Stay Firm Like An Oak

Now that the country is ready to put in place a new president, ready to see some real changes, not the empty promises of the past, the political climate is reaching its fever pitch in its selection process.  It seems the whole country is committed to exercising the role for their one vote to count that will at least for four years, be a voice for real change.

The way things are going, it seems there is one man who represents the flavor of the people's frustration about how the country has been run the past 8 years.  Make no mistake though, because along with that, and for the next 8 months, the candidates and their pundits will strive hard to sway our decisions one way or the other.  The final voice of the people will result in who the next president of the U.S. will be.  Despite all the noise, we, as Americans, have to make the decision according to our values and our morals.

One of the ways that is advisable to do is to do our own research about the people vying for the position.  Not only should we objectively analyze each of them, we should also listen to how the other side are portraying them.  Sometimes it is very easy to just go with the flow and adopt a mob mentality without really listening to the rhetoric that one presents.  This is not an easy task, however, because we are all so busy with our own lives that we sometimes don't have time to do the research ourselves so we tend to believe what we hear, from wherever and whomever, as the truth.  We have to be careful about such nonchalant process, because eventually, it could break us.

The other way, and the best way for me is to bring God into the decision-making.  God has a way of intervening His will into the mix.  As long as we are in line with His will, it is very easy to understand what surrounds us because God gives wisdom to those who are in line with His will.  satan on the other hand will feed your head with confusion, lies and deceit.  It is his forte to do so.  he loves to frustrate us because he likes the chaos. Unless we ignore his wiles and his agenda, we will be in the right path.  Be like an oak tree, unwavering, unmovable, sturdy in your truth!

We have to decide whether we love our country enough and each other to shut off the noise and ask for God's guidance.  God is the same yesterday, today and forever.  He is a consistent God.  He unites not divides.  

Until my next rant... LOVE ONE ANOTHER!

Get Led by the Spirit

So you've turned your life around and accepted Jesus, now what?  There will be people in your life ones you seek and the ones who volunteer their values and methods on you.  They are usually people who mean well but still influenced by their past behavior and character traits.  If you are not careful, you can fall into a groove that may lead you out of the will of God because you took their teachings to heart.  That is why when you are a baby Christian, it is a process.  You won't instantly get rid of your past life, because remember, we were all born with Adam and Eve's original sin.  But do not fret, as long as you are Spirit-led, you will be just fine.

This situation wasn't a stranger to God's special guy.  The Apostle Paul.  Paul could have fallen into a man-pleaser groove.  However, he adapted the God-pleasing method instead.  He could have been what the present day name for fundamental Christian, a bible thumper, and started acting like the Jews.   He fit the bill but God had another plan for him.  He wanted Paul to become a new man.  He could have been the disciple of all disciples, following their teachings to a tee, and although he listened and honored their counsel, he did not let them fully lead him.  He listened to the Holy Spirit and let the Holy Spirit lead him, enjoying the liberty of being himself, just as how God wanted him.  

We can all be cloaked in the ideals of the churches we attend, immersing ourselves in like-minded people but with that, caution has to be taken that we don't try to conform into something man-mandated under the guise of God's will.  We have to recognize ourselves under the power of the Holy Spirit, and our freedom under it.  

Until my next rant... LOVE ONE ANOTHER!

THE BEAUTY OF ETERNAL LIFE

If I had an opportunity to ask someone who has passed away some questions, I would ask them if they had experienced any indication that their life is about to end.

Majority of the human race is afraid to die.  We protect our lives and the lives of our loved ones simply as a matter of course.  The initial response to hearing news that someone has passed away is that of shock and gasps.  It is just human nature.  When we were born, we were a blank canvas.  We are the sum total of people that surround us.  People who were influenced by those around them when they were born in turn pass those influences to us.  So most of our instincts are taught based on what we have come to know.  We have no control over that any more than a wild and vicious pit bull trained by an irresponsible dog owner does.

So why are we so afraid to die or even to be diagnosed with a terminal illness?  The answer is simply that we aren't sure about whether there really is life after death, and if so, where we will end up?  Will it be up or down.  Even for an unbeliever, there is that innate notion of the unknown, a doubt as to whether there is a heaven or a hell.  We were born with that instinct because whether we believe in the bible or the big bang theory, we can't help but doubt or believe the existence of another life.

I've always attacked a doubt head on.  Before I understood the after life and the reality of it, I too, was a skeptic.  Looking back, I realized how incredibly irresponsible I was with my own life and my own eternal life.  This life, because I did nonchalantly go through it by occasionally putting myself in danger whether it be walking alone at night or partying with perfect strangers.  I never thought about death and where my future would be. However, my relationship with God, even as a young child, got me through it all.  

Now that I am halfway through my days, I can say that I truly do not fear death.  As a matter of fact, if not for my loved ones, who would be sad if I did pass away, I would prefer it.  Knowing for a fact what is in store for me after this worldly life excites and inspires me.  I look forward to the day I get to see God's face!  You see, when you have a deep understanding of God's love, it is not difficult to wish an earthly death to this temporary vessel.  The alternative is such that would bring so much joy to an eternal life.  A word of caution.  I don't know what is in store for those who turn away from God, and I certainly could not even consider thinking about it.

Until my next rant... LOVE ONE ANOTHER!

THREE IS BETTER THAN NONE

Imagine if you will, just for a moment that we were still existing in the days before Jesus was born.  When there was no Jesus or the Holy Spirit yet.  The days when the wrath of God was like a looming dark cloud over our heads, careful not to anger the God that is so powerful that He can cast some punishment on us like the people of the great flood, Sodom and Gomorrah, etc.

It is no wonder that today, most people who started reading the Bible feel that God is too strict with life.  They use the Old Testament in their own church doctrine for some odd reason to scare others away from turning back to God.  In my own humble opinion, this is not fair to the God that I have known since I have come to an awareness of Him ever since I was a young child.  The God I grew up knowing was a true father to me, yes invisible, but felt.  He was a true father in a sense that my own father was an absentee father, and when he was around he was mean.

So there we have it.  They were all, in those days before Jesus and the Holy Spirit afraid of the angry deity which was somehow used to pass down to current days to inject fear or nonchalant rebellion into people's hearts.

Enter Jesus.  Jesus was God in the flesh.  One can only surmise that God sent His son, not so much as to punish Him by letting Him get whipped and murdered on purpose, but with purpose.  God thought of a way to connect with us by putting Himself in our position in order to feel what we feel since He won't or will ever impose His love on us.  How can someone so powerful humble Himself in such a way?  I mean, the Guy is God Himself!  He could have done anything at all with His powers but instead chose to sympathize with us by subjecting Himself as if He was one of us!

Furthermore, after Jesus left the world, He gave us the Holy Spirit as a gift.  The Holy Spirit who is a Godhead, again Himself, to live in each and every one of our hearts!  How generous of Him to give us a mentor, a confidante, a guide, a protector, a healer, a liaison not only for Him but for others.  As if he doled Himself out like Oprah and said, "You get the Holy Spirit, you get the Holy Spirit, you get the Holy Spirit, EVERYBODY gets the Holy Spirit!"

God is amazing.  If there is another word above amazing or the most amazing word over amazing, that would be Him.  Moreover, all of these blessings He gave us was motivated by love.  Such a love that we can never understand no matter how we try.  Giving one's own child to die on the cross so that we can be residents of a wondrous life eternal is a kind of love that no one on this earth can ever give.

It is easily explained like this.  Three in one, it's like an egg, made of yolk, white and shell.  One cannot do without the other.  Personally and honestly, I would rather have Three in one, than none.

Until my next rant... LOVE ONE ANOTHER!  Why? Because this is the greatest of all commandments which encompasses all Ten given in the old testament.

WHAT IS A KISS

A kiss is a demonstration of affection.  A symbol of love for the other.  A kiss of respect, of greeting, true love.

Throughout history, a kiss is universal.  Even animals kiss each other and us sometimes.  Yes, a symbol of love.

Yet there is one in history that is seared in its pages.  A kiss that symbolized nothing mentioned above.  The kiss of betrayal, most of us coined, The Kiss of Death.

It was the kiss that marked the beginning of the end.  The kiss that was pre-determined to happen to a recipient who knew the inevitable.  The kiss that will never be replicated by anyone to anyone.  At least not that I know of, unless it was recreated to depict that same ONE.

Satan is the ultimate deceiver and he turns a symbol of ardor, something of God, into something evil.

But then again, this kiss was also symbolic of our salvation, our redemption.  Had it not been for this kiss, we would all remain unforgiven, with our inevitable future that mirrors that of the one who exploited such a positive symbol.

Jesus knew He was predisposed to a death brought on by a series of painful and punishing excruciating wounds which he had to endure but pre-planned by God, His own Father, for us undeserving ingrates.  But I know what your next question is.  You ask, “If God was so good, why would He give up His only Son as a sacrificial lamb for us?”

My simple little mind has gone over this question over and over again in my head.  Although I will never understand in my human brain why God would do such a thing, I could only summon up a reason that blew even my own mind!

God is Love.  There could never be another way for Him.  His love is unlike the love, even the greatest love that we have experienced in our own lives.  There can be no way we can fathom the intensity of God’s love even if we try.  I quit trying.  But I do understand the enormity of someone’s love when they have to sacrifice something as precious as a child, an only child at that, because I am a mother.  I would rather sacrifice myself than sacrifice my son or my daughter to be slaughtered like Jesus on the cross.  That is because I love my kids that much.  You can relate to this if you are a good parent.  Good parents would not and could not stand to see their child purposely killed.  It’s just impossible.

But God did.  He did it to show us the enormity of His love for us.  A love that most people rather not see or feel because of pure refusal, pure rebellion and denial.  That is why God’s love is not called love, it has another name.  AGAPE love.  So pure and so great that none of us can replicate it, or even feel it.  Why?  We are sinners.  We are imperfect, just not possible.  But God shows us that even with all the power and all the greatness He possesses, He allowed Himself as a sacrifice in the form of God in the Flesh to die for us, for our sins, for our eternal salvation, our souls uplifted and offered up to Him.  He did it for us because He knew that our sinful nature is susceptible to satan’s deceit and easily, our souls can be snatched, and most people’s souls have been snatched as a result of their refusal to accept such love from God.  God knows He can’t make us love Him back but He proved to us that we can, by our own accord, love Him back with only a smidgen of His love in return, and be saved.  

And that kiss from Judas sealed the deal.  It was the beginning of the end for Jesus.  He knew what was coming.  He is God!  He knew that it was the point of no return and He understood the pain of the flesh he was about to receive and he knew what that pain was like, what being slaughtered felt like which is why He begged God to save Him from it, feeling like we would feel if we knew our inevitable death has finally come to fruition.  The kiss of death from Judas was the kiss of love from God to us.  The price… JESUS CHRIST!

Until my next rant…. LOVE ONE ANOTHER!

BITTERNESS

The seed of bitterness is hurt.  The soil that sows it is a heart that harbors hostility or that hurt.

The other day I realized that as a child, I was physically abused by my parents, especially my father.  It didn't occur to me until then that he had a quick hand to dole out those belt beatings, slaps and verbal abuse.  All my life I had shoved it in the deepest part of my soul but it was very much the wrong thing to do.  

A seed when planted deeply thrives and grows deep roots and a sturdy stalk that is not easily blown away by wind or natural disturbances.  Deep rooted plants suck the life out of the nutrients around it.  Gravity helps the water sink deeply to it and nurtures it to help its strength.

Because I shoved it away and tried to forget, I was able to cope with life.  I was able to hide behind the hurt but in reality, most of my life I would let people naturally hurt me, whether it was physically, mentally or emotionally.  I was drawn to people who aim to promote pain and then I wonder why my life didn't progress.  Those things are all forgiven.  I have moved on.

It was the love of God that pushed me through the hurt.  All along God was there, whether I consciously summoned his guidance and peace or not, He would always be the little voice that steered me to the right path.  It is because of Him that I was able to forgive.  Well, maybe it wasn't as direct as I hoped because I was drawn to self-help books and seminars.  But the end result was still to Him.  

So here I am still standing.  And that little voice that was God in the past is now a booming voice in my heart and in my soul.  His voice is now and then heard when big decisions need to be made, not so much as guiding anymore because I am focused in His way.  When confusion sets in, He is there.  Thank God for a loving God, a confidante, a true father in every sense.  Someone who whacked that enormous stalk with a  machete and pulled it straight out of the ground.  

Bitterness is the devil's voice whispering in your ear to lash out at others because of the hurt you have experienced.  Seek God now and get past it.  move on and let it go!

Until my next rant... LOVE ONE ANOTHER!

FORGIVEN, CLEANSED AND CONQUERED

I often hear ridiculous stances from those who have not yet accepted Jesus as their Lord and savior and His importance in our lives as I’m sure you have heard them too, or maybe even made those statements yourselves.  I was once guilty as well.  Although I have had a close relationship with God as far as I can remember, it never got deeper than asking Him for favors whenever I’m in a bind.  I have made the same justifications that I can never be a perfect person because I commit sins pretty much daily.  The problem with sin is that it has no size.  A sin is a sin, whether you lied or killed someone.  The consequences vary but every sin is a rebellion against God.  

I also hear people say, “Well, I might as well not ask God to forgive me because I will sin again and just be a disappointment.  Besides, I have committed so many sins in my past and it keeps coming up and making me feel inadequate.”  Here is a perfect statement as to why people just give up on God.  They sin, because they don’t understand their level of human-ness.  The devil puts lies in our heads and when he does, not only does he encourage us to sin again and turn away from God, he also dredges up all the past sins we’ve been forgiven and cleansed for.  When we are tempted by the devil to sin, he prods us to go ahead and follow through, telling us it is within our right and our will to do it. Then once the sin has been committed, he throws accusations at us and tells us we are nothing, we are unworthy and God will punish us for it.

We need to distinguish the difference between the devil’s accusations and the Holy Spirit’s convictions.  The Holy Spirit will never convict us for sins that have been thrown by God in the sea of forgetfulness after he has forgiven and cleansed us of them.  The Holy Spirit’s way is to snap you into realization immediately as soon as you commit the sin.  He will convict you of the specific sin, such as hey, you just lied about that.  Then He convicts you redemptively, meaning after confession and forgiveness, He will redeem you.  All of these things happen in accordance to the cleansing of your sins through the blood of Jesus Christ.  Jesus Christ died for the world which means there is no limited atonement!

A spirit-filled and victorious life doesn’t mean we are free from failure, pain, sin, etc., we all sin but we learn the truce and get in a higher plane, we get right with God, we are walking in the light, the minute we sin, the Holy Spirit says you did wrong, and that moment we confess our sins so we can stay on the higher plane.  This is our conquest.  Staying up there with God while we live with our sinful human nature.  

Similarly, you shouldn’t be light and cavalier about your sins.  When He lives in us the love of God is perfected.  A slave serves because he has to.  An employee serves because he needs to, a child of God serves because he wants to.  There is the LOVE of God that He will save me to begin with, cleanses me, do you think that will encourage me to sin? NO the desire of my heart is never to sin again.  NEVER.  But if I do thank God I have an advocate which is just a fancy word for a lawyer, pleading our case to God.

How sweet it is to be loved by our Jesus, isn’t it?

Until my next rant... LOVE ONE ANOTHER!