Grace & Truth

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venerate — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 03:27:09 +0000

Appreciation of tests

venerate — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:56:51 +0000

I appreciate how God shows himself strong in the midst of life’s trials. He has proven to me over and over again how powerless I am and how great He is. These past couple of years have flown by as my family and I have learned to rely on God. I have taken credit for the good in my life but have come to recognize that it was folly on my part. Every good thing in my life has been a gift from the Lord. We as humans are naive about the ways of God vs the ways of this world. As I pursued happiness in this world it drove me away from God. I know there is some balance that we need to achieve but it is NOT 50-50. The things we do for God should far outweigh the things of this world. Knowing that I can rely on God helps me to deal with the injustice and despair that is inherent in this world system.

The year 2012

venerate — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 19:30:51 +0000

A lot of people are pointing at 2012 as the year that the world ends. There is a new movie coming out and there are all sorts of websites and videos dedicated to this subject. We know that 2012 is a leap year, the year of the London Olympic games and the US presidential election. It is also the end of the Mayan calendar which has fueled speculation that the world will end. It is a year pointed to by many in the new age movement because of the alignment of the sun, earth and the center of the galaxy (the milky way) on December 12th. Some predict the end of the world while others contend it will bring a higher consciousness to humanity. In one of the bible code books the year will see an asteroid or comet hit the earth. People are building bomb shelters and stockpiling food in anticipation of a cataclysmic event. There have been numerous articles written and media reports from places like Fox news, CNN and ABC news. The history channel did a show about 2012, Nostradamus and his predictions along with those of other “prophets”. So, is the end of the world coming in a little over 3 years? Are we currently in the midst of the great tribulation that the bible talks about? If so when will believers depart in the rapture? Or is 2012 the beginning of the end? The bible says that NO man knows the day nor the hour, that God will come like a thief in the night. Think about the parable of the ten virgins. But what if that is the date? Are you prepared? The bible says that God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power and love and a sound mind. As believers it should not matter when the apocalypse occurs we should be ready and doing the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. No matter what happens in this world I want to live a life that is pleasing in the sight of the one true and living God. Trust God, fear not!

venerate — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 00:45:58 +0000

Transformers II

venerate — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 14:30:19 +0000

I recently saw a trailer for the new Transformers movie Revenge of the fallen and then yesterday I read a post by michaelmichael on jesusfreaks it sparked a thought/inspiration from God. I remember the cartoons about the transformers from younger days and saw the first movie. Like most, I identified with the good – the autobots and looked for them to defeat the evil – the decepticons. I have grown to understand that life is NOT yin and yang with good and evil in balance, but is a journey set forth by individuals who must choose to follow either good – Jesus or evil – self & satan. You see we all aren’t transformed, many have conformed. Isn’ that the message of Romans 12:2 – And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. With the free will that God has given us we must make a choice of which path to follow. The counterfeit path is the one of conforming to that which is pleasing to man. I am often struck by how some of us, believers, choose culture (the desire to fit in) over reliance on the Word and faith. I can only speak for me, but I have made the choice to have my mind renewed by seeking the only way – following Jesus, that I may live a life that is pleasing in the sight of God. I write these words not to convict but to encourage. Our lives on this road that we call life is so very short in comparison to eternity. God is calling for us to learn of Him as we travel it and by seeing the love that He has for us, to choose to follow that narrow way that leads to Him. Praying, reading His word and living a life acceptable to Him is the only route to true success, true prosperity, true joy, Be TRANSFORMED!

Change we can believe in

venerate — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 19:49:04 +0000

All around me people are concerned or fearful about the economy and more importantly their own finances. We, as Christians, should have a different perspective. I am reminded of Proverbs 14:34 which states: Righteousness exalteth a nation; but sin is a reproach to any people. I think that we need to emphasize being examples of Christ and lead through our lifestyle. I think that some have been seduced by the power of politics and have sought to change the culture more through legislation than through prayer. There are some who have adopted the “gospel of prosperity” and have become insular in their thinking. In that, some have sought the material before the spiritual. And yes, there are those who have been praying for this nation and for those in authority. I believe that now is the time for Christians to come together and begin interceding for our neighbors and our nation. As I read my bible and recall the lessons of the nation of Israel, it is only when they put God first that they truly prospered and were able to defeat any and all enemies. 2 Chronicles 7:14 says: If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. So the question is as Christians have we become arrogant? Are we truly praying?? Are we seeking to know God and His will? Are we living a life that is pleasing to Him? This nation needs the believers of the One True God to take a stand for God and to pray, seek and repent so that we and those who are outside the church will be comforted and healed. I thank the Lord that He is merciful and kind, that He gives us the opportunity to change our circumstances.

Are we still salty?

venerate — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 17:46:00 +0000

As I prepared to read my bible, I remembered a dream I had about a woman being seductive to a man and soon as he took the bait she ridiculed and belittled him. I think that some of us, Christians, are so intent on showing the world that we are just like them, that we have become just like them. When we are doing everything that the world is doing, drinking, swearing, smoking, illicit sex and the like how can we expect anyone to desire to become a Christian? The children of Israel were admonished not to take on wives of the nations because they would cause their husbands to seek false gods. The world worships money and celebrity and now many in the church have the same attitude. Granted we are seeking money to show how God has blessed us and our celebrities are popular preachers and evangelists with multi-million dollar homes. Are we really any different than those we claim to be lost?? Have we adopted the culture of the world to win them to Christ or so that we don’t stand out as peculiar? We are supposed to be seeking holiness, except I believe that many of us have forgotten or never understood the concept. More than ever, as we see the continual disintegration of morality, we need to present a lifestyle that is consistent with the words that we read in our bibles. God bless

Trepidation

venerate — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 10:16:00 +0000

I sit here watching the events leading up to the inauguration of Barack Obama and for the last few weeks I have felt an air of trepidation. During the primary’s and the general election, I felt a huge sense of joy and intense interest in the election of Barack Obama. I watched every debate and watched the news shows daily and would stay up late listening to all the different views from the talking heads. I believed from the beginning that Obama stood a great chance of winning. Since the election my interest has waned and although proud that this nation had the courage to choose an unconventional choice to lead this country the reaction of people makes me somewhat leery about what God has in store. Let me explain. A couple of days after the election, while at a grocery store with my sons and while waiting in line an African lady in front of me began to gently stroke a magazine cover with a picture of Obama and she looked at him with an air of reverence. Reading blogs and watching the reaction of people on the news has caused me to pause at the views of people to the personage of Obama. There seems to be a wave of sentiment worldwide that is casting a messiah-like mantle on Barack Obama. There are those who are seeking to deify this man and who appear to be worshipping him to the extent that no man should be worshipped. I understand that the need for hope and change is immense in this world today and that the US as the leader of the world has abdicated its’ role as moral authority of the world. We see worldwide that there is a cry throughout the planet for the US to regain its’ stature and place as a leader for hope. The problem is that the problems of this nation cannot be changed by man. What happens if the new president cannot live up to the aspirations that the world has for him. More importantly, what happens if he does. Those of us of faith know that these are truly perilous times as we await the endgame of this world. We as the children of God must pray without ceasing for the new president. Father God, I pray for this nation as we open a new chapter. We know that all authority comes from you. We know that the new president could not be in place without you. I pray that you will lead and guide the president and that he will humble himself before You. I pray that the people of this land will turn their adoration and praise back to You. Lord, let your will be done in this nation and in this world. Lord Jesus, You alone are the savior of the world. We wait on You, O God and magnify You. We praise Your holy name.

Crossroads

venerate — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 21:15:00 +0000

I recently posted about being at a crossroads in my life. I have been in corporate America for the a number of years now and have been uncomfortable. I have been doing work in church and have preached and been in the choir, food ministry and television ministry. I know that God has called me to help Haiti. This has been on my heart so heavily. I would like to solicit your prayers in this time of upheaval in the lives of my family. Please pray that I can be obedient to what God is saying. I want to start a new work in Haiti and I am looking for individuals to pray for Haiti, pray for this new ministry. This is the first time I have done anything like this so I am looking for help/advice in getting started. If anyone has any contacts with any Haiti based ministry please let me know. Finally I am going to start a multimedia business to create presentations, videos and technical consulting for ministries so that I can take care of my family and be able to help fund the new ministry. Please pray for us as we seek to do the work of the Lord.

Sincere

venerate — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 04:09:00 +0000

I find myself at another crossroad in my life. I have become disillusioned with the masks that we tend to wear instead of allowing our true selves to be known. I know that this is probably something that only affects me but I have to get it off my chest. Many times I have been guilty of playing to the perceptions of others. That is, I have acted in ways that I thought others would perceive me in the best light. I had a certain mask that I wore around people who knew I was a Christian and another around others. I was and sometimes still am, more interested in how I looked outwardly to others and paid relatively little time nor energy to what I looked like to God. It is a frightening thing to see yourself as you truly are. I guess that is why we choose to focus on the exterior versus the interior. I have come to begin to understand why the bible says that the heart is deceitfully wicked. This is the price of sin. We like Adam before us want to cover our shame and take the focus off our shortcomings by pointing a finger elsewhere. God desires for us to become transparent so that we can draw nearer to Him. That is why before Adam sinned, he could stand naked before God. He had no desire to hide anything. That is the place that I am shooting for with God, to be naked and unashamed.