Tag: jedi

I Sense The Conflict Within You

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I Sense The Conflict Within You

The emotions flow as the Spirit moves within you. The movement of your faith grows by leaps and bounds, a promise to do things the Christ way, but how quickly does that fade? There’s the emotional change that takes place around high intensity services, concerts, etc. There is a pull within each and every one of us. The pull of the light, and the pull of the dark are a battle being waged inside us every day. I have seen the emotional response within people as they get caught in the hype, the excitement and while the ‘Jesus High’ lasts for a while, it slowly fades. I have seen people get enthralled in church and became involved in ministries left and right, and while it seemed the new creation was real and true, the draw of the dark side is strong.

Star Wars is a worldwide phenomenon and there are few households that have not heard of the term Jedi, or the Force. While perhaps the movie itself may not have been watched, there are aspects that just about everyone knows, such as the Jedi Mind Trick, levitation, even lightning. While most people know the Jedi, perhaps more people know Darth Vader. I think as Christians we focus so much on the power of God, we forget that the dark side is strong, and we should never underestimate it. The temptation of Jesus is something I think that’s overlooked because of how easily it seems Christ moved beyond those temptations. When we take a moment to actually consider it, if Satan tempted Jesus, we must understand that you cannot tempt someone unless you have something real to offer. Satan truly has power, and so much so that even Paul calls Satan a god, true a lesser god, but a god nevertheless. While there is God our Father of the Universe, Satan is god over the realm of the earth. This gives him dominion, power, and influence. Sin itself is the dark side and when we consider the fight of good and evil, even though we know who wins, the nature of free will still gives us lowly humans a choice whether to follow the light, or succumb to the darkness. Sadly, I have seen many fall into darkness and have allowed their anger, their hate, their doubts, to fill them up, and as Yoda says, it does lead to suffering. What more can we do though when we see the conflict within someone? In the majority of the last movie of the original Star Wars trilogy we see Luke Skywalker confronting Vader and trying to sway him away from the dark side and back into the light. Instead of being angry that Vader cut off his hand, killed millions, Luke is approaching vader with mercy. Are we moving through our lives with mercy and love, or do we plot revenge on those who wrong us?

How often do we see in movies how well the revenge plot goes for the villain? Law Abiding Citizen doesn’t go so well for our main character played by Gerarld Butler. One of my favorite movies Star Trek: The Wrath Of Khan, a man filled with anger and hatred, sets out to seek revenge on once Captain Kirk, and of course for those who’ve seen it, knows revenge doesn’t go well. Unless you are John Wick, revenge doesn’t go so well for most people, because truly it darkens the heart, and leads to violence and hatred. Yoda it seems was right all along, hate does undoubtedly lead to suffering. So what do we know about hate in the Bible? Satan, also known as Lucifer Morning Star was beloved by God, beautiful and the most beautiful of God’s Angels. Ezekiel 28:11-19Satan would be created in perfection, but became corrupted. While it’s not clear if Satan’s jealousy came because of the creation of man, or something else, but regardless, Satan was cast out of heaven for rebelling against the throne. The fallen angels in which followed Satan also were cast out and now roam the Earth creating havoc and dissention and leaving destruction in their wake. Those who choose to allow their darkness to spread, to be in anger, allows the Devil to feed off of that sin, only empowers the god of darkness to spread more hate upon hate. Do not underestimate the real threat, and the power of the darkness. There is hope however, and while the conflict of the flesh, and the spirit rage on inside each of us, light always wins. Paul describes the war in Ephesians 6:10-20, also in Romans 7:14-25 (NKJV)

“14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. 15 For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. 16 If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. 17 But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. 18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. 19 For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. 20 Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.

21 I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. 22 For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. 23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. 24 O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!

So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.”

Paul often talks about the battle between the flesh and the spirit and when we see how adamant he was we cannot take his warning lightly. It says in scripture Romans 12:9Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. There is no other reference to anything else we should attack with all hatred and malice except sin nature. Ephesians 4:30-32New King James Version (NKJV) 30 “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. 32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.”

While there is conflict within you, remember that in this season of Christmas we have hope in the baby that was born to free us from the bondage of that sin, to show us the nature of true love, of real joy, and to forever give us the gift of eternal salvation. We have been given a gift but it’s always up to each and every one of us if we use that gift. In the movie Home Alone 2 Kevin tells the old bird lady what good is having a heart if you never use it? What good was the gift of his skates that he never used and he grew out of them. We cannot be afraid of the gift God has given to us, and it’s up to use to take that gift and use it, to share it with others. There will always be conflict within so long as we live because of the sin nature we have, but love and mercy from Christ washes those transgressions away and gives us something to be joyful about. Go forth and love deeply and let go of the hate and malice that fills this fallen world. Fight with all your might against the attacks upon your heart, and never underestimate the power of your enemy. Make no mistake, the Devil is your enemy, and he means to destroy everything you have. He will promise you the world and all of it’s pleasures, it’s toys and bobbles, but that’s all the god of this world can offer you is temporary pleasures, nothing real, nothing that will ever sustain you. There is but one living water that is forever replenished and that’s Jesus Christ. The baby in which we celebrate this Christmas born to give us a blessing beyond all measure, and the light will always cause the darkness to retreat away. 

What Does it Mean To Have Honor?

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What Does it Mean To Have Honor?

Swords are tempered with fire. If I’m going to be a living weapon for God I too must go through trials, and my faith will be tested by forged in fire. Romans 5:3-5 “3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” When life gets hard how do you react? When provoked do you give in to anger? When we are sad do we turn to others for healthy outlets, or do we follow a destructive path? Hebrews 13:18 “Pray for us: for we trust we have a good conscience, in all things willing to live honestly.”

The Klingon’s have a code of honor they live by. Death is glorious as long as it’s dying in battle. How people treat one another, how business is done, honor is the number 1 thing to a Klingon. Never dishonor yourselves for when you do, it’ not only dishonor’s yourself, but also your entire family. As Christians we should follow a similar idea. When we dishonor ourselves we represent our Christian brothers and sisters. We represent our families, and above all else, re represent God. “Romans 12:9-13 “Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.” There’s a saying I heard once, it goes something like this Lord please let them remember the things I get right, and forget the things I get wrong. We will always get it wrong, we will always make mistakes, but the key in that is don’t live our lives intentionally to dishonor ourselves.

There are simple rules to live by as a Christian Exodus 20

  • You shall have no other gods before Me.
  • You shall not make idols.
  • You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.
  • Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
  • Honor your father and your mother.
  • You shall not murder.
  • You shall not commit adultery.
  • You shall not steal.
  • You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
  • You shall not covet.

When we break these rules on purpose, knowing our actions will hurt others, when we hurt others for our own personal gain you dishonor yourself. The Klingon’s aren’t the only race that holds honor to a high standard. The Japanese hold honor to a high standard, the Chinese hold honor to a high standard. That mode of thinking shouldn’t only be held by the Asian nations. If we put that high of priority on our own honor and integrity, and hold the commandments we can make a better world. The word for Honor is “Quv” or “to be honorable” The word for Honor is Russian is честь or ‘chest’. A Jedi’s weapon a light saber is honorable, just like the Klingon Bat’leth is considered to be an honorable weapon. A Samurai sword known as a Katana is their version of an honorable weapon. A member of the Knights Templar had a sword a beautifully crafted weapon, but perhaps not so much as the others, but all of these groups of people have a code, a code of honor. Live like Christ, be kind and love your neighbors, don’t lie, and cheat and steal for your own personal gain.

I read something the other day, “Here’s to Cheating, Stealing, Fighting and Drinking. IF you cheat, may you cheat death; if you steal, may you steal a woman’s heart; if you fight, may you fight for a brother; if you drink, may you drink with me.”

Never underestimate the power of love and faith and courage. Have all these things in God above.

Don’t minimize your importance

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Don’t minimize your importance

A young man somewhere about 14 years old, destined to be a great man, a great King to unify the land. He was anointed to be King, a lowly shepard boy, the heart of a warrior, the courage of a lion, stands toe to toe with giants. With nothing but a stone and a divinely guided throw, killed the best soldier of the Philistine army. Can you imagine yourself as just barely a teenager going to war to fight in an insurmountable situation? If the world is so big and we are so small what chance to we have of making a difference? David was one man, and yet he grew to be a great king. 1 Samuel 17:46 “This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.” The young boy full of confidence, full of the Holy Spirit, stepped forward to face the enemy, an enemy that grown adults, seasoned warriors trembled before. With the strength and courage he not only faced the enemy with more grace and dignity then the whole of the army. 1 Samuel 17:49 “And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth. So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David.” With the grace of God all things are possible. With the grace of God even the smallest of people can be chosen to fight the biggest of battles.

Another young man some of you may have heard of, a young Jedi known as Aniken Skywalker. A long time ago, in a Galaxy far far away, hopping in his little ship, flew into the heart of the blockade and destroyed the entire droid army. He was 12 years old. Yes, fictional, but as only one example how many examples are there? When the Lord uses us small creatures in the world we often try to run in fear. We try to deny that we are important. Our vision is so small and what escapes our understanding is normal, but not necessary. Romans 12:2 “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” In this world we will be tested just as JOB was tested. Job 2:1-6 “2 One day when the sons of God came to stand in front of the Lord, Satan the Accuser came along with them. 2 The Lord asked Satan, “Where have you come from?” Satan answered the Lord, “From wandering all over the earth.” 3 The Lord asked Satan, “Have you thought about my servant Job? No one in the world is like him! He is a man of integrity: He is decent, he fears God, and he stays away from evil. And he still holds on to his principles. You’re trying to provoke me into ruining him for no reason.” Satan answered the Lord, “Skin for skin! Certainly, a man will give everything he has for his life. 5 But stretch out your hand, and strike his flesh and bones. I bet he’ll curse you to your face.” The Lord told Satan, “He is in your power, but you must spare his life!” We will be questioned about our faith, we will also be ostracized for it. Do not judge me for my size, or my worldly value, do not judge me at all, instead let God be the one to judge. It doesn’t matter your status, your positions, your job, what matters is you allowing yourself to be a vessel for Gods will. Mary became a vessel of Gods will and carried to term our savior for our sins. How can you be a vessel for Christ?