost and broken world together. We can restore community if we work together in the name of Jesus. If we can restore community as the body of Christ, we can reach the unsaved!

Bible verses were NIV 1984

Fitting In At Church

2011-11-16T18:39:00.001-06:00

Every so often I feel awkward at church, and it nets an aversion to the social interaction therein...so that means I sometimes get in and out of church as quickly as possible. I'm not the typical church attender; I'm 9 years re-singled, a guy, forty years old, and my daughter lives with her mother 370 miles away, so it's a little tough to embed myself into the fellowship body. Divorced men like me usually troll the bars and hang out amongst the middle-aged human wreckage. Years back on Thursday nights I could sometimes be found at the Malibu Lounge basking in the karaoke spotlight, yes, as a divorced guy I was enjoying the bar scene. ... Then there was that peculiar morning in 2004.

Hebrews 12 - NASB

Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire.

The First Epiphany

One morning as I wretched in the throws of one of the most violent hangovers in my life, I decided to look into religion...again, but this time my mind was opened. Kicking through the strewn beer cans, I dry heaved as I hosed out the trash can I had puked in earlier. In my degraded state, I suddenly realized that humanity is surely not the best thing going in the universe! Not long after that day I realized that only a fool would dismiss the many instances of supernatural interaction as circumstantial. I would soon learn that the reality of salvation through Jesus was remarkably different than any other belief in divinity, and I finally affirmed Jesus as Lord of my life. ...

I reasoned that there is no other religion where God walked among humanity in human form, and certainly no other religious figure had conquered death and walked around resurrected in a perfected physical body as Jesus had done !

Hard Headed

I asked Jesus to change my life, but the life style change wasn't instant...I had some lessons to learn, seven years of lessons to be exact. I had no idea that life was about to become a gauntlet of tests, trials, and facing the circumstances of my sin. Indeed, God took me up on the invitation to come into my life because His presence intertwined in my physical time and circumstance with a saving passion! I was serious about changing, and my Lord was serious about making it happen. ... From then on, I was no longer was comfortable with doing wrongful things, and even thinking wrong was swiftly chastened from within my spirit.

After 7 years of being taken to life's woodshed, I'm finally starting to "get it". I've learned that those physical and spiritual storms are the result of my disobedience. I have finally realized that confession and repentance promote sanity and inner peace. God has made me much wiser, and trips to the woodshed have decreased. The Holy Spirit within my being has eradicated darkness, but I understand that I also have much to do with regression, when it happens. Satan is the conveyer of sin, but humanity can resist. Learning how is the hard part! Better discipleship would have helped me immensely, but I'm a better man for facing the trials! A good relationship with Jesus supernaturally lifts the oppression of darkness from the center of the soul.

Doing The Church Thing

Have a look at the demographic statistics and you will see that the last place you will find a guy like me is in church. Sometimes I almost change my mind, but I muster my bravado and pull into the church parking lot. With a long exhale I get out of the car...alone again. I walk into the building and I see the smiling faces of other people who believe in God, but as I look around, I notice that everyone else came with somebody. Incredulously laughing within, I feel as though I'm breaking some sort of unwritten rule that requires that I take somebody with me to church, but I push back against the feeling of not fitting in. I often wonder if people would actually go to church if they didn't have someone to go with because I know what it feels like to go alone.

No, I'm not a people hater. I wasn't even close to lonely back in the bar days, but the bar days are over. The challenge that I now face is not really about social hang-ups, but it's about finding common ground. Many of my bar hopping buddies back in the old days were single, thus tom catting was easier with a wing man because the single ladies of the night scene traveled in packs too. I had no shortage of friends back in those days because it was easy to make friends when you had a common life status.

Following Jesus has netted a loss in all non-family friendships. My slow change toward following Christ hasn't been the best example for my family members. My immediate family members do not go to church, but they seem to believe in God. I'm thankful that my family doesn't alienate me because I follow Christ.

Singleness and Church

I'll bet single people don't stay in church because they feel alienated, and I know this is true because I've lived it out! I recently attended a wonderful family oriented church, but I always felt out of synch with the amazing folks who went there. I attended the church for nearly two years, but I never really made any friendships outside of the church sanctioned functions. I felt as though I had nothing in common with the other members with the exception of Christ as my savior. I often felt that there were members who thought something was wrong with me because of my singleness. ... Perhaps my suspicions were right, and maybe there was some overly speculative scrutiny, but I knew in my soul that I wanted to rid myself of all darkness, so it didn't hurt my feelings too much.

My previous church was glaringly family and youth oriented. I'm unmarried, my child lives 370 miles away, and I'm certainly not a youth...so that leaves very little chance to form any real friendships in the majority of all churches. I knew from the beginning that my former place of worship didn't want to risk a singles ministry because of fears that a male / female relational rift could cause issues at the church. I thought I'd eventually make a friend or two with a situation similar to mine, but it didn't happen. I made plenty of friends, but not the real hold the flashlight as you fix the car type of friends. My former fellowship home has enjoyed decades of unity, peace, and financial well being, but they are highly paranoid about taking the slightest risk that could cause a slight ruckus. ... I wonder if anybody realizes that ministry for the single is not really about guy / girl relationships, but it’s about the chance to form real friendship outside of church sanctioned functions. David Platt of Secret Church recently said; ' One can go to a Christian bookstore and find volumes of material on the Christian couple, but to find a book on the Christian single is a bit of an undertaking.'

The Next Chapter of Life

My current motivation is more about doing service for God. I recently felt compelled to begin to church shop again because I have far too much idle time. I'm looking for a church that has an actual local outreach so I can fill the idle time with doing stuff for God. I'm unemployed right now, so fuel costs are a concern, but as soon as the money issues are resolved, I'm ready to focus more on outreach.

If I must continue to do without singles fellowship I know that through Jesus I'm unshakable, but I would at least like for the possibility to be there. I want to set a long term goal toward addressing the ministry issue for the Christian single, and I feel that God is in on it!

Bible verses were NIV 1984

Temptation and Pushing Back the Darkness

2011-10-08T04:51:00.001-05:00

Mankind has visited upon depravity since the first generation, and the opportunities to exit the narrow path of Godly obedience are many. The dark one knows how to steer us away from Jesus...an invitation to indulge in the pleasures of sin can come along, and all of a sudden, you're the guest of honor in a place of dark fulfillment. The appeal of the lurid sin life is very enticing because it is suitable to our corrupted nature.

Hebrews 4 - NIV ( 1984 )

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Suffering

After deciding to follow Jesus we soon experience what it was like when the Lord walked in humanity. Jesus suffered in obedience His entire life. An example of the Savior's suffering would be the forty day fast in the desert. Can you imagine fasting for forty days? Most of us can barley do a modern day fast beyond three days. The suffering during that trial in the middle of nowhere must have been horrible, but our Lord denied hunger's demands and had very little to eat. Jesus suffered during the wilderness fast because He had to be obedient in order to save humanity. Jesus could've turned stones into bread and gorged Himself as the adversary tempted Him to do, but the Savior persevered...it was mandatory.

When we walk in Godly obedience, we can and will suffer in our efforts to be obedient because the natural propensity of our human condition is to scratch the sin itch. After accepting Christ, we start to understand how difficult it is to push back against darkness. A new believer who was previously stewed in sin can suffer in being obedient more than someone raised in a Godly environment. Even the lifelong believer is susceptible to a fall. The adversary knows us better than we know ourselves, but so does our Lord and Savior. If anyone can understand how tough it is to thrust away the urge to sin, it's Jesus.

Hebrews 5 NIV ( 1984 )

During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with LOUD cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek.

Suffering is what we are called to do as Christ followers. The Apostle Paul said in Romans eight that we will languish in doing the right thing because Jesus did. With Jesus as our example we can see what it's going to be like for us. In Biblical claim we see that the humanity of Jesus was dependent on Godly help. Jesus was both God and man, but we must remember His humanity was without sin because He was born for that specific purpose. There has never been, nor will there ever be another sinless person beyond the age of reason because our Lord has already fulled that. Since Jesus became our advocate through His perfect, sinless life, we appeal to Christ for Godly for help.

We can expect unfair treatment, and we can certainly surmise that we are going to suffer in abstaining from sin. We suffer in our abstinence because we offend the world by telling them that the sin which feels good to them is wrongful, vulgar sin, and in turn, the world slams the Christ follower. We also suffer because mere abstinence from sin can be a trail...the severity really depends on the person's affliction. Dark seasons happen, but as one learns consistency in repentance, those seasons become shorter. As important as it is to remember who we are, we must remember where we are. We are in a lost and broken world which is opposite of the way of God, but the peace, favor, and authentic soul-felt well being is worth suffering to be righteous. We are to be righteous according to Biblical claim, not self-righteous.

Temptation

Sometimes it's tough to walk the narrow path of Godly obedience, and if we aren't careful we can soon find ourselves in sin. We can find ourselves in situations that we shouldn't be in, and most of the time it's because we stepped toward the sin. I will use an example below. ...

His heart beats in his throat...he wants it to happen, so he indulges, and soon it's a done deal.

But something is wrong. ...

Having committed the inequity he feels as though he's been punched in the gut! It was known all along that he was forbidden to partake in the sin! To make things worse, the dark voice whispers; " NO......don't you DARE pray now...God doesn't want you, you're pathetic ! Look at you, still filthy in inequity, why, you haven't even cleaned up yet...how can you talk to God ? " Again, he tries to say he's sorry to God,, but the dark one screams: " Why are you still praying like a babbling wimp! You may as well enjoy yourself and plan on doing it again becuase God doesn't want you anymore!

Suffering to do the right thing can be a struggle, and the adversary will move quickly to proposition us on our weak days. The evil one eagerly awaits to snatch away those who drift. All too often we snap out of the sin trance to find that the perfumed bed of sin has turned into being strapped onto a death chamber gurney. If you don't repent immediately you will find that fighting back against the evil one is like a doomed criminal who's about to receive the lethal injection. The criminal may try to fight, but the restraints are strong. Like the restraints used in a lethal injection chamber, the evil one will try to restrain you by implying that God doesn't want you. If you listen to the lies of the adversary, you will go deeper into depravity! Jesus will set you free...pray until you've prayed, and you will be liberated if you fall.

The suffering that the authentic Christ Follower feels as they face the consequence of their sin is much worse than suffering to live right. If the truly repented individual falls to sin, they grieve the Holy Spirit, and in turn the sorrow felt by the believer is shattering! Sorrow for sin produces confession and repentance. If there is no sorrow for the sin committed, I find it tough to believe the individual truly ascribes to following Christ.

Hebrews 2

Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants. For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. Because he suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

I don't know why, but it took me years to realize that Christ not only suffered on the cross, but he also suffered through a sinless life for us to be reconciled! The Bible says he was tempted in every way humanly possible, and that's a heaping portion of temptation. He endured temptation beyond what any other human could do because he had to. Christ's human birth was a death sentence, the cup was to his lips even as a child. Christ was born into a human body to be a sinless human. Jesus was 100 % God, 100% human.

It also took me a long time to figure out that Christ was able to be sin free not because God was forcing His humanity into submission, but rather His humanity was 100% committed in the mission to defeat sin and death. There is no other way for humanity to be reconciled to the Father God, except through Jesus. As I said earlier, there has never been, nor will there ever be another sinless person beyond the age of reason because our Lord has already fulled it.

Thanks for stopping by !

Thomas

Bible verses were NIV 1984

A special thanks to Pastor Tim Conway of Grace Community Church - San Antonio, TX. … Brother, you helped me see my latest epiphany.

Born "That Way" - A Look Into Human Complexity

2011-08-07T10:21:00.001-05:00

Popular musician Lady GaGa has a song titled; "Born This Way". The title of the tune is pretty much a sampling of the musician's life. Born that way...indeed the human condition is complex. People who have obvious birth defects are certainly born that way, but what GaGa sings about is different, or is it ? I ask you to think through your faith as you look into this issue.

Genesis 2

The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the LORD God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.”

God and Humanity

We are created beings with freewill. Our God given freedom is evident by our ability to either reject, or acknowledge the Father and Creator without fear of being reduced to a pile of ashes. According to Biblical claim, folks who partake in what God says not to do are sinning. Whatever choice is made, God still exists. ... God is absolute truth, and absolute truth can't lie. If God pre-programmed humans to automatically love and worship, it would be false worship out of fear. God isn't going to reveal himself to prove he exists like a genie. God revealing himself in an undeniable manner would cause overwhelmed, unavoidable, face in the dirt respect. Coerced adoration is false reverence ! God is the basis of truth; therefore, His creation has a free mind of its own.

The Evil One

Ezekiel 28

You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you. Through your widespread trade you were filled with violence, and you sinned. So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God, and I expelled you, O guardian cherub, from among the fiery stones.

Before there were humans, evil existed. The father of evil is better known as "the devil ". Selfishness, corruption, and darkness are the satanic calling cards. God created the devil, he is also known as Lucifer. In Ezekiel's claim above, this evil one was initially in agreement with Father God. This adversary of Holiness was created with freewill, but we see in the Book of Ezekiel that the dark one selfishly used his freewill to rebel against God. Why does this evil lord have interest in us? It's because God loves us, and the satanic agenda is to corrupt God's creation because we are made in the Almighty's image.

The Unseen

The supernatural veil between us and God is the reason why His believers are so distinguishable. We move toward God as believers, and the thousands of churches around the nation make this evident ! But, just like the devil did, the unbeliever pushes away from God. The detractor doesn't believe in God because they are in a supernatural, evil bind; in other words, they are duped ! The skeptic unwittingly resides in darkness, and feels that worldly knowledge is enlightenment. An atheist believes that bring enthralled with what this side of life has to offer is all that there is. Nonbeliever's say the idea of an unseen supernatural realm is foolish ignorance, especially when God is mentioned.

I think the main reason why a person tarries in non-belief is because of the desire to do as one sees fit. The dark lord and his minions can and will custom design a life filled with diversions to keep a scoffer firm in non-belief! Believers aren't immune to evil just because they belong to Jesus, especially if a healthy relationship with God isn't maintained ! The true believer who drifts away from fellowship with God can count on feeling the natural consequence of sin, and sometimes they reap the harshest naturally occurring consequences.

The Birth Of Death

For those who aren't familiar with what Moses claimed in the book of Genesis, it resulted in the very first human fail. No, God didn't instantly vaporize Adam...he died as a very old man.

I will explain this below. ...

The relationship between God and His creation changed when the first humans sought to be independent of God. When the initial humans partook of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, they thought they were taking in enlightenment, but instead, they ingested darkness. Not only did the male fail his wife by not identifying the deception, he failed all of creation. Eve gave in first, but Adam was warned about meddling in Godly territory. Adam failed to sufficiently teach his wife not to experience the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, and by indulging himself, he compounded that failure! Should the first male of the human species be held at low esteem because of this? No, because we read that God's anger subsided a bit by the time Adam died of old age, but the curse of death is perpetual on this side of life. The inaugural sin of humanity made the clock of creation start ticking. Death, as we know it, is the result of disobedience. This is why everything created; including us, has an expiration date.

God's Plan

Even after being judged by God, Adam lived a very long time. God's judgment for humanity was death, and sure enough death eventually overtook the firstlings of humanity. Before indulging in what the evil one offered, humanity had perfect fellowship with God. I don't think God's original dream of tarrying with his creation included old age, disease, and deformity. God doesn't break his covenants, humanity takes those detours. The good news is that God's plan hasn't changed. ... You can read the story about the restoration of perfect fellowship in the book of Luke in the Holy Bible.

Corrupted Creation

In Genesis 2 God said "you will surely die"; and he wasn't kidding. From the very point of sin, humanity started to age. I don't vividly remember, but I do recall the day I spotted the first gray hair, and it was soon forgotten with a pluck We inch closer to death every day, and there's nothing we can do to stop aging on this side of life, and soon, there are too many grey hair to pluck.

While the first humans had a flawless alliance with Father God they were not subject to natural illness and aging because death wasn't a factor. Due to the fall of humanity we are subject to aging, death, disease, and deformity. Immediately after the fall of humanity, God placed a veil between Himself and humanity...God's perfect fellowship with us ceased. We read in the book of Genesis that God condemned the sin of humankind; therefore, we are born into this present natural situation without the full benefit of God shielding us from natural consequence. God's judgment of death leads to corruption all the way down to the cellular level, and it is perpetual on this side of life for all generations until the gathering at the time of the Father's return.

Please understand, God doesn't create a person to be cursed with downs syndrome. God does not create a person to be a hermaphrodite. People are naturally born with the potential to suffer physical and mental issues due to the perpetual, genealogical inheritance of the fallen human race. Folks, we are flawed beings. We have a natural body made of created matter which is subject to flaws, but God breaths eternal spiritual life into our body. ... The condition of our spiritual relationship with God influences us to make the right decisions which help us to negotiate this side of life. A person can belong to Jesus, but we are we also are subject to the full brunt of natural time and circumstance. The believer has a wonderful assurance because they know they will live forever with God.

Perplexities

Many in the male or female lot have gender traits which are opposite of their unmistakable physical sexuality. Some guys are born with less testosterone, and have higher voices. Some females are born with hormonal imbalances that result in abnormal facial hair. Due to the corrupt DNA of humanity, all of the previous can be easily explained. These traits are not an indicator that someone is same sex attracted. Some girls walk like a football player and turn wrenches for a living, but are not lesbian. Some fellows like to watch the Lifetime Channel, but aren't attracted to guys. Mannerisms are not necessarily indicators of same sex attraction; if anything, they are an indication that they are just harmlessly weird, or different.

The Purpose of Human Design

While humanity varies in physical statute and personality; guys are still guys, and girls are still girls. Each gender is created to function in its designed physical role; in reproduction, and life in general. A Man can exponentially increase his physical power, but most females are probably stronger in my opinion based upon the full capabilities of their anatomy and mentality. While most males have the potential for exceptional brute power, the female is more physically diverse, so to speak.

We know from reading the claims of Moses that God created woman because it wasn't good for man to be alone. I think when God conceptualized human proliferation he wanted to somehow divide the human's power to spawn children. Could you imagine a human being able to speak another human into existence ? Yup, too much power ! God loved His creation, and I think that He wanted humanity to also experience the joy of creation, but he wanted to keep humanity honest. I feel that God created the woman to subdivide the human's capability to reproduce. The female is an equal partner in the reproduction of humanity, and an invariable participant her God given capacity. I think God's intentional, specific design of male and female is very important in the grand scheme of things.

You're probably wondering which way I'm taking this. ...

We Must Teach Our Children

Around the age of 18 month to 2 years old, a child figures out how grab stuff and run with it! Toddlers also learn how to scream at the top of their lungs...just to watch you freak out. We have to teach the little ones right from wrong because they are not born behaving right. Along with teaching a child that it's not ok to put the kitty cat in the clothes dryer, a child must be taught to identify with their gender in the right frame of mind. Moms do girl stuff with the girls, and dads do guy stuff with the boys. TIME must be invested...this is so very critical. A man needs to spend as much time as he can with his son, and a woman must spend as much time as she can with her daughter. I truly feel that this is axis of gender identity! Liberal studies will vehemently disagree with this, but commonsensical Biblical and secular thought will rule that out. I know that most will dismiss with what I've written here, but it's the parents job to make triple sure that they are doing what they should in providing their child with excellence in gender mentoring.

If a boy or a girl feels as though they can't fully associate with mom or dad, it can lead to self-destructive behavior, or it can lead them to seek affection from other adults which is dangerous. Most of the time when a boy or girl doesn't feel close to their parents they seek closeness with older friends, and quite often this is taken the wrong way by the more mature individual, thus leading to a bad experience. If we carefully teach a child from an early age to do right, and show them how to live well, they have a better chance in doing the right thing.

Same Sex Attraction

Please understand that what you are about to read is my theory on the subject of same sex attraction. I am not a doctorate holder in any profession, I'm just thinking through my faith. I feel that a person's sexual orientation is quite often implanted into the mind's sensory process at an early age. I think same sex attraction is developed by an experience at a young age. I have heard multiple times that same sex attraction starts with an intentional, unintentional, incidental, or situational experience which occurs with a like gendered friend during physical contact that leads sexual arousal. In most cases the same sex contact was introduced to the individual by someone else who has had it done to them. Because the person wasn't taught right from wrong, the continued sexual engagement leads to stimulus, and hence sears to the mental conciseness, and this causes the individual to again seek stimulus from the gender that they now have comfort having sex with. It has been documented that the first experience in this type of intimate contact occurs at very young ages, and it's quite shocking really. This is why I mentioned gender mentoring earlier. Usually, the very first sensual contact is where sexual orientation begins. This is why parents are right to exercise caution during sleep overs. Satanic principalities are very deceptive and will stop at nothing to warp creation by further bamboozling young people into the homosexual lifestyle, and the go to dark tactic is perpetrated through other demonically disillusioned individuals who are in similar situations along life's pathway.

Many homosexuals claim to have been in relationships with individuals of the opposite gender and report that it didn't feel right, but usually this feeling is after the same sex experience has already been seared into the mind. Some homosexuals will argue that they trust and love individuals of the opposite sex, but have no sensual desire to be with them, and I say that's a cop out because quite often we all have friends who are "just friends". ... Besides, it's not a good idea to be having sex previous to marriage anyway. All of this goes back to teaching your kids well!

Bisexual Attraction

The bisexual lifestyle does not disprove what is written here at all since everything discussed here finds it's roots in the sin nature. All sexual behavior outside of marriage is fornication which is brought about by selfish driven lust. The desire for ungodly sexual contact is nothing more than selfish focus on pleasures of the flesh. A deceived individual who is already spiritually bankrupt seeks to fulfill themselves with ungodly things, and will stop at nothing to fill the void. This is why you see stories of men who "discovered" that they were gay after 20 + years of marriage. I feel that the same sex attracted individual is much different than the individual who "suddenly becomes gay" How do people who never experienced same sex attraction suddenly feel that way I ask you? I feel that this sudden change is possibly demonically influenced. I know...that's a bit extreme, but how else do you explain a sudden desire to do this ? Sometimes it's just human sexual desire, and other times it's demonic influence.

The person who has had same sex experiences early on has the same sex attraction seared into their mind and is aroused by certain types, and is far different from the bisexual. The bisexual truly doesn't care who they have sex with because they sexually bond with anybody, anytime. I feel that the bisexual is the actual personification of devilish lust because it's about seeking selfish pleasure in hyper drive. I think the most deceived person is the bisexual individual, for they are entrapped in a destructive world where spiritual awareness of a supernatural God can be smothered until it's too late.

In Conclusion

Is homosexuality and bisexuality a born in kind of deal? I say absolutely yes! GaGa is right. ... We are all born corrupted. At the point of conception in the womb, two sets of corrupt DNA interweave resulting in corrupt human being. We are all born with an uncanny predisposition to sin, and we can plainly see that same sex attraction is admonished several time in Biblical claim. The reprimand of the homosexual lifestyle in Biblical claim is not just a warning to avoid the practices of pagan culture, it's an order to stop it. Homosexual relations are opposite of the way God's designed humanity to sexually interact, and it's spiritually dangerous.

Homosexuality is actually the fulness of nearly every sin discussed in the Bible !

God can pull you out of this homosexual lifestyle if you are in it. You are being spiritually hoodwinked by darkness if you think God made you to be same sex attracted. Yes, we are all born with a sin nature, but it doesn't excuse us from what God has told us not do !

Our natural being (flesh) is subject to naturally occurring flaws before, and after birth. ... Sadly, there is a chance that natural flaws can hinder a person from being fully functional for a lifetime.

Our spiritual being which is in the background of our behavior and life force animates our natural body, and this is also subject to flaws before and after birth. ... Flaws and malfunctions with this issue; however, is fully adjustable, preventable, and revisable.

Homosexually is fully forgivable, and God can spiritually restore to spiritual wholeness. It's best if you have a trusted godly friend who is not same sex attracted, but if that's not an option, God can and will start to restore a same sex attracted individual. Many give up because this is a seared in condition, but God can and will deliver the hurting soul who comes to him asking for help, but healing of the mind it is also dependent on the person.

God Bless, and I hope this creates an understanding. ...

Bible verses were NIV 1984

Witchcraft. ... It's not all hocus pocus !!

2011-07-17T07:25:00.001-05:00

You'll be surprised to see that witchcraft is not only spells and enchantment. I think an introspective review is needed among many Christ Followers on this subject. What I'm going to cover in this article is very messy. ... Witchcraft can cause fear, despair, anxiety, depression, and anger...indeed, it is TOXIC to the well being of the individual and those around the person.

Galatians 5:19-21 ( NIV1984 )

The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Manipulation

Yes, the heart of witchcraft is controlling an individual in order to achieve a desired result ! That's right, the most common form of witchcraft is not magical or mystical at all! Do you find it tough to think of it this way? I'll explain below. ...

Basically, both natural and supernatural witchcraft is the lust to control, it is fueled by greed and desire. Ultimately, the force behind all of it is the devil ! The desire to manipulate others is most definitely a fruit of the flesh which is fed by our rotten sin nature ! I suppose fear in the life of the manipulator is the axis of it all. Fear is the most influential emotion that a human has.

Good and bad fear: Fear is good when we don't step into traffic because of it. Fear is bad when we don't get out of bed because of it. Fear is satanic when paranoia paralyzes rational thought causing one to manipulate another!

Manipulate

1. ( tr ) to handle or use, especially with some skill, in a process or action.

2.to negotiate, control, or influence (something or someone) cleverly, skilfully, or deviously
3. to falsify (a bill, accounts, etc) for one's own advantage.


Smutface, the Ultimate Puppeteer When someone is hurt by the actions of another we tend to protect ourselves, but sometimes people go far beyond reason to prevent the issue from re-visiting. The evil one is actually in control of a control freak. What could happen when we go way overboard in trying to maintain our situation? I will demonstrate below, in detail, how fear causes control issues. ... I will prove that manipulation, exacted physically, is nothing more than witchcraft! an example story: There was a corporation where there was a greedily influenced hostile takeover attempt. The owner is Godly and does his best to live by the Word...he loves God, and God loves him. The owner is alerted to this treason attempt, previous to its unfolding. The Holy Spirit caused an individual to approach the owner and tell him about this evil bid to do harm. The owner expels the scandalous individuals from the company, and it's all over. Or, is it over? After the dust settles, the owner is shaken and is now cautious. Soon, cautiousness is overtaken by fear because the owner isn't fully comfortable that God is in control. Instead of relaxing in the fact that God handled the situation, he begins to fear that it will happen again. Years later Toxic fear begins to boil over, giving way to the evil one who gladly takes advantage of an opportunity to inject paranoia. The paranoid owner soon goes into extreme mode and starts placing microphones all over the business to monitor the situation. Soon, the owner feels as though microphones in the business isn't good enough. ... The owner really crosses the line when he has microphones placed in the homes and cars of his suspected employees in order to protect his business! This goes largely undetected for years until an innocent employee catches on and understandably becomes very upset. The employee knows a former FBI agent who is actually looking for a regular job and convinces his buddy to apply, and he gives him tips on how to get hired. The last time this individual was active in the FBI he was sent to role play in a community to sniff out information in a stale voyeurism and prostitution case. After a few half-hearted investigation tactics the skeptical former agent begins to notice Freudian slips among the owner, vice president, and other management members! The new employee performs a few more tests in locations where he was told microphones were. ... Sure enough...the observations are confirmed. After he does a bit of subjective role playing, he rouses the protective instinct of the owner! He goes deeper into the role playing, utilizing his training...soon microphones are in his home. Later, electromagnetic and RF detectors discover the exact location of the mics, but it wasn't until after the investigation that they found video and spy microphones that could hear conversations 50 yards away. The former FBI agent is a Christ Follower, and is disappointed. The owner would even bring up the spied sins in indirect, paraphrased conversations while holding corporate company meetings. Many were left deeply disturbed, which caused physically illness. Ultimately, the FBI took full control over the situation and the business owner was ruined and incarcerated. His family had to leave town in shame with no possessions due a revenge fire. ... This intrusion of privacy and manipulation caused stress and turmoil, thus causing people to change their lives for the worse. Prove it ? Covertly overreaching into the life of an individual and influencing their actions is manipulation! *It's witchcraft to the core because the dark lord is tempting and vexing one into his* agency, using the human manipulator to do evil bidding!** Nobody has any business doing this! It is a type of judgment that God hates! It is God's place to deal out the consequence of sin, NOT mans! Praying the "get him God " prayer is no better when self-gain is at the center of the petition...it has potential to become a demonic incantation because God doesn't hear flesh motivated prayer. Selfish prayers are nearly the same as dark spiritual meditation. God doesn't hear those selfish prayers, BUT guess who's happy to get it done for you? YUP, the devil! You will not like the way those prayers are answered. ... Writing seasons for me are sporadic. ... I was spiritually tapped on the shoulder early this morning to write this, and basically I was asked not to return to sleep by the Holy Spirit. Bible verses were NIV 1984