Tag: batman

In A World Not Of Your Own

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In A World Not Of Your Own

I wake up in my bed, and I realize I’m still here in this world. I take a breath and in a moment of thought, thank God for another day here on this earth. We know from scripture that those who follow Christ are called to live in this world, but not to be conformed to it. We are called to be here to spread the love and truth that is Jesus Christ, but this is not where we are to call home. To be an ambassador means to be in a place that is not your own. This world is far from home for Christians. Think about where you call home, and the feeling you get when you’re away on vacation for a while. While the vacation is nice, there comes a time when you start to long for home. There comes a point when you think to yourself you miss the comforts of your own 4 walls, your own bed, your own stuff, and you desire to go home. This is the same thing for Christians who know what truly awaits us when we die. God so loved the world that he gave his ONLY son, that who ever comes to know him shall not die, but have eternal life.

2 Corinthians 5:2020 “Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.” We must understand that we have work to do in this life. We must talk about the love and grace of Jesus Christ. We must talk about the gift of salvation given to all. We must talk about the ransom that was paid for each and every soul that ever lived, has lived, or will live. We have been given this gift freely, but like all gifts, yet we have to choose to accept it. When we walk outside our door we don’t know who we will encounter, or what will happen to us. We represent our home, our father, Jesus Christ everywhere we go. We should be recognizable as different because if we stand apart from the world, we shouldn’t blend in to the world around us.

In the film the Matrix during the agent training program there was one goal to the program to teach about the agents and what they are, who they are, and their mission. The woman in the red dress stood out as different but upon closer look, she was just another agent. When people look at us do we stand out to be the woman in the red dress, or upon closer examination are we just agents of the world hiding like wolves in sheep’s clothing. If Batman were to be transported to the wizarding world of Harry Potter he would stand out. We too have a choice to stand out and truly be different in all we say and do. It’s important to stand up and be proud of being different. We cannot expect things in this world to be different if we are not willing to be different. We cannot expect the world to change if we are not willing to be that change.

I have often felt like I didn’t belong and an outsider, and as I’ve gotten older, I have realized that’s not far from true. While I do have a more rare personality type, I have found that it’s in the mutual love of Jesus Christ I have found a place more fitting for me. I have searched the world over for a place to call ‘home’ even as a temporary home, and while I can’t say I love the weather, I can say I love my church. Antioch Baptist Church in Timberlake North Carolina is the most loving, most giving, most welcoming place I’ve ever been. From finding my best friend Glen, to a pastor whom I have grown quite close to ‘David Chambers’ I have found myself unable to leave. I am anchored here because the church is anchored in Jesus Christ. This church is different in the way it conducts business, in the way it holds itself accountable to the word of God, and the people in it truly do love the Lord. I have been to many different churches across the world, and I have not once found a place in any denomination that loves the Lord as much as they do at Antioch. No place is ever going to be perfect, and while there is sin everywhere, Antioch is truly a place apart. Antioch stand apart as much as Batman going to Hogwarts. John 15:19 19“If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.” We may not be popular, or even liked, and sometimes we may even be hated, but it’s not the acceptance of the world we need to be worried about, it’s the acceptance of God and knowing all we do is bringing glory to His name.

Why Can’t I Drive The Car?

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Why Can’t I Drive The Car?

Have you ever wondered why your parents told you, ‘no you can’t drive the car.’? The answer is pretty obvious, you’re not ready. We are equally young in our faith. We start off as it says in scripture on the milk, and eventually work our way up to the meat and potatoes. When we are but babies in our mothers arms we are cared for and provided for in everything we may need. When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, John 3:16“16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” This is just the skim of scripture, the milk as it were. This is what you must understand as a baby Christian, but this isn’t where your journey ends, it’s only the beginning. When you become a Christian your true life starts, and everything before it was merely just learning blocks in preschool preparing you for life as a Christian. I myself have experienced many tragedies, traumas, hardships, and heartbreak. There’s also been much joy, and happiness, and blessings along the way. Each and every event in my life at some point in time can be used for me to further the gospel of Jesus Christ. We all have experiences that mold our perspective, and in that we all have our own vantage points, and that uniqueness is a gift from God.

1 Corinthians 12:1-11”12 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant: 2 You know that[a] you were Gentiles, carried away to these dumb[b] idols, however you were led. 3 Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus [c]accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit. 4 There are [d]diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. 6 And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works [e]all in all. 7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: 8 for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by [f]the same Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.”

With each of our gifts and ministries we can be apart of, because we are but babies fresh into the faith, we aren’t ready to focus on our gifts and ministries. It takes time, but we jump in right away and test the waters. As part of our path we are to grow in our walk with Christ, and also in our own gifts. Like any pro athlete, or musician, practice, repetition, and guidance must be used to grow in skill, and to become proficient. Scripture is the same way. We cannot truly excel if we never move beyond the milk. If we are content in baby stage are we truly doing all that we can to bring glory to God?

1 Corinthians 12:12-14 “12 For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. 13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink [g]into one Spirit. 14 For in fact the body is not one member but many.”We must understand that before a baby can walk first it must develop strong kneecaps, and the muscles in its legs and hips must grow and develop. As a child grows we accept that we start off slow, and work our way to harder things along the way. Our brains grow and develop as we learn new things, experiences in life form us, shape us, and hopefully we have a strong spiritual family to shape us as God fearing children. But what does this have to do with driving the car? If God wanted us to get right to going out and telling people about Jesus Christ and share the hope and love to all, we would be gifted with all the right things to say, all the scripture we’d ever need, and we’d have all the answers. That’s not the case though. You wouldn’t let a 10 year old drive you to Walmart because they aren’t mature enough, their brains haven’t matured yet, even their size may not be mature enough yet. But when the time is right they will one day come to you and want to learn how to drive and that’s when you look at them and start to train them on drivers safety. The key word in that sentence is train them. When Paul was blinded on the road to Damascus he was gifted by God, the Holy Spirit, and yet he went to be vetted, and trained by the Apostles for 3 years before he started to evangelize, preach, and teach. We must be trained in the ways of the Lord, and we get there by reading, studying, learning about God, and using our trails to help build us for trials down our path that will be harder then before.

With every passing day of doing Yoga the workout will get easier and easier. Eventually I will no longer get anything from them and I can either sit idle, or I can move on to the next step. I wouldn’t want to start off at level 3 or 4, but it forces me to continue to grow. The key word in that sentence is grow. Every day we are on this planet we are given the opportunity to grow closer to God. Every trial we face, every love we have, every skinned knee, job, and loss, and anything else you can think of is an opportunity to grow closer to our Father. We can look at our lives with frustration, and anger, and bitterness if we want to, but ultimately that will not change your situation, nor will it bring you closer to God. If we truly hated our children we could give them the keys at 10 years old and tell them to knock themselves out, and they likely would, literally. The disaster that would come from allowing your child to go through such an experience when they were clearly not ready for it, all you would do is set them up to fail. While there is a lesson for failure, this is not the context for that lesion. All of you new age Yoda fans, sorry, not today. Being good stewards of our gifts, and not squandering them, not being foolish and careless, and being wise and deliberate with the spiritual gifts, and most importantly the gift of life is by far the most important lesion we could learn. Each lesson we face we should try to find the good in it, and understand that our lessons may be a chance to witness to others, or a chance to grow to God, or an attack of the Devil, or an attack of this world. It’s even very possible that the hardships or lessons of your own doing. We are often our greatest enemy causing our own pains along the way. God will usually try to get us to stay away from a particular path, but if we ignore the warning signs and choose to drive straight for the cliff, that’s on us. So before you start throwing a temper tantrum about how unfair God is, ask yourself how you can serve God no matter what circumstance you may find yourself in. And don’t rush into things you’re clearly not ready for, that’s one of those signs saying ‘cliff ahead’, but if you like cliff jumping, by all means, jump away. Just remember, sometimes God will stop you from splatitng on the rocks below, sometimes he wont.

 

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What Would You Have Me Do?

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What Would You Have Me Do?

We as Christians are often hated because of our strong opinions on particular controversial matters, but in that, it comes back to doing the right thing because it’s the right thing to do. There comes a time when anyone must decide the path they will take and the person they want to be. The time will come when you must choose to do what is easy, or what is right. I am reminded of the scene in The Dark Knight (Spoilers Ahead) Bruce is struggling with his roll as Batman because the Joker seems intent on causing destruction and death so indiscriminately that Bruce decides to turn himself in as the Batman. He asks Alfred for his advice yet initially ignores it.

BRUCE WAYNE: “People are dying, Alfred. What would you have me do?”

ALFRED PENNYWORTH: “Endure, Master Wayne. Take it. They’ll hate you for it, but that’s the point of Batman. He can be the outcast. He can make the choice that no one else can make, the right choice.”

We as Christians often sit back and watch the world and we shake our heads in shame, but we do nothing.  We ourselves often don’t endure the hardships without turning our backs or anger towards God. We have become so fickle, so quick to anger, so quick to forget the blessings and wonderful things we have received simply from God’s grace, not because we’ve earned it or deserve anything. We are worthy of nothing, yet we are given everything. We are hypocrites yet we are Loved endlessly. We are filthy yet we are cleansed in the blood and made clean.

I can recall times in my life when I was hurting both emotionally and physically and I have cried to God that I would do anything if He’d just make the pain go away. Sadly I have never experienced a time when my suffering was miraculously taken away, but I have experienced other miracles. I’ve experienced miracles so powerful it would be difficult for me to believe anything else as truth. Jesus Christ is the true son of God, the one the prophesy foretold, and the one who came to deliver us from the bondage of Sin. Jesus paid the price for our sins but we still have to walk the journey. In the book of Acts you see a man named Saul undergo a transformation. Saul was a Roman Jew who had made it his life’s work to seek out and destroy the Christian church. Anyone who supported or followed those who followed Christ would be subject to his wrath. He caused a great deal of pain and sorrow, and in his own eyes believed he was doing the work of God. While traveling to Damascus Saul was stricken before a blinding white light. He fell to his knees with the voice of the I Am in his head. Jesus spoke to him, and Saul’s response Acts 9:6 “6 And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.” He asked the Lord what must he do? When was the last time we asked the Lord what we must do, but not in exchange for anything, just so that we may bring glory to the Father. Saul who was renamed Paul went on to serve the Lord faithfully, and even though he was warned he would suffer long in the name of Christ he continued to serve. Paul would be beaten, imprisoned, shipwrecked, attacked by snakes, be stoned, and a number of other things all in the name of Jesus Christ. Perhaps it was his penance for the suffering he had caused the Church, but through the constant beatings, torture, and everything else he maintained his faith. He would leave behind perhaps one of the greatest testimonials in this history of mankind.

My Lord I look to you, and I ask what would you have me do? I believe I’m told to endure, to take pain because I can. I believe that it’s not just my faith in Christ, but Christ’s faith in me that tells me I can make it through anything. Sure there will be troubles ahead but that’s what it means to be a hero. Christ tells us all we will face hardships and persecution in his name. When those times come we have a choice how we’re going to handle it. I believe the best thing we can do is ask God one question, ‘what would you have me do?’ I’ve not been very good at asking this question. I’ve more often then not been the guy to ask ‘why me?’ I’ve not always been a good Christian, meaning to say I’ve not always been as faithful as I should, or even behaved, as I should. If Paul is the example of how to hold one’s self in times of crisis, then I have failed miserably. I know that I have failed, but by the grace of God, my failures are forgiven, and I keep getting up and keep putting my feet to the ground. When we live our lives according to God’s word, the peace that comes isn’t a fix to the worlds problems, but it does make those problems easier to face. The future is never certain for those of us who aren’t fortune tellers, so all we can do is trust in the Lord and know that in all things, good, bad, beautiful, and horrible, we’re never alone, and God is working out all the details, big and small. 1 Peter 5:7 “casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.”

Take some time and turn to God. Take some time and find what you can do for God’s glory. No matter what happens the will of God will happen, so we can live our lives worrying ourselves to death, or we can take a breath, say a prayer, and trust in God. We must stand apart because we are apart. We are told we live in this world, but we are not of this world. The world will hate us for what we are, but that’s the nature of being a Christian. Never have we been told in good conscience that we would be given everything we ever wanted. We are given what we need, and we give far less in return. We do not stand in fight for the helpless or the hopeless. We do not stand against bullies and tyranny. We do not stand the test of time without questions or doubt. The path that is easy is to walk of this world. The path that is difficult is the one led by the cross. We must carry our cross and do so proudly. We are sinners in this world, but through the power of Christ we are different, not just in faith, but in our actions. So be different. Be a hero tonight.

They Did WHAT On The Roof?

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They Did WHAT On The Roof?

Have you ever been given advice and without a moment to think about it, you decided it was a great idea? Well, as far as bad ideas go, rooftop orgies are probably not the greatest ideas you could have. Oh yes, we’re going to be talking about sex and spies, and lies, and wickedness of the heart in today’s post. We’ve been discussing the impact of choices, and how the outcome will be a result of what you’ve put in. Reaping and sewing your crop, sort of speak. 2 Samuel 16:15-23 (NIV) “15 Meanwhile, Absalom and all the men of Israel came to Jerusalem, and Ahithophel was with him. 16 Then Hushai the Arkite, David’s confidant, went to Absalom and said to him, “Long live the king! Long live the king!” 17 Absalom said to Hushai, “So this is the love you show your friend? If he’s your friend, why didn’t you go with him?” 18 Hushai said to Absalom, “No, the one chosen by the Lord, by these people, and by all the men of Israel—his I will be, and I will remain with him. 19 Furthermore, whom should I serve? Should I not serve the son? Just as I served your father, so I will serve you.” 20 Absalom said to Ahithophel, “Give us your advice. What should we do?” 21 Ahithophel answered, “Sleep with your father’s concubines whom he left to take care of the palace. Then all Israel will hear that you have made yourself obnoxious to your father, and the hands of everyone with you will be more resolute.” 22 So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the roof, and he slept with his father’s concubines in the sight of all Israel. 23 Now in those days the advice Ahithophelgave was like that of one who inquires of God. That was how both David and Absalom regarded all of Ahithophel’s advice.” As far as bad ideas goes, when a man tells another man in power, ‘hey, lets go have a giant orgy on the roof,’ well, I think it’s pretty easy to see where Absolom went wrong. Now, lets look at who Ahithophel is, he is the Grandfather of Bathsheba. That’s right folks, the woman that David raped and then had her husband killed to hide his own sin. Sin is never just a consequence we face, but if we aren’t careful generations after us. I will say this, it’s never a good idea to go outside the with of God when it comes to sex. We all sin, and while I’m not going condemn anyone for having premarital sex, or any other sexual exploits, what I will say is, it’s still sin, and while it’s on equal footing as any other sin, we must still realize those choices are living in sin. While we as people might say a rooftop orgy with your fathers mistresses is just plain wrong, and we’d deem that worse then a monogamous partner engaged in premarital sex, they are actually on the same level. Sin, is now, it was, and always shall be, equal at the foot of the cross.

I want to ask everyone a question. When you’re at a crossroads do you do what’s good, or what’s God? Let me explain what I mean. We often make decisions about what’s good for us, or what we feel good about. How often do we make choices based on what scripture tells us is the right way to go? What’s even worse is when we get advice from others and their advice leads us down a sinful path. To add one more level to the horrible nature of such a path that Absolom took was, Ahithophel’s advice was based on revenge, thus tainting the decision even further. This motive was based on revenge not justice. In the movie Batman: Son of Batman (Spoilers Ahead), we see a small Damian Wayne taken from a broken League of Assassins and placed with his father Bruce Wayne AKA Batman for protection. Batman decides to try and teach discipline to his son whom he had just learned existed. His entire life Damian was taught that there is no mercy towards the wicked. Damian was taught that vengeance was the same as justice. “You don’t seek justice. You seek vengeance. They’re not the same.” (Son of Batman) Vengeance is about making yourself feel better, while Justice is about seeking harmony. When you allow your decisions to be made through negative emotions bad things are sure to follow. Even some positive emotional decision can be sinful, so in all things we need to be turning to God and ‘ask does “_____” please God?’

When you get to a crossroads in your life do you have a process you go through to determine what choices you may have, and narrow down which choice would be the most pleasing to God? It’s important and scripture that we surround ourselves with good Godly people to help us with big decisions in our life. It’s also important that those friends, that counsel will tell you the truth not what you want to hear. You must also be willing to listen to that advice without getting upset by it. It’s not always easy listening to advice telling you to do the opposite of what you want, but God puts people in our life for a reason, and at the same token the Devil will put people in our life also to tempt us in Sin. We must be able to discern the difference. Also, don’t be the type of person people are afraid of to be honest with you.

The problem with powerful people is when the advice comes from someone with significant pull among the people. Ahithophel’s advice was on equal footing as scripture. When he spoke people listened assuming his advice would be from God. The lesson to take away from this is even people who were once Godly people fall. We are all human, and as scripture points out, Psalm 146:3 “Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.”  There’s a line in The Dark Knight “You Either Die A Hero, Or You Live Long Enough To See Yourself Become The Villain” I think the big take away from this line is even good people, great people will fall and fail sometimes. It’s not possible for us to make the right decision every day, all day. We are sinful people, driven by sin nature, and we will make mistakes. If we expect perfection from others, we are the ones who will be let down. Psalm 118:8 “It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man.” Jesus Christ in the refuge we must seek. Scripture is the best guide we could ever ask for. While we may need help with our path, by seeking other Godly people to help us work through the facts of our life and working through scripture to seek our answers.

It’s not easy sometimes walking the righteous path, but it’s always what’s right. Whenever you get the advice to do something you know is wrong, follow Romans 12:21“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” Sin is evil, and it’s not just murder, or adultery, or lying, or stealing, sin is everywhere. We must grow beyond and trust that the road in Christ will be turbulent, it will be painful at times, but the road to be super isn’t without it’s challenges. We are royalty in our Lord and Saviors blood. We are heirs to heaven and therefore we need to be better with how we live our life. No one is responsible for our actions no matter the advice we take from others. We will always be responsible for ourselves. One last point I’d like to make about following the advice given from ungodly sources is those in positions where they take orders from other people. In the months proceeding the end of WWII countless soldiers from the lowest rank all the way up to the generals claimed they were ‘just following orders.” Following the orders of someone above you to do things that are illegal, or immoral, never excuses you for your actions. We are our own men and women and we will always be responsible for only ourselves. When you find yourself at the foot of the cross no matter of excuses, or blame elsewhere will ever make you right with God. We will all answer for our sins, every last one of them, and if we think passing the buck is going to win you any favor with our Lord and Savior, you are completely wrong. I envision someone kneeling at the foot of the cross trying to enter Heaven and giving a good story to the Lord about why they aren’t responsible. Across from them is Jesus and he replies “Impressive. Every word in that sentence was wrong.” (Luke Skywalker)

 

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It’s All Part Of The Plan

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It’s All Part Of The Plan:

I want you to stop where you are and look around. Right where you stand, right where you sit, is this moment in time where you thought you’d be? I’ve been taking a moment to think about my life and reflecting the path I’ve taken to lead me to this moment. While I would like to say it’s been smooth, I’d be lying. I think we can all agree there is no such thing as a smooth life. While I myself do not prescribe to complete pre-destination, I believe that God will continue to move pieces around the chess bored to maneuver us to where He wants us. For the vast majority of my life I’ve run from a calling, and it wasn’t till recently I have felt as if God smacked me in the back of my head and said ‘Okay, it’s time.’ As I have spent years in the same career when that came to an abrupt end a few weeks ago, I had to accept that my time as a security officer had ended.

I watched my career implode when I ruptured a disc in my back. 9 months later I found myself back to work in what seemed to be a perfect type of position for me. 3 weeks later due to government oversight that posting was dissolved. Just like that the laid plans that took months to bare any fruit, where whisked away in a short but powerful hurricane. Left standing in the destruction I looked to the sky and asked, “Okay God, what next?” I never expected to get an answer so fast, but I can’t say I didn’t ask for it, and I can’t say I’m overly surprised. I think what shocks me most is my willingness to acquiesce to God’s plan over my own.

Who are we without Christ? We wake up at whatever time, we get ready for work, and we go to a job every day, or most days for most people, and we are either good at what we do, bad at what we do, or just don’t care to put forth the effort in what we do. For some people their careers are everything to them, and for others, it’s just an annoyance they put up with day in and day out to make money to pay the bills. While work is not everyone’s cup of tea, we all have something we enjoy doing. Whatever that is, and I’ll allow you to fill in the blank, we all, no matter how big or small, have at least that one thing that brings us great joy. For some people it’s a hobby, others it’s their pets, some it’s work, and others it’s being on fire for God in ministry and missions. While I don’t often get to talk to full time missionaries, I do get to talk to those who go on mission trips on a regular basis, i.e. once a year or so. The reports to the church on how the other half of the world lives are usually similar in nature, they have next to nothing, and yet they are happy. We have an abundance of wealth in our society and yet we are some of the most pitifully miserable people on the planet. Those who say money buys happiness obviously hasn’t taken a good hard look at the United States mental health reports. So when we look at the abundance of wealth we have, and the lavish lifestyle we live (even our poverty) lives better then many countries I’ve been too. We see disparity within our country when it comes to joy with most other countries around the world. We are truly missing one main ingredient, and that’s Jesus Christ.

When we are following Christ we find that we move from one thing to the next with more ease and less worry then those who are unbelievers. (Not a black and white statement) I am reminded of the statement by Paul, and I’ll paraphrase, In all situations I find myself, content. This is a man who if any had reason to complain, it was him. Few people go through so many hardships as Paul, except maybe Job, but he kept moving forward no matter how hard the road, no matter the obstacles in front of him, he moved forward with grace and dignity. Remind you, Paul was a sinner just like the rest of us. Paul would have faced the same draws from the sins of the flesh, the pull of a fallen world, and the human faults that plague each and every one of us, but he knew he was a sinner. Paul on more then one occasion responded to attacks by saying he was no one. He would tell people he is nothing without God, and Jesus Christ is truth and Jesus Christ alone is truth. Where Paul went he was met with hostility, anger, hatred, and even physical violence, but everywhere he went was ‘All Part Of The Plan’.

When we follow scripture and we allow ourselves to give in to it, we will be moved and used by God in ways we never thought possible. When we are seeking the Lord and we try to have that relationship with our Abba (father) we will be amazed how drastically different our life will be, how bright it is, when we finally open ourselves to God, and force our selfish need to be in control away. We will go through life trying to do things our way, but often in our feeble attempts to do things right, we usually find ourselves in dire situations often because of our own sinful decisions. When I was watching The Dark Knight a few years back I was amazed at how well written Heath Ledgers Joker was. Each scene he was in was a small masterpiece in the grand scheme of the movie. The Joker in the movie falls in the category of an Anarchist. What’s an anarchist, “a political theory holding all forms of governmental authority to be unnecessary and undesirable and advocating a society based on voluntary cooperation and free association of individuals and groups” The Joker tells Dent he isn’t a man with a plan. He tells him he’s a dog chasing a car, and he wouldn’t know what to do with it if he ever caught one. “Upset the established order and everything becomes chaos.”(Dark Knight Rises)The Devil means to upset order, and as seen in the Garden, he’s been doing it for some time now.

How do we ensure we continue to follow God’s plan? First and foremost you must have a relationship with God. You must study scripture to the point where you have it in your heart and in your head every day. You must understand the word of God to prepare for the day when you will be attacked on the battlefield. We must study scripture day and night. We must get to the point where our actions are instinct and we no longer have to put hours of study into what to do in different situations. We must have a relationship with God that gives us a level of intimacy with scripture, and not just a passing understanding of it. We must focus on that relationship with Jesus Christ, and while we are doing that, our path will be made clear as seen in scripture. Psalm 25:4-5 “Make me know Your ways, O LORD; Teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; For You I wait all the day.” Start with learning scripture and God’s ways. Learn behavior which is acceptable and that which is not. Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” We must allow ourselves to subside so we may submit in every way to the Lord. To do this requires us to trust in God for every last bit of our lives. Not only trusting in the Lord with the big stuff which most people turn to God for prayer, but also the smallest details in our life, and to be thankful and appreciative of our vast number of blessings which come from our Heavenly Father. Psalm 32:8“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.” God will never put you on a path alone. God will never give you the keys to the car without first teaching you how to drive it. God will always give you what you need, when you need it. We are to be the hands and feet, and we are to work hard for everything we do, but God always rewards hard work and self sacrifice.

While the Joker is an agent of chaos and we often feel like our lives are chaos, I submit to you, that we are actually following the path laid in front of us by either our own sinful selves, or we’ve taken the bait and followed the path of the first agent of chaos, Lucifer. If we glance at the instruction manual and have an in passing familiarization of the design, when we get done building, will we have pieces left over? The instructions are there for a reason and just like my Lego sets I often build, if I miss even the smallest step on page 4, it could have vast problems by page 34. We must be careful to read every word, study and understand it so when the day comes for temptation to creep in on page 36, you will be ready for it. You’ll know that’s not apart of the plan, and you’ll know how to manage that day. “Yea you know, you really should have stolen the whole book because the warnings, the warnings come after the spells.”(Dr. Strange) The warnings about sin don’t just come at the end of the Bible, but throughout the whole thing. We have no excuse to expect Hell, when we live our lives according to our own plans and desires. Much like Kaecilius failed to realize the depth of what he was reading and getting into. “Eternal life as part of the one, you’re not going to like it.” (Dr. Strange) Instead of thinking of it as the one, God, instead think of it as eternal life with the one agent of chaos and destruction, the Devil. I believe so many people follow such a path that they feel works, or being good enough, or even whatever other faith they may follow, I hope in the end it’ll be worth it. I feel a bit like Dr. Strange, “you got what you wanted, but you’re not going to like it.”

We may not know what the plan is for us, but if we are patient and faithful to the Lord it will be made clear when all the pieces on the board are in the right place. We will always have a choice which way we want to go, we can be agents of chaos, or we can be agents of order. Jesus Christ is the only order you will ever need to be apart of. No matter what path God has you on based on the gifts He gave you, be patient, be trusting, and be willing to allow yourself to be the hands and feet of God. God will never ‘need’ you, but if he chooses to use you, believe me, it’s better to give in, then to fight. You can fight tooth and nail but if you want to find your happiness and contentment, go with God’s plan sooner rather then later. It’ll save you years of headaches. So get out there and make a difference.

 

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Are You Crazy?

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Are You Crazy?

Acts 14:19-20“19 But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having persuaded the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead. 20 But when the disciples gathered about him, he rose up and entered the city, and on the next day he went on with Barnabas to Derbe.” Paul has been going from city to city proclaiming the word of Jesus Christ. He has been teaching and preaching in the synagogues but as usual the Pharisees didn’t take to kindly to being shown the error of their ways, so they decided to turn the crowd and attempt to commit murder. Can you imagine yourself in Paul’s shoes? Poor guy has been beaten, stoned, ship wrecked, tortured, imprisoned, and all the while probably had more aches and pains and illnesses then we could ever imagine. Even with all this he carried on, pushed through, and not only continued to preach the word of Jesus Christ, but returned to cities in which recently tried to kill him. The ability to stand up to your enemies in the face of tremendous dangers, and yet to have that kind of faith to overcome fear with glorious courage is the embodiment of a true hero.

Acts 14:22“strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.” There is always a price to be paid and sometimes that price is higher then others. Look at all your favorite super heroes and see what they’ve had to give up to go out into the public and save lives, stop crime, and sometimes save the very world itself. It takes a special kind of person to run towards danger, and we see this in our emergency services personnel and in our military every day. How passionate are you about the Lord? How passionate are you about your eternal salvation? It’s so easy to say you know the Lord, and say you’re saved, and that you know you’re going to Heaven, but to not share the excitement is simply a travesty. A man bought and paid our salvation with His own blood and here we sit idly by as sin plagues our friends and families. We allow evil to rise up all around us and we do nothing.

When I was hearing the scripture here in Acts 14 I couldn’t help but imagine the image of Superman. The S on his chest meaning hope, and that Superman stands for Truth, Justice and The American Way. If Paul were to have a suit his would undoubtedly hold the cross. The cross is true light, the true symbol of hope. The cross that encompasses the trinity, the heart, and the blood spilt to earth so we might be free. What are you willing to do for your freedom? What would you be willing to give so you might embrace your destiny to walk with Christ in Heaven? Would you Risk your life for what you believed in? As a spiritual leader, persecution, revile, and hatred will come to you from every direction.

As a Christian it’s up to you to wear that cross proudly and visibly for the world to see. Do not hide behind the cross, and do not show offence to it. The cross is liberation, not enslavement. Do not hide behind fear. A hero will step into the light to shine brightly for all the people to see. I am reminded of an episode of the Flash (Spoilers Ahead)where Barry Allen goes to Oliver Queen the Arrow for advice on being a hero. To be a hero you’d have to be a little crazy to put yourself in harms way all the time for strangers. Knowing any minute you might not go home to your loved ones in the service of others. Knowing you can sacrifice everything you are in this world for a cause you believe for so deeply is a little nuts. I submit to you though, if you love Christ as much as I do, then you’d probably do some pretty crazy things too. I think we should all be crazy in love for Jesus. When we love Christ that much we take the command for the Great Commission seriously. Get out there and be a little crazy for Christ. If Paul would be willing to get stoned and in less then a year return to that very city to preach again, we should be willing to at the very least stand up and proclaim who our true hero is, Jesus Christ.

Barry Allen:“I’m just not sure I’m like you, Oliver. I don’t know if I can be some… vigilante.”

Oliver Queen:“You can be better, because you can inspire people in a way that I never could, watching over your city like a guardian angel… making a difference… saving people… in a flash. Take your own advice: Wear a mask.” (The Flash Pilot Episode)

See, Oliver Queen was doing what he felt his city needed to be saved. Sometimes Oliver’s methods were a little rough around the edges, and weren’t exactly the gold standard for being a hero, but the Flash, could be different. The Flash, much like Paul would stand out as more then the average hero. Even in the midst of tremendous adversity and danger, both would stand on the morals that guided them and would never relent. Both would stand tall and show the world a better way. When we look to our neighbors, our brothers and sisters, do we see anyone in our life that shows that level of integrity? We can’t even make our own right decisions, and yet we call ourselves Christians. We spit on the cross and we turn our backs on it regularly. We deny the cross when it’s convenient to save ourselves from standing apart in the crowd. We are no heroes, we are the villains. We are the mob that turned on Christ just days after greeting the savior with palms and cheers, and love and praises. We are the ones who love the free hand outs, and then when it’s time to listen we turn our backs. When it’s time to hear the truth we would prefer living in our world of free stuff, and never being held accountable for our actions.

Who are we going to be from this day going forward? Are we going to be the mob that caused the nails to go into our saviors hands, or are we going to be the man who took being stoned and beaten over and over again standing up for the name of Christ? We should stand up for Truth, Justice and Godly Light.

 

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Setbacks

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Setbacks

“Make a plan, execute the plan, expect the plan to go off the rails, throw away the plan”(Captain Cold)The path we follow and the plans we lay, one brick at a time on that yellow brick road, can only go so far so long as God wants us to follow that path. I don’t know what to say exactly except Captain Cold was a wise, wise man. I have laid the foundation to walk and expecting I knew my plan, but God had other plans. While I can’t say I understand, because Lord knows I don’t, I now have to throw away the old plan, and begin the research for a new one. I can’t say with any level of honesty I’m not hurt by recent events. Although that new job started off rough, it was just starting to smooth out, and I was excited for the prospects that by the end of the year I’d be able to follow through with my home buying goals. Now, I must figure out a new plan, and hope I am able to remain positive.

I’m not trying to make excuses but I find this kind of set back frustrating. Largely I am annoyed because I just can’t seem to go 10 feet without being knocked back 6. I have given my all to the Lord, and I am preaching and teaching every chance I get. I’m not engaging in reckless behaviors. I’m going to church regularly, and yet I just can’t seem to get to a point where I am in the life I have always dreamt of. I know that God has a plan for me, and my faith tells me to be strong, but the personality type doesn’t do well without closure, without answers. I am a logical planner and I need to know the why when something fails because without the why I don’t know what it is I’m to learn. I have struggled in the past with my faith and trusting in the Lord to lead me out of the struggle. I’ve never stopped believing in God, but I won’t lie, God and me haven’t always seen eye to eye. Obviously I have never won any arguments. I feel a little like Bruce trying to figure out why I keep rolling snake eyes, getting the worst of the luck, and having plan after plan fail in front of me. The future is as blurry to me now as it ever has been. All I can do now is dry my eyes, tighten my boots, and get ready to start a new trek.

Isaiah 35:8“A highway will be there, a roadway, And it will be called the Highway of Holiness The unclean will not travel on it, But it will be for him who walks that way, And fools will not wander on it.” Even though I wander, and I don’t know my path, I trust in my God. That does not take away the pain, but it means I can keep going. I feel like anyone else, and I have my questions, and sometimes I question God, but He’s always understanding. 2 Corinthians 5:7“7 for we walk by faith, not by sight.”  Though I don’t know my direction I walk strong and tall. I’ve got pain by my Lord heals my wounds. I walk in the darkness and I cannot see my way, but I feel the warmth of Jesus as the light guides my way. I don’t know where I am, and I don’t know where I’m going, but I know my way home. My savior promised a paradise waiting for me one day. I believe I am saved in the blood of Christ, and I know that no matter where my steps take me, one day I’ll reach that golden finish line. Isaiah 43:2 “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow you When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, Nor will the flame burn you.”

Today I don’t feel strong. Today I don’t feel courageous, so my God give me faith. My God give me courage. My God show me the way so I may walk without fear. My God today I feel alone, and today I am lost, so my God my God please stay with me tonight. I feel broken, and I don’t know where to turn. I have walked through the valley, and I have pain coming from every direction, and I feel as if the whole world is standing against me today. My God you protect me when I face my battles. My God your love is pure light, and my God I need faith to trust in you tonight. I feel the storm it’s all around. I know you have the power to calm the waters, to be fear for the storm, and you could make it all go away. My God can you stay with me, I will lift my hands, I will praise you, I will worship you. Tonight I’m on my knees and my tears flow to the ground, and I need you with me today.

If you feel like me, and the world is just heavy, take a moment to step back and pray. Every day we need to remember that attacks will come and if not towards us, then those whom we care for. We must remain vigilant and keep the word in our hearts. The world is designed to break us, to tear us down, and pull us away from Christ.  “Why do we fall? So we can learn to pick ourselves up.”  (Alfred, Batman Begins)We will have setbacks in our life, and we will fall. We will encounter struggles we never imagined, and we will face a world we don’t recognize. Our true strength doesn’t come from our own determination, but from the Lord above. Our true purpose is to Love our God and to do the works God would have us do. “Whatever you do, remember that. You’re going to make a difference. A lot of times it won’t be huge, it won’t be visible even. But it will matter just the same. Don’t do it for praise or money, that’s what I want to tell you. Do it because it needs to be done. Do it to make your world better.” (Ed Brubaker, Gotham Central, Book One: In the Line of Duty) Every day you wake is a new day to get out there an make a difference. Quitting is letting the Devil win, so keep pushing, keep moving, keep fighting, and don’t ever doubt who’s in your corner.

Born a Slave, Die as Royalty

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Born a Slave, Die as Royalty

A baby is born on a beautiful night. The silence of 400 years was broken with a babies cry. This baby would be born into a world where his coming would upset the status quo. He would be hunted for being heir to the throne. He would grow up learning scripture, studying both God, and hard work. He would be a carpenter like his step dad, and would dedicate his life to be a servant. He would serve and heal the sick, give hope to the hopeless, and when he revealed himself as the Son of God, he would be revered as royalty. He was of the royal bloodline of David the rightful heir of Jerusalem. Jesus was so much more then an earthly king. He was the savior of mankind. He was the blood sacrifice that would cover the earth, close the gap between God and man, and forever bring hope upon mankind.

In our pop culture we have many examples of what it means to carry on the family business. Clark Kent, or Kal-El, is the last son of Krypton. He is the hope of the justice league. He is the representation of his people, a people who have long been gone. He represents his race. Bruce Wayne represents his parents, his fallen parents who died tragically when he was just a boy. He stands a figure head of Wayne Enterprises to change the world as a business leader. At night he funnels his rage to find justice for his parents. Diana Prince, the princess of Themyscira. She’s the representative of her people, and she also brings hope to the people, a shining light, a beacon of a brighter tomorrow.

No matter what  profession you belong to, we are all people, born under the father, cleansed by the blood of the savior Jesus Christ. We are responsible for our actions, and as Christians we should be ashamed of how we treat our brothers and sisters. We should feel ashamed with how we represent our birthright. We are children of God, and thus we are royalty. We are heirs to heaven, the kingdom, and we owe it to ourselves to step forward in the best light we can. How the world sees a Christian can change the direction for even one person. We must always put our best foot forward as we carry on the legacy of Christians. We have big shoes to fill, as the Apostils before us gave everything to get the truth of Christ into the world. When was the last time we risked anything to tell others about our Lord and Savior? When was the last time we stood tall on our beliefs? When was the last time we sacrificed anything to get the truth out into the world? We must do better, but more importantly if we are truly to consider ourselves saved by our savior, shouldn’t we want to do better? Shouldn’t we be better in the ways we treat others, and the ways we treat ourselves? Shouldn’t we want to show the world that as a Christian we genuinely are different?

 

It’s time we started acting like royalty instead of the selfish, spoiled brats we act like now. Be the change in this world. Change the world by changing yourself. Change the world by having other see something special in how you act every day. Change yourself, and the rest will follow. Galatians 4:7 “So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.” Heaven is not just a place, but as a rightful heir to it as a son of God, we have responsibilities to live in Christ, and a commandment we are given is to love our brothers and sisters, love Christ, but also to share the good news with everyone, and spread the word throughout the globe in the Great Commission. We fight a spiritual battle, and much like Superman fighting for Truth, Justice, and the American way, or Batman bringing fear who pray on the fearful in his quest for justice, or Wonder Woman who fights for love, and peace. We who live our life in Christ are heroes to God, and if we can share a little love, inspire just one person, help bringing just one person to the Lord, we are heroes in heaven, and it’s something to rejoice over. Don’t give up hope, keep moving forward, forward always. We are all born into this world as a slave. I myself was born a slave, lived as a soldier, and I will one day die as royalty. Jesus shed blood so we would all be gifted salvation, a blood bond, that would give us heaven, we are children of the King which makes us royalty.

 

 

Hope in a Hero

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Hope in a Hero

 John 16:33“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.”

 Who’s been down to the bottom of the barrel? We all have our struggles and our trials. Have you put your hope or prayers in someone? If you’re anything like me you’ve put your hope and faith in a person and that person dropped the ball. For me, I have been down to the woodshed of life a few times. I’ve been down and broken more then a time or two, but I’ve always managed to get back up. I can honestly say I didn’t get back up on my own. I have struggled with my wounds, and I’ve been struck a time or two. My whole life I wanted a father. My whole life I wanted an earthly father to look up too, someone to teach me what it was to be a man. I have found in my life one man who I had, for a while, then like many others, in the blink of an eye, that man was gone. I placed my faith in a man and when the time came they were gone. I placed my love and faith in a woman and in the blink of an eye she was gone leaving the family broken. My life was shattered and I laid there trying to find who I was. I was a let down to those around me. I was a failure, and a nobody. Recently someone I looked up to told me I was selfish because I needed, wanted a friend to be there for me. Some would say I haven’t learned anything in the last 20 months. While I will admit perhaps it’s true, perhaps I am selfish, perhaps my ex-wife was right and I am a selfish, arrogant, egotistical, narcissist.

I don’t know what I am, and to be honest, I often think my place in this world is a mistake. While I don’t have much faith in myself, I have to believe that God wouldn’t make a mistake. I know Jesus was a hero of man, a savior to be a great gift to humanity when we didn’t, we couldn’t ever disserve it. Jesus was a superhero among men and came with unlimited cosmic power but was no Genie. He came with a big heart and mercy we could never understand.

When the world has beaten me down and I’m covered in the lies, I know I need you. When the days are dark, and I have no faith, I know I need a hero. I wait for a hero and I know, when I pray, just barely a whisper and the hero of the universe hears my cries. I need a hero to save me tonight, and I know that the hero of my dreams will be right by my side. What is a hero, but a savior who comes in the darkness? Someone who saves you from the hopeless and who saves you when the wolves come howling and growling in the night. God is our Hero and the breath of God lives in each and every one of us. Because God lives in each of us, sometimes God calls us to be heroes among men but we are nothing without God. When we look to the Lord we know that through us God will do great things. God calls on us when the time comes to rise above the darkness and shine a light down for others to see. We must not run from God because we already have the second chance and we can’t waste it.

In the universe there is no one stronger, fiercer, more powerful then our God. We sing our praises to the Lord and believe in the power and love of our God. No greater love then our God. If we are to hope we must hope in our God because there is no other true hero. God makes heroes and those who raise up earthly heroes is a hero above all others. God is a healer, a mercy that’s unfailing, a place for the weak, a place to take refuge from the storm. A hero that can calm any storm, restore any soul, but a stopper in death, and a God that is faithful to a covenant that was paid for in blood. My Hero my God that saves me from the darkest of nights, the deepest of holes, and the strongest of oceans, and I am lifted to safety. I lift my hands to the true Hero in my life. I may not have ever had a Dad, but in my Lord I find my Abba, my Father. My father gives me strength. He teaches me how to be a man, and I will not let people tear me down. I will not let the hurtful words break me. If I am wrong I will listen and make things right, but the judgment and approval I seek is that of my one true Abba. I am waiting on my Hero my Lord to save me. I wait through the storm, I will wait through the pain, and I will keep my faith, keep my footing and trust in my service to the Lord while I’m waiting to be delivered from my pain. Please my God, do not let me fail, do not let me fall. Please my God hold me up and hold me tall. I’m waiting for my time my Lord to show me the way out of this darkness. I am not perfect Lord but please give me strength, give me the guidance, show me my path, and I will take the steps in obedience while I wait for you my Lord, my King, my Abba. I’m not worthy, and I never will be, but my Lord I’m waiting, I’m holding out for a hero to save me.

Be God’s Lego’s 2

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Be God’s Lego’s 2

We are hand crafted to do a job, a very specific job we are born to do, designed directly by God. Ephesians 2:10 “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” We often feel our calling and we tell God he’s wrong, and he’s mistaken, and there’s no way you can do what God has asked of you. My associate pastor said this once, “When you run from Gods call, you run from Gods blessing” (Rev. Glen Newsome) How can we expect to have the blessings if we ignore God? Do we expect to get presents on Christmas from family members? Sure we do, but what if they are family we never talk to, we never go see, we never call, do we expect to receive gifts from them? No of course not, so why do we expect to always receive grace from God if we don’t have a relationship with Him? How long will you run away from your calling? How long will you ignore your God given gifts for the things you want instead? We must realize that the things important to God for us may not be what’s popular, it may not be what society says is right, or truth, but scripture is the truth. God loved you to create you, and has a plan for you, and we must learn to let go of our sinful selves and follow the path God wants for you. What’s that you may ask? Be God’s Lego’s.

I have preached on Lego’s in the past, and I felt it was time to revisit it. I’ve sat by lately and I’ve watched as some of my friends have struggled to gain traction. I’ve watched as they barely make ends meat, and it breaks my heart. I offered someone recently to sit down with them to help them figure out why they are struggling financially so much. Having gone through my own struggles, and having gone through Financial Peace University, and having gotten myself to be debt free, I know I have been given the gift to make and follow a budget. God has given me a gift, and while I’m by no means the best at it, I can absolutely help others with it. God has given me the gift of words, and a fair gift of photography, and with it I have followed that path God has set in front of me, and I’ve been blessed for it.

I have recently gotten back into building Lego sets and it’s reminded me how we are all created for a particular purpose. There isn’t an instruction manual to guide us one day to the next, but when we understand that when we spend our waking moments working on our gifts and spreading the Gospel through the gifts God has given to us, we will always find ourselves having more then we need. When we run from our calling we will never truly be as happy as we should be. Running from the Abba of the universe will never leave us as satisfied with our lives as we would ever want. Philippians 2:13 “for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” No matter what we do with our life we need to treat our gifts as a seedling planted in the ground. We must water and treat and nourish our gifts so we can be pleasing to the Lord. Micah 6:8 “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” Following the Lord is neither easy, nor smooth, but anything worthwhile having is worth putting forth the effort.

We are the clay in which God has made us. We have been sculpted from the breath of life and we are exactly who God meant for us to be. Jeremiah 18:5-6 “Then the word of the Lord came to me: 6 “O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter has done? declares the Lord. Behold, like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.” We are meant to live a life and walk a path. We are the result of love incarnate and when we look to our life and we see how difficult the path is, we should remember that from the day we were born, we learn, we grow, we experience things that prepare us for life further down the road. We can’t skip pages in the building process. When building Lego’s we can’t go from step 3 skipping to step 29 thinking it’s going to work out. We must be ready for the next step and to get there we must unfortunately go through a little pain, a little suffering, a little joy, a little happiness, all to prepare us for what’s to come. You can’t skip grades in school unless you’re ready for it. You certainly cannot move on if you haven’t achieved the goals set in front of you, achieving the expectations of you.

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Completing a Lego set is satisfying for me. It takes hours of concentration, attention to detail, and dedication to complete each individual set. God has put a lot of effort into us not to give us every effort, everything we need to accomplish the mission. God would never let us go into battle without the tools we need to defeat the enemy, and we have the instructions to life at every inch we take. The Bible is now easier to get then it ever has been. We can get it on our smart devices, any bookstore, in any language, and in so many version to make it easier to understand then ever before. We complain about not knowing where to go, or what to do, but we don’t turn to the only truth we’d ever need. We don’t look to God to give us the next step. We don’t turn to God when we are stuck and aren’t sure where to go. We don’t trust the creator, and to me that’s like me saying, I’m not sure this peace actually goes there, and questioning the instruction manual for any of the Lego sets I’ve ever built. When we trust in the Lord and follow the plan, we will one day get to the end of the road and we’ll be able to look back and say, ‘that makes so much sense now.’ We don’t have to understand the struggles and the why, we just have to have faith that when we are following the plan as designed, we will move from one step to the next and what we will build to leave behind will be to do the only thing important in this world, to love and glorify God. So, let God build you, shape you, design you, and when you follow your gifts to glorify God, good things will come your way. God will always make good on His promises, and he promises a good, not evil things.

Trust in the Lord and lead not unto your own understanding, and believe that the only purpose is to serve God’s purpose. Everything we endure, everything we experience is for a reason, and we must trust that to be the Lego’s of God means to love God, to do works for God, and we should be content with our place and purpose because we are worth the effort God has put in to us. We are one of a kind and that means whatever our purpose is, we are the only one built to accomplish that purpose.