Contentment in the midst of lack.

Philippians 4:12-13 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength. 

Contentment: How can we lay hold there of while dwelling on the past and reaching into tomorrow? So many Christians, and I am not exempt have done so, reaching for the blessings and fullfillment of our earthly needs for today when we can lay hold of Christ’s sustaining grace moment by moment? Unmet physical need? Cleave tight to your Savior till he opens the door of providence to meet your earthly need, and upon fruition still dare not let go! For Christ is your life- “and man does not live on bread alone but every word that comes from the mouth of God” yes, every Word, and “in the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God”- Christ, the bread of life and the bread that came down from heaven can hold your physical needs at bay until God deems right to give a material remedy. Yet “Be very careful not to forget the Lord when you have eaten and are satisfied”

Deuteronomy 8:10-18 When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. He led you through the vast and dreadful wilderness, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock. He gave you manna to eat in the wilderness, something your ancestors had never known, to humble and test you so that in the end it might go well with you. You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today. 

Make Him your source of life so when he does answer you will not abandon Him.

Human Propane Tanks.

“Bitterness is like a built up combustable gas from the past in the soul of the unforgiving, that will be easily ignited from the spark of a slight in the present.”

Three Practical Ways To Entrust Our Enemies to the Lord.

Proverbs 13:10 Where there is strife, there is pride, but wisdom is found in those who take advice.

Pride is usually the cream filled center of every divisive or heated argument. No one enjoys looking like the loser of an argument, no one likes admitting they are wrong, and no one likes this especially when they know the other person won’t own their part in the blame.This is hard for me! But I got to remind myself:

1 Corinthians 6:7-8 The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have been completely defeated already. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated? Instead, you yourselves cheat and do wrong, and you do this to your brothers and sisters.

It’s not fun or pleasant to be wronged, but it is far better then to be the one doing the wrong!

Romans 12:17-21 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

There are three steps to fight pride and the desire to come out on top.

1.) Acknowledge God is in control and has the ability and prerogative to deal with people who wrong you. “Vengeance is mine” says the Lord.

2.) Do good to your enemies-

Sometimes its not wise to interact with certain people do to the nature of their offenses, so it that case prayer is essential. Pray that God allows them to repent and seek forgiveness, pray that God changes them and helps them to turn from evil and do good. These are not prayers that enable sinners- no, but they are prayers that can change them.

3.) Commit your case to God and let him deal with the person in a way he seems right.

1 Peter 4:19 So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.

There are times where we suffer just for living a godly life. Not everyone will like the way we live because often our presence can make their own consciences uncomfortable about what they are doing! There is right and wrong in life and when you doing right interferes with someone’s agenda who wants wrong, be prepared for many to try to stir up trouble. Envy and selfish will in someone else are at times the reason for our unfair suffering but we must trust God to not overlook our commitment to do right!

Spiritual Golddiggers.

God loves to bless His people, he redeemed us and has done so much to save us by sending Christ to die for all of our sins and ensure we get to spend eternity in Heaven with Him. Yet if that were not enough He promises to meet our every need (not wishes) per say- but he does provide what is essential to serve Him and survive here till he calls us home as well as generously blessed us with many good things to enjoy in life also!

He does not enjoy grumbling. Because grumbling just expresses ungratefulness. We must love and serve Christ for who he is and what he has already done and not just to squeeze more out of the Almighty pocket book! Thank Him for all he has done already and may we all try to complain less.

Christian Reptiles.

The Spiritual Reptile-

As all of you know reptiles are cold blooded, they receive the heat they need to maintain a proper body temperature from an outside source. They are dependent on transferred heat and cannot create their own.

The Christian lizard too cannot produce his or her own heat, no! He or she must bask in the glorious sun of righteous radiance for such a thing.

Plants also are dependent on sunlight to produce sustaining food for themselves and then only then can they produce fruit and magnificent aromatic blossoms.

The Christian flower is reliant on the light of God’s presence and the “Water of Life” for his or her life. Yes and the soil of the word and fellowship of fellow saints to bloom as they ought!

Apart from Christ’s Spirit moving through us we cannot be on fire for God, no! We are as humans cold by nature to the things of God. For as it is written, “There is none righteous, not a one, there is no one who seeks God”

We all too are even as those made new defendant on God’s grace to keep our hearts warm. For if he withdrew even from a saved soul even that soul would return back to ice.

How As Christians Should We Respond to The Orlando Tragedy.

There are always going to be people who claim to represent Christ that do not, take for example Westboro. I’m sure they are delighting in the fact many in the gay club lost their lives but this is a repulsive display in all actuality. Jesus or Christianity and God is not delighting in death of people- this is a sad tragedy and although the Bible does not support things like the gay agenda I for one am convinced God does not take delight in death of anyone he created in his image, no matter what their personal sin struggle is.

It gives Christ Jesus a terrible name to those who do not know him, and it will not do any good in trying to win people over to Christ. There was a similar incidence in The Gospel of Luke

Luke 13:1 Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices.

Jesus answers by saying:

Luke 13:2-5 Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”

At the end of the day every human being alive is guilty of sin. So it is sinful to rejoice in a fellow sinners destruction when we all are guilty of our own transgressions. Someone who gets excited about the death of sinners neglects to realize God could take their lives too and owes no man or woman another day of life here on earth.
I doubt that people who get excited about death of people who sin are genuinely saved themselves however at the end of the day only God knows those who are truly his.

How ought real Christians truly respond?

Matthew 5:43-48 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Now let me be clear- to be an enemy of someone is not to suggest hatred, although often people do hate their enemies- but Christians are not to. An enemy for a Christian is not someone they hate persay as much as someone who opposes them and rises against them.

The LGBT for example suing Christian bakers, florists, and the like- many Christians have forfeited their businesses and livelihoods as a result and have been fined thousands so we see clearly the opposition. But now that the ones who have attacked us and our faith have fallen upon tradgedy what better response of Christlike love would it be to surround these hurting families with prayer and God’s love. No Christian ought to rejoice in their loss but mourn for them and show what it truly is to love as Christ loved us all before we knew him- when we all played a role of hanging him on the cross because of our sins!

The Moth Men’s Prophesies

The Biblical The Butterfly Effect and the Moth Man

True teachers of God’s word are to butterflies as false teachers are to moths.
Moths form cacoons and butterflies emerge from chrysalises- there are other differences as well. Yet we know it is easy for an untrained eye to mistake one from the other. Moths are not always dole or homely looking. In fact some are very appealing, so is also sometimes the case with counterfeit Christianity. Some moths are plain and ugly like the Westboro Baptist Moth, yet the Osteen moth and other types like it are appealing and very bright and colorful.

Never judge a book by its cover nor a bug by its color nor a preacher by how appealing his message may seem.

You want to know what a born again butterfly looks like in comparison to the mere moths sitting in pews and pulpits? The consult your Biblical butterfly guide, scripture.

Matthew 7:20-23 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ 

“People need to stop looking at the moths if they want to learn about butterflies”

Doggon Dogmas

Top few bad theologies that need to be scrapped from Christian circles.

1.) If you have enough faith God will always heal you.

Big in the charismatic circles. In 2 Corinthians 12 Paul had a “Thorn in the flesh” that he pleaded with God 3 times to remove but instead of removing it God gave him supernatural grace. Also in another letter Paul mentions a sick individual that did not get “healed” -2

Timothy 4:20-21 Erastus has remained at Corinth; I left Trophimus sick at Miletus. Make every effort to come before winter. Eubulus greets you, as do Pudens, Linus, Claudia, and all the brothers.

In addition, (Philippians 2:26-27) since he has been longing for all of you and was distressed because you heard that he was sick. Indeed, he was so sick that he nearly died. However, God had mercy on him, and not only on him but also on me, so that I would not have one grief on top of another.

Did Paul not have enough faith? Did Timothy not have enough faith? Fortunately God spared his life but it is most certainly not always a “lack of faith” that prevents people from recovering from illness.

2.) Licentiousness- I am saved by grace so I can sin all I want.

1 John 3:6 Everyone who remains in Him does not sin; everyone who sins has not seen Him or known Him.
This is not to suggest Christian’s become sinless as much as do not habitually and unrepentantly practice sin.
SEE also Romans 6.

3.) Legalism- I am saved by grace + ……..

Ephesians 2:8-9 For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift— not from works, so that no one can boast.

4.) Speaking in tongues is the “Evidence of Salvation”

Jesus said, “If you love me you will obey my teachings”

1 John teaches “We know we have come to know him if we obey his commands”
I cannot find a single or solid passage in scripture that states speaking in tongues is THE evidence of salvation.

These are just a few fallacies that have been widely embraced. The propagation of such ideas does no good for the Church or soul winning either.

Cardiac Christianity.

The physical heart is the very symbol of life for the body, it represents health and wellness. We see in medical logos a picture of a heart which represents health and well being!

Yet one neglected facet of our human existence is spiritual heart health. We know certain things are bad for our physical heart too much fatty foods, smoking, caffein, and a whole list of behaviors Im not one to criticize.

Yet unconfessed sin in the life of a believer can cause heart problems, Atherosclerosis of the hardened spiritual heart.

I think Im an expert on heart conditions spiritually by now since my heart is so prone to wander and praise God he is still good to me.

Greed -is one condition of the spiritual heart that can work against us if not careful. It can harden us to the needs of others, and make us not trust God to provide our needs.
Luke 11:39-40 And the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. You fools! Did not he who made the outside make the inside also?

Covetousness- alot like greed but can be more expansive then just longing for money, covetouseness can involve other people’s possessions, family, spouse or just position in life. 

Exodus 20:17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.” 
Lust-Now do not get me wrong, human sexuality is a gift, but like any other good thing can easily be abused and misused. The physical heart is negatively affected by abuse of food, so also our spiritual hearts suffer when we violate God’s design for human sexuality.

1 Corinthians 6:18-20 Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

Complacency- Basically this is a heart that has weakened and gotten lazy, failing to pump the motivation for God through us like it ought, a sluggish indifference and lack of zeal. A “cardiomyopathy” of spiritual proportions.

Romans 12:11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.

Pride- The enlarged heart, spiritual “cardiomegaly” – yeah this is a prideful heart about to rupture because it is so full of itself

We should have swollen hearts filled with God’s love for others and love for Jesus, not ego.

Proverbs 21:4 Haughty eyes and a proud heart, the lamp of the wicked, are sin.
Proverbs 16:18 Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.

Anger-now anger itself is not too deadly unless it turns into bitterness. A wounded heart can easily become a ruptured and infected heart if we do not deal with our pains and grievances by taking them to the Lord. Only he is big enough to deal with both hurt and offenses committed by others. If you are following Christ then mark it down no one can stop his plans for your good and His glory in your life.

People can only stop us if we let our anger destroy our hearts in the process. God is a great surgeon for matters like these and in the physical heart it is called a “myocardial rupture” but in the spiritual sense the tears in our hearts can spill out poisonous rage if we do not deal with it.

Ephesians 4:26-27 Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil.

It is ok to get upset but we should try to do as the Psalmist does by presenting our complaints before God, and trusting him to be good and just.
Application

1.) Get a new heart.

As fallen sinful human beings we all are born with sinfulness. It’s inherited, and we all are born on the same playing field- sinners in need of forgiveness and healing.

Ezekiel 36:26-27 says, “And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.”

Yes that is right, we all from day one inherited a heart of stone, not a sick heart but a dead heart, and we need a transplant. This is what takes place when we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ in faith and say, “Lord I’m a sinner and I cannot fix myself, please change me and give me a heart to love and serve you.” When a person in faith does the simple thing of believing Christ died on the cross for their sins and rose again to give them brand new life they are transformed from the inside out. They are as John 3 says, “Born again”

John 3:3-8 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

To be born of Spirit is totally God’s work to surgically replace our dead hearts of stone toward God with a heart of flesh, a living, beating spiritual heart. Its a free gift and it cannot be earned or bought, just received in faith.

2.) Prayer

Granted even Christians who genuinely follow Christ still can struggle though, we receive God’s living Spirit and he puts a new heart in us but we still have this sack of tissue we are trapped in till we die called skin, aka our body. The body will still crave what it ought not, look no farther then the cookies on the counter and you will know what I mean. Inside a Christians heart he or she has the desire to follow Christ and the strength in the Holy Spirit but the body screams “no!”- whether that be through the cookies on the table or the snooze button (not to say these are the worst of struggles a person can have but they do show that the body can fight us)

The best way to deal with such things is to as Jesus said, “Watch and pray so you do not fall into temptation, the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak”
Prayer is very important for our spiritual health and it has the power to change our hearts when we spend time with the Lord.

3.) Time in scripture

God can communicate in many ways but primarily he confirms this through scripture. Outward impressions and epiphany are ok but not the best way of hearing from God. The problem arises when an outward epiphany or impression contradicts God’s written word, because if God promises to speak through his word he won’t contradict himself outside of the word, or in it for that matter.
How many people have claimed they heard God’s voice say “do this” whatever it is and they end up in jail or in the psych ward. For example: even if a voice or apparition appears and says “kill that person”- we know God would not tell us to murder, “thou shall not murder”

3.) Fellowship with strong believers

– Not even strong Christians are called to go it alone.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!

Any of us can fall no matter how strong we think we are or feel. We can’t in our pride tempt our own sinfulness or the devil to take a stab at us.

A lone Elephant is easy prey for lions, strength in numbers.

Clean Justice or Messy Revenge

When we deal revenge it is messy business that is seldom if ever able to only deal with our offenders. Yet when God deals justice it is clean an thorough and without error. When mankind deals revenge its a mess.

-Romans 12:19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. –