Tag: King David

We’re Gonna Chalk That Up To Bad Life Choices

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We’re Gonna Chalk That Up To Bad Life Choices 

We are often a product of our own making. We want to cry out and blame God for our misfortune, but if we are honest, how many of our troubles spawn because of our own choices? I have watched people choose their path, walk it for a little while without crashing into that brick wall, but that borrowed or rather stolen time eventually runs out. When they hit the wall and wonder what happened, or why bad things happen to them, it’s hard to refrain from giving the honest answer rather than I have to give the sympathetic shoulder and try to navigate a path that’s lit by God. I often think back to the story of Absolom and King David. 2 Samuel 18:14 “Then Joab said, “I cannot linger with you.” And he took three spears in his hand and thrust them through Absalom’s heart, while he was still alive in the midst of the terebinth tree.”Absolom thought it would be a good idea to rise up against his father and in a coup attempt to seize control of the country. While for a short while Absolom did sit on the throne, a politician thinking he had what it took to stand up against one of the, if not the greatest military leader the world had ever seen, well, we’re going to chalk that up to bad life choices. Absolom in his foolishness got caught in the woods by his own hair, riding on an animal he shouldn’t have been on, a donkey, and when found by Joab one of David’s leading military advisors, Joab, well, you read it, a little stabby. 

Absolom was considered in scripture to be beautiful which means he was well above average in appearance. He was prideful of his looks, and overestimated his abilities. He put so much focus on his pride, he honestly believed that’s all he needed. He chose his own path, and he chose the path that did not walk with God, and it led to his downfall. Even though scripture says Absolom was known for his good looks and his amazing head of hair, doesn’t mean we can skate through life thinking the world revolves around us.

Sadly I have watched so many go down dark paths as I was helpless to help or stop the train wreck that would follow. I myself was once on a dark path, my path wasn’t very long, no, it was short, and ended rather badly. A moment of weakness, allowing the Devil to influence my decisions, I was left down on the ground, clinging to life, ready to die if God willed it. I was a slave to my emotions, and I was captive, bound in my chains, and as the blood left my body, I found myself in darkness. I was away from the world, but nowhere at the same time. How the world had pushed me, and grabbed onto me, and I let the voices lie to me causing me to act in that moment of weakness. A choice however, that would forever alter my path, a choice I could never erase or undo. The reminder is with me daily of my mistakes. Thankfully because of the blood of Christ I know that my mistakes do not have to define me. I know that because of Jesus Christ my sins are washed away and made as a new slate as white as a blanket of snow.

We do not ever have to allow our past to define our tomorrow. We don’t ever have to ask ourselves if we are doomed to face a life of no hope because of our choices. We will always have to answer for what we do, and there is a price to pay for it, but Christ forgives us the moment we seek God with a heart of repentance. How blessed are we to not have to endure what Christ did to enter into Heaven? God has chosen every single one of us and we are told we belong despite our faults, despite our foolishness. I realize in my life I am a nobody, as long as I live a life without Christ. With Christ I am royalty, and I wear rags in this life so in the next I will be clothed in perfection. This life is suffering and hardships, but tomorrow will be perfection with my Abba Father. Jesus Christ makes us all someone. Jesus Christ is the one and only way to get beyond our bad life choices and find peace that we aren’t forever defined in them.

If you feel you’ve been walking down a path of nothing but bad life choices know that all you have to do is turn around. You don’t have to continue down your path. Jesus Christ will welcome you with open arms, and His love will heal you. His truth, the truth will open your eyes, and a new life awaits you. If your soul is broken, trust in Christ to mend it. If your life is in shambles allow God to put the pieces back together and use each broken piece for His glory. We all have a purpose in Christ and we all move towards the bridge of light and Jesus is the compass to guide us. WE don’t have to follow through like Absolom and we can choose to turn to God and let go of the anger, the hate, the pride we hold in our hearts. Let the blood make you white as snow, and live in the peace that comes with Christ.

600

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600

I can hardly believe so much time has passed since I published my first post on February 23rd 2017. At first my only intention was to work through some of my own personal struggles in my life and how using scripture would help me do that. As that mission slowly evolved now it is no longer about my own need to deal with demons, it’s about helping others through troubled waters. Of course on occasion I find myself struggling during a particular post, but on some level there will always be a symbiotic relationship to what I post and how I feel. I can honestly say, the thought of writing 600 posts in less then two years is truly something else. I have a hard time fathoming the amount of hours I’ve put into study to get this far. I have an equal hard time considering the consistent ability to somehow post a full message each and every day. Looking back all I can do is attribute my success to God. I could never have done it without the support of my best friend Glen, and my many followers. In recent weeks I have picked up nearly a dozen new followers, and one stands above the rest. A new suggestion has been made that I start working on a VLOG. While I have mixed feelings on it, I am excited to explore a new direction for my blogs. In the last year and some change I have had 6450 views, 4023 visitors in 2017 and 8181 views, and 4111 visitors in 2018 so far. With over 100 countries it’s pleasing to know maybe in some way I’ve touched lives in this world, knowing I’ve made a difference for God’s kingdom.

With my new path leading me towards full time ministry, I have to ask myself, ‘am I doing enough?’ For now, I am a full time student, I am studying the Word every day, and I am ministering as often as I can. For my 600thpost I want to focus on Psalm 23

Psalm 23

“The Lord is my shepherd;

I shall not [a]want.

2 He makes me to lie down in [b]green pastures;

He leads me beside the [c]still waters.

3 He restores my soul;

He leads me in the paths of righteousness

For His name’s sake.

4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil;

For You are with me;

Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;

You anoint my head with oil;

My cup runs over.

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

All the days of my life;

And I will [d]dwell in the house of the Lord

[e]Forever.”

 

At 600 posts I have found myself tired. I have plenty of reserve topics to write about, I struggle now to find the motivation to do so. When I can’t seem to get up and get motivated I think back to this passage. First and foremost the Lord is our shepherd. We shall not want, this translates to we shall never go without. We shall always have what we need because the Lord provides for us always. No matter where we are in our lives we know that there’s one thing we can hold onto that the Devil can never take, our joy. When we close our eyes no matter how deeply into the storm are, we need to only picture a place of peace, and Christ will fill our heart with that peace. The Lord is always with us and hears us always. We have hope knowing that we are loved with no end. We remember that David’s first job was a shepherd boy. This was not considered to be a glamorous job, and he showed no shame remembering his origins. We are the flock of Jesus Christ, and we know that a shepherd will always protect us when the wolves come in the night. We don’t always know what we need. We often think we do, and we always knows what we want, but like a parent God knows our needs. He makes us lie down when we need, he leads us to water when we need, this showing that God will always provide for us. When we are hurt, God always restores our souls. He provides us comfort with truth, and grace. God is tender when we need a soft hand, and fierce when we need a disciplining hand, but always in love.

I remember in my military training the once place we never wanted to be was down in a valley. This is a choke point, a place where army’s go to die. An enemy that has the high ground always as the advantage, and the fear of being surrounded it can seem like there is no hope, but even here where it seems David is making this comment based on a memory, we remember the other job he had, and that was a soldier. David was a decorated military strategist and he had to be to survive. He talks about being in the midst of certain death, and yet knowing God was always by his side. David knows that he only walks through the valley, not that he will remain there. He knows that the shepherd leads and we must trust that the shepherd knows best, even when that hope seems lost. We must remember to trust in our Lord that no matter what we face in this life, we are but guests on this earth, and we’re just passing through. Those of us with the hope and knowledge of Jesus Christ knows that there’s nothing that this world can do to us to take away the gift Jesus gave to us, and we know that we to will one day join Christ in glory.

As I consider the next step for my blog, I expect God to continue to bless me, and I will continue to grow if for no other reason then to serve the Lord. I am here to serve, and as I now walk towards a path of service, I know that there’s nothing my God cannot do. I know that even a sinner like me can be used to bring glory to the only name that matters, Jesus Christ. To the 600 posts behind me now, God willing we will see what He has planned for the next 600. I am blessed with the support I have, and I am blessed with my church family. I have friends that support me, and one friend in particular that while new, she’s been incredibly supportive of my blog even though we have fundamental differences in our faith. Alesha, Thank You! Thank you for the constant warm comments, and thoughts and support. Glen, Speedy, I love you buddy.

God Bless You All!

Fortune Favors the Bold

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Fortune Favors the Bold

We stand before giants and we prepare for battle. We are toe to toe every day with the Devil and we stair down the taunting nature, the temptations, and the blatant attacks from the devil. On the path following Christ there are some distinct signs you’re doing it right. If you don’t have the Devil nipping at your heals, that means you’re not a threat, and he doesn’t need to knock you off your kilter. But for those who are under constant attack you must learn to be bold. Proverbs 28:1 “The wicked flee when no one is pursuing them, but the righteous are as bold as a lion.” When you look in the bible there are several names that stood tall in favor of being bold, and that boldness paid off. Philemon 1:8 “For this reason, although I have great boldness in Christ to command you to do what is right.” Ruth from the book of Ruth stood up to the enemies of her people, fought the fight, and saved thousands from being slaughtered. King David before he was king, stood toe to toe with Goliath and because he was bold and he had God on his side history favored him.

2 Corinthians 3:11-12 “So if the old way, which has been replaced, was glorious, how much more glorious is the new, which remains forever! Since this new way gives us such confidence, we can be very bold. Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God’s presence.” No matter what situation we find ourselves we know we can be confident and rest assured that no matter where we may find ourselves, when we follow Christ no matter what we have God on our side. Romans 8:31 “What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” While this won’t always fix everything, and it might not always make us feel better, we can always find at least some peace knowing we are Gods children.

Hebrews 13:6 “So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.” Following Christ means we can be persecuted for our beliefs. The day may come when to follow Christ means to die for that belief. No matter what man may do to us, we know that we still have Heaven. We still have paradise, and when this world passes away, a new life is waiting for us. A life with no more tears, no more sorrow, no sadness, only joy, and perfection, and that has to give at least some comfort during the storm. So when the devil knocks at your door, when the wolf howls and tries to huff and puff and blow the house down, follow 1 Corinthians 16:13 “Remain alert. Keep standing firm in your faith. Keep on being courageous and strong.” Don’t back down when the Devil attacks, stand your ground. Fortune favors the bold, and it takes a bold stance to stand up to Satan and endure the attacks that come when you are steadfast in your faith.

 

Show Some Respect

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Show Some Respect

As a friend, how do you treat your friends? How respectful are you towards your friends? What kind of person are you? Are you a friend who drops everything when you’re needed? Are you a friend who goes to great lengths to check on your friends when you know they are in need? Are you a friend who helps others financially, spiritually, or emotionally? Are you the type of person that pays forward good deeds? Or, are you the kind of person that accepts those good deeds but never repays them? Are you selfish and you take for granted those people in your life that are always there for you? How do we as a people look to Jesus Christ? Are we appreciative of the sacrifice Christ made for us?

When you have much to offer, people will flock to you in droves. When Christ was healing everyone, handing out free food, lifting everyone up, the people loved him. When he started talking about everyone being sinners, and heaven wasn’t achievable for everyone because of our love of Sin, they turned on him. They threaten to stone him, and ran him out from one town after after. This is the savior and only when it suited us, did the people appreciate the truth, no, they preferred to live happy in a lie, instead of face the bitter truth.

( Spoilers Ahead for The Matrix)

I’m reminded of the first Matrix movie. The Matrix a prison meant to enslave the human race by keeping their minds trapped inside a digital construct, while harvesting a human being to essentially be living batteries. A soldier for the cause for the revolution against the machines Morphious In the first film one of the freed mines, a man named Cypher betrays the crew and causes a lot of problem. When the betrayal is discovered Cypher describes how he’d rather live in ignorance, and the joys of the Matrix, rather then suffer and live with the truth.

Proverbs 10:9 “He that walketh uprightly walketh surely: but he that perverteth his ways shall be known.”

Luke 8:17 “For all that is secret will eventually be brought into the open, and everything that is concealed will be brought to light and made known to all.”

Aren’t we the same way? We look at Jesus as the answer to the problem. We sin, but it’s okay because we are forgiven, so it doesn’t matter what we do, as long as we say we’re sorry once in a while, and we keep living our lives. Yeah, see, that’s not how this works at all. Hebrews 10:26 “For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,” It’s said that when we take the Holy Spirit into our hearts the idea of sin becomes so repulsive we don’t do it intentionally. While we will always have moments where the flesh takes over and we Sin, the guilt we should feel when we do is where the repentance comes into the picture.

We are responsible for our own sins. We are responsible for how we treat others around us. We are responsible for the kindness in our own hearts. We are responsible for the selfishness in our hearts. The taking of Bashiba by King David was a knowing sinner at the time he took her into his bed. He knowingly sinned as he plotted the death of her husband. He knowingly sinned as he attempted to plot and scheme to hide his own sin. How appreciative of someone who picks up our tab at dinner? Now think about it, how appreciative are we now when we think about our eternal salvation? Do we live like someone who has been freed from an eternal death sentence? There’s a price for our sin, there’s a price for our actions, how we treat someone, and “The bill comes due, always” (Dr. Strange)

 

 

 

 

Don’t Short Change Yourself

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Don’t Short Change Yourself

It’s not uncommon for someone recovering from an affair, or even after a long relationship to second-guess yourself. It’s easy to blame yourself, and feel at fault for the relationship falling apart. It’s easy to look back at your relationship and pick out everything you did wrong. It’s too easy to only focus on what you did wrong because they left you. One of the things that I’ve heard a lot lately is “it’s their loss.” I’m not sure I truly understand that. It seems to me if they felt they were loosing anything they wouldn’t have left. Even when time has gone by and they still haven’t come home, they obviously don’t feel they’ve lost anything. When time passes by and you don’t have anyone talking to you, no one shows interest, and you haven’t managed to score a date in all that time, yes, the simple truth is, it’s easy to fall into despair.

When you read through the life of David here’s a man that struggled with depression for most of his life. He fought years of depression and struggled with the regrets, the losses, the battles. David made some horrible mistakes, but also achieved a great amount. David was considered to be a man after God’s own heart. The choices we make define us. When we look into the fractured mirror and we no longer recognize who we are, it’s a miracle we need. We need to be able to wipe the slate clean and start fresh. What we need is Jesus. God wants for who we are in his eyes to be who we are. We can always turn our life around. We can always make the choice to turn back away from the self we don’t know for the self washed in the light of the Lord. Our new body, our new soul starts with allowing the worst parts of us to burn away in the flames of trials. God wants us with our scars, our shortcomings and our broken hearts. God knows we can be used no matter what our past may be. While this world races by sometimes far to fast, it’s clear that we are meant to be wherever we are, and all God wants is for us to see Him, to know Him, to cry out to Him, and above all trust in Him.

We may not always see it, we may not see our own self worth because perhaps we allowed someone’s acceptance of us to dictate our worth. Perhaps our jobs defined us, our status, or any other worldly viewpoint. We can’t change what the future may hold, but all we can do is define who we are by who we want to be. We are the masters of our own fate, by being a person that God would be pleased with. 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;” No matter the pain we suffering through it all we choose how we treat others. We may struggle, but if we hurt those around us, blame everyone else, we are no better then those who persecute us.

Psalm 34:17-20 “When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all. He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken.” We must always remain faithful in our belief that God is with us. It’s in that belief that we can stand firm in the winds of change, stand firm when the ground breaks apart beneath our feet and still not fall. When we seek the Lord for answers, when we seek help, we can find it in Psalm 23 “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. 3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. 5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.”

DSC_6707 copy

 While life can take it’s toll and it can land many solid punches, it’s up to us to hold ourselves up with as much dignity as we can muster. It’s easy to let the Devil win and feel badly about ourselves. Self pity is easy to get into but we can face the beast and come up head held high. Simply put, don’t short change yourself, keep your head high and know that you’re on the winning side. Keep your faith strong, and remember that God is with you always.

It’s Not The Size That Counts

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It’s Not The Size That Counts

 Sometimes the world is a huge place. It can feel large and overwhelming. Sometimes you can be the little guy in the boxing ring with a much larger, much more intimidating opponent. When you’re the little guy in the middle of a big fight you can’t always win by brute force. When I’m taking more punches then I’m given you have to think about your strategy. Sometimes all you can do is put the gloves up, protect the face so hopefully the bell will ring and the round will end and I’ll take it back next round. Life’s too big sometimes and you have to make the world smaller.

When you’re going up against a larger opponent you have to think smart, fight smart, figure out their weakness and exploit it. What makes Batman a fantastic character is his ability to read a situation and adapt. While he may not always win every fight, he does learn from them, he rethinks, regroups, and creates a plan. While he was grossly outgunned he managed to go head to head with Superman, and with meticulous planning, he was able to emerge victorious in the fight. You have to learn to read, adapt, change, alter, and use your opponents weaknesses against them.

The Devil searches for your weaknesses. He searches for a way in to hurt you. You can’t win against the Devil in a straight up boxing match so you have to learn to how to fight smarter. Sometimes in boxing you have to learn to take the punches, let your opponent get tired, and then move in for the kill (sort to speak). You can’t allow the Devil to pin you against the ropes. You can’t allow the Devil to get blow after blow knocking you to the matt.

You may feel small, and the world might feel too big, sometimes you just have to focus on a small detail at a time and go with it. When the sounds of the world are deafening focus on something small and soothing. When all you have is your own breath, sometimes that’s what you need to focus on. You can’t expect that every day will be a great day. We can’t expect that just because we are Christians and we believe in God that we won’t have troubles. God specifically tells us that it’s in our faith we become more of a target. We’ll always have a bulls-eye on our hearts and we need to sometimes dig deep, find something deep within ourselves that gives us the ability to fight even when we are the under dog, even when the odds are against us, and even when we are tiny in the great big world, there’s always hope.

Throughout history we’ve seen times when the little guy comes through. We’ve seen when the outnumbered are able to pull off the miracle. If King David can defeat someone full grown men, seasoned solders trembled in the sight of, then every little guy should maintain a measure of hope. The world may get you down and that’s okay, just don’t stay down, keep getting back up, and keep fighting the fight. Romans 8:31 “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be[a] against us?”

 

 

 

 

The Tower

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The Tower

We feel powerful looking down over the world. Being high up in our tower we feel safe, disconnected from the world below. How fake we are. An illusion of safety and reassurance to let us sleep soundly at night. A king sitting on the very thrown we created, ignoring the struggles and the suffering of the peasants left upon the earth far away from you in your ivory tower. The corruption of selfishness, the fall of man is when the heart fails to self and no longer others. Galatians 6:8 “For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.”

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 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.” We often allow ourselves to be the masters of our own universe and when we do that we loose sight of those around us. We forget how to be empathetic to those less fortunate then ourselves.

When we forget those around us we can often leave lives in ruins. Being selfish, and vain, we can destroy everything we held onto that was once important to us. When I think about how the tower of success can change someone, I think of the fall of King David. When David was on that roof watching Bashiba bathing, so many events started to fall like dominoes and instead of doing the right thing, he plotted and schemed, he cared little for the outcome, and it eventually turned from bad to grotesque. When you sleep with someone’s wife, get them pregnant, plot to cover it up, then plot to have them murdered, and so on, you see what living with power can do over time. If the axiom is true and “Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely” then those who reign high in their corporate ladders, or in positions of power within the government, it’s easy to see how and why they forget what it was like to be the little guy at the bottom.

The sad thing is it doesn’t have to be someone in a tower to forget what’s important. When marriages fall from affairs, when family breaks over the contents of a Last will and testament, or when best friends crumble out of existence, the power we hold can have lasting and damaging consequences. How quickly we forget how powerful that little thing called a tongue can be. The fact is the self can destroy everything, it can bring upon horrible actions and with very little effort ruin lives.

Be careful for the power you wield no matter if you’re the CEO, or just someone friend, very little said or done can be devastating. Remember to remain true to kindness and love. Put a little love in your heart, and if you do make it to the top of that tower and when you’re looking down at how small everyone else seems, don’t forget the perspective. Just because we may look small at the bottom, doesn’t mean we are, and it doesn’t mean we don’t matter.