Month: April 2018

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Harvard Christian club banned for Following the Holy Bible

Harvard Christian club banned for Following the Holy Bible

The club’s transgression? Harvard University has reprimanded a student Christian club for one year because its members pressured a female student leader to resign in September 2017 following her decision to date a woman.”, as reported by the Harvard Crimson.

Harvard College Faith and Action (HCFA) a thriving Christian student group was birthed in 2008 and is resourced by the Christian Union. Starting as a small group of eight freshmen studying the Bible together and then gained recognition from the College as an official student organization a year later.

The HCFA group reportedly has over 200 regular members attending Bible Courses and other weekly activities as of today.

The leaders of the HCFA Christian club said that they didn’t believe they violated any school policy, as they are a faith group based on Christian principals.

A college spokesman confirmed in an e-mail that the Harvard Faith and Action group has been placed on a one-year “academic probation.” The university has also said that if the club re-registers as a student organization next spring it will have to show that it is in compliance with the university’s “nondiscrimination principals.” Liberal hypocrisy one might add?

According to the Harvard Crimson, the action of asking the former leader to step down after they learned she was dating another woman violated guidelines in the Student Handbook, which states that student groups cannot discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation.

Aaron Goldman, Harvard spokesman said the Office of Student Life was alerted to the group’s actions in December 2017 and found it had conducted itself in a manner “grossly inconsistent” with the Student Handbook, he wrote in an e-mail.

“To be clear: Harvard is disciplining a Christian student group for the group’s expectation that its student leadership follow basic Christian ethical teaching on sexuality in accordance with Christianity’s 2,000-year-old doctrine on such matters.”

A statement from HCFA reads:

“We are an autonomous student group, and we do not discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation,” Molly Richmond, a co-president of the group, wrote in an e-mail Thursday afternoon. Richmond did not respond to questions about whether the group had asked the woman to step down and why.

Richmond said the club has operated at Harvard for more than 10 years and its policies and practices have remained unchanged.

“The college seems to believe despite our repeated assurances to the contrary that HCFA is not acting autonomously and that our leadership standards were applied unfairly,” she wrote.

What to make of this? Well, a lot.

The question is whether evangelicals will support this HCFA and remain true to the teachings of Scripture and the unbroken teaching of the Christian church for over two thousand years on the morality of same-sex acts and the institution of marriage.

Society is pressing this question upon us—voices that are calling for a radical revision of the church’s understanding of the Bible, sexual morality, and the meaning of marriage.  

So now Harvard has resulted to disciplining a Christian student group—and not some radical fringe group, but the largest Christian group on campus—for the group’s expectation that its student leadership follows Christian ethical teachings on sexuality.  So much for diversity?

For almost 2,000 years Christianity has spoken with one voice about homosexual behavior, calling it a sin. At the same time, the Church taught God’s design for sexuality — that marriage is the life-long, exclusive union of a husband and wife and the only place for sexual activity.

Harvard is a special case on this teaching as the school was founded explicitly on Protestant, even Puritan, faith and is now penalizing a group for holding to religious convictions that would have been identical to its founders’ views.

Unfortunately, according to other news sources, it seems as though anti-Christian discrimination is now the only form of bigotry acceptable at the modern university today.

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32 Prayer Quotes – Be Encouraged and Inspired!

32 Prayer Quotes - Be Encouraged and Inspired!

To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing as  prayer is the forerunner of mercy and  an essential element in our relationship with the Lord.

Like a good parent, God is waiting, ready, and willing to listen to our worries, concerns, and needs.

God shapes the world by prayer and the more praying there is in the world the better the world will be, the mightier the forces against evil.”

The following verses will encourage your daily walk with Christ and help you experience the power of prayer!

  1. “She  became a warrior far superior to any epic hero. She became a giant on her knees. With a sword in one hand she battled the enemies of death and disease, and with her other hand stretched toward heaven she kept beseeching God’s help and His mercy.” – Bishop T.D. Jakes“To pray rightly, you must make God your hope, stay, and all.” — John Bunyan
  2. “The function of prayer is not to influence God, but rather to change the nature of the one who prays.” — Soren Kierkegaard
  3. “True prayer is the trading of the heart with God.” — Unknown
  4. “She  became a warrior far superior to any epic hero. She became a giant on her knees. With a sword in one hand she battled the enemies of death and disease, and with her other hand stretched toward heaven she kept beseeching God’s help and His mercy.” — Bishop T.D. Jakes
  5. “No duty is more earnestly impressed upon us in Scripture than the duty of continual communion with Him.” — David McIntyre
  6. “The Christian life is not a constant high. I have my moments of deep discouragement. I have to go to God in prayer with tears in my eyes, and say, ‘O God, forgive me,’ or ‘Help me.” — Billy Graham
  7. “Do not pray for an easy life, pray for the strength to endure a difficult one” ’- Bruce Lee
  8. “To pray is to enter the treasure-house of God and to gather riches out of an inexhaustible “storehouse.” — Unknown
  9. “He who knows how to overcome with God in prayer has heaven and earth at his disposal.” — Unknown
  10. “The very act of prayer is a blessing.” — Unknown
  11. You are before the Lord; let your words be few, but let your heart be fervent.” — Unknown
  12. “The Master says that men of strong faith are men of much prayer.” — Andrew Murray
  13. “Prayer is the forerunner of mercy.” — Charles Spurgeon
  14. “Prayer is the best response to hatred.” — Unknown
  15. “It is well said that neglected prayer is the birth-place of all evil.” — Unknown
  16. “No man can progress in grace if he forsakes prayer.” — Unknown
  17. “A mighty piece of weaponry in the battle of prayer is God’s promise.” — Unknown
  18. “Sometimes when we do not receive comfort in our prayers, when we are broken and cast down, that is when we are really wrestling and prevailing in prayer..” — Unknown
  19. “We know not what prayer cannot do!.” — Unknown
  20. “All our problems are theological ones, William Temple said. All of them have to do with our relationship to God and his to us, and this is precisely why it makes sense to come to God with them.” — Elizabeth Elliot
  21. “God has not changed; and His ear is just as quick to hear the voice of real prayer, and His hand is just as long and strong to save; as it ever was.” — R.A. Torrey
  22. “Our prayers may be awkward. Our attempts may be feeble. But since the power of prayer is in the one who hears it and not in the one who says it, our prayers do make a difference.” — Max Lucado
  23. “There are parts of our calling, works of the Holy Spirit, and defeats of the darkness that will come no other way than through furious, fervent, faith-filled, unceasing prayer.” — Beth Moore
  24. True prayer is neither a mere mental exercise nor a vocal performance. It is far deeper than that – it is spiritual transaction with the Creator of Heaven and Earth.” — Charles Spurgeon
  25. “Let no one profess to trust in God, and yet lay up for future wants, otherwise the Lord will first send him to the hoard he has amassed, before He can answer the prayer for more.” — George Muller
  26. “I know that the Lord is always on the side of the right; but it is my constant anxiety and prayer that I and this nation may be on the Lord’s side.” — Abraham Lincoln
  27. “To get nations back on their feet, we must first get down on our knees.” — Billy Graham
  28. “Rather than set aside daily time for prayer, I pray constantly and spontaneously about everything I encounter on a daily basis. When someone shares something with me, I’ll often simply say, ‘let’s pray about this right now.” — Thomas Kinkade
  29. “Any concern too small to be turned into a prayer is too small to be made into a burden.” — Corrie Ten Boom
  30. “The prayer offered to God in the morning during your quiet time is the key that unlocks the door of the day. Any athlete knows and understands that it is the start that ensures a good finish.” — Adrian Rogers
  31. “God speaks in the silence of the heart. Listening is the beginning of prayer.” — Mother Teresa
  32. “Prayer makes a godly man, and puts within him the mind of Christ, the mind of humility, of self-surrender, of service, of pity, and of prayer. If we really pray, we will become more like God, or else we will quit praying.” — E.M. Bounds

 

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Are You an Oddball in Loneliness?

Isolation from the Church Is Dangerous

 

Beware of isolation; beware of the idea that you have to develop a holy life alone. It is impossible to develop a holy life alone; you will develop into an oddity and a peculiarism, into something utterly unlike what God wants you to be. The only way to develop spiritually is to go into the society of God’s own children, and you will soon find how God alters your set. God does not contradict our social instincts; He alters them.(from Biblical Psychology, 189 L Oswald Chambers)

I had to admit to myself that this had become a bit too true of me.  I, in my desire to protect myself from hurt, had become accustomed to isolation, and surely had become a bit of an oddity, and a peculiarism.  God’s word is very clear on how holiness is developed. Oswald Chambers is being completely Biblical here. It is impossible to develop holiness alone. God speaks of it in 1 John 4:

In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has seen God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.

If we love one another,

  1. God abides in us,
  2. His love is perfected in us.
  3. By this, we know that we abide in Him and He in us because He has given us of His Spirit.

I need you, dear Sister or brother in Christ, in order to grow in love.  You need me, too.  God’s love is perfected in us as we learn to love each other despite failings, faults, and screw-ups.  Forgiveness should be a well-traveled road as a Believer in Jesus.  It is the only road to Calvary we will ever take.  Jesus calls us to the Garden of Gethsemane, as we learn to die to ourselves, but the Road to Calvary was His alone; and having walked it, He calls us to a new commandment: Love one another.  As God abides in us, His love is perfected in us, we have the assurance that we are His and we sense the power and presence of His Spirit, all through loving one another. O, the powerful ways of God, so transforming, so freeing, so right.

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What example are you setting?

What Does the Bible Say About Friendship?

“Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour; so doth a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honour.” Ecclesiastes 10:1

Just a little food for thought, because I am so tired of reading comments on social posts that attack the Christianity of others for telling the truth of God. I live in the south and there is a very common saying here, when someone gets mad at a Christian, after hearing the entire harrowing story of what has been done, you can almost guarantee the next words you will hear is, “And if THEY are going to heaven, I don’t have anything to worry about” if its someone I know, I usually like to add “Well, at least they are trying” and usually the one bashing the beliefs of another is not even saved.

Like it or not, fair or not, we are held to a higher standard. And right now the enemy is having a field day twisting those standards.

Maybe this is what opened the door for the onslaught of false and downright blasphemous practices of today. When the true Gospel is often met with jeers of intolerant, bigot, and anyone who warns of societal wrong is a target for their truly venomous hatred.

I read an article recently, written by a man a household name in the evangelical world, the article was true, based on the word of God and of course came with the warnings that no one in our present world wants to hear, including many in the “church” world. Of course, in the comments was a scathing rebuttal which included “that’s really Christian of him” and that unfortunately is now the world’s answer to the Gospel.

If we preach, if we write, if we witness, even in some of our personal lives everything we say is judged, everything we do is judged, and it is judged by an unsaved world who wants to take certain scriptures completely out of context and attempt to use God’s own word against his servants.

Proverbs 9:6-8 advises us this: “Forsake the foolish, and live; and go in the way of understanding. He that reproveth a scorner getteth to himself shame; and he that rebuketh a wicked man getteth himself a blot. Reprove not a scorner, lest he hates thee: rebuke a wise man and he will love thee.”

There is no changing their opinions, only God can do that.It can be quite the temptation not to reply, but we are not to argue the Gospel.

2 Timothy 2:16: “But shun profane and vain babblings (worthless talk): for they will increase unto more ungodliness.”

So it is up to us to step up to a higher level and check ourselves daily and even in hard situations to be certain that we are the reflections of God that he desires us to be.

Too often we become slack and even if having an upright reputation those decaying, dead things are allowed to enter into our lives it will destroy the work that God would do through us.

1 Thessalonians 5:22: “Abstain from all appearance of evil.”  

And when you also consider verses such as Song of Solomon 1: 3: “Because of the savour (fragrance) of thy good ointments thy name is as an ointment poured forth…..”

Because of His beautiful Holy name and the mention of that name alone brings the sweetest healing and sweetest fragrance of all that He is and we bear His name.

Even if something may seem harmless, ask if that action or those words would reflect honorably toward God. An off-color joke or inappropriate remark can detract from our witness to another person and often those who feel offended are rightfully so, but it has become so out of control that all that bear the name of Christ are open to that same criticism.

Most of us have those we look up too and especially new converts that view elders as a source of encouragement and guidance and when one who is, as our scripture states, known for wisdom gives over to their flesh, in any way, because the verse also states ” a little folly” they bring reproach and cheapen and nullify the true Gospel. The new covert is left feeling empty, betrayed, and absolutely disillusioned.

Again anyone can stumble, anyone can fall, but it is up to us to stay on guard, guard against ourselves, our flesh, and when we do we must be quick to admit that and repent.

So keep your testimony and the sweetest of the life God has given you a “no-fly zone” and keep it clean.

Romans 14:16: “Let not your good be evil spoken of.” The devil is always going to send someone to tear us down, and we don’t need to keep giving them the tools for the job.

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God’s Reckless Love

This post is inspired by Cory Asbury’s song entitled “Reckless Love”.

When you think of the word “reckless”, what comes to mind? I honestly think of reckless driving. Driving at high speeds while weaving in and out of traffic. Something like that. So how can we possibly use this word to describe God’s love? Cory Asbury does just that in his song, “Reckless Love”.

[The following is a video of me covering the song at an event. Enjoy!]

[videopress qpZ7h2VG]

A LOOK AT RECKLESS LOVE  

The Chorus

Let me first share with you the lyrics from the chorus:

Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God. Oh, it chases me down, fights ’til I’m found, leaves the ninety-nine. I couldn’t earn it, and I don’t deserve it, still, You give Yourself away. Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God.

Some have argued that the use of “reckless” was a poor word choice and shouldn’t be used to describe God’s love. But I can see exactly where Cory is coming from. God’s love is reckless in its selflessness. It is never-ending. No matter how many times his children may hurt Him, He is still in constant pursuit of each and every one of us. The reference to Matthew 18:12-13 is extremely powerful. God leaves the ninety-nine sheep to pursue the ones who have strayed. That reckless love is an amazing love, an unconditional love.

The Bridge

The bridge of the song continues to describe the depth of God’s love:

There’s no shadow You won’t light up, mountain You won’t climb up, coming after me. There’s no wall You won’t kick down, lie You won’t tear down, coming after me.

This part of the song stands out to me the most. We all have had moments where we have strayed from God and his plans. Yet, no matter how many times we turn away, God is always right there with open arms, waiting to receive us. The imagery of the bridge is what amazes me. It describes a fierce and intense kind of love–Tearing through mountains, breaking down barriers, and exposing the “monsters” in our lives. That’s the reckless kind of love that God has. We just have to acknowledge Him, turn back towards God and run into those open arms.

The Message

There is so much to say about this song and the message Cory Asbury is sharing. Along with everything discussed previously, there is also the message of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32). God won’t wait for us to reach Him. When He see’s that we have turned from our ways, He will also come running towards us. But keep in mind the work that He is doing in the background even when we aren’t in tune with Him–Paving his way past through the enemy’s tactics just to get to us.

God’s love is like no other. He fights for us each and every step of the way. This is the love He has continued to show us. Unconditional. Overwhelming. Never-ending. Reckless. His love is our standard, and as believers, we should be intentional in our pursuit to reach that standard.

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Jesus and Easter

Jesus and Easter

Some of the sharpest, most bitter arguments the church has ever had have been about the meaning of the meal which Jesus shared with his friends the night before he died, and of the similar meals, his friends have shared ever since. In the sixteenth century, in particular, these arguments exploded in several directions as Christians accused one another of perverting or even undermining altogether the point and purpose of this meal.

That is tragic, of course, but the present passage indicates that we should not, after all, be surprised. The story of Jesus sharing the bread and the wine, in those four brief verses 26—29, is surrounded by the discussion of the betrayal that was about to happen (verses 14—16, 20—25) and the warning that all the disciples would abandon him, and that Peter, particularly, would deny him (verses 30—35). Perhaps it is always so.

Perhaps, whenever something truly and massively important is afoot, it becomes the place where attack is concentrated, where Jesus’ friends will be distracted by so many immediate muddles and concerns that they risk missing the glorious thing that stands quietly in the centre, the gleaming diamond in the middle of the rubbish-heap.

And diamond it is — with many facets, reflecting light all around. This meal, this Passover-with-a-difference, was the way Jesus chose to explain to his followers what his death was all about. They hadn’t understood what he’d said to them up to this point, but this meal, and their repeating of it thereafter, would soak it deep down into their imaginations. What you do, and particularly what you eat and drink, changes the way you think and feel. Jesus wanted them, and us, to know at a level much deeper than mere theory that his death was the true Passover, the time when God acted to rescue his people from slavery once and for all, and that we are not merely spectators but participants and beneficiaries. When we come to the table, as Paul said to the Corinthians, we truly share in his body and blood (1 Corinthians 10.16). We are shaped and formed, together and individually, as Passover-people, as rescued-from-slavery people, as dying- with-Jesus people.

For a community to be formed and shaped in that way is perhaps the most powerful thing that can happen to a group of people. Again, that’s why it’s so easy to distort it, to allow squabbles and muddles and even betrayals and denials to creep in and spoil it. Sometimes the church has made its sharing of this meal into such a wonderful work of art that everyone is thinking about how clever the art is rather than about how awesome Jesus is. Other Christians have over-reacted to this, and come to the meal, when they have to, almost casually or flippantly, like someone whisking through an art gallery with a cheerful comment about the pretty paintings. We all need, constantly, to find our way back into the heart and meaning of this meal. As Jesus makes clear in verse 29, this meal is the prelude to the coming of the kingdom — which must mean that Jesus himself, and Matthew in shaping his gospel the way he has, saw his death, interpreted in this Passover-fashion, as the final act of kingdom-bringing.

Certainly, that is the implication of 28.18. Jesus’ death is the final overthrow of the powers of darkness, which is why his resurrection then establishes him as the one who has all authority in heaven and on earth. However puzzled we may be (if all this is anywhere near the truth, we should hardly expect to understand such a huge and mysterious thing straight off), we are called to share the meal, to stay focused on Jesus as the rescuer, the kingdom-bringer, and so to encourage one another to be kingdom-people. To be Jesus-people.

TODAY
Help us, gracious Lord, to come to your table in gratitude and love, that we may be formed into your people and be strengthened in your service.

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Should I Do Yoga if I am a Christian?

Recently I’ve been on a spiritual journey that includes deep prayer, meditation, and mindfulness to help me to connect with God. At the same time, I’ve also been on the hunt for some low-impact stretching that could potentially help with chronic pain in a natural way.

Meditation and stretching. Put those two together and what do you get?

Yoga.

So, I’ve said I need to stretch. And I find that meditation brings me closer to God. These all naturally come together in the form of yoga. But, as a Christian, should I do yoga? Am I allowed? Will Jesus love me less?

Well, first, let’s see”¦what does the Bible say about the word “yoga”? Nothing. Zero. There’s no record of that word being used.

So now what do I do? Since the Bible doesn’t talk about yoga specifically, I have to use the brains God gave me to dig a bit deeper. Then I can determine how best to deal with this current cultural trend.

Let’s start with a few of the basics:

Yoga began as a spiritual disciple in Hindu which includes breath control, meditation, and static postures of the body. Some people who practice yoga are active Hindus or Buddhists. Many are not.
In the western world, yoga is a broad term that is often descriptive of people engaging in the physical body postures that encourage strength and stamina. Sometimes this is combined with meditation for mental strength, but not exclusively. Some yoga classes used sacred words such as “Om”, “Namaste”, and certain chants that hint to Buddhism and Hinduism. Other classes make no reference to the spiritual world at all and are simply a form of physical exercise. Yoga potures have Sanskrit names that have spiritual meanings. Many times these are replaced with English names that simply describe the form the body is taking. (For instance, “lotus” has become “criss-cross applesauce”.)

The word “yoga” in Sanskrit means “yoke” or “union with God”. God tells me to not worship another god, and I must obey.

So I know that yoga started as an ancient spiritual practice of another religion which should lead me to move forward with caution. But I also know that Jesus came to redeem all things.

Is it possible to engage in a moderated form of yoga that feeds our Christian souls, or should we avoid it altogether? Can we be aware of the potential pitfalls and dangers of the spiritual side of yoga and then practice it in a meaningful way with a Christian bent and attitude?

The famous American minister John Piper seems to think that we can’t. He says we should avoid yoga completely, citing it as antithetical to Christianity.

Don’t get me wrong, I think Piper has some good things to offer. But in this situation I tend to think that maybe he’s throwing the proverbial “baby out with the bathwater”.

Christians have often taken “secular” symbols or practices and re-stored them into something that is healthy and even God-glorifying. Take Christmas, for example. December 25, the day on which we now celebrate Jesus’ birth, was reclaimed from the pagans. That date was redeemed from a pagan holiday to a Christian celebration.

Jesus has come to redeem all things. Even pagan holidays. Possibly even stretching and meditation and breathing?

Over the ages, Christians have used wisdom and the discernment to choose what is right for them as individuals and as a Body of believers. To apply Jesus’ redemption to various non-Christian things.

“Everything is permissible but not everything is beneficial.” 1 Corinthians 10:23

So I need to decide if yoga could be beneficial (or detrimental) to me. In my case, I truly believe God has given me the wisdom and discernment to be able to stretch and strengthen my body without accidentally worshipping a false god. I even believe that I can meditate and breathe while I simultaneously reflect and contemplate how incredible God is. All without slipping into the devil’s snare.

But I am aware that this may not be the case for all people.

Personally, think that I can apply the idea of a “yoke” or “union with God” in yoga to my relationship with Christ. But that doesn’t mean I’ll just sign up for any yoga class that is offered. I need to be wise and first ask questions about how spiritual a class is before taking it. For my own purposes, I tend to learn at home with videos, so there’s not much of a risk of me getting caught in an awkward situation. If something gets a little weird, I can just turn it off.

Holy Yoga is a practice that is gaining traction, offering the grounding of the Gospel while reframing the positive aspects of yoga in a Christian way.

“Holy Yoga embraces the essential elements of yoga: breath work, meditation and physical postures. In all of these elements, Christ is the focus of our intention and worship.”

So as I‘m making a decision about yoga (or anything in my life!), I need to ask if it creates a risk of becoming a detriment to my walk with Jesus. If so, then I absolutely shouldn’t do it! But if yoga can be practiced in a way that is healthy to my body and mind, while drawing me closer to Christ with mindfulness and meditation, then is it possible that even John Piper can’t argue with that?

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Does Prayer Really Make a Difference?

Does Prayer Really Make a Difference?

If you and I were having coffee together, and I asked you, “Hey, how’s your prayer life?”, how would you respond?

I know for most followers of Jesus, myself included, prayer is one of those things that we  know  we should do, but struggle making it a regular practice throughout our daily life.

Like any relationship, communication with Jesus is vital if we actually want to grow closer to Him. So we commit to pray. We sit down in the morning with our coffee and Bible, and start praying. It feels awkward, and we start to stumble through different things to pray for. We look at the clock after we’ve prayed for everything we can think of, and three minutes have passed. We get discouraged, pull out our phone, and give in to the noise of social media rather than the calming presence of our Creator.

I don’t know if you can relate to this scenario, but it strikes close to home for me. We want to pray. But it feels awkward, boring, and we quickly run out of things to say. And then we wonder,  does my praying even make a difference?

Theologian Dallas Willard wrote, “The idea that everything would happen exactly as it does regardless of whether we pray or not is a specter that haunts the minds of many who sincerely profess belief in God. It makes prayer psychologically impossible, replacing it with dead ritual at best.”  If God is good, all knowing, and all powerful, why do we need to pray anyway? Since God is ultimately  in control, everything is going to happen the way it’s going to happen…right?

While this is a common assumption for a lot of us, it is far from what Scripture says about prayer. One story in Exodus completely blows this assumption to smithereens. Let’s take a look at it.

The story is in Exodus 32, when God was talking with Moses. Verses 7-14 details their conversation. It says,  “The Lord told Moses, ‘Quick! Go down the mountain! Your people whom you brought from the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves. How quickly they have turned away from the way I commanded them to live! They have melted down gold and made a calf, and they have bowed down and sacrificed to it. They are saying, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.’’’¨’¨Then the Lord said, ‘I have seen how stubborn and rebellious these people are. Now leave me alone so my fierce anger can blaze against them, and I will destroy them. Then I will make you, Moses, into a great nation.’’¨’¨But Moses tried to pacify the Lord his God. ‘O Lord!’ he said. ‘Why are you so angry with your own people whom you brought from the land of Egypt with such great power and such a strong hand? Why let the Egyptians say, ‘Their God rescued them with the evil intention of slaughtering them in the mountains and wiping them from the face of the earth’? Turn away from your fierce anger. Change your mind about this terrible disaster you have threatened against your people! Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. You bound yourself with an oath to them, saying, ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars of heaven. And I will give them all of this land that I have promised to your descendants, and they will possess it forever.’’  So the Lord changed his mind about the terrible disaster he had threatened to bring on his people.”

Don’t miss what just happened…God was going to do one thing, Moses pleaded with Him to do something else, so God changed His mind.  Do you realize that your prayers have the same power today that Moses’ prayer had?

Mark 11:24 says,  “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”

God wants an active relationship with you, which means back and fourth conversation. We are to be active participants in this relationship, rather than mere bystanders just waiting to see what God will do. That means that we must pray, expecting God to listen and respond to our prayer.

Let me clarify, I’m not advocating for a health-and-wealth Gospel. Some teachers declare that if you just have enough faith and name what you want, it will be yours. This is not what I’m saying. Health-and-wealth teaching is dangerous and far from biblical truth.

What I am saying is, let’s raise our view of prayer. God wants to engage in conversation with us, and will act on our prayers. He is a Good Father who listens to His children.

1 John 5:14-15 says,  “And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.”

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Our Unchangeable God in an Ever-changing World

Our Unchangeable God in an Ever-changing World

That God is unchangeable is foundational to the character of God. Because He is unchangeable, all His attributes are intact throughout all time. He will never lose any part of His nature. Each trait is present in every circumstance. For instance, in the midst of man’s great wickedness, God exercises justice and righteousness because God is holy. As He executes justice and righteousness, God remains love. “Remains” is the proper word to use here because God is love. He is not just loving, He is love. He is the very essence of love.

God is complete.

Exodus 3:14 says, “God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM”; and He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.'” Hebrews 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”

These verses tell us that God is complete. He doesn’t need further growth or improvement. He doesn’t need more expertise. He has already attained. He has already reached the finality of who He is. He is all-perfect and all-mature. He is capable of being God.

God is consistent.

In Malachi 3:6 God declares, “For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.” In Lamentations 3: 22,23 Scriptures say, “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

These verses tell us that God is never swayed into being somebody else. He remains who He is regardless of how we are before Him. He acts and behaves according to His nature and never in accordance with how favorable or unfavorable we look before Him. He gives blessing upon blessing not because man is good but because HE always is.

God is reliable.

Numbers 23:19 says, “God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?”

This verse tells us that God doesn’t speak thoughtlessly or on a whim. He is never impulsive. Backed by an eternity of experience and knowledge, all He speaks is certain and trustworthy. I can count on Him to make good on all that He says.

A popular quote says, “Change is the only constant thing in this world.” However, there’s an equally popular quote that says, “Some things never change.” These are conflicting statements, right? Because the only constant thing in this world is not a thing. It’s a person and it’s God.

Let’s look at Psalm 102 for a moment and see how it ends beautifully. It says these about our unchangeable God:

“In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth,
and the heavens are the work of your hands.
They will perish, but you remain;
they will all wear out like a garment.
Like clothing you will change them and they will be discarded.
But you remain the same, and your years will never end.

God is constant. Best of all, He is our constant companion. He will never change and He will never leave.

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Ever-Present Troubles, Ever-Present God

Ever-Present Troubles, Ever-Present God

“Omnipresence” is what theologians call the presence of God. He is everywhere at the same time, all the time. He has a universal, unbounded presence. There is never a place where He cannot be. There is no place and no person beyond His reach.

“God is ever at your side.”

I love the thought of God being everywhere. But what I love more is the thought that God is ever here. He is ever at my side. As God promised Joshua in Deut. 31:6, so does He promise us now that He goes before us. He will never leave us nor forsake us. Sin, stress, and sorrows may cause us to doubt or forget that promise. But, God will remind and assure us of His unfailing presence especially when we most need it.

“God is with you when you must face something alone.”

God is with me at all times and in all situations. Psalm 23 assures us that even when we face death, He will be there with us. We need not fear the experience. For the child of God, death is never an end. It is but a transition into an eternity with our Father in heaven.

“God is with you permanently.”

From King Saul’s life, we learn that the Spirit of God left when there was sin and disobedience. From Samson’s life, we learn that the Spirit of God left when there was self-will. God’s Spirit came and He went whenever there was godlessness. After the resurrection of Christ, this changed. Before he ascended back into heaven, Jesus left His disciples an assuring promise of His unfailing presence in the person of the Holy Spirit. In John 14:16, Jesus said, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever.” He promised power from on High and He promised that this Divine Enabler would be with us forever. Sadly, we grieve the Holy Spirit in our lives when we live in rebellion. But thankfully He stays with us, rebuking us of our sin and leading us back into the path of righteousness.

“God is forever close and accessible.”

In the Old Covenant, only the high priest had exclusive access to a special section within the tabernacle, the Holy of Holies, where God’s presence dwelt. At the death of Christ on the cross, the veil that secluded the Holy of Holies tore apart. With that was a divine message that Christ has removed the barrier of separation. With that was a declaration that Christ has bridged us to the Father. From that time, man can be redeemed and could go into the very presence of God.

This is probably one of the greatest privileges ever afforded to the child of God. No longer do we have to depend on another person to make requests and communications with God on our behalf. We can directly enjoy communion with God, speak our hearts out to Him, and thru the Spirit, hear His heart reach out to us.

Our God is everywhere and our God is ever here. May this encouraging thought empower us to live confident lives today.

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What Does the Bible Say About Friendship?

The Bible gives helpful insight about friends and friendship. Here are some truths we can glean from Scriptures:

1. Stronger friendships are those bonded by faith.

“I am a friend to all who fear you, to all who follow your precepts.” (Psalm 119:63)

We can be a friend to all, both to unbelievers and believers like us. But by spiritual design, we can discover the closest of friendships with those who hold the same faith and passion for God like we do. They are more spiritually keen on encouraging and restoring us in times of spiritual lowness. They know better how to give correction and reminders when we lose our way.

2. Gossipers are rarely good friends.

“A perverse person stirs up conflict, and a gossip separates close friends.” (Proverbs 16:28)

We trust that our closest friends do not speak about us to others and with right friends, that’s quite always true. It is rare though for one to be a habitual gossiper and yet at the same time be a true friend that can keep the confidence and secrets of other friends.

3. Hot-tempered friends are likely to get you in trouble and can even influence you to become hot-tempered too.

“Do not make friends with a hot-tempered person, do not associate with one easily angered, or you may learn their ways and get yourself ensnared.” (Proverbs 22:24, 25)

“Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.” 1 Corinthians 15:33)

Have you ever gotten in trouble on account of your friend? If yes, then you know from experience what these passages speak about.   More so, a short fuse is easy to catch. You spend a lot of time with an impatient person and sooner or later, you become impatient yourself. So is being with an angry person.

4. Right friendships help you grow and improve.

“As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” (Proverbs 27:17)

“Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm.”

(Proverbs 27:5-6)

C.S. Lewis believed that “The next best thing to being wise oneself is to live in a circle of those who are.” A thing demonstrated is easily caught. If you want stimulation then be with people who can stir your heart and mind toward higher knowledge and better pursuits. Treasure and spend more time with those that prod you towards improvement. Aim for friendships that build you up and not tear you down.

5. Good friends are qualified to be brutally frank.

“Better is open rebuke than hidden love. Wounds from a friend can be trusted.” (Proverbs 20:5,6)

“Oil and perfume make the heart glad, and the sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel.” (Proverbs 27:9)

Oscar Wilde said, “True friends stab you in the front.” It is wrong to think that an argument is a sign of poor friendship. True friends should have the freedom to speak freely with one another.   Open yourself to correction and opposition from your closest friends. You need honest views and insights that can help you make decisions and needed changes in your life.

Proverbs 12:26 says, “The righteous choose their friends carefully, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.” It is true that the people you choose to be with can either bring out the best or worst in you. We should remain friendly and accessible to all men so that we can reach people with the love of Christ. We should also be selective as to whom we spend more intimate moments with for these are the very people who will have an influence in the shaping of our hearts and minds.

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Why the Resurrection of Jesus Matters in the 21st Century

Why the Resurrection of Jesus Matters in the 21st Century

On Easter morning, thousands of people put on their nicest dresses, ties, and hairstyles and went to a Church gathering. Many had big meals with family, and continue to celebrate all day long. As you go to these celebrations and church services, you may be asking, why does Easter really matter? Why does the Church celebrate something that happened 2000 years ago? Does it still matter today, in the 21st century? And if so, what does it have to do with me?

If you are asking these questions, I’m so glad you’re here. Let me tell you, if you believe the message of Easter, which is the resurrection of Jesus Christ, your life will be completely altered forever. So with that, let’s look at why Easter is important.

The entire Bible tells one big, continuous story that points to Jesus. In Genesis, we read about God creating everything; the earth, space, oceans, land, plants, and animals, night and day”¦and the peak of His creation, man and woman. God created us in His image, and He created us to live in relationship with Him.

However, we decided to rebel against God. This tore us from being in a perfect relationship with Him and set us up for a life of pain and death.

Despite our rebellion, God had a plan to restore a relationship with us and to make everything right again. In Genesis 3, God promises to one day send Someone to defeat sin and death, and save His people. In Genesis 3:15, God said to the devil, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”

This foreshadowing of Jesus’ coming continues throughout the Old Testament. God makes a promise to a man named Abraham, that He will make a great nation of his family, and one day, this promised savior would come from his family line. This family became the nation of Israel.

The rest of the Old Testament shows how God pursues Israel, despite their constant rebellion against Him. Then, we come to the book of Matthew. A virgin became pregnant and named the baby Jesus. This baby was fully God and fully man. He lived a sinless life and modeled what true life looks like. He spent the majority of his first 30 years of life as a carpenter. He then became a Jewish rabbi and began to disciple 12 apprentices. He spent the next three years of his life preaching, teaching, performing miracles, and healing people.

Jesus’ message was scandalous. The religious leaders and government officials were threatened by Him. They devised a plan to have Him killed. He was stripped, beaten, and then hung on a cross to die. He was put in a tomb, and His followers mourned. Was He not who He said He was? Was He not the One promised in Genesis that would save us?

Three days passed, and all hope seemed lost. A few of the women who followed Jesus went to the tomb where His body lay, but they were shocked to find the stone rolled away, and an empty tomb. Instead, there were two angels there to greet them. The women fell to the floor, terrified and confused.  

Luke 24:5-8 says, “And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, ‘Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was till in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.’”

Jesus paid the price for our sin, conquered sin and death, and now reigns victoriously! He promised that He would one day come back to Earth, to ultimately restore all things. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right-hand of the Father, where He will be until He returns to Earth again.

That is what we celebrate on Easter. If you trust in Jesus and follow Him, you will have eternal life in Jesus. He invites you into His Kingdom, and that life starts as soon as you turn to Him. When you enter the Kingdom of God, His Spirit comes inside you and helps you to walk in intimacy with Him, and newness of life. Romans 8:11 says, “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.”

This life that Jesus offers isn’t easy. It’s messy, scandalous, and different than anything the world has to offer. It is the only way to a life that offers true life, satisfaction, and joy.

In John 16:33, Jesus said, “I have said these things to you, that you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

I don’t know what you’re facing today, but Jesus promised we would face tribulation in this world. It could be a lost job, a scary diagnosis, family strife, an unplanned pregnancy, fill-in-the-blank”¦No matter what you’re going through, cling to Jesus as your hope! He has overcome the world and is bigger than anything you can face in this life!

So as your Easter festivities wind down and you go back to your daily life, I challenge you to look to Jesus. If you have not yet turned to Him and begun walking in the life He offers, would you consider it? He is so much better than anything this world can give you. He loves you and is eagerly waiting for you to call out to Him.

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” Revelation 3:20

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What Does It Mean to Have a Sound Mind?

What Does It Mean to Have a Sound Mind?
God says we do not have a spirit of fear. God gave us power instead, He gave us love, and He gave us a sound mind and all of these promises will work in the middle of the chaos and in the utmost impossible situations.  
This week I have faced yet another diagnosis, I have a heart defect and a couple of other heart/lung related issues on top of my over 10 autoimmune diseases. I can feel myself dragging behind, my spirit is saddened and deep down I am fighting the fear off with all of my might. As I ponder and research this new threat against my life, this new stronghold and life-altering thing, a spirit of fear has tried to grab hold of me this week but I can rest assure that not only has God not given me a spirit of fear, He has given me a spirit of sound mind and I do not have to own the negative thoughts coming my way.
The urban dictionary definition of “Sound Mind means;  To be mentally calm and self-confident in your actions.  1 Timothy 1: 7 could be translated as:
 
“God has not given you a spirit of fear, but of power and of love — He has given you a mind that has been delivered, rescued, protected, and brought into a place of safety, so that it is no longer affected by illogical, absurd thoughts.”
Stand Firm—You’re Not Alone
It is important to read the word of God daily so that your spirit and mind can build up protection. When you have the word of God inside of you it shows on the outside, as well as the inside, you begin to think differently. When you allow the Word of God to work in your mind, it protects and retrains your emotions.  
Prepare for Battle
When you begin to take charge of your own thoughts and live your life for God, Satan will fight you. You will have to battle his lies and the confusion, you will have to discern what does and does not line up with the word of God. Believe me, this fight will not be an easy one. Stand on your faith and stand firmly on the word of God.  
Don’t Give Up!
Ten years ago, my Dad taught me an amazing trick as I battled some of my deepest mental and spiritual battles. He told me to imagine that I was standing at the feet of Jesus with a box, take all the irrational thoughts and all those thoughts that were driving me crazy and put them in the box, then slide the box over to the feet of Jesus. He said when you do that, you no longer own those irrational thoughts, those thoughts and confusions now belong to Jesus, so, that’s what I did. I imagined that box and every time I had an irrational thought I ran to that box and put all my irrational thoughts in that box and kept pushing it over to Jesus.
To this day, as I fight autoimmune diseases and now heart defects and whatever else may come up next. I will continue to place all of my irrational thoughts, all of my worries in that box and slide it over to Jesus. Today, put your worries, fears, anxieties, and irrational thoughts in the box and slide the box over to Jesus.  AMEN
 
 

 

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