Tuesday, August 25, 2009

You Can Do All Things?

As a young believer in Chirst I listened to many seasoned fellow Christians thinking they had my best interest to heart. I had got myself in all sorts of trouble listening to these so called believers in the things of God instead of reading the Word for myself.

Now as one who has been following Christ instead of every "narry-do-weller," I have a better understanding and my life is consistent with what the Word says will happen as long as I adhere to it. This is true for all who continue to walk by faith and not by sight. The faith is through Christ.

The operative phrase is "through Christ." This operation is also true with the scripture, "I can do all things..." For what reason does one believe all means anything? That would be insane! Just because all is defined in the message given by the speaker, doesn't make it so that you can do whatsoever comes across your mind and still be called a true believer in Christ. You can't, you can't, you just can't - so stop believing the lie!

To make this more credible to you, I will show how that verse has been manipulated to do mischief and, as my mother use to call it, devilment. A major peeve I have is in the five-fold ministry. How can you teach, preach, and counsel believers to do one thing according to the scriptures and then that very speaker, teacher, preacher, counselor does otherwise? How is that possible and still maintain credibility in what you do, say, and how you appear to others? If that is following Christ, then sinners can make it to heaven without believing too, right? But if that's true, heaven would be a mess with all kinds of chaos and confusion. Yet seeing that God's throne is in heaven and He is not the author of confusion, having what He created decent and in order, that would then put a gliche in all sinners will be in heaven without believing. The proof of hypocracy is in the life of the minister, preacher, teacher, prophet, and/or evangelist. The anointing coming from Christ tends to all matters of a believer's life. When a hypocrit looks good by appearance there is some other aspect that isn't all good. Why? Because hypocracy is giving place to the devil who comes to steal, kill, and destroy. When your favorite teacher, preacher, evangelist, pastor, and/or prophet becomes ill, loses his ministry, the church gets robbed, finances are gone, the family has issues, or so forth and so on, the answer is he gave place to the enemy who is doing his job. This is one example as to what you cannot do (say one thing and do another - hypocrit) thinking that it is through Christ.

Another would be the ways of the world being incorporated in the church. I could go on and on with the ways of the world and you should know as a believer that those ways can lead to destruction. The ways of the world cannot be through Christ. For it is written, broad is the way to destruction and the ways of the world are broad. The world has changed many principles that came from the scriptures. Is it archaic for women to wait to be proposed to? When a woman proposes, isn't she essentially saying, "I need your help" rather than the other way around? Is she proposing through Christ too? How happy is that Christian marriage? Will the husband rise to the occasion of being the head of the household or does he cower in the face of adversity and looks to her to take control? Is that what's suppose to happen? I guess it would for those men who prefer that and the women raised to be in control yet, where does the reverencing of her husband fit when it is required of her through Christ? How does she honor her husband being the head of him? When that man grows up because he no longer needs a surrogate Mommy, the aggravation in the marriage may be defined as irreconciable differences or falling out of love but actually it will be him realizing that he doesn't need that woman who proposed to him. He no longer needs that kind of help - Mommy help.

At the same time, the controlling man that realizes his help is with his wife takes those controlling matters too far. He isn't secure with who he is in Christ so he believes his wife is property with which he can do as he pleases including terrorizing her into submission. This terrorizing can be through emotional, physical, or sexual abuse and he keeps her by quoting scripture believing it is through Christ.

Doesn't through Christ mean just what Christ has done? Doesn't it mean following in His footsteps? How is he loving his wife as Christ loves the church and abusing her into submission at the same time? How is abuse and love synonymous? Should Jesus treat this man in the same manner as his beliefs with his wife? That would be seed sown and God cannot be mocked.

What I am trying to show you is the Word cannot be twisted. It is written to keep you out of trouble. Jesus came to set the captives free. The captives are those lost in sin. He came. We have been set free and as He told the woman at the well, go and sin no more.

Monday, August 24, 2009

The Prayer Closet

What has happened to the prayer closet? No one speaks of it or teaches it to the younger believers. Is it no longer necessary? Or maybe its so archaic, it has passed away with all of the other old things?

I was taught to pray unceasingly (as it is written), but only in the Spirit which doesn't mean you have to stop doing your regular tasks. I never thought of the lesson much just incorporated it into my everyday life as with all that I have learned since coming into the knowledge of the Truth.

There is no harm. I am still doing what is written; although, I don't recall Jesus doing this. It would seem when He prayed, He made it a specific time and place though it may not have been a closet, it still had some scope of solitude.

Being isolated from everyone can make some men go crazy; as we know of prison inmates who misbehave. They are already in prison. Their freedom has been taken away and still they have a tendency to be mischievous? What else can be done but to put in a real life time out? There he sits all alone in solitary confinement to think of what he has done with his life. The longer he sits, the more he thinks. If he is not saved, he will talk to himself. If he is in there for a certain length of time with no human contact, he will answer himself or a voice will answer that he knows not of (that's schizophrenia). What would be the benefit of this having no good training for him not to misbehave anymore? Won't he come from there angry and do worse? Yet, we are not prisoners but have been set free through Christ Jesus.

The prayer closet is a means for those who can be distracted not to be. The isolation from media, family, the telephone, work, and anything else ceases because of this specific place for the purpose of being in His presence. While one might think it is complete solitude, with practice you know that you are not alone. Peace, Love, and joy encompass the focus you now have in Him and all that you may have thought you would have liked for yourself is no longer important. Life becomes more pleasant - even brighter. Rhema knowledge sits before you and still how can it not be taught the importance of the prayer closet?

Skeptics? Well, best thing to do is make this more visual for better comprehension. My youngest son comes to me with his personal plights. Many times I think he makes some things up just to see if he can stump me. As he got older his attention span seemed to be equivalent to a gnat. He asked me a question and as I was trying to get him to understand, he had papers to gather, the channel to change, he's walking, looking outside the window - so I stopped talking for him to collect himself. He stopped being busy the moment I stopped talking and said, "what?" I asked him, "are you finished?" He replied that he was multi-tasking. I called it being rude. If you are interested in what I am saying, you will give me your undivided attention.

When we have problems too big for us to resolve and we go before the Lord, aren't we believing that He is listening to every single wailing word, snifle, and cry we have? What if He was multi-tasking and you could see Him do this? Wouldn't you think that what you were asking wasn't very important to Him? Then why would we do this when we come to pray and worship? Is that honoring Him? Is multi-tasking reverencing Him? Is He pleased with your efforts?

Tell me again, how archaic is the prayer closet and why don't we teach it to the next generation?

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Its Alright, he Comes Home to me

It has been brought to my attention by way of just talking to people, how certain habits have been brushed over or over looked for the sake of the relationship. It is much like realizing that the most powerful man in the country has an extramarital affair for years but we are told to just focus on the issues and his policy making skills. If I weren't one to practice keeping my tongue from profanity; that, at one time, would have taken me to the point of temptation.

First, the problem we seem to over look. Checking out porn from time to time and/or masturbating isn't something we should think as being normal. The answer being, "well he comes home to me so its alright," is not acceptable. It is not acceptable to God and should not be acceptable to you.

We, as Christians should be seeing porn as a means of voyeurism. It is looking at the intimacy of others and getting aroused by it. Then if the spouse isn't there, the matter of arousal must be tended to, so he does this himself. Problem is, when it comes to satisfying the spouse, there is no arousal. He believed the lie that satisfying himself is perfectly normal. He believes that everyone is doing it and not being punished so he can too. He believes that he can continue with this behavior and it does become a habit. This habit, whether he knows it or not, is feeding the flesh. The flesh then becomes determined to get fed and now he has a problem with sex. He either is not able to get an ejaculation or cannot stop ejaculating. One is called sexual addiction and the other is a called erectile dysfunction. There is medication and therapy for both. Well, at least someone is profiting from all of this.

The President or any other elected official having an extramarital affair is an issue. He made a decision not to be faithful to one woman - his wife. His policy making skills and other matters in his life will falter because of his disloyalty to the one person closer to him than God. It is a character flaw. If we wouldn't accept this flaw in our own relationships, why would we be so readily accepting of it in our government where the official would have to establish relationships with others to make peace. How can he make peace if he doesn't have it in his own house?

God tells us there should be no other gods before Him. He tells us to love Him with all of our hearts, mind, and strength. He tells us this for us to maintain an abundant life by which Jesus came to give us. Anything else begins to muck up the waters by which we were planted. Our clarity isn't there, we blame others, and we justify sin.

Sin, no matter how much we justify it, will have its way if continually fed. It will come to collect the debt that Jesus already paid for. With or without you making excuses for the behavior, the Word still remains: for the wages of sin is death.

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Man Pleasers

Christians are all over the place. We have to be to do as God has called us to do. Some make it known and at one time the mood of the room changed - for the better. Others make it known and their behavior says something else. Then there is a small amount of those who let their lives speak for themselves which also allows an immediate response. In any of those cases, it is still good. Why? The Word tells us so and it still works today.

True believers make it their aim to be obedient to God. This allows spiritual maturity to the point where God trusts the believer to do as he would like. To acknowledge Him is still there only because the practice of the faith walk, the believer knows with no doubt what is good and acceptable unto God. The quandary of the voice of the Lord has dissipated and is replaced by the assurance of righteousness. This is prosperity and God is delighted because of it. Therefore, this does not mean that God's servants should focus on their prosperity. It means that because serving is the focus prosperity ensues. Its much like meditating on the Word day and night - then you will be successful. With the saturation of the way God does things, then it is obvious that person will do what he has meditated on. This person not only speaks it but lives it as well. Blessings can't help but to pursue this person with force.

Only, how is this person recognized? Would a Word saturated servant of God, mature in Christ, be looking to appease every situation? Would he be the "yes" man to those that are in authority? Would he be the brown-noser? Would he be working hard to keep his reputation? Would he be in the midst of chaos? If asked, would everyone he works with know that he is a Christian?

Jesus asked His disciples, "who do men say that I am?" Was He asking about His reputation, if His fame preceded Him, or if what He has been teaching has made an effect on the people? Jesus came to set the captives free. Would the calling we have be any different than His? Who do men say that you are? What effect have you had on others? Who have you influenced and in what way?

Having a career and making as much money as you can is what the next generation has been taught in the public school system. It was taught in my generation too. With career being the precedence, faith becomes secondary (if that). Pleasing God is no longer the goal and if that is not troubling enough, there are those calling themselves believers of the Word who have no qualms with this. There is nothing wrong with making money. True, only what does your heart look like while making it? Can you or would you still allow your light to shine? If making a six figure salary and the CEO announced something for all employees to do that could compromise your reputation (integrity or character), could you do it? Would you remain with the company? Could you refuse the directive and risk losing that salary?

If answering those questions trouble you, leave you in a quandary, or even causes you to hesitate before responding - you have man pleasing tendencies that need a faith fight. To those who answered the questions with boldness and total assurance in your right standing with God, I suggest that you look for the test. It is coming.