Tag: sin

Ready to Deploy

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Ready to Deploy

You are a citizen of Heaven; and we are soldiers on the front lines of the battle for souls. Go forth and make disciples and baptize them in the name of the Father, Son, Holy Spirit. 

Never waiver in your faith. Be ready to deploy where the Lord sends you. The armor of God does not keep you from harm. The walk of a Christian is one of running into the fire. We face the darkness by sharing the Lords good news. We bring light to the darkness by reflecting dimly the light of God. We offer nothing but to be the hands and feet of God, and the soldiers willing to pay the ultimate price. The problem with America is we are so poor in spirit. We are weak in conviction. We tuck tail when the going gets tough, and we have let darkness rise, like the evil empire in Star Wars. How does democracy die? By thunderous applause. How do we fall for the lie? By sprinkling the lie in with the truth. ‘If you eat of the fruit you will not die.’ Satan tells this to Eve in the garden. You sprinkle poison in a drop at a time to make the victim sick, die slowly. Like a frog being boiled slowly, not a thought to jump out. We have lost our willingness to fight, to stand up. We won’t even stand up for the kids in schools being exposed to the alphabet communities’ pride of their own sins, or the countless books being thrown their way. A school district in California announced they will host a week long set of lessons for “National Coming Out Day.” This set of lessons is for elementary age kids. Why would we be exposing young kids to these kinds of things? This topic is sinful and subjective only to those living in their sin. Yet we allow this to happen. We don’t expose the villainizing of police officers, but exalt the criminals. We feminize men, and we pretend there is no difference between a woman and a man, in fact, we make up stories about there being more than the two sexes. We allow evil corporations and government to dictate right and wrong and ignore scripture. There is a desire to cripple people with fear and poverty, to allow some to seize power and control, for their love of the world. The strength that built this nation has produced an environment for the weak to make hard times. 

We don’t have to leave our towns to face the enemy in the streets. We don’t have to leave our house to face the Devil. He’s infiltrating your homes, jobs, churches, and for far too long we’ve sat idle. We are soldiers. We are citizens of heaven, and yet we shy away from the fight. 

John Bunyan imprisonment for 12 years because he refused to stop preaching Gods word. Bishop Latimer has been recorded saying this, ‘Be of good comfort, Master Ridley, and play the man. We shall this day light such a candle, by God’s grace, in England, as I trust shall never be put out.‘ Murdered at the stake by fire, for refusing to accept transubstantiation, the process by which the wine and bread offered during communion becomes the blood and body of Christ. Latimer among other things, supported translating Holy Scripture, the Bible into English. For this he was murdered. He stood up for what was right, and for doing so, he met a martyrs end. 

Going a bit further back Steven in the book of Acts was stoned to death for his belief and evangelism of Christ. There are thousands of martyrs for the faith, and even more that have been persecuted for their faith. And yet we are so comfortable with our lives, our creature comforts of this world, we are afraid to do what is necessary. 

I’m not innocent in this. I myself have not said something because of the impending aftermath. I have not said something because I didn’t want the fight to come to my door. I am guilty of complicity. In the same breath, I have stood up. I have been outspoken. I have stood my ground and watched many friends depart from me, for my faith. I have been on both sides of the difficult fence, but I need more faith. I cannot let fear dictate terms. I cannot allow my fear to stop me from sharing the gospel. We are not promised tomorrow and we are given the mission to share the gospel. We are not told to convert anyone; God will do that. He will tug on the hearts he desires and leave the rest. He knows his chosen; Jeremiah 1:5, and who will reject him. We cannot convince men of anything; the Gospel will do that all on its own. We need to be able to defend our faith, by being knowledgeable of scripture. We cannot go to battle with a dull sword, so we must have scripture in our hearts 2 Timothy 2:15 “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”. We must focus on our lives also and rid our lives of un-repented sin. We must be strong in our faith, our convictions, and resist the Devil and all the spiritual attacks. 

This may look like all talk, but what does scripture say about this? 

2 Timothy 2:3 3 You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. 

Paul goes on to say this: 

4 No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. 

We are citizen soldiers, warriors on the front lines. We are given the full armor of God Ephesians 6, in order for us to be equipped to fight the war. We do not know the elect, but we know we are to share the gospel, and live our lives with honor and distinction for His perfect will. We are, and were chosen before the foundation of the earth. We were predestined to be His; Ephesians 1:4-5 “just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, 5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,” and no one can snatch us from his hands. 

Soldiers train and we should be prepared to deploy at a moment’s notice. When I was in the Army I trained at Fort Knox, Kentucky. I learned how to do my job and what was expected of me. I learned the rules, and the ways of the Army. I went to Korea and after a short time there, deployment orders came through to go to Iraq. Do we think we know what our future holds? For the first time in over 50 years Korea, a hardship duty deployment would redeploy to a different combat zone. I had never thought my first deployment to Korea would be interrupted to go to a warzone. I chose Korea so I could train more before being in a unit that would deploy to Iraq. But God knows, and God has a plan. God is the commander and chief, along with being sovereign of the universe. Jesus (also God) is the General, which leads the Army into battle. 

When we are called are we willing to go? We are called every day, and most will not heed the call. We are called to share the Gospel wherever we go, and to do so shameless of the Gospel. We are to live The Way, share the Gospel and build the Kingdom. We gather the fish and Jesus sorts them out. I heard Voddie Baucham say this, obedience is a biproduct of the Gospel. I joined the Army because I wanted to make a difference. I wanted to serve my nation, fight for a good cause. I don’t like bullies and I have a calling to stand up to them. I feel Satan is a bully. He bullies people, he sow’s dissention, and destroys lives. I have found a calling in myself to fight the good fight. I’ve faced my share of enemies on and off the battlefield. I’ve lost my share of friends for my faith, but pales in comparison to those who’ve given their lives in the pursuit of sharing the Gospel. But in order for me to be a good soldier, as common in the Star Wars Clone Wars series, “Good soldiers follow orders.” We must follow orders, as soldiers in the military do. We cannot sit idly by while the Devil gains ground here in this great country. When I was in Iraq there was a sign posted that said “Complacency Kills” We have become so complacent in this fight, have we sacrificed our nation for it? Have we sacrificed our children’s futures because of our carelessness? We deploy wherever the Lord sends us, or wherever he places us. We all have our fight and place, whether it be a father or mother, a police officer, a school teacher, a janitor, or anything else, we have our fight. Yes, we are to go, but go is anywhere we go, and make disciples anywhere we go. Are we bold in our faith, strong in our convictions, unwavering in our fight? No matter if it’s your home, school, work, or public, we fight the good fight. We don’t need Jesus just in times of trouble, as the popular video said, ‘I need Jesus to go to Walmart’. We need Jesus to lead us in this war, to show us how to fight, and we must train mind, body and soul for this fight. We must hold fast to what the word says, and not wavering to the whims of culture or society. We are citizen soldiers, ambassadors of Heaven, and we owe Him our Allegiance.

I pledge allegiance to the Lord,

Ruler of all Creation,

And to His kingdom,

For which I shall stand,

One God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,

Just in all His judgments,

Yet rich in mercy and grace.

I will love, serve and sacrifice my desires for His,

For he is the Savior of my soul and author of

All Truth. 

                                                                 By: Dr. M. David Chambers

Do we Trust 

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Do we Trust 

Hardships are simply part of this world. Some things we bring upon ourselves. Some things we face are due to other sinful people. And some things are acts of nature allowed by God. When we choose the wrong partner, quit a job for dumb reasons, turn to a substance for comfort, acts of crime or just do something stupid, those things we bring upon ourselves. When your house is burgled, someone spreads rumor or lies about you, these are products of living around sinners. When the person at the grocery store is rude towards you, or your significant other cheats, these things are things from sinful people. Acts of nature are storms, flat tire, water heater going bad, illness, etc. We must understand where hardships come from and why. 

It’s been 7 years since I was broken to the bedrock of my existence. Where I experienced a nuclear bomb exploding, and I watched my life turn from what looked like a good life from the outside, and even appeared that way to myself, to a broken down, foundation cracking, life altering experience. 

I think back to Paul riding to Damascus with orders to bring those of the way to “Justice”. Paul, a man of prestige, wealth, power, notoriety, a zealous man, bringing forth his version of Justice to those who follow “the way”. He was a persecutor of the church. So why then would he become one of them? God has a tendency to uproot our lives and set us on a different path. What I didn’t know at that time in my life 7 years ago, was, what Satan meant for evil, the Lord used for good. 

I have spoken about the specificity of what happened to me before, and debated whether to talk about it again, or not. I was angry, and lost, and couldn’t imagine why a loving God would bring me to the point I was at in my life. Why would he allow the sinful nature of someone else bring me to where I was. Why would he allow me to be hurt like that? The fact is, Sinful people hurt sinful people. We do not live our ‘best life now’, because God saves that for Heaven. We as Christians will face the bumpy road, the road of toil and troubles. Satan often tries to show us the easy, straight path, and in our nature, we want the path of ease, comfort, and peace. Sadly the kind of peace most seek is not the same peace scripture tells us to aspire to live in. We often take what Satan offers to us. We take the first step, we give in to the first temptation, and before we know it, we are neck deep in sinful thoughts, decisions, and despair. 

But God, will often use what we go through to help others. God will often use our past, post salvation, to help others walk the path. Our testimony is a powerful tool for sharing or providing an opening for the Gospel, but feelings do not equate to truth, so be careful not to confuse the two. While my testimony is a very emotional one, I would not want anyone to confuse my emotional testimony as proof the gospel is real. My testimony does not need to prove anything, except what the gospel and my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ has done for me. The gospel and holy scripture speaks for itself. There is proof in scripture, and evidence can be found in extra biblical sources if one truly seeks to find the truth. We as people often don’t want to know the truth. “The truth…All it did was anger those who preferred lies and confusion and backspinning in the hope of making themselves look better.” (Eli, pg. 288, Thrawn) We see the Pharisees in scripture look at truth in the face, and rejected it. The truth however can be powerful, as the saying goes, ‘no one knowingly dies for a lie.’ 

I would die for my faith if I had too, or at least I say I would. We never truly know what we would do until we are put in that situation. I’ve also heard, and as fitting as today is, ‘terrorists die for the faith they believe in all the time.’ And while yes this is also true, it is what they believe. Consider this however, if the conspiracy theory is actually true, that the apostles made up the Jesus story, why then, would they, who would have beyond a doubt known the truth, give up their lives for a lie? Scripture airs out the dirty laundry of the characters in the book. The highs and lows of every character is put out there for the world to see. The truth has remained the test of time because it is the truth. As I have posted before, women were chosen to be the first eye witnesses of the empty tomb. https://thearrowpreacher.com/2018/08/13/women-why-women/ The men in scripture who’s mistakes were written to show their imperfection, and the contrast, Jesus who became sin so those who believe and look upon Him in faith, may be saved from our sentence of eternal torment in Hell. There were so many eye witnesses to the risen Jesus, the Roman empire could not silence the movement. 

Risen For You

“When the Apostils watched in horror as their Lord was nailed to a cross after being brutally beaten, they were crushed in spirit. They were utterly without hope, but after 3 days the blood debt was paid, the victory lap had been made, and Christ would rise and make himself seen fulfilling the prophesy and destroying deaths hold over the sinner for all eternity.” (Arrow Preacher, ‘Peace’, https://thearrowpreacher.com/2018/04/06/peace/)

In 2018 I wrote and shared a paper about truth. 

Fighting Terrorism

Bad things happen all the time, and at the heart of all this is, do we trust God’s plan? As we look at today being the 9/11 anniversary, do we trust in God’s plan? When you hurt, do you trust God’s plan? When someone you care about is take from you, do you trust in God’s plan?

We don’t always get the answers to why, but we do have answers to why in a broad scope. We live in a fallen world, and sin runs abound. We look at the life of Job, Joseph, Jeremiah, Paul, and the martyrs that came after. Why did they suffer for their faith? God had a plan, and all we can do is trust in that plan. 

Why God?

Trusting in the plan may be one of the hardest things we do, perhaps even harder than accepting God as savior. I have seen so many walk away from the faith when things get hard, or when they lose family members. The hardships will come and keep coming. Hardships as I spoke of recently are sometimes thrust upon us, sometimes we bring these things upon ourselves. Our choices matters and we should live a cautious tale of blaming God for hardships we face. We are not the only ones that face hardships of our own making. The Israelites complained and sinned before a Holy God just days after being freed from the bondage of servitude in Egypt. Their complaints and actions caused the forty-year exodus. An entire generation doomed themselves to live out their days in the desert. 

Numbers 21:4-7

4 Then they journeyed from Mount Hor by the Way of the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the soul of the people became very discouraged on the way. 5 And the people spoke against God and against Moses: “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and our soul loathes this worthless bread.” 6 So the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and many of the people of Israel died.

7 Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you; pray to the Lord that He take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people.

To this point, the Lord God has taken care of His people, delivering them from Egypt, enemies, hunger, and thirst, yet they complain at the first sign of trouble. But God, sends a sign, 

Numbers 21:8-

8 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live.” 9 So Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.

Do we look upon the cross and have faith? We are told through scripture; we are saved by faith and faith alone. Mirroring Numbers, we look upon the cross and have faith because Jesus had to die for us. We are wretched sinners, who bring most of our troubles upon ourselves, and we must repent of those sins and trust in Jesus. The Father’s will is sovereign and we must trust his plan. I heard this recently, “Why y’all blamin’ God for your problems? Most of y’all’s problems came from not listening to Him to begin with.” (Unknown) 

When we choose not to live in God’s will, we cannot complain when things go badly. When we are out having unprotected sex with anyone we want, why do we blame God for getting pregnant, or sick? When we choose drugs instead of church, why do we blame God for our families falling apart? When we lie, cheat, steal, and live in our sexual immorality, knowing God cannot bless those things, why are we surprised when hardships come to our door? 

Years ago I wrote this “If we are to live our lives on our path, we need to focus on what kind of character in God’s game we want to be. We have our option to how we behave.” (Arrow Preacher, https://thearrowpreacher.com/2018/03/27/god-the-ultimate-dungeon-master/) While my understanding of God has changed since the writing of this post, and I have grown, I do still maintain, some things we bring on ourselves because of our actions, and some things are going to come our way no matter what we do. We must understand that troubles build character, and in all things, good and bad we must turn to the Lord. 

Romans 5:3-5

3 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

On this anniversary of 9/11, have faith in the Lord. In the midst of troubles, in a sinful, and fallen world, we must turn our face to the Father, and trust no matter what comes our way, we are soldiers on the front lines, and we fight the good fight every day. We must trust in the Father, and know that Jesus is at the right hand of the father moderating for you and I. We must trust that the Holy Spirit is with us daily, and we are never alone in the fight. We must continue to grow in our faith, and in our knowledge of God’s Holy Word. Continue to learn, get off of the milk and onto the meat of scripture. 

Today, the seventh of anniversary that I gave my life to the Lord. I succumbed to my own sin, and having realized I cannot do anything without the Lord with me, I gave my life to Him, and finally listened to the call, God put upon my heart. I began to serve, and continue to serve. Since then, while my life is full of hardships, I have hope. I struggle with money, with food, with my living situation, with my health, and in no way did choosing to follow God, make my life easy. It did not. My problems did not magically disappear. Money did not begin flowing my way. I was not miraculously healed of my major infirmities. Choosing to follow and trust in Jesus does not mean everything will be easy. On the contrary, choosing Jesus is like grabbing a Kevlar, and joining the front lines of the war. Being a soldier on the front line is never easy, but knowing what the cost of not knowing Jesus is, there is no argument to not trust in Jesus. Jesus is “the way the truth and the life, no one gets to the father except through ‘me’.” Put your hope in him as I have. Sometimes life is still hard and full of pain, but through the pain, hope and peace are multiplied to you. It’s never too late to choose Jesus. It’s never too late to see the truth that scripture is real, it is truth, and we are wretched sinners in need of a savior. 

THERE’S NO HOPE, EXCEPT FOR THE HOPE 

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THERE’S NO HOPE, EXCEPT FOR THE HOPE: 

I don’t know about you, but I’ve taken a few moments to look around recently and it appears to me that the world is both literally and figuratively on fire. Places like tropical and beautiful Hawaii burning to the ground. We’ve seen nature disasters like we have not seen in generations, and some are calling for the complete change of how we live our lives. Lets move to electric cars, which have a huge environmental footprint from start to finish. Let me show you an example: How do we get the minerals and materials needed for the batteries for the cars? That’s right, big mining equipment, which has a large footprint, along with the damage to the earth and surrounding areas for places like colbolt mines. Not to mention the human toll for such mines, in places like Africa, where near slave labor is used to mine, the mines. Or how about the electrical grid in California which cannot maintain air conditioners in the summer, but want to put a million EV’s on the grid. Human cost of living, comes at a price, and when we look at the true argument, we know that all we would do is trade one for another, both equally disturbing. The point is, we are told our only hope is to change to EV’s or else we risk the destruction of our world. Here’s another example, plastic bags at the grocery store. Some places have banned those bags, but still have plastic coming out of their ears. When a paper straw comes in a plastic wrapper, or the soda, laundry soap, cookies, milk containers, and I could go on and on, tells me one thing, it isn’t truly the earth they care about. Again, let me explain. While I firmly agree we need to find more sustainable ways to take care of this planet, I would argue that everything has a cost, down to the paper and pencil used to write down your spelling test in the third grade. Between fossil fuel usage, to wood, and plastics, everything has a cost. We live in a dying world. This world has an expiration date, and, while we should do everything we can to mitigate the pollution and destruction of the planet, we need to know that we ultimately have no hope to ‘save’ this world. 

Revelation 6:8 8 So I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him. And power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth.

When we look at Revelation, we see the destruction of our world. We see fire, and blood, pestilence, and locusts, death, and torment. We can sit here and blame humans for an awful lot, from environmental problems, which I will admit, we should change, to problems of the heart. Let’s take a moment to look at the heart. Are people generally good people? I suppose you need to look at what that means, what does it mean to be a good person? The first thing you need to do is understand the difference between what a good person looks like must have a comparison. We often look at ourselves and say ‘I’m a good person, I haven’t killed anyone, or cheated anyone.’ This is not an accurate picture of a good person. I will start off by saying there is no good person, or people. Good evaluates upon our own idea of what makes someone good or bad. The republican who believes in the life of an unborn baby, who doesn’t want abortion, is bad in the eyes of someone who supports abortion. Those who wish to have a socialist society, and to get rid of capitalism are bad from those who want capitalism. What side of the fence do you sit on? Let me tell you, truth is not a fluid idea. Truth, is truth, and scripture is the only truth. We cannot sit and judge others based on our own flawed views, instead we must view the world through the eyes of scripture. Jesus is the truth, and as such we must make our own personal choices through that lens, and none other. 

Let us take a look at the current crime situation in this country. Washington DC, which has seen a dramatic rise in crime, as of March 29th, from the office of the US Attorney’s office, nearly 70% of all cases were not prosecuted from the DC office. Let’s take a look at Portland, San Francisco, Austin, Los Angeles, and more. Crime has risen by double digit percentages in the last year alone. We see these things happening and it would seem that many of the larger violent crimes have been committed by those with a rather lengthy rap sheet, and some may question, why were they allowed on the street to begin with. The simple answer is not simple at all, but scripture tells us there will come a time when ‘right is considered wrong, and wrong is considered right.’ And ‘the people of Israel had no judge, and did what was right in their own eyes.’ 

Between the weather, and crime, and the dismal look at politics and those in charge, war in the streets and around the globe, one may ask, or say, what hope do we have? The economy now making living near impossible, as families are going deeper into debt, living paycheck to paycheck, or worse, losing everything, makes people feel hopeless for tomorrow.

Romans 3:21-24 21 “But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,”

When all fall short of the Glory of God, many may look to that and wonder why they try, if no matter what they do, they fall short. The point is why we need a savior, why the life, death, and resurrection of Christ is so important. We cannot do this on our own. 

Romans 3:10-12

10 As it is written:

“There is none righteous, no, not one;

11 There is none who understands;

There is none who seeks after God.

12 They have all turned aside;

They have together become unprofitable;

There is none who does good, no, not one.”

Many look at the world today in surprise. ‘How could we have come to this?’ As for me, I am not surprised. Some people think I am jaded, but I disagree, I feel it’s an understanding of the sin nature, that gives me this perspective. When we look at scripture, and it tells us that no one is righteous, no one is truly good, we cannot look at people as good. Common grace might mean we don’t eat each other, but ultimately, our sin is our nature, meaning, that corrupt, selfish, conceited selves, are our default system. Without God’s grace we are totally depraved. The world in of itself is not going to ‘get better’. The world will continue to burn. The US. Will continue to burn. God does not need to bring forth His judgment to cast judgment. There are two kinds of judgment, one is, direct judgment as seen with the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. The other is the removal of God’s grace, as seen when Israel is destroyed by Babylon. Sin, left unchecked will destroy a country. In reality, as long as we as a people are sinful, and we continue to freely sin, and support sin, and put sin up on a platform, we can expect the worst. When we do these things, the Lord may give us over to our sins. How can I say this? Simply put, it’s happened before. 

Romans 1:18-32

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.

24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, 25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

26 For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. 27 Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.

28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; 29 being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, 30 backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; 32 who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.

As a nation that once held God as their priority, now after just a few generations, have pushed God aside for many different ideas. Climate change, money, new age, even atheist’s, all have their idols, their own gods, and these things have replaced God in the hearts and minds of people here, and elsewhere in the world. War, false religions, science, protests, the rise in criminality, allowing mental health disorders to make policy, and so many more symptoms will present themselves as God’s grace is pulled away. Has God given us over to our own debased, or reprobate mind? I believe He has. So, what does this mean? There is no hope for those in this country, or in the world, that does not seek God’s face. Those who continue to double down, or triple down on their rejection of God will continue to see things get worse as His judgment continues. Years ago I wrote a post called “When God Puts The Hammer Down” https://thearrowpreacher.com/2018/08/25/when-god-puts-the-hammer-down/

In this post I wrote “We cannot expect to live our lives without consequence anyway we want to. We have to assume that judgment will come when we get to the point where God doesn’t believe there is a way to save us.” While this was written by a younger man, a man who has now grown a great deal in his faith, so has a greater understanding of God’s word. I still believe God’s judgment will come, but in the manner in which it does, may not be so theatrical. When Sodom fell, God saved Lot. There may be those saved by His hand as we see by some of the other prophets as Israel was taken over by foreign entities. For those who do not seek his face, God may see fit to give you over to your own lusts, and desires, and ideals. We cannot look through the world lens towards scripture, but look at the world through the lens of scripture. When you make a decision is it based on scripture? When you look at your politics, do you do so through the lens of scripture? When you make a decision on politics, on ideals, on life, do you do so through the eyes of scripture? We have an obligation as Christians, to take seriously the things and people we support. We must be considerate of policies, of ideals, of laws, and even how we handle mental health issues within this country. Corinthians 10:31 “31 Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” We cannot support things like the “pride” flag, and also call ourselves Christians. Scripture is clear on what that represents, and what God thinks of such things. Our sinful creature mindset, is not Holy, is not righteous, and we must refer to God’s word, since His word is the only truth. 

For those who do not see Christ, and do not know Him, and in turn, those whom He does not know, there is no hope for you. The world will continue down a path, and that path ends with the trumpets and seals. It’s never too late for you, till it’s too late. There will come a time when judgment comes and you were given all the time to turn to God. For those who know God, whom Jesus knows you, you have hope. 

John 16:33 33 “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

We may watch as the world turns, the world burns around us, but our job is clear, continue to show the love of Christ. Continue to stand upon the Word, and spread and share the love of Christ, but also the warning given by Christ. There is judgment to those who actively live in their sins. There is an effect to the cause of those who turn away from God, who spite God, who blaspheme, there is a price to be paid. As one of my favorite Marvel quotes said, “The bill comes due.” (Dr. Strange) For those who follow Christ our sentence is commuted, and for those who don’t, the sentence is Hell. We are all guilty of sin, of cosmic treason against a Holy God. And for all of us, the verdict of guilty is rendered. Scripture tells us there is no excuse for not seeing God. Romans 1:20-21 “20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.” The difference is whether you know and accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, for the repentant sinner. “General Revelation is the foundation of all condemnation… IF God judges, he judges justly with equity, because man is without excuse.” (John MacArthur) I am not saying the country cannot be saved, but it will need to turn back to God in order for that to happen. I am not saying it’s too late, but current trajectory tells me, we may be in trouble. As far as Christians are concerned the fight isn’t over till it’s over. No matter the fire and brimstone around us, we must stand on the word and continue the “Great Commission”. We must continue to spread the love and Gospel of Jesus Christ. We must also stand on that word, and that means we vote based on the Word, our policies base on the Word, our ideals and beliefs stand upon the Word. What is socially accepted or acceptable is not the word, and just because the world says something is okay, doesn’t make it so. How we view crime, and abortion, race, poverty, immigration, war, world leaders, ideologies, how we vote, religions, etc. All matter. We must know scripture in order to know what God says on any given subject. If we do not know and study scripture, we cannot expect to hold representatives accountable to God’s word. We cannot expect policy to be made in line with Scripture, if we ourselves do not know scripture. We cannot expect citizens of a city to be held at bay by peace officers, when crime is allowed to flourish under the flag of inclusivity, equality, equity, and mental health issues. 

For those who do not know God, there is no hope to be had, but for those who know Christ, know our hope is not of this world, but the one who overcame death, the one who paid the price for us, Jesus Christ, our hope is in Heaven, a life after this life. How we proceed matters, and how we view the world through scripture matters. IF we remain in our sins, we have no excuse on the day of judgment. For those who turn their backs on God, or who never faced Him to begin with, for them, the sentence is written. It isn’t too late to turn to God, repent of sins, and know that John 14:6 “ Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” 

As for Christians, keep fighting the good fight. Run with endurance, and take heart, Heaven awaits you. Keep sharing the hope of Jesus Christ with the world. Do so in lovingkindness. Do not be conformed to the world, but resist with the Armor of God. Live a life to show yourself apart from the world, and bare good fruit for Christ. Where you shop, where you frequent, who you spend your time with, what you do in your free time, who you vote for, all matters. Do not alter scripture to fit your narrative, instead let Scripture create your narrative. Pray for your representatives that they find Christ, even when they may act as an enemy combatant. Remember the opinion of a Christian doesn’t matter in the realm of scripture. God’s word is the ultimate authority, so treat it as such. Do not put your hope in people, for they will sin their way to disappointment. Hope for the best concerning people, but expect the sin nature. This means always be in prayer for people you interact with. Be in prayer for those making decisions on a larger scale that affects others, city leaders, large business owners, school teachers, even the politicians. Find comfort knowing that God the Abba Father is sitting on the throne, in charge over all, and if he knows your name, and you know his, that your future is one not of gnashing of teeth in eternal torment, but a glorious mansion in Heaven where you will worship the Father for all eternity. Find comfort in the hope and good news of Jesus Christ. 

At Years End 2022

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The world isn’t a place for everyone. For some, the world is only paradise they will ever know. The price of darkness may never feel the need to attack you. See, this world can be like a prison. For some, they will stay inside their walls freely, never seeking to escape, never reaching for the open door. For others, the prison like those in the matrix, they can feel something is wrong with the world. “It is all around you, even in this very room. You can see it when you look out the window or when you turn on your television. You can feel it when you go to work, when you go to church, when you pay your taxes.” (The Matrix) so many people are content eating their steak, and going about their day to day lives without care for the truth. People die young, cancer attacks a child, the wife has an affair and destroys everything. There is betrayal, and lies, and hardships beyond imagining. When was the last time you saw public outcry against Muslims, against their belief that homosexuality is a sin? Or that in Muslim countries there are strict laws against it. When was the last time you heard the outcry against Buddhism? Why is the world not attack other faith? I believe the answer is clear, why would Satan put time attacking something that isn’t true? Satan doesn’t see the others as a threat so there is no need to put his forces against falsehoods.

Sin does not need to be taught. Sin comes naturally in this world. We often cry out to God upset at the Father because of calamity that befalls us. How much of our struggle is of our own making? How much is caused by our own actions, our own lust of the selfishness and narcissistic behavior that lives in sin? When we are not walking with God we get mad at God for allowing disaster. Judgment comes in many ways to those who mock Gods commandments. When we are silent in our hearts about the sin that infiltrates and destroys our communities, judgment is imminent. We have spit in the face of God. We have turned our backs on His teachings. We have neglected his commands and commissions. Now as the world turns to darkness we cry out asking for salvation.

The path to destruction is wide and the way to salvation is narrow. The struggle in which we find ourselves can be seen as tests, or as a forge. In the military we train as we fight. We prepare for battle by simulating battle. We seek knowledge, and stamina by continually training. In a world clouded in darkness, those who wish to fight back, to stand firm against the enemy, must be forged into something new. You must be born again, for only those born again will enter the Kingdom of God. (John 3) If we are born again don’t we need to be trained for our new selves? Don’t we need to be taught and prepare for the obstacles we face in our new lives?

2022 was a rough year. From injuries, to illness, to setbacks in personal areas in my life, to kidney stones, to infections. After all the injuries and sickness, disappointment set in. On top of everything else, the longest run of depression i’ve ever had, had turned an already difficult year, into a battle of battles. What else would make for a truly awful year? Chronic pain. Chronic pain often brings forth and exasperates depression, fatigue, and of course pain. The hardships faced this year, for some would turn them a way from God. For me, it draws me near to Him. Does this mean, life isn’t full of frustration, or hardships of emotions. Of course this journey is hard, and full of emotions, but Jesus knows our difficulties. It’s precisely why the hope He offers is so much more important. What is it we fear? “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. (Matthew 10:28)” In Jesus we not only find our hope, but our peace. “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful. (John 14:27)”

Have I not seen Jesus in my life? Have I not felt his presence rest upon me as the enemy bared down to murder me? Have I not heard the voice of the Father, breathe new life into my lungs as life drifted away from my body? Faith, is an essential and interesting thing. What was it Jesus said to Thomas? “Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed. (John 20:29)” I have seen, and I have believed. This does not make the journey less difficult, or even emotionally easier, but it does mean I have hope. It means there is rest at the end of this long race I run. Jesus overcame Sin, broke the chains that held us. We will have hardships, and trials, and even at times, we will be broken hearted. Faith in Jesus, and the path set before us is one many will endeavor to walk, but will fall away, run away, or stay away from. Jesus through the word, the Logos, has given us everything we need to traverse the difficult road ahead. We have his Word, the Helper (Holy Spirit) to be our guide. We do not travel alone but the brotherhood (sisterhood) of those who also follow the way. We have the testimony of those who walked before us and left us the eyewitness statements. We have the martyrs who gave up everything for the truth. We have our fellow believers who walk with us today. We have all the tools to manage through this struggle, and the Lord our God, prepares the called, he does not call the equipped. Blessed are the meek, the poor, the gentle, those who mourn, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, merciful, pure of heart, the peacemakers, the persecuted, and those insulted and persecuted because thy follow Christ. We must have faith in our path and lean not of our own understanding. We must trust the Father in the hardships we face. We must learn from our mistakes and be honest of our sinful actions and deeds. We must hold ourselves accountable and responsible to Gods law, not the law of Man which spits in the face of the Father. As darkness spreads and becomes all the more intense, allow Christ to shine through you ever more brightly. Snuff out the darkness, not of our own doing but that of the Lords work through us. We never know whom watches us, or the purpose of a thing, but we know, through Lord all things are possible. All hope resides in Him. For it is in Him miracles still happen. It is in Him, the lost see the light. It is in Him our actions may bring glory and honor to His name.

Let us lift up the Lord Jesus name and praise him in the storm. Let us worship Him in the rain, the sunshine, the coldest of nights, and the hottest of days. Be of good cheer and rejoice and sing Hallelujah, for even now Emanuel, Emanuel on the highest. Worry not about today, nor tomorrow. Trust in the Lord your God and fight the good fight, till He calls you home.

War On The Horizon 

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War On The Horizon 

It’s been over a month since Russia invaded the sovereign country of Ukraine. I have had so many feelings about this, and as my heart breaks for the innocent people of Ukraine, I cannot help but have concern for my own nation and the potential fallout from what may come. Since the dawn of nuclear weapons there has been many who have written about a post-apocalyptic nuclear world. The entire series “Fallout” is based on what happens to the world after people come out of their fallout shelters to find what’s left of their world. The movie “The Book Of Eli” also based on what happens in a post-apocalyptic world. One thing they all have in common is how people treated other people that led up to the destruction of the planet and most of its inhabitance. While I’m not saying we are on the brink of nuclear war, what I am saying is I believe we are a few steps closer today than we were two months ago. 

I have seen the horror unfold on the news as many of you have as well, of all the refugees running, fleeing their country for their lives as Russian forces destroy homes, and non-military targets. I have seen as the Russian forces are being pointed to attack refugee convoys, and civilians. It has broken my heart, and as I continue to find a way to help, I find myself praying daily for this war to end, and those responsible are brought to justice. What would justice be? I honestly feel mans’ justice would be a trial at the world court for war crimes and imprisonment of those held responsible for committing war crimes. I fear justice from the Lord because I think, we are all guilty and complicit. I don’t feel Russia shares complete blame in this. We have sat idol while those who wish harm upon others reigned and grew in strength and power. We have offered deals and money and continued to allow those in power to get rich and build their weapons of destruction. No, we are not innocent in the sufferings of the Ukrainian people. Justice, true justice if delt by our Lord would significantly affect us here at home, and I fear, much like the days of Jeremiah, and Habakkuk, the outcome would not be favorable, for us. 

It’s true that we are on the brink of world change, what that change looks like, and what will it be like when the dust settles, I wish I knew, but sadly I don’t have the gift of prophesy. I will however continue to pray, and continue to go about my day doing the best I can with the time the Lord has given me. Jesus said this, Matthew 6:34 NKJV “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” I know that the day tomorrow will worry for itself, and I remind myself every day that while prudent to plan for the future as we have been taught. You cannot grow food without planning for the harvest. You cannot build a tower without first planning for its construction. While of course we have little control over the future, we have the ability to consider it and plan for it. Planning for the future and doing so blindly is not what we are called to do. In fact, while we plan for the future, plant the seed, tend the grounds, tend the crops, we must pray for rain. Planning for war and having assets to protect ones self is prudent, but expecting events to unfold as we think, is folly. James 4:13-16 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow [a]we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; 14 whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.” 16 But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.

It’s not certain what tomorrow will bring. While President Putin may launch a full-scale attack on the US, or a cyber-attack, or some other incident, as we were ill prepared for the attacks on 9/11, I say it’s prudent to prepare for yet not worry about tomorrow. We all have an expiration date. We cannot stay in this world one moment longer than our appointed time. Are we liken to the virgins in Matthew 25, that poorly planned? Do we expect the gates of Heaven be opened for us, yet we have not truly counted the cost and given Christ our hearts? Do we have just enough oil to make it look good, to just get by, or do we fill our hearts with the oil, the light of the world, the Gospel, preparing us for tomorrow, as well as today. We must not just prepare our hearts with the oil to fuel us beyond today, but plan for the toils ahead. Jesus told us there will be hardships in the world, and we must prepare ourselves for them. Mankind is a violent race, cruel, and sinful, and when unleashed, justice comes such as the Babylonians to Israel. We must be ready for the coming judgments and while this is not to cause fear or panic, Justice is what we deserve. True justice is our death, and Grace is being saved despite what we deserve. Mercy is saving us from what we deserve, while Grace is the gift freely given that we don’t deserve. Do we understand the difference? Do we understand the gifts given to us by Jesus, and the gift of Jesus from the Father? We have squandered them, and let those of idol worship, heathens, take over and run freely in the land, as Sadam before us, as Israel before us as seen in Judges 21: 25 In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes. We are at a dangerous tipping point I fear. Will judgment come today, or years and years for now, I do not know, but I do know, it is better to be prepared, storing up grain for the famine, preparing the soldiers to defend the castle, preparing for the inevitable hardships. If left unprepared those who have squandered their time will not manage crisis well. Those who do not study and know scripture will not have a full lantern for the day the Bridegroom comes. Who are we? Are we ready for war on our doorstep? Are we ready to serve with our full hearts? We want a savior, but do we want the Lord? We are comfortable being saved, but are we comfortable being surrendered to Jesus? There is a time for peace, and a time for war, a time to live and a time to die, and in all these things is the Lords time. The United States may not always be the United States if we are not vigilant and protect this land and hold to the principles in which we were founded. Whether we are, or are not the US of old, whether we fall to a foreign power, or those from within, we Christians have a duty, and an obligation to stand upon the Word, and hold fast the principles given to us by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Do we have faith like Daniel in the Lions Den? Do we bravely go to the Furnace in defiance of Mans laws? Are we going to stand on God’s word, or kneel, bow down in fear of man? Sin is not something in a vacuum. Sin ripples through our lives, and through time. Sin affects not only ourselves, and those around us, but those in our future. Sin can very possibly affect our children, and our children’s children. We cannot go on sinning like we have a license to do so. Sins carry weight and dire consequences. Are we ready for what may come because of them? 

Hope for the best, and prepare for the worst. And as I have stated in the past, the philosophy to live by, “Make a plan, execute the plan, expect the plan to go off the rails, throw away the plan.” (Snart, The Flash)  Go forth and be bold in the word of God. 

The Truth Is

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The days tick by since I heard from you last. I check in because I know, I know the struggles you’ve had. I send a message, then another. I finally realize you’d seen them, but still, I wait for what seems to be forever, and still no reply. How many times must I wait? How many times will we talk about how it makes me feel? How many times will I wait and wonder, wait and question, wait and think it was me? How many times will I be made to feel it’s my fault? How many times will I be made to think I expect too much? I have spent a lifetime being made to feel I wasn’t good enough. I have spent a lifetime being left behind, tossed aside. I have spent a lifetime being told I just wasn’t good enough. 

The truth is…. The truth is, I have spent so much time thinking the worst of myself. While it’s true I deserve Hell, and I have never and will never be good enough to grace the gates of Heaven, the truth is, while I am not worth saving, I am saved by grace, not of my own value for the sake of having value, but I am valued because God the Father values me. If God can see my value, and see my heart, and you, all of you, cannot, the problem is not with me, but sadly with your own hearts. How many hours have I devoted to sharing love with you, to share God’s grace, and hope with you? How many times have I watched the self-destructive path? How many times have I heard the apology and the promise of change? How many broken promises have I heard? How many times have I cried over loss, one after another? How many times have I beat myself down over feeling I was never good enough? 

The truth is…. The truth is, it’s been too often. I have forgotten the nature of our hearts. I have forgotten the true place we belong, and the true master in which we worship. Jeremiah 17:9 “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” We fall upon the worlds stage and we give in to the lusts of our heart. We follow the world and we obey the master the Devil in such things. Those who do not know Christ serve the Devil in his ways. Some people want to use you. Some people want nothing to do with you. Some want power over you. What comes from within? What lives within us all? Mark 7:21-22 21”For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, 22Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:” We are foolish creatures, we are selfish creatures, we are blind sinful creatures. 

The truth is…. The truth is, it isn’t your fault. Sinners gonna sin, and for me to expect so much from someone still plugged in to this wretched world, I cannot expect change. I cannot expect behavior that is against that which is born out of evil and wickedness to change. See, it isn’t you, no, not just you reading this, but so, so many people. This message goes out to all. How do we treat others? How do we send messages without sending messages/ Do we give one excuse after another? Perfection is not what’s asked for. Apologies are no longer being sought. Forgivness is what I offer here. I can’t sit around and hope and wait for change while I am the one hurt over and over, expecting this next time will be different. I can’t sit around wondering why I wasn’t good enough. I can’t sit and wonder what I had done wrong for you to not want me around anymore. I have been broken so many times I wonder what it is I feel now. I can remember feeling so deeply about things in my life, and now the scar tissue, the wounds surrounding my heart and mind make even the most obvious responses seem strange, far from me. The person I was seems gone, and lost forever, but my hope is in Jesus, and one day, I will be healed from years of neglect. I have a long way to go before I recognize myself, but I cannot hold on to friendships that aren’t trying to hold on to me. I shall not burn a bridge, and my door will always be available, but like a busy party, I shall quietly let myself out. I will walk away, and I shall attempt to hold my head high. The Holidays are hard, and feelings are like a live wire, sensitive to the touch. I turn my collar to the cold, as I walk away from the frigid feeling deep within. The bright son awaits to warm me, to touch my heart, and heal the wounds within. No longer can I be held captive to the lies of the Devil. No longer can I listen to the voice of fear deep within. The Devil has lied to me my whole life. The trials I faced, the hurt inflicted upon me, the hurt that is still being inflicted, I cannot allow. I cannot voluntarily take upon more cuts that are not mine to bare. A fool I have been thinking I can fix all those whom I encounter, that walk-in darkness. A fool I thought I could be a hero, a white knight. Thankless, and indeed pride, I shall let go of, and humble myself before the Lord of Lords, and beg for a sentence deserved to be commuted. In the light I saw tomorrow, a future not what I deserve, but rather one of hope, and not the darkness all around. The cancer grew deep inside, and I seek the physician to remove this sickness from me, and replace it with a new heart. 

The truth is… The truth is, I forgive the hurt, the pain, the careless neglect. The truth is, I let it go, and I forgive, not because we are deserving of forgiveness, but I trust as Jesus said “forgive them for they do not know what they do.” So, as my Lord has forgiven me, as I shall forgive you. Peace and love be upon you, and I pray for the light to find you, and pull you from the dark hold you are in. I pray Satan’s grasp upon you is broken, and the light of the Son, Jesus, makes the demons retreat in terror, and you are set free. I pray, and I pray, in love. The truth is… The truth is Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. 

If I Died

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If I Died

Would you notice if I died? Would you feel bad and cry? Would you ask God why? 

We often sit back and in our hubris think we have all the time in the world. We postpone and put off yet another day of making that call, sending that text, writing that message. We think that tomorrow is guaranteed and tomorrow will be less busy than today. There was a song a while back, Friends by John Micheal Montgomery

 ” Friends

Get scattered by the wind

Tossed upon the waves

Lost for years on end

Friends

Slowly drift apart

They give away their hearts

Maybe call you

Now and then”

Isn’t this true? When we really take a good long hard look at our lives, have we really done a good job keeping up with friends? Not long ago I messaged a friend who saw my message and days later never received one back. In my opinion, and this could be just my opinion, we’ve become a society with so many distractions, so many activities, I often wonder if we spend so much time moving from one activity to another, if we’ve forgotten to truly live. 

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 NKJV

9 Two are better than one,

Because they have a good reward for their labor.

10 For if they fall, one will lift up his companion.

But woe to him who is alone when he falls,

For he has no one to help him up.

11 Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm;

But how can one be warm alone?

12 Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him.

And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

While scripture says clearly the benefit of having a friend, it also cautions to having too many, 

Proverbs 18:24 A man who has friends must himself be friendly,

But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

While this message is twofold, the first part speaks of having to rise to the call of being a friend. Too many friends can leave us in ruin, but to those whom we dabaq (Cleave) unto as a friend, can become closer than kin. Jesus is this friend to us, and knowing how Christ clings to us, is always there for us, are we showing the same respect for those in our own lives? 

Scripture is clear on multiple occasions how we must treat every day. James 4:14 “14 whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.” Life is such a fleeting thing, and with every passing year, our society gets more and more fast paced. We have opportunities to slow down, and in the heart of the Covid-19 spread, while everything was shut down, I fear we did not heed our lesson, but instead doubled down on our foolishness, our careless ways, and now, we see brother turn against brother as blood spills in the streets. It’s interesting that in 1967 a small group named Buffalo Springfield released a song called For What It’s Worth. 

There’s somethin’ happenin’ here
But what it is ain’t exactly clear
There’s a man with a gun over there
A-tellin’ me I got to beware

I think it’s time we stop
Children, what’s that sound?
Everybody look what’s going down

There’s battle lines being drawn
And nobody’s right if everybody’s wrong
Young people speakin’ their minds
A-gettin’ so much resistance from behind

I think it’s time we stop
Hey, what’s that sound?
Everybody look what’s going down

What a field day for the heat (ooh-ooh-ooh)
A thousand people in the street (ooh-ooh-ooh)
Singin’ songs and a-carryin’ signs (ooh-ooh-ooh)
Mostly say “Hooray for our side” (ooh-ooh-ooh)

It’s time we stop
Hey, what’s that sound?
Everybody look what’s going down

Paranoia strikes deep
Into your life it will creep
It starts when you’re always afraid
You step out of line
The man come and take you away

We better stop, hey, what’s that sound?
Everybody look what’s going down

Stop, hey, what’s that sound?
Everybody look what’s going down (we better)

Stop, now, what’s that sound?
Everybody look what’s going down (we better)

Stop, children, what’s that sound?
Everybody look what’s going down

We have come to a point when we have turned on our brothers and sisters, and we set aside all rational thought, and now the other side is the enemy. With a world so violent, so turbulent, would the world miss me if I was gone? It seems history is indeed repeating itself. A world so quick to judge, so quick to determine truth while the media fans the flames of the great divide. With such division in the streets, we have failed to number our days, failed to grow in a heart of wisdom (Psalm 90:12). Christ tells us not to worry about tomorrow, thus telling us to be in the now, focus on today, be in the present. This also tells us not to let ourselves be weighed down in stress, but to give God our worries and concerns. 

When we are on our death bed, will we be looking at our loved ones and say “I wish we had time for one more errand. I wish we had time for one more school event. One more work meeting. One more _______” You fill in the blank. We are blessed in our lives to have a few people who would truly be there for us, who would give us what we need, when we need it. Are we living up to our end of being a good friend? How are we treating those who have treated us with respect and kindness throughout the years? Again, I ask, where do we place our focus? This is of course just food for thought. If 2020 has taught us anything, it should be tomorrow is never promised, so we must live for today, and make the very best of the blessings we are given day by day. Would you miss me when I’m gone, would you know it right away, or would it take you months before you found out? Something to ponder. As a whole I don’t think we are doing a very good job at being friends to one another. I don’t believe we are there when people need us. I don’t believe we give our friends even the courtesy of a reply let alone an ear to listen. Maybe I’m wrong, but wherever you fit on the spectrum, I hope we can come together and be better friends to one another. 

The Beautiful Cracks

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The Beautiful Cracks

The fall from the pedestal was long and bloody. The breaking of bone, the shedding of blood, the fall from grace. Not only the bloody and broken of flesh, but the breakdown of the spirit. The pride that once stood firm was broken and left shattered on the blood stained floor. The cracks were no longer hidden, but visible for all the world to see.

The sin that filled my life was kept neatly tucked away in the darkness. A hypocrite, perhaps, a sinner, absolutely. What I didn’t know back then was I didn’t really understand Jesus. I had a head knowledge, but the greatest gap to heaven is sometimes 12 inches. I didn’t understand because of ignorance, the breakdown that was coming was not only needed, but vital to my survival. The armor around my heart was able to separate the world and what I hadn’t figured out yet, was the separation from the world meant separation from my salvation also.

Laying in a hospital bed broken, and alone, I was forced to realize just how broken I was, even if I couldn’t see it. That healing was needed, but in order to heal, one must first understand the nature of their illness. My illness was simply put, sin. While many may scoff at that, the idea of sin is and has been given a reputation of control, or worse an excuse for and behavior. The truth of sin, is anything that separates self from the Father. Anything that comes between you and the Lord is sin. Living outside of Gods commandments is sin. Not all sins overtly hurt others, but all sins hurt others. My sins where wide open for the world to see, no longer hiding in the dark.

The broken you see allows the light of Jesus to shine in. Letting Jesus in to your heart is the breaking of the worlds hold on you. The light of Christ shines through the cracks and breaks, and once broken, the healing begins. We all have a disease, a terminal illness, whether we see it, or feel it, just like the matrix, it’s there. I felt early on something was wrong with the world, and I knew something needed to fix it. As I got older I found the answer was Christ, but I didn’t realize how one tiny little toe in the waters of the world would cause so much trouble later. Sin is everywhere in this fallen world. You can see it on the TV, at work, on the street, at the grocery store, even inside the walls of the church.

I am by no means a perfect man. My mistakes and my sins amount to a death sentence, but luckily, that’s not my fate. Jesus paid the price for me. Jesus blood ransomed the verdict of my execution. It takes time to be remade. The cracks were only the beginning. Once the cracks aloud the light in and the fracture was complete, the accepting of Jesus isn’t the end, but merely the beginning, the start of a new chapter. My brokenness aloud me to see my need for knowledge, a truth, the truth that there is only one way, Jesus, to the father. Learning about the Bible, and not just the words on some pages, but deeper than that. I needed to know how to trust scripture. I needed to know and dissect the words if I were to let that ‘doctor’ heal my heart. After I accepted Christ, I wouldn’t call it doubt, but that’s when I started to examine who Christ was. After I knew Jesus was truth, I wanted to trust but verify. My true study began. I began to study scripture more deeply, and I began finding others who had done what I was seeking to do.

The struggles came quickly after true conversion. Those 12 inches created a gap between myself and so many people I had once considered as friends. Then, the exodus happened. From a large amount of people leaving the friendship with me, to others attacking Christianity, I felt alone and hurt. I wanted to explain to people who Christ was and why Christ was the way. I found a man, J. Werner Wallace, author of ‘Cold Case Christianity’. A once professed Atheist, turned Christian apologetics author. From there I found Lee Strobel, author of ‘A Case for Christ.’ The cracks in my heart we’re healing, and I was beginning to truly trust the path I was on. I started to learn not to rely on the world for validation, but merely Christ’s.

I learned that it was going to take time for the healing to take place, that it wasn’t an automatic thing. Accepting Christ as healer would open my heart to his healing words. It would take time to make my faith strong, and it would take time for the wounds of old to heal. As for my sin, sin still creeps around, but the difference is now, there’s a conviction of the heart when sin takes place.

Accepting Crist is to die of your old self, and become a new creation. That new creation is based on a journey of a thousand steps, not a sprint to end a race. Accepting Christ is the start of your relationship with the Father and as such, you and as I was when I stated was a baby in faith. While I knew Christ in many ways my whole life, we all have our own journey to walk. My journey is far from over (Lord willing) but I hope that Christ finds favor in my heart, and that as I continue to grow in Christ my sins become less, and my works are more approving. Not that we are saved by works, because we absolutely are not, but faith begets works for the Glory of the Father.

I had to be broken for the Lord to truly grab a hold of my heart, and as I’ve spent years healing, I am still wounded by those who reject the cross and all it stands for. The heartbreak I feel as people I care for reject everything it is to be Christian, is very real. I know Jesus is Lord and Savior, and I am but a servant in his home. I am not worthy to unstrap His sandal, yet at the same time I know I am adopted into royalty. Because of my cracks I know who I am. Because of those beautiful broken pieces deep inside me, I know the light of Jesus. While I do not embrace the brokenness of my heart, I allow those to heal, it is the idea of God loving and using broken things I embrace. I am a work in progress, and I trust that the last will be first, and even though I am small before the Lord, I have a large roll to play. No one person is more important in Gods house, only more visible. From the person who sweeps the floor, to the pullpit, not one is more important. We are all broken and reborn anew in the Lord. Embrace the cracks and let God heal you. Embrace the hardships and the lessons you endure. Let God show you how great He is by working through the problems you face. Let God dry your tears, and heal your wounds. God did not remove the Red Sea, merely made a path through it. God will see you through your troubles and your sorrows. Praise him in the valley, and on the mountain top, the meadow, and the storms.

The problems will come and the joys too. No matter where we are, Jesus is there with us. Enjoy the peace when it comes. Prepare your hands for battle and trust in the Lord. Get up and get out there and share why Jesus is important to you. From a broken heart, to being a new Creation, let everyone know what makes you different by being different. Show the world what being a follower of Christ really looks like. Stand firm and trust Jesus has your back, beautiful cracks and all.

Don The Mask Again

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Don The Mask Again

There are all kinds of reasons people wear masks. They don’t want the world to see them as they are. They want to hide a part of themselves. They want to blend in. More often than not a mask is used to hide very real pain deep down. Are we ashamed of ourselves or at the very least a part of ourselves? Do we feel we are insignificant? Do we hide the struggle within because we are afraid how the world will react?

It’s the last one I’d like to focus on today. Are we a Christian society that lifts up or do we tear down? Do we show people love and compassion, or do we sew hate and disgust? The truth is, when asked how we are doing, the number one answer is an ambiguous ‘I’m fine’. So many people use sarcasm or misdirection to hide the true nature of their feelings, myself included.

Growing up, I loved Halloween because it gave me the chance one night a year to be anyone else. I was able to dress up and hide my identity and be anything else, albeit for one night only. The truth is, not much has changed in all those years. I still enjoy dressing up and being someone else for a night or two, or maybe as an adult I’ve found a few more nights a year to dress up, but the mask I wear as an adult isn’t to hide my identity, it’s to hide my feelings. Recently, I’ve been dealing with a few…. differences of opinions. I am not one to post a lot to social media, and I don’t usually ruffle feathers by making too many comments on others profiles, even if I disagree with whatever’s posted. Lately though, I’ve had a few disagree with the content of my posts, regarding Easter, or Abortion, but really the subject matter isn’t important. The part that’s really hit me in the feelers is how those coming to me attack my faith, those who fight for equality, but who are also supposed to be my friend. People I’ve known for more than half my life, people I trusted as a friend, have seemingly decided their offense of the cross was stronger than our friendship. In recent years I found I no longer get messages asking me how I’m doing, or checking up on me, but I’m kept around anyway. Why would someone go out of their way to openly attack a friend?

As Christians are we doing this to others? When people want to open up about the troubles they face, (MAKE NO MISTAKE WE ALL HAVE TROUBLES) are we listening according to scripture? Are we there for our brothers and sisters in their times of need, or are we turning our backs on them, forcing them to deal with their burdens alone. It makes me sick when I hear about a suicide. I wonder who they had in their life to talk too. I wonder who was there for them to lean on, who was that friend to help carry the load when it’s too strong. Are we a friend for someone to lean on? (Yes believe it or not that’s a song) When so many people shut the door and treat us as distant once in a while friends, it’s easy to understand why so many people feel the need to wear the mask. We hide our feelings because we are vulnerable in this day in age to be rejected for feeling anything but happy. What was it that Jesus Said Matthew 11:28-30 (NKJV) 28 “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am [a]gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Christ tells us to come to Him when we are feeling weak and low. And we are called to be like Christ, yet we shun those who struggle. 

No, the truth is, I’m not all right. In the last couple weeks I’ve been dealing with a constant financial struggle with school. I’ve buried my aunt/God Mother. I’ve dealt with attacks from those who were supposed to be friends. I’ve had financial struggle pop up largely because I was stupid. I’ve been dealing with a slight bout of depression. I’ve felt very alone as of late. Dealing with the choice to date someone almost 9000 miles away. While I wouldn’t change that decision for the world, it does come with it’s own set of hardships which are very real. I’ve been feeling trapped and unable to change my current situation. While I understand none of these things is all that bad in the grand scheme of things, they all create stress, and stress in the moment is still very real to the one perceiving the situation. No, it could be much worse, as I could be in Sri Lanka dealing with the losses, which are horrific in the recent round of bombings. Or in the city of Durham where a building blew up from a gas leak, where someone lost their life and dozens wounded. In comparison yes, my problems shadow, but a persons problems are no more or less real in the moment of someone’s life. How are we treating those ‘friends’ of ours when they are in need? Are we forcing our friends to wear a mask and hide their pain, or their struggles?

Masks don’t just hide pain, masks hide addictions of all shapes and sizes, substance abuse, alcohol, pornography, gambling, video game, spending, eating, and the list goes on. Are we forcing people to wear masks to hide these afflictions because they are too afraid to say anything based on something we’ve done? Do we as Christians have a aura of being better, or holier than though? Sin is sin, and no sin is greater or worse than another (except for blaspheming against the Lord). We tend to say well I’m a good person, I’ve never killed anyone, or I’ve never stolen anything, etc. but we grade on a far different curve then God. God looks into our heart, and sees the strain, He sees the struggle within. God wants us to turn to Him when we are in need of help. God wants us to pray and ask for His love and His mercy, and His guidance. If we are to be little Christ, are we truly availing our hearts to those around us who are in need? Christ died for our Sins, and vowed to be with us always till the end of the age meaning forever because Heaven is eternal.

To be honest I’m tired of pretending like everything’s okay. I’m tired of struggling daily to keep hidden my pain. I’m tired of telling everyone I’m fine, and in reality I feel miserable and alone. I pray to the Father every day for strength to get through my day, and not feel overwhelmed with everything I have to do in a day. There are a vast number of problems in need of solving that I cannot solve in a day. There are so many people out there who struggle daily, and we constantly let them down. Wearing the mask will never hide the eyes. The eyes often show more than we wish, but we as a society no longer pay attention to the world around us. We are taught in this world to look out for number one, ourselves. Scripture itself tells us to Proverbs 4:23“Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.” Which doesn’t means to not show or share emotions, but to protect it from attacks, or miss teachings. 

We may choose to hide ourselves from people, but we can never hide ourselves away from God. God sees all, and wants only a relationship with us. God wants us to be willing to accept His love, and grace. In order to receive it though we have to open our hearts to the Lord. Nothing can be hidden in the light of the Lord, so we shouldn’t even try. As for people, I struggle to remove my mask for them to see, and sadly there’s good reason, my friends (some of them, not all) have not been very good friends. So the mask stays on for the majority, and I shall continue to hide away, pretend all is well, and only reveal the secret to those whom I can truly trust.

Fallout

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Fallout 

Once in a while, a mistake we make in a rash, heat of the moment comes back to haunt us. I’ve spent years trying to make amends, make the wrongs right again, but in one phone call the past, which I’ve spent so long trying to move beyond came back and kicked me in the face. Since that phone call, I’ve felt emotionally withdrawn, distant from everything. I’ve had a lack humor, a lack of interest, a feeling of being tired, and a desire to sleep as long as possible. I’m reminded of David and his life after Bathsheba, his life would never be the same after. He would for the rest of his life face the ramifications, the punishment for his actions. I wonder how long I would live with the constant reminder of a bad day. The shame washes over me and I struggle dealing with the emotional fallout.

How do we deal with a mistake from our past? It’s true one mistake can haunt us the rest of our lives, but in reality what are we really talking about? While it’s not a black and white statement, but I’d say, in my opinion that most mistakes that haunt us our whole lives are made because we’ve stepped off the path God intends for us, and we decide to do things our own way. We decide to drink and drive, or party, or have pre-marital sex, or have affairs, or get involved in illegal activity. What happens when we sin knowingly, and force ourselves beyond the brush and thorns God has placed to block our path? It’s simple really, we get cut, and scrapped, and we end up hurt and bleeding on this new path. God’s planned path for us, while never easy, will bring you more peace, than if you try to bulldoze your way into a different path. For every action there is a consequence, and when we blatantly walk against Gods will we cannot say, “well, I’ll be forgiven so it’s aright.” NO IT’S NOT ALRIGHT! There’s a difference when you sin because you’re human and imbued with sin, it’s entirely different when you go out of your way to sin.

Ezekiel 18:20 ESV“The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.”

Galatians 6:7 ESV“Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.”

We do not have a green light to sin, just because we are forgiven upon true repentance. There is fallout from our sin. Our sin is like a stone throw into the water. The ripples from the epicenter permeate the water and spread out and continue to flow outwards. We never know the full ramifications of our sinful behaviors, but ignorance of result is not an excuse. There will always be a punishment for sin, and the day God chooses to bring forth correction, are you ready for the fallout to come? We have to understand some mistakes we make might not affect us directly, but the mistakes made might have lasting affects on others. One example is choosing to have a child on ones own. Choosing to raise a child outside of marriage might seem like a ‘good’ idea. You don’t have to worry about another person, arguing, or any other excuse, but the reality is, God created the family dynamic for a reason. Mothers and fathers have different rolls to play in a child’s life. The cause of most adolescent misbehavior is only one parent more often then not. The reason young girls engage in risky behavior in their early life, and get involved in poor relationships with men is often found because she did not have a father figure. Most girls who get involved in risky sex practices to include prostitution is again, lack of a father figure. A son, without a father often never learns how to treat a lady. He often grows up disrespectful of his mother, or fails to learn valuable lessons on being a responsible man.

I’ve seen so many decisions turn into very sad situations due to a choice that was outside the will of God. We as people need to let go of our selfish desires, and realize it’s not all about us, or what we want. It’s about what’s best for us, and clearly we aren’t very good at figuring that out for ourselves. The bushes are in place, and God is giving us warning to stay out, but sadly, we are stubborn, and we don’t listen. I hope you take a lot of Band-Aids with you because to get to where you think you want to be, you’re going to have to clean up some cuts and expect some of them while pushing your way through are going to be pretty deep. But, who am I to tell you what to do with your life? I’m just some random guy on the internet. You’ll figure it out, I just pray you do before you get on the wrong side with God.