Value The Greatest Gift Of All

"The Lord had said to Abram, 'Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.  I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.  I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.'" (Genesis 12:3)

Most people choose the opening chapters of Matthew or Luke when discussing Christmas.  However, I decided to choose a different verse which proves that God had Christmas planned even during Old Testament times.  Roughly 2,000 years before Jesus was born, God picked a wealthy, cosmopolitan man named Abram from the Babylonian city of Ur to be the ancestor of His chosen nation, Israel.  Little did Abram (who was renamed Abraham) know that one of his descendants would be God's greatest gift to mankind: Jesus Christ.

At Christmas, we give gifts to each other and bless those whom we love.  However, we are only able to do that because God first loved us.  God is love, and we are only able to love each other because He gave us that ability.  He loved us so much that He gave us His Son, Jesus Christ, so that we could have eternal life.  This is what He meant when He told Abraham that He was going to bless all of the nations on earth through Him.  He was going to use Israel as the vehicle for bringing Christ into the world.  On top of that, He used Israel to preserve monotheism and to give us His Word, the Bible.  No one has the Christmas Spirit more than Christ Himself.  Even the myth of Santa comes from a devout Christian named Saint Nicholas.  

So during this time of the year, open your presents.  Spend time with your family.  Reconnect with your friends and make new ones.  However, most of all, reflect upon all the gifts that God has given you, including the greatest gift of all: Jesus Christ.   

Merry Christmas!

Your Deeds Will Reveal Your Faith

"I will expose your righteousness and your works, and they will not benefit you." (Isaiah 57:12)

If God exposed everything that you do in secret, how good would you look?  In this verse, God was rebuking the ancient Israelites, who had become so evil that He referred to them as the "children of a sorceress" and the "offspring of adulterers and prostitutes" (Isaiah 57:3).  They were worshipping idols and performing child sacrifices, yet they still thought that they were good enough to be right with God.  However, before we condemn them for what they did, let's take a look at ourselves.  Are they any different from the Christian college student who sacrifices her unborn child on the altar of convenience through abortion?  Are they any different from the youth minister who seduces young women and watches endless hours of porn, yet still thinks that he is worthy of God's calling?  Are they any different from the pastor and wife who sacrifice their marriage and family via divorce to the idols of selfish ambition?  Is today's church truly a light to the world, or have we become the children of sorceresses, adulterers, and prostitutes? 

Let me make a couple of things clear: we are not saved through good deeds.  We are saved through a relationship with Jesus Christ, which can only be gained through turning away from our sin in our heart and accepting Him as our Savior.  In addition, even when we are saved, we will screw up once in a while.  This is because our transformation through the Holy Spirit is not complete until we are dead.  That being said, people who consistently and deliberately commit acts of evil, while putting on a facade of superficial righteousness, will be exposed for the fakes that they are.   In fact, the Bible strongly suggests that people who act like that are not truly saved at all, even though their origins may be in the church (1 John 2:19).  So before you brag about how holy and righteous you are, take some time to truly examine your heart and your deeds.  Include the ones that you think no one knows about.  You know, the ones which God may decide to reveal if you keep doing them in secret.  After that, ask yourself the following question: what do my deeds reveal about my faith?

Your Obedience To God Reveals Your Love For Him

"If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your well-being like the waves of the sea." (Isaiah 48:18)

If a parent tells their child not to put their hand on the hot stove, are they just trying to spoil their fun?  If they tell them not to put their finger in the socket, are they just being rigid and intolerant?  Then why is God accused of those things when He tells us not to do things which are just as harmful, if not worse?  The answer is that He isn't.  God created laws to protect us and to keep us safe.  Like a parent who doesn't want to their kid to get their hand burned off or to get electrocuted, God doesn't want us to destroy our lives through immoral sexual behavior, alcohol addiction, and other deadly habits.  The world claims that breaking God's rules is cool and thrilling.  Yeah, I'll beat that playing Russian Roulette is cool and thrilling, too, until you blow your own head off!  The fact is that sex within marriage and having lots of kids is a lot more fun than you think.  On top of that, there's the added bonus that you don't have your heart ripped out of your chest every time that you break up with whatever hot babe or total stud muffin that you sleep with.  Likewise, being a respectful, trustworthy, and diligent worker will make your career a lot easier.  You don't need the headaches of the back-stabbing crooks who have to worry about vengeful coworkers and all sorts of legal mayhem throughout their lives.  Being obedient will not necessary prevent you from calamity, but it will make sure that when it does happen, that it won't be your fault.  Not to mention the fact that God honors those who are faithful to Him.  Just ask Joseph or Daniel. 

Now, there is one caveat that I want to make clear.  Obeying God's laws will not get you into heaven.  Only a relationship with Christ will do that.  That being said, obeying God's laws after you become saved will not only allow you to develop your relationship with Him even further, but it will also allow you to attract other people to Jesus so that they can be saved from an eternity in hell, too.  Not to mention that doing so is an opportunity to show Him just how grateful you are that He saved you to begin with. 

"If you love me, keep my commands." (John 14:15)

Jesus Christ showed you how much He loved you by suffocating to death on a cross.  Isn't it time that you show Him how much you love Him back? 

Why Has God Blessed You?

"I will give you hidden treasures, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, who summons you by name." (Isaiah 45:3)

Who was God speaking to in that verse?

A) An Israelite king?
B) A mighty pagan emperor?
C) Jesus Christ?
D) A high priest?

If you guessed 'B', then you are right!  God was speaking to Cyrus the Great of Persia, the man who created the largest empire that the known world had ever seen up to that point.  What's really interesting is that this prophecy was made when Persia was dominated by another Aryan tribe known as the Medes and when the big kid on the block was Assyria.  Persia's predecessor on the world stage, Babylon, had not even come to power yet.  Nonetheless, God already had a plan for Cyrus, even though he wasn't even born yet.  While I do not know every reason that God decided to make Cyrus the most powerful man of His time, I do know the greatest one: to free the Jews from Babylon and to allow them to return to their homeland in Israel.

I learned in a class taught by Professor Marc Saperstein that the Jews actually showed Cyrus the prophecy about him in Isaiah after he conquered their oppressors.  Cyrus was so moved that he decided to carry it out.  From that and other historical facts about Cyrus' wise and humanitarian rule (including allowing freedom of religion in his empire), it is clear that God had not only blessed him with great wisdom and strength, but a just and loving heart as well.  Whether or not Cyrus took the final step by putting his faith in the one true God is not clear.  However, one thing is: he used the blessings that he was given to fulfill his earthly purpose.

How are you using the blessings that God has given you?  Have you asked Him why He has given you your skills and talents?  Is there someone whom He wants you to help with your abilities?  You may not be the most powerful ruler in the world, but God has given you a blessing and a purpose.  Cyrus was brave enough to fulfill his.  Be brave enough to fulfill yours.   

Be "Exclusive" With God

"I am the Lord; that is my name!  I will not yield my glory to another or my praise to idols." (Isaiah 42:8)

Imagine that you just proposed to your future wife and she said that she would marry you as long as you let her bring her ex-boyfriends to shack up with you all in the house.  Or that your future husband wants you to let his ex-girlfriends move in right after he carries you over the threshold or he won't go through with the wedding.  Would you put up with that?  No!  That would be unreasonable and insulting.  Yet, that is what you are asking God to do when you expect Him to let you into heaven when you practice a different religion or have idols in your life. 

When you get married, you need to cast aside all members of the opposite sex besides your spouse and make your wife (or husband, if you are a woman) the only love of your life.  It is only under those circumstances that you will truly experience the amazing emotional and sexual fulfillment that God intended for you to have.  Likewise, when you come to Christ, you must remove anything else in your life that is competing for your love and worship.  It is only under those circumstances that you will truly experience the amazing love and spiritual fulfillment that God intended for you to have.  This includes things which are normally good, such as family, work, and money.  This doesn't mean that you should give up all your worldly possessions and live a life of solitude in a cave in Utah.  It simply means that if you have to choose between God and those things, you must choose God.  In order to choose God, you must choose His Son, because Christ is the only way to get to God. 

"Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6)

Marriage, when "exclusive" between a man and a woman, and pursued selflessly, is the best possible human relationship.  Following Christ is like that, but to the infinite power.  When it is an exclusive, selfless relationship between you and Jesus, it is the best possible relationship that you will ever have.  Period. 

December Prayer Project: Jennifer Lawrence!

 

This month, I decided to pray for my favorite actress of all time: Jennifer Lawrence.  When I read "The Hunger Games" upon the recommendation of my friend Katie's sister, I enjoyed it, but wasn't overly impressed.  I gave it a solid B and didn't buy into all the hype.  However, when I first saw the trailer of the movie, I became freaking stoked and it was mostly because of Lawrence's acting.  The film itself was beyond amazing, even better than "The Avengers."  The only movie I have seen which is better in recent memory is "Dark Knight Rises."  Lawrence did such a good job that I wished that Katniss Everdeen was real so that I could be her friend.  This is why I want to pray for her salvation.  As a wealthy, Hollywood actress, she not only has to deal with the temptations of that lifestyle (alcohol abuse, drugs, and rampant immorality), but the fame could also go to her head and make her forget that she is a human being in need of a savior.  I see no evidence that she has given in to any of these things and from her interviews, she sounds like a down-to-earth and fun lady to hang out with.  I will definitely be praying for her so that, in case I don't get her autograph, I'll be able to met her in heaven and ask her how cool it was to star in that awesome film. 

(Photo from www.wikipedia.org)

Do You Prefer Your Savior Or Your "Busy" Schedule?

"Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done wonderful things, things planned long ago." (Isaiah 25:1)

Today I am going to discuss something that many Christians in Western Civilization are "too busy" to do: praise God.  Let's just think about this for a moment.  God has created our entire universe out of nothing and has sent His only Son to be KILLED so that we can have eternal life through Christ's resurrection.  Without Him, we wouldn't even be able to breathe (Numbers 27:16).  Yet we are too busy to praise Him for it?  Seriously, can't we just take some time away from Youtube, Facebook, Twitter, and everything else that we do while we are glued to our smartphones (or tablets/computers) and praise the One who is the source of our very existence? 

Look, I'll admit, praising God hasn't always been my highest priority.  In fact, it has probably been my lowest.  Then tonight, a thought hit me.  What if I was married, and my wife, for whom I sacrificed everything to be with, constantly refused to have sex with me because she "had a headache"?  Or what if I constantly refused to take my wife out on romantic dinners, after she has sacrificed everything to be with me, so that I could watch UFC on Fox?  Ultimately, we would just be selfish if we treated each other like that.  Well, in our case, God has sacrificed everything to be with us.  How many of us can say that we loved someone so much that we allowed ourself to be tortured, stripped naked, and suffocated to death in order to be with them?  Jesus can, and I'm no longer going to selfishly withhold the praise that He deserves.  How about you?  What's more important: your Savior, or your busy schedule? 

God Cannot Be Thwarted

"For the Lord Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart him?  His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?" (Isaiah 14:27)

This verse comes near the end of a chapter in which judgment against Babylon and Assyria is prophesied.  The question is a rhetorical one.  After all, God is all-powerful.  Can anyone stop Him from doing what He wants to do?  Absolutely not.  Nonetheless, as human beings, our pride often gets in the way of our reason, and we tend to think of ourselves as more than we really are.  I don't think it's any coincidence that the majority of the deities worshipped throughout history are, for all practical purposes, just superpowered men and women.  Since we are the greatest creatures that we can see, it only makes sense that we assume that the universe is run by stronger and more ancient versions of ourselves.  Nonetheless, this mentality will always put us at odds with God.  After all, if we make ourselves gods, then what does that make Him?  Ultimately, there can only be one supreme power in the universe, and God has made it clear that that is Him and Him alone.

"I am the Lord, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God..." (Isaiah 45:5a)

Since He is the only God in the universe, we are all accountable to Him.  Not even the most powerful nations can evade His judgment.  Babylon once ruled the known world, just like Assyria had before it.  Both empires now lie in ruins in modern-day Iraq.  If they couldn't escape God's wrath, what makes us think we can?  Before we let our hubris get the better of us, we need to meditate on the questions asked in Isaiah 14:27, so that we don't make the same mistake that those two nations did and think that we are invincible when we are clearly not. 

Is Your Idol Worth God's Wrath?

"For before the boy knows how to say ‘My father’ or ‘My mother,’ the wealth of Damascus and the plunder of Samaria will be carried off by the king of Assyria.” (Isaiah 8:4)

Why does God allow evil and corrupt nations to rise to power?  Well, ultimately, He does it to carry out His will.  Now, don't get me wrong.  God never condones wicked and evil governments.  That being said, if He can use them to fulfill His plan for the world, He will.  For example, He used the Pharisees and the Jews' Roman oppressors to bring about salvation for all of humanity.  Their unjust trial and execution of Jesus Christ ultimately allowed Him to atone for our sins so that we could become right with God again through repentance.  However, in this particular instance described in Isaiah, the purpose is not salvation: it is judgment. 

Israel had been divided into two kingdoms.  Judah was the southern kingdom, and the northern one was still called Israel.  King Jeroboam, the ruler of the northern kingdom, feared that, since God's temple was located in Judah, his subjects would go back there to make sacrifices.  He believed that this would lead them to kill him and reunite with their southern brethren.  In order to prevent this from happening, he created two golden calves for the people to worship, claiming that these idols were the gods who delivered them out of Egypt instead of the one true God (1 Kings 12:26-30).  The people fell for his scheme and descended into a downward spiral of wickedness which led them to commit unbelievably evil deeds, including the use of the occult and child sacrifice (2 Kings 17:17).  Finally, God ran out of patience and chose the most violent nation around at the time to punish them: Assyria. 

The Assyrians were basically the Vikings of the Middle East.  I saw a relief taken from the tomb of one of their kings, Ashurnasirpal, inside of a museum in London, which showed Assyrian soldiers playing a soccer-like ball game with the decapitated heads of their enemies.  When God needed someone to teach the rebellious Israelites a lesson, the Assyrians were more than willing to oblige.  They completely sacked the northern kingdom and deported everyone into slavery throughout other parts of their empire. 

Now, we may think that we are safe from God's judgment.  After all, we don't go around worshipping golden cows, so we should be in excellent shape, right?  Not necessarily, for the following reason:

Anything that we worship other than God is an idol!

Take an honest look at your life.  Do you worship money?  Has your career become more important to you than God?  Do you worship sex?  Have hours of pornography stolen your quiet time with Jesus?  Do you worship your friends/family?  Is their approval of your life more meaningful to you than God's approval?  Do you worship your boyfriend/girlfriend?  Is their love more important to you than the love of Jesus?  Or do you worship your public image?  Are all of your good deeds just an attempt to make yourself look better than everyone else?

Be very wary of what you worship, because if you choose something other than Christ, then that idol will completely consume you.  Once that happens, you may become capable of unspeakable acts, just like the Israelites.   After that occurs, you are putting yourself in the path of God's judgment.  Now, if you are a Christian, you cannot lose your salvation (John 10:27-29).  However, God can still discipline you for what you do.  There may be an "Assyrian army" waiting to enslave you if God chooses to remove His protection from you.  They could be the backstabbing coworker who will get you fired once your ruthless ambition causes you to make a horrible mistake.  They could be the promiscuous young lady who tries to "babytrap" you when you decide to live out your lustful fantasies with her.  They could even be the local gossip at your church who will destroy your reputation once they find out that your lack of private integrity does not match your public image. So before you bow down to that idol, ask yourself if it is really worth incurring God's wrath. 

November Celebrity Prayer Project: Anthony Ervin

                          

This month I will be praying for another Olympian: champion swimmer Anthony Ervin!  I first read about him in "Rolling Stone" magazine and was inspired by how he turned his life around.  He won the gold in the 50m Freestyle at Sydney in 2000 and a silver in the 4 x 100 Freestyle Relay.  Shortly after that, he went on a downward spiral of drugs and womanizing.  However, he cleaned up his act and made a triumphant return to the London Olympics this year, placing 5th overall in the 50m freestyle.  That's pretty amazing, especially considering all of the damage that he did to his body and the fact that he was 31 at the time.  I saw that race and was really hoping that he would get the gold again.  That being said, fifth in the world is still pretty awesome.  Since he has overcome his personal demons, he has truly inspired me and is one of my personal heroes.  I just hope that he doesn't "throw out the baby with the bathwater" and stop playing rock music. 

The guy also is trying as hard as he can to be a good person, up to selling his gold medal to raise money for the UNICEF tsunami relief fund.  On top of that, he is a spiritual seeker, even visiting a church while looking for truth.  That's why I am praying this month that he finds the One who his heart is truly seeking: Jesus Christ. 

You can read more about his amazing story here:

http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/videos/olympics-2012-gold-medal-swimmer-anthony-ervin-is-out-to-reclaim-his-title-20120727

(Photo from anthonyervin.com)

The Only Ghost Whom You Truly Need To Fear

"Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men, but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men." (Matthew 12:31)

I do not have time to discuss whether or not Christians should celebrate Halloween.  This is because my only knowledge of the holiday's origins comes from the film "Hocus Pocus."  That movie was hilarious, but personal experience has taught me that Hollywood and historical accuracy are usually mutually exclusive.  So for now, to those of you who celebrate Halloween: Happy Halloween.  To those of you who don't: Happy Fall Harvest. 

At any rate, there is one thing that I can say for certainty: there is only one Ghost that truly exists.  Many people live under the assumption that your soul can visit and/or haunt the earth if you die.  In Hebrews 9:27, it states "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:", which makes it clear that that assumption is not true.  Or, as my friend Blake once succinctly put it, "Once you are dead, you stay dead and you don't come back."  There are, however, demons in the world who deceive people in order to lead them away from Christ.  Paul warns us about them in 1 Timothy 4:1.  For this reason, I suspect that all of these ghost sightings (and for that matter, sightings of werewolves, vampires, etc.) are more than just human imagination run amok.  I personally suspect that evil spirits are secretly fueling many of these myths in order to keep us away from the gospel.  Whatever is going on, the only Ghost that exists is the One Whom you should fear: The Holy Ghost.

The Holy Ghost is the Third Person in the Trinity and, along with Jesus Christ and God the Father, is the one true God.  Now, the Holy Ghost loves us and will dwell within us if we accept Christ as our Savior.  At the same time, He is not to be trifled with.  In Acts 5:1-11, He kills Ananias and Sapphira for lying to Him and holding back part of the money which they had promised to donate to the church.  However, the worst mistake we can make is blaspheming Him.  What exactly is this unforgivable sin?  To figure it out, we have to look at Matthew 12:22-32.

In this passage, Jesus has just cast out a demon from a man who was blind and mute.  Was this enough for the Pharisees to believe in Him?  NO!

"But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of devils." (Matthew 12:24)

Upon seeing Him do this miracle and hearing people ask if Christ was the Son of David (Matthew 12:23), the Pharisees hardened their hearts and refused to believe at all.  They even went as far as to make the completely ridiculous statement that it was by the power of the devil that he cast out devils.  It is this refusal to believe that is unforgivable, and it is a sin that can only be committed by unbelievers.  When we are saved, the Holy Ghost works in us to transform us into Christ's image.  When we refuse to repent of our sins, we reject the Holy Spirit and in doing so, blaspheme Him.  If we die in this state, we will spend eternity burning in the Lake of Fire. 

Jesus died on the cross and rose again on the third day so that we could be saved.  That being said, He won't save us if we refuse to believe and reject the work of the Holy Ghost in our lives.  This Halloween, you have a choice to make.  Will you allow the Holy Ghost to transform you by accepting Jesus Christ as your Savior, so that you can live in heaven forever?  Or will you blaspheme Him through unbelief and incure the wrath of the one Ghost Whom you truly need to fear?

Who Is REALLY Your Father?

"You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies." (John 8:44)

Who was Jesus speaking to when He said this?

A) The priests of a cult that worshipped Jupiter, Mars, or another pagan god?
B) A bunch of power-hungry political rulers in the oppressive Roman government?
C) A gang of thieves, harlots, and murderers?
D) The religious elite of Israel?

I'll give you a hint: it's not A, B, or C.

Jesus was speaking to the Pharisees.  These guys, in public, were the perfect people.  They were so dedicated to being holy that they created a buffer of man-made rules to ensure that they never even came close to sinning.  Unfortunately, they became to wrapped up in these regulations that they forgot the whole point of obeying God's laws: to worship and honor the Lord.  In making this spiritually fatal mistake, they shifted from believing that God was holy to believing that THEY were holy.  They became corrupt, manipulative, self-serving bullies and showed everyone who their real father was: Satan.

Satan's fall was remarkably similar.  He began as a mighty servant of God in heaven, one of His chief angels, if not the highest one of all (Ezekiel 28:11-15).  However, he became so wrapped up in all of his God-given glory that he started worshipping himself instead of the Lord and decided that he could do a better job of running the universe than his Creator did (Isaiah 14:13-14).  He eventually went completely mad and tried to overthrow God with an army, only to be defeated and cast out of heaven (Revelation 12:4; 7-9).  Although all those who reject Christ as their Savior are destined to burn in the Lake of Fire forever (Revelation 20:15), it was originally created for Satan and his demons (Matthew 25:41).  It makes perfect sense that Satan's "children" would follow a similar path of pride, self-worship, and ultimately, open hostility towards God.

How do we know if we are making the same mistake?  How do we know if we are God's children, or the children of Satan?  It's very simple.  Christ is God incarnate.  He is the strongest and clearest picture of Who God is. 

Our reaction to Jesus Christ will show whether or not we are God's children!

"Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come here from God. I have not come on my own; God sent me." (John 8:42)

Now, bear in mind folks, we are looking for patterns of behavior.  If you gave your life to Christ and still sin once in a while, as long as you are repentant and continually trying to serve Him with all of your heart, then you are saved.  If you simply are a "pew-warmer" and sin as much as you want without caring, then either:

A) You were never truly saved to begin with, or...
B) You are so hardened by your sin that God is about to take you to heaven early by killing you.  He did this to the Corinthians when they abused the Lord's Supper (1 Corinthians 11:30).  Hey, when He promised you eternal life, He didn't mean in this current world, ladies and gentlemen. 

In addition, you don't want to have a "witch-hunt" at church and go around accusing people of being children of Satan.  After all, as God told Samuel, we "look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart" (1 Samuel: 16:17).  That pregnant teen might not be unsaved.  She may have simply been too naive to resist the advances of that charming, handsome boy that one particular night.  That boy blaring Rob Zombie on his Ipod might not worship Satan.  He may simply be going through a rebellious period because he is being rejected by his peers.  Conversely, that squeaky clean elder with the big house and huge family might be embezzling money from the church without remorse.  It is also possible that the prim and proper Sunday School teacher who just graduated from a Christian college might be shagging her "gangsta" boyfriend every night and loving it. 

So rather than risk condemning the innocent (or getting hosed by the guilty) just take a look at your own heart and your own reaction to Christ.  After that, ask yourself the following question: who is REALLY your father?  

Marriage: Friendship To The Millionth Power!

"His mouth is sweetness itself; he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, this is my friend, daughters of Jerusalem." (Song of Songs 5:16)

What is the most important part of marriage?  It's not "sweet love" in the middle of the night, and it's not the "Prince Charming" fantasy land that is in romance novels.  Marriage (traditional marriage, my friends) is friendship to the millionth power.  Oh, and it's an exclusive friendship, so in this case, sharing is not caring.  Ladies, friendship is what makes you willing to please your husband, even when you have a headache.  Gentlemen, in your case, it's what makes you willing to romance your wife, even though it's football season.  When I get married, friendship will make me stay home and be romantic when UFC is playing at Duffy's.  I know that I'll have met my future wife when she makes me want to miss a title fight in the octagon for a candlelight dinner.  At any rate, that friendship is what will make your marriage last.  It won't be the "midnight dessert special" that you get from her once a week.  It won't be all the roses and fancy jewelry that he buys you with his six-figure salary.  It will be that unconditional, selfless love that made you both say "I do" to begin with.  That love that kept you together through thick and thin and that made you want to work it out after your arguments became verbal MMA grudge matches.  So remember, you are not tying the knot to get a sugar daddy, nor are you doing it for a guilt-free booty call pass.  You are doing it because you are best friends who are there for each other no matter what.  Ultimately, you are also doing it to show the world what it will be like when Christ is married to His bride, the church (Ephesians 5:31-21).  So make sure that nurturing your friendship is a priority in your marriage.  You lovebirds will have plenty of time to "get busy" and go shopping later if you want. 

Money Will Solve All Of Your Problems! NOT!

"Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income.
This too is meaningless." (Ecclesiastes 5:10)

I've never been a particularly wealthy person.  Granted, I made a decent salary when I got a temp job working for a mortgage company shortly after I came back from Peace Corps.  However, when I got laid off from that two years ago, it wasn't pretty.  Finally, I have a job which allows me to pay the bills.  That being said, I have sometimes wistfully daydreamed about writing a bestselling, kick-butt novel that would allow me to strike it rich and become a multi-gazillionaire.  I thought that doing so would make me happy.  However, this verse gave me a reality check.

This verse was written by King Solomon, one of the wealthiest men of the ancient world.  It is included in a book where he basically says that life outside of God is completely meaningless.  Imagine if Bill Gates or Carlos Slim went into a soul-wrenching depression and started venting about how useless money was and you would start to understand just how shocking this statement is.  The fact is that money doesn't make you happy.  It allows you to buy a bunch of shiny toys and influence/manipulate people into doing what you want, but it can't bring you fulfillment.  Can you use a Visa card to heal the pain of a divorce?  Can you use your Mastercard to buy true friends at Macy's?   don't think so.  If you died today and God asked you why He should let you into heaven, do you think that He would be impressed by all the billions of dollars on your PNC bank statements?  No.  The fact is that only a relationship with Christ can make you happy.  Money, at the end of the day, is just a bunch of paper and pieces of metal.  Can it buy amusement?  Yes.  Will it allow you to keep your house, your car, and provide for yourself and your family?  Yes.  Will it make you happy?  Heck no!

At the same time, God does expect us to be faithful stewards with what He has given us.  In other words, He expects us to manage our funds properly, as well as to save and invest wisely.  This is indicated by the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30).  That being said, our goal is to honor God in our usage of money by being generous, responsible and shrewd children of the Lord.  It is not to be a greedy slimeball who casts aside all morality and ethics and exploits people for their own personal gain.  For that reason, as much as I'd like to be a multi-gazillionaire, I'm going to focus on building my relationship with Christ and wisely using the provision that He is giving me now.  That way, if I do strike it rich with that awesome, kick-butt novel, I will know how to prudently use that wealth.   

"Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much." (Luke 16:10)

October Celebrity Prayer Project: Ronda Rousey

This month's prayer project will be the Queen of MMA: Ronda "Rowdy" Rousey.  The girl is basically the female MMA version of Muhammad Ali and is highly entertaining, in addition to being a gifted athlete.  She has dominated all of her opponents so far and is currently unstoppable.  I was laughing my butt off when I saw her satirizing her haters on Youtube by pretending to be a Sarah Kaufman fan.  Alas, being beautiful, charismatic, and talented is not enough to get into heaven.  Only a relationship with Jesus will get you there.  For that reason, I will be praying that the Queen of MMA puts her faith into the King of Kings, who submitted our sin by dying on the cross and coming back from the dead 2,000 years ago.

(Photo from MMAWeekly.com)

Becoming A Disciple of the Awesome Band Disciple

 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28)

I once met an awesome fellow Christian named Pat who told me to check out a band called Disciple.  So I finally decided to look them up on Youtube.  I thought that Third Day and MercyMe were amazing, and indeed, they are good.  However, Disciple is on a whole new level.  From the mournful song called "Things Left Unsaid" to a plea to stay alive called "Suicide" they have some intense and visceral lyrics which have reminded me what Christ is all about.  He not only died and came back from the grave to get us into heaven, but He also wishes to provide healing and comfort through His relationship with us.  Christians have to deal with tragedy and depression too and they need a way to express it and find healing.  If your church has issues with you expressing the pain and suffering in your life, then you need to leave and find a better one.  True believers are there for each other through the bad times as well as the good. 

September Celebrity Prayer Project: Muhammad Ali

As a lover of combat sports, I decided to pick one of the greatest boxers of all time for this month's Celebrity Prayer Project: Muhammad Ali.  I first discovered him on ESPN as a child, where I saw a rerun of his boxing match against Ken Norton and was blown away by his speed and skill.  Now that my friend, Juan, has gotten me into boxing again, I've seen a documentary on Ali on Netflix and read more about his life.  I will watch another documentary involving him (which covers his fight with Chuck Wepner) as soon as I am done with this post.  I really think that God is working on his heart because Ali is much more humble and mature than he was as a young man.  In particular, I am impressed by the way that he sought to make amends for the way that he treated his rival, Joe Frazier.  Ali is one of the most entertaining and charismatic figures that this world has ever known and it would be a shame if "the Greatest" did not get to spend eternity with the one who made him so great: Jesus Christ.  For that reason, I will be praying for fifteen minutes every day that Ali has an encounter with the Lord who knocked humanity's sin down for the count 2,000 years ago.

(Photo from http://www.fanpix.net/picture-gallery/muhammad-ali-picture-19720138.htm)

Tough Love Is Good Love!

"Let a righteous man strike me—that is a kindness; let him rebuke me —that is oil on my head.  My head will not refuse it, for my prayer will still be against the deeds of evildoers." (Psalm 141:5)

Many people are under the false impression that love never chastises, rebukes, corrects, or disciplines.  Well, quite frankly, they are dead wrong.  There is such a thing as tough love, and it is necessary sometimes, especially when dealing with someone who is especially stubborn and unruly.  I myself am very thankful that I have many friends who are willing to speak out whenever I get a bad attitude or am about to do something dumb.  They have helped me stay on track and develop as a person.  Christians especially should be grateful when they are rebuked or metaphorically stricken (I do not think it is wise to actually strike someone in our particular culture since our society is extremely sue-happy) because it allows them an opportunity to change their ways so that they can grow closer to Christ.  It is one of the ways in which "iron sharpens iron" so to speak.  However, very often, rather than take constructive criticism like adults, we become defensive and angry, lashing out at the person instead of letting their words sink in so that we can evaluate whether or not their words have any merit.   So before you jump all over someone for daring to criticize you, ask yourself the following questions:

1) Are they trying to help you?
2) Have they always given you good advice in the past?
3) Do they have a strong relationship with Christ? Legalistic Pharisees and Corinthians who think that anything goes don't count.   
4) Is what they are saying biblical?  If it's a matter of personal taste, then does it fit ordinary common sense?

If the answer is yes to those questions, then you better take it and love it, bub.  After all, tough love is good love.

Jesus Did Not Die So That You Could Wear A Skirt To Work, Young Lady!

Hey, listen, I do think it is important for Christian women to be modest, but this situation that I read about on Yahoo! Shine is over-the-top.  Ashanti McShan is suing Burger King for firing her two years ago for wearing a skirt to her work orientation instead of pants.  She's claiming that they violated her religious rights, because as a Pentecostal Christian, she does not believe women should wear pants because that counts as wearing men's clothing.  While I don't think they should have fired her over it, I doubt that this had anything to do with her being a Christian.  Rather, I think that it had everything to do with her NOT FOLLOWING THE UNIFORM GUIDELINES!!!!

The fact is that the Bible does not say that women cannot wear pants.  This is a man-made tradition that many legalistic extremists have "put in God's mouth" so to speak, not only embarrassing themselves but the rest of the Christian community as well.  This is what the Bible actually says:

"A woman must not wear men’s clothing, nor a man wear women’s clothing, for the Lord your God detests anyone who does this." (Deuteronomy 22:5)

What the Bible is actually banning is cross-dressing.  In other words, in whatever society you are in, men should wear clothes designed for men and women should wear clothes designed for women.  Since pants are designed for either gender, it really doesn't apply here.  Not to mention that in the ancient Near East, nobody wore pants!  They wore tunics and cloaks!  In other words, this lawsuit is complete nonsense and I hope that it is thrown out of court immediately.

Look, if you are a lady, and you feel that wearing a skirt allows you to serve God better, fine.  God does allow room for personal preference and individuality on certain issues (Romans 14:1-23).  However, you must understand that you have no right to force your personal preferences on others, especially not on a secular employer.  If you don't want to follow their rules on things such as dress code, work somewhere else.  Never try to pass off your church culture's eccentricities as God's commands.  It's not only wrong, but it also gives a bad witness to non-believers, and the whole point of being a Christian is to lead people to Jesus Christ, not drive them away.  

You can read the full article, which was written by Lylah M. Alphonse, at the following link:

http://shine.yahoo.com/work-money/christian-woman-fired-burger-king-refusing-wear-pants-175600700.html

Let The Lord Build Your House

"Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain.  Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain." (Psalm 127:1)

As human beings, we love to do things which are significant and long-lasting.  With few exceptions, we want to leave a legacy that will endure forever.  That being said, we need to have a strong foundation.  Otherwise, everything that we've made will fall down like a Jenga building.  What is our foundation?  Christ.  It is that simple.  Everything that we do should be for His glory AND in His will.  He needs to be behind our goals, our vision, and our dreams.  Otherwise, the "house" of our goals will eventually get smashed and the city where our visions and dreams dwell will be ransacked by Vikings.  

Take a look at the cities of ancient civilizations.  Notice how most of them are in ruins.  They were built in honor of their people, rulers and heroes.  However, the Lord decided to cast them down, and their military might wasn't enough to defend them from invaders or natural disasters.  Why?  The majority of the time, they didn't glorify God.  They only glorified themselves.  Either they had no interest in Jesus to begin with, or they kicked him to the curb once they became wealthy and powerful.  Most people live in a similar way.  They ignore God to pursue money, high-tech gadgets, gorgeous lovers, and power.  Or once they get their big house with the swimming pool and three cars, they become arrogant and ditch God after serving Him for years, too busy to even have quiet time with Him, much less go to church or preach the gospel.  In either case, they will find out the hard way that unless they lived their life for God and stayed in His will, nothing that they did will have any value or purpose, and their lives will become just as desolate as the ruins of a fallen civilization.  Put Christ first so that you do not commit the same folly.

Don't Be The One Who Cried Lion

"A sluggard says, 'There’s a lion in the road, a fierce lion roaming the streets!'" (Proverbs 26:13)
  
We all know the story of the boy who cried wolf.  Basically, some punk shepherd kid was constantly shouting that there was a wolf in town to drive his fellow villagers crazy.  He would then laugh at their expense when they realized that they had been fooled.  Then one day, an actual wolf shows up.  The boy cries for help, but the villagers are so skeptical after his previous antics that they assume he is trying to pull the wool over their eyes (pun intended) and ignore him.  The Big Bad Wolf goes on to have a big, awesome feast of lamb chops (and, in some versions, has obnoxious shepherd boy cobbler for dessert).  There is a different kind of deception which I will call "crying lion."  In this case, the objective is not to dupe a bunch of country bumpkins.  The goal is to exaggerate obstacles in order to put off doing work.  Or, in modern America, put off looking for work.

Let's face it.  Job-hunting is no fun.  Unless you have a friend or relative who owns their own company, you may be searching for months before you find any position and years before you find a position that you actually like.  That being said, God rewards perseverance.  Even in this economy, it is possible to find work.  However, you shouldn't make it any harder than it already is by making mountains out of mole hills.  Job applications may be tedious and boring, but you will complete them faster with practice.  Sending out resume after resume with no response may be frustrating, but sooner or later, someone will give you a chance.  Going on interviews and answering questions like "If you were a crayon in a box, what color would you be and why?" may be annoying.  However, eventually, you'll find a recruiter who's willing to take you seriously if you keep your cool.  So stop "crying lion" and work hard.  Your wallet will thank you for it.  

Keep Your Pearls So That You Don't Lose Your Marbles

"Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces." (Matthew 7:6)

As Christians, we have an obligation to give the gospel to others and hold fellow believers accountable.  This is not an option: it is a command.  However, there comes a point where you run into people who simply don't want to hear what you have to say.  They clamp their hands over their ears and sing "Lalalalalala!" before you can even open your mouth.  Or they shout at you until you stop talking.  These are the kind of people being referred to in this verse.  These folks are not to be confused with people who are simply stubborn, because very often, stubborn people, after digging their heels in for a while, realize that they need to change...eventually.  The "dogs and pigs" referred to here are completely unreasonable, savage beasts and you don't just find them in prison.  You encounter them at work, at church, even in your family.  Most of the time, they will pretend to be well-adjusted, sane individuals so that they can get what they need from society.  However, if you try to talk them out of doing something sinful, they will quickly show their true colors and you will find yourself on the wrong side of Harvey Dent's coin toss.  Oh, and God help you if you try to witness to them.  So basically, if you realize that the person who you are dealing with is completely unreasonable and hardhearted, stop wasting your time on them.  You'll only make them mad, and they will only drive you crazy.  If they are truly unstable, they may even try to attack you physically, although in my experience, this is pretty rare.  Other than praying for them, you are better off just leaving them alone (although you should contact the authorities if things truly get out of hand).  There are plenty of people who are willing to listen to the gospel and constructive criticism.  It would be better to focus on them.    

August Celebrity Prayer Project: Madonna

My July Celebrity Prayer Project started well, but it ended in failure.  I stayed consistent with it for about a week, but then my life got extremely hectic and I lost focus.  However, I know that if I persevere, I will become a true prayer warrior.  That's why I am going to try again with this month's Celebrity Prayer Project: Madonna.  I became addicted to "Vogue" after seeing her awesome Superbowl Halftime Show and enjoy her other songs when they play in the store on the radio.  Out of all the female artists in that genre whom I have heard, she is still the best one.  However, after hearing about the flash-happy incident which she had in Turkey, it is clear that she still needs to find Jesus.  For that reason, I will be praying this month for fifteen minutes every day that the "Queen of Pop" allows herself to be saved by the King of Kings.

(Photo from photos.masslive.com)

Fighting Through Hardship

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.  Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." (James 1:2-4)

It would be great if life was all fun and games, but it's not.  Sometimes, you are going to face circumstances and people who want to throw you down and punch a hole in your face.  In my circumstance, my car is in the shop and is in need of pretty expensive repairs.  Your trial may be more severe, like being blindsided by a divorce papers, homelessness, dealing with a family member who is an alcoholic, or unemployment.  It may be even be really extreme, like being date raped by someone whom you trusted, or dealing with your friend getting murdered by a gang.  However, no matter how brutal the trial, it is important not to lose heart, for that trial which you are going through will build your character, if you let it.  Obviously, it's going to be painful, grueling, and tortuous, but if you put your faith in Christ and persevere, you will come out smarter, stronger, tougher, more compassionate, and better able to truly inspire and heal others.

Every time I think of this, the first fight between Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen comes to mind.  After being the most dominant mixed martial artist in the world for years, Silva is suddenly faced with an unstoppable force who spends four-and-a-half rounds breaking him in half.  He could have easily given up and gone home bitter and dejected, but he didn't.  He hung in there and finally saw an opening where he could sink in a triangle choke and made Sonnen tap.  Just like that fight forced Silva to dig deep and draw upon all of the courage and heart he had so that he could win, so do our trials force us to draw upon all of the courage and heart that God has given us so that we can emerge victorious.  So it's your choice.  Are you going to let your life's trials destroy you by giving up and becoming bitter and resentful?  Or are you going to let perseverance finish its work, so that you may be mature and complete?

Esther's Daughters Haiti Has Been Shut Down Due To Fraud

My friend Tom informed me earlier tonight that he and his wife were forced to close down Esther's Daughters Haiti.  They discovered that donations to the orphanage were being mismanaged, children who weren't even orphans were being provided services there, and that there were other dishonest dealings done by one of the people running it.  For this reason, they have immediately shut down the entire ministry.  In lieu of this information, I have promptly removed the link to the website and no longer endorse that organization in any way, shape, or form.   

The Power Of Music Part II: Third Day and Diamond Rio Freaking Rock!

"Whenever the spirit from God came on Saul, David would take up his lyre and play. Then relief would come to Saul; he would feel better, and the evil spirit would leave him." (1 Samuel 16:23)


Today I listened to Third Day's album, "Revelation."  It was absolutely amazing.  Most of the time, when I listen to an artist, there are only two or three songs on a CD which I actually like.  This is why I don't buy CDs anymore: it's easier just to pay $.99 on Amazon for the one song I love.  However, "Revelation" is amazing.  Not to mention the fact that it's great to have another Christian band in which the men sound masculine.  The church has been poisoned by modern society's trend of demonizing masculinity.  There's nothing wrong with the feminine qualities of compassion, empathy, and sensitivity.  The emotional support of my female friends has gotten me through many difficult circumstances in my life.  At the same time, the masculine traits of boldness, courage, and assertiveness are virtues, not flaws.  I take pride in being adventurous enough to explore the unknown, standing up to those who abuse and mistrust others, and taking the initiative to solve problems head on.  I also try to surround myself with other men who are willing to do the same thing and become leaders and protectors, rather than hanging out with domesticated wimps who can't fight their way out of a paper bag. 

But I digress.  I also listened to Diamond Rio's "The Reason."  I enjoyed Third Day more, but I loved this album, too.  Once again, I was impressed by male singers who actually sounded like men.  I can't wait to find more awesome, uplifting Christian music like this which deals with real issues, rather than irritating, sissy nonsense.  Only music which truly praises and reflects the power of Christ will make the evil spirits leave.  I thank God that He enabled bands like Third Day, Diamond Rio, Newsboys, and others to make this kind of music.      

Be Who God Made You To Be!

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart..." (Jeremiah 1:5)

In context, this verse is referring to Jeremiah's call to be a prophet.  However, it also points out something very important about God's character: He does not make mistakes.  Even before you were in existence, He thought about you and planned out your unique personality and characteristics.  He also gave you a destiny which only you can fulfill.  Granted, your calling won't be to become a prophet.  However, it may be to become a graphic designer, a preacher, a chemist, or a professional video gamer.  To find out what your calling is, pray, read scripture, and seek godly counsel.  Now, by godly counsel, I don't mean that you should go to the close-minded Pharisee club who will shoot down what you want to do just because it doesn't fit their bullcrap traditions.  You're better off ignoring those people completely.  I mean that you should seek pastors and elders with a strong, genuine faith who truly want to see you grow in Christ.

When I was in school, I was always taught to be myself, no matter what.  However, there was one thing that I had to learn the hard way: the majority of people don't want to accept you for who you are.  They want to mold you into what they want you to be, and if it means crushing your spirit in the process, so be it.  Now listen, it feels good to have the approval of others, so the pressure to conform to their expectations will be strong.  That being said, what price will you pay for their approval?  Is it even worth it? 

 "What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?" (Matthew 16:26)

Do you really want to give up all of your God-given hopes and dreams to appease some jerk or witch who doesn't like you anyway?  Do yourself a big favor and say NO!!!!  God created you in His own image, and loves you so much that He thought you were worth the death of His Son.  So just be yourself.  Not the watered-down, weenie version that you present to the world when you are afraid of rejection.  Be the 100% pure, all-natural, no preservatives, one and only you that Christ came back from the dead to save!  God wants you as you are!  Come to Him! 
    

Why Show Mercy?

"Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy." (Matthew 5:7)

Let's be honest: the majority of us would relish the opportunity to drop the hammer on someone who offended or disobeyed us.  Seriously, if you were given the authority to completely crush the person who wounded you, wouldn't you be tempted to say "payback's a witch" and give them what's coming to them?  In all likelihood, yes, and I am certainly no different.  However,  I have decided that, whenever I am in the mood to condemn someone to the harshest extent possible, I will take note of my surroundings and realize that:

1) I am not in total darkness.
2) I'm not weeping or gnashing my teeth.
3) I'm not burning in a lake of fire.

Why do I take note of these things?  Because they are what I and the rest of the human race deserve!  Sin may not seem like a big deal to us.  Then again, treason does not seem like a big deal to a traitor, and in God's sight, that's what we are.  Every time we commit an evil act, even if it's taking a paper clip from work without asking, we turn our backs on God, and are guilty of committing treason against the Almighty.  Just like treason against one's country or earthly ruler would merit death, so does committing treason against God, only more so.  That's why the "second death" that we are condemned to if we don't repent is so severe.  We have betrayed the one who sustains our very life in His hand.  In spite of this, He has chosen to offer us mercy through His Son, Jesus Christ.  If He was willing to be merciful to us, shouldn't we be willing to be merciful to others?  Take note of your surroundings, realize what you are not experiencing, and think it over.

Happy Birthday America!

Today I could not go anywhere in my neighborhood without seeing fireworks go off.  It was pretty awesome, since I was afraid that I was going to have to drive to the nearest parking lot to see the celebration of our nation's birth.  I also spent most of the day with my friend Roger, which was pretty sweet.  I had a rough week, to say the least, and hanging out with him was exactly what I needed to de-stress. 

I am very thankful to be born in this country.  The thing I value the most is freedom of religion.  I spent nine months in Peace Corps on an island where there was no religious freedom.  When I changed churches there, my reputation was trashed, my job was threatened, and eventually, so was my life.  I had to be evacuated for my own safety and, fortunately, made it back to America in one piece.  As a result, I believe that all Americans should serve in Peace Corps so that they can understand just how blessed they are to be born here.  At any rate, I am currently typing up my memoir about how God helped me through that trying time, which is called "A Valiant Effort."  I cannot wait until it gets published, so that people can read about how Jesus Christ protected me through some of the worst circumstances that I have ever encountered.

Surviving The Desert

"Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil." (Matthew 4:1)

Rest assured that once you accomplish something great for God, Satan will counterattack as soon as he can.  Now, we should not give Satan power which he does not have.  After all, he is a created being, and, as such, has limits on what he can do.  That being said, underestimating him is foolhardy and dangerous, especially since he had the audacity to challenge Jesus Christ Himself.  In this case, Jesus Christ had just been baptized by John the Baptist.  After His act of obedience, He was publically honored by God the Father and God the Holy Spirit.

"...At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:16b-17)

It was right after this that the Holy Spirit led Him out to face the one who tried to usurp His throne.  From this event, we learn several things:

1) God will allow temptations and trials into your life in order to strengthen you.  Very often, these will occur after you have a wonderful spiritual experience.  It's sort of like becoming a UFC champion.  Once you win the belt and have your moment of glory, you need to accept the fact that the strongest, fastest, smartest, and most ruthless fighters in your division will be out for your head.  In our case, the top contenders will come out of Satan's two training camps: the sinful world and the demonic kingdom.  Expect them to come for you after:

A) You get saved.
B) You get baptized.
C) You minister to a friend.
D) God allows a miracle to happen in your life.

Also, unlike a mixed martial arts champion, you don't have the option to lose the belt and fade into obscurity.  According to John 10: 27-29, salvation is permanent, so you are going to be in battle for the rest of your life. 

2) Satan does not fight fair.  Remember, when he came after Jesus, He was alone and starving after having fasted for 40 days. Rest assured that when your life descends into complete chaos, Satan will be choosing his moment to finish you off.  He will send your dead-sexy ex-girlfriend back into your life when your marriage is on life support.  He will arrange for a new casino to open up in town right after you are appointed Chief Financial Officer of your company.  He will send a handsome, understanding older man to "comfort" you when you have lost your father.  Criminals will offer their "help" in getting you that government position when your opponent has you against the wall.  In the same way that Bane waited until Batman had been run ragged by Gotham City's criminals before he broke his back, so will Satan wait until you have been run ragged before he tries to break yours. 

3)  Christ will empower you to succeed.  He even showed us, through His example, how to use our deadliest weapon against Satan: the Bible. 

"For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12)

Think the lightsaber was an amazing weapon?  Let's see it cut through souls and spirits.  Christ answered every temptation that Satan threw at Him with scripture.  This is especially amazing, considering that Satan was quoting scripture to make His temptations more appealing.  Fortunately, Jesus recognized when it was being taken out of context and would use verses to show what the Bible was really saying.  In other words, if you know scripture and use it properly, you will have victory over the enemy.  Then, through the power of Christ, you will be able to defeat the devil, as Christ did when He said the following:

 "... Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’” (Matthew 4:10)

July's Celebrity Prayer Project: Trent Reznor

"Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” (Matthew 19:24)

I've toyed with the idea about praying for celebrities for years.  Now it's time to put it into practice.  The fact of the matter is that everyone, rich and poor, will die and stand before God one day.  For that reason, each month, I will pray for fifteen minutes a day for the salvation of one celebrity.  To kick it off, I am going to begin with my favorite musician: Trent Reznor.  While I decided to stop listening to his songs after I heard "Heresy", I was struck by the lyrics of "Terrible Lie", in which he expresses a painful disillusionment with God based on what is going on in his life and world.  For that reason, I will be praying that Trent gets the answers that he seeks, and that he has a real and true encounter with the God who loves him so much that He sent His Son to die for him. 

(Photo from wikipedia.org)

Why Forgive?

"Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you." (Colossians 3:13).

Today, I am still reeling from a situation where someone screwed me over several months back.  For a completely frivolous reason, they threw me under the bus and turned my life upside-down.  I will explain the situation in my memoir, which I am calling "That Was Then, This Is Now."  However, I will say that just because someone claims to be a brother in Christ, does not mean that they will always act like it. 

Let's just face it: life isn't fair.  Therefore, it is no surprise that sometimes, you will be given the wrong end of the stick.  The fact is that anyone who claims that people are inherently good has either been blessed to live in an unusually good community, or is simply naive.  The fact is that, as Romans 3: 11 states, "There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God."  People are sinners, and ultimately, are only out for themselves.  Dale Carnegie put it this way:

"When dealing with people, remember that you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but with creatures of emotion, creatures bristling with prejudice, and motivated by pride and vanity."

In my case, I was stabbed in the back by someone who lacked the courage to stand up to someone else's emotions and prejudice.  It was rather ironic, because this other person was under their authority, and not the other way around.  However, even though people are going to misuse you and abuse you in life, you really only have one option when it comes to dealing with them: forgiveness.  Now obviously, if the situation warrants it, you must take whatever LEGAL options you have at your disposal to rectify it.  God is not honored by vigilantism.  However, you still need to forgive others, for these simple reasons.

1) Your bitterness is only hurting yourself.  Your offender has probably forgotten about what they've done to you and moved on to screwing someone else over.  Don't let them hurt you any more than they already have.  Release the pain and move on.

2) "Getting even" does not make them better.  It makes you worse.  Not to mention that it will likely lead to really bad consequences, such as getting fired or going to jail.  One extreme example of this is "West Side Story", where Tony kills Bernardo after Bernardo kills his best friend, Riff.  Due to his actions, Tony not only severely damaged his relationship with Maria, but he also became a fugitive and was eventually killed himself by Bernardo's own best friend, Chino.  Now, obviously, none of us are 1950s gangsters, so we probably won't find ourselves in that position.  However, it is important to note that it is far better to keep our cool than to react in a way that will get us into serious trouble.

3) We need to forgive because God forgived us.  Remember, Jesus took the heat for what we did.  We were the ones who turned our backs on God.  We were the ones who betrayed Him and screwed Him over, even though He did nothing but good to us.  Yet, He chose offer us forgiveness, coming down from heaven and dying on the cross so that we could go to heaven instead of burning in hell forever.

"But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed." (Isaiah 53:5)

So in my case, I am simply going to forgive the person and move on with my life.  Now, it is important to remember that, as my friend Pastor Marv said, forgiveness is an ongoing process.  Memories of what happened to you are going to cause anger to flare up in your heart.  That being said, when this happens, for your own sake, forgive them again.  And again.  And again.  Eventually, you will heal, and be freed from the evil which they have done to you forever.  Then you will learn what Booker T. Washington had discovered before he said this:

"We are most like God when we forgive."

 

Pray Like A Man (Or Woman)!

As I've grown closer to God, I've discovered the difference between true, faith-driven, heartfelt prayer and fluffy, froo-froo religious babble.  In the former, you are honestly opening yourself up to God and allowing Him to do His will in your life.  In the latter, you are just mindlessly reciting a vague and empty monologue so that you can put a check on your "Fred the Pharisee To-Do List", pat yourself on the back, and go to sleep and dream about what you really care about.  You know, things like members of the opposite sex, money, cars, clothing, etc.  Which kind of prayer do you think God answers?  The first one!  Duh!  However, this is not for the faint of heart.  It requires honestly looking at your heart and your true motives for what you are praying about.  It requires leaving the outcome in God's hands and relinquishing control.  It requires putting others ahead of you and your list of wants that you think you can't live without (but know deep down in your heart that you can).  In other words, it's not for sissies.  However, if you are a Christian who is tired of having a spiritual life as lively as a college student at an 8:00 a.m. lecture (zzzzzzzzzzzz), then man up (or woman up, if you're a lady), and pray like you mean it!

Bring On The Blessings!

"Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it." (Malachi 3:10)

Many people don't tithe because they think that they don't have enough money.  Yet, many of these same people are able to afford Iphones, Ipads, Xbox 360s, and still have enough left over to drive a Mercedes.  My friend Richard once told me that people always have money for the things that they want to buy and do, and that is correct.  I dare anyone  who thinks that they can't tithe to show their pastor their latest blu-ray player (or their shoe collection, if they are ladies) and then claim that they can't even scrounge together two pennies to put in the offering plate.  At any rate, people who short-change God only hurt themselves in the long run.  Instead of using their money to make a difference in their communities and in the world, they wind up with a bunch of e-books which they don't read, a bunch of clothes which they don't wear, and a DVD set which they don't watch.  To paraphrase Tyler Durden from "Fight Club", they waste their lives at jobs which they hate to buy crap that they don't need.  Now obviously, becoming an underground anarchist is not the answer.  However, radical, positive change is needed.  That's why I always tithe ten-percent.  Not when I feel like it.  Not to impress my pastor with my righteousness or the cute college girl with my "bling."  I do it to honor God, and God has blessed me back.  It's not always immediate, and it's not always a monetary blessing.  That being said, sometimes it is.  I got a sweet freelance gig over the weekend which I am very thankful for, and know that God arranged it as part of the blessings downpour.  He may not bless you in the exact same way if you tithe, but He will open the doors of heaven for you in one area of your life or another, for God keeps His promises. 

Good Samaritan Skit Goes Awry, Lol!

The Good Samaritan is perhaps the most famous of Jesus' parables.  For that reason, it's not a surprise that the youth of my church chose to act it out at a nursing home during their trip to M-Fuge.  Unfortunately, our youth minister did such a good job as a bandit that one of the residents thought that he was really hitting the kid who was playing the victim.  You can see the hilarious outcome here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLahThF9oOA

Blessed Are The Persecuted...Seriously

As I continue to have my daily quiet times, I have noticed that life gets more difficult.  Not just running into more difficult people, but more difficult situations as well.  The fact is that often, God allows these things to happen in your life to test your faithfulness.  Just like a UFC match reveals how skilled a fighter truly is, so do trials reveal how strong a believer's faith is.  Matthew 5:10 says the following:

"Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

This clearly states that those who are persecuted for following Christ will receive an eternal inheritance.  However, there is one important caveat: it has to be for His sake.  Being ridiculed for walking around in neon boas and singing Justin Bieber songs at the top of your lungs does not count.  Neither are you being persecuted for His sake if your boss fires you for always being late, if your spouse files for divorce because she caught you in bed with a stripper, or if you are arrested for "borrowing" your neighbor's Mustang for a joy ride.  It only counts if you are living for Christ and behaving in an ethical manner.  Regarding things such as wearing boas and music tastes, it's okay to be yourself.  Just be aware that having someone snicker at your eccentricities doesn't guarantee you a larger mansion beyond the pearly gates.