Sharks and Satan

Hello readers! I apologize for the respite in posting, the week got away with me and other excuses that most likely aren't true.

Anyhow, this week marks the start of the 2012 Shark Week! For those of you who don't know... The Discovery Channel picks one week a year to air shows, movies, documentaries etc in honor of Sharks. The idea is to get the general public aware of the dangers of sharks and how powerful they are. Indeed I believe somewhere upwards of 72 million people now participate in Shark Week annually.

In this post I would like to talk about Sharks and Satan. There are many people (and I am guilty of this as well) who like to mock the devil. They like to call him stupid and lame and that God is far stronger than he is. Now, all this may be true, but I think this generation has lost sight of something incredibly important. The devil is still the devil no matter how dumb he may seem.

Afterall, he has turned righteous leaders into wicked sinners, rich prosperous men to poor begging fools. Sure he may have to talk to God before he can do these kinds of things (see the book of Job) but he is still incredibly powerful.

Let's talk about sharks. Sharks are awesome in the true sense of the word. (Extremely impressive or daunting; inspiring great admiration, apprehension, or fear.) We look at these massive creatures and I know some of us tend to think of just how amazing they are. Shark Enthusiasts study their habits, their nature, their being. However, how many of us have actually SEEN a shark? Like in real life, in the ocean. I know I haven't. Pretty sure no one I know has. Or maybe you have seen a shark, but just its fin. Only seen it swimming around far off.

We can't honestly understand the great danger a hungry shark poses unless we experience it first-hand. In the same way we can't realize the danger the evil one is unless we realize his power first-hand.

Let me tell you something about myself. I am allergic to medical sedatives. Things like NyQuil, Advil PM, etc. Now, whenever I take one or another of said medicine I fall into horrible hallucinations until the effects of the pills wear off. I, for obvious reasons, have not partaken in any of these medicines in quite a few years, but before I knew I was allergic I had these hallucinations quite a few times.

I vividly remember...

Sitting on the couch in the living room. Sick with a cold. It's pitch black everywhere. Roughly 3 AM. Then the room started to turn slightly. I looked at my left hand and saw it swelling up. I couldn't feel my legs. Then a mass of little black circles came from all sides of me and started enveloping me. My right leg disappeared somewhere I started screaming. At this point I couldn't control myself. I knew I was moving. Or at least thought I was. Furniture was sliding around. I kept getting attacked by these random circles. I felt so much pain all over and I just kept yelling for help. Hoping, of course, that I was actually yelling and not just dreaming it.

All this happened while I was perfectly awake. As the medicine wore off I realize the sun was coming up. Nothing was wrong. I was just a little sick. Nothing had moved. I was fine. What I have never been able to shake off is the feeling of being absolutely and utterly lost for control of my own body.

Why do I share this? I think the devil can do the same. The devil can make us do or say things that we wouldn't ever mean. He can turn best friends against each other, he can turn families inside out. He is crafty and will do anything to stop us from glorifying God. He can make us lose control of ourselves.

I think it's time that we took with gravity the idea of the enemy. That we stop thinking we are in control of our lives and God will always protect us. Yes, God will protect us,  but He will also allow for temptation and trials. We cannot be apathetic. The devil wants us, he desires to trip us. We must understand that he can and will do this if we don't watch out and pay close attention to what we are doing.

Let's heed God's Word when He says,

"Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world." -- 1 Peter 5:8-9

"Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints." 

-- Ephesians 6:11-18

It is time we stand and fight. 

God is More than Enough

Have you ever considered God and His goodness? 


In this post I would like to make a few observations I have gained this past weekend. I attended the Seasons of Life Seminar by Mr. Gregg Harris and he gave me some insight into God's goodness. 


Question, have you thought of food and how it tastes in relation to God's goodness? 


There is a LOT of food that tastes absolutely delicious! There's Pizza, Alfredo, Ice creme, Cheese burgers the list goes on. All of this food is satisfying and filling. But have you thought of how God didn't have to make this be? He could have simply created tasteless edible food that's only purpose was for nutrients. But what did He do? He created incredibly delicious satisfying food. 


God is good. Very good. 


So that is one small portion of what I learned at the seminar. Now today I was studying this a little more and found my own insights:


God is absolutely more than enough. God doesn't just satisfy our needs, He goes above and beyond our needs. God sees a situation that we desperately need help from and God saves us, then goes a step further. 


Jesus is known to have said: 


Mat 5:41  And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.


This is of course where we get the adage "Go the extra mile". Interestingly back during the time of Jesus this was a fascinating political commentary. One with historic effects. 


Jesus was instructing the Jewish people of the time to passively fight against the Roman oppression. The example in this verse of "going the extra mile" was in regards to the Roman Impressment Law. Under this law if a Roman Soldier passed you he could (by law) force you to carry his pack for up to one mile. However, by law the soldier could not force a Jewish person to carry the pack one inch further than one mile. Jesus telling the Jews to go another mile with him, was a tricky way of exposing the injustice that was happening. Simply put, at the end of the mile when the soldier asks for his pack back, simply say, "it's ok, I'm good" and keep walking. Eventually this soldier would be pleading with you to get the pack back or else he may get in trouble. Furthermore Jesus was planting a seed in the minds of his listeners that it doesn't hurt to do a little more. It doesn't hurt to bless those who curse you. Also looking upon His words of saying bless those who curse you. 


But I see a connection between all of this historicity and what God shows us in creating tasty food. God is good and God is more than enough. God is our greatest role model for life and is proving that through the words of Jesus. God wants us to go the extra mile just as He goes the extra mile for us. We are slaves to Christ, we are fools, we are evil sinners, God does NOT need us. Yet even with all this what does He do? He loves us, gives us good food, and is more than enough for all of our needs. 


What has God done in your life that has proven He is more than enough? In what ways in your life has God gone the extra mile for you? 


I think it's fair to say we should do the same for those around us. Practice what your preach, God practices what He preaches, we should do the same!

Saving Grace

Yesterday afternoon I was shocked with the news that my little nephew Andrew had fallen out of his bouncy-chair and onto the floor. My brother and mom rushed to her place to see what happened and take the poor kid to the Dr and see if he needed to go to the Emergency Room. Upon arriving there the Dr. examined him and found that he had probably broken his nose, but that he would be alright in time. Precautions were made and my sister brought him back home.

After his appointment he looked pretty badly bruised. Last night he look pretty bruised but improving. I saw little Andrew this morning and he was grinning and happy and barely bruised at all. In fact, at first I couldn't see anything at all wrong with him! God had healed him quickly, miraculously.

This experience has taught me a couple things that I would like to share with you.

1) Prayer works. I sent out a facebook prayer request that was responded to by quite a few people. I was praying, my siblings and parents were praying. A lot of people were praying. I can tell by this traumatic situation that the prayers worked. People kept their cool, and the baby was brought home safe and sound.

2) God is watching over us. ALL of us. Even the little ones. God watches, protects, and keeps his children safe. Even when something horrible and life-threatening happens, God is there. 

3) God has a saving grace. We are just like my nephew. Children, babies, to God. We are His children. Just as He can pick up an infant and save him from harm, he can save us. He is willing to save us. He will do everything to take our heart and love us. We must simply choose to follow Him. If we do that, we can be just like Andrew. Saved from a dangerous world, saved from harm and brought into His saving grace.

God is ALWAYS good. And God is ALWAYS there.

Psalm 139: 7-18--

"Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, 'Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,' even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand — when I awake, I am still with you."

Money Possessions and Eternity (Part 2)

"No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money." (Luke 16:13)

In this second installment of "Money Possessions and Eternity" we will look at a little more of what Mr. Randy Alcorn has to say. Today I ask these questions: 

What spiritual effect does money have on your life? 

What impact does your money have on your day-to-day living?

"Jesus clearly said that we can and should use money for good purposes, both for this life and the next. Human hearts can be redeemed by Christ, and in the hands of the redeemed, money can serve redemptive purposes." (Money Possessions and Eternity pg. 18)

Just as the only saying goes, "Guns don't kill people, people kill people", we could also posit that "Money does not cause sin/selfishness etc, people cause those things." Yes, it doesn't help, but in the end it is a matter of our heart and what we choose to do.

"To regard money as evil, and therefore useless for purposes of righteousness, is foolish. To regard it as good and therefore overlook its potential for spiritual disaster is equally foolish. Use it, Jesus said, but don't serve it." (pg. 19)

The Bible also consistently warns us to not be foolish. Proverbs urges us many times to consider this:

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction." (Prov 1:7)

"Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him." (Prov 26:12)

"The vexation of a fool is known at once, but the prudent ignores an insult." (Prov 12:16)

Foolishness is greatly discouraged by Solomon and (obviously) by God. As Mr. Alcorn puts it to say dealing with money is a black and white issue is foolish. Money has the potential to be dangerous, but only if we allow that to happen. Money has equally great potential to be incredibly helpful to God's kingdom and to our lives.

"Once we allow money to have lordship over our lives, it becomes Money with a capital M, a god that jealously dethrones all else. Money makes a terrible master, yet it makes a good servant to those who have the right master - God." (pg. 19)

Exodus 20 very plainly states that we are to have no other gods before the truth God. We can turn money into our god and this is very, very dangerous.

Furthermore Mr. Alcorn takes the idea of material wealth not being inherently evil a step further:

"Do we imagine Jesus using his bare hands to cut wood, or can we assume he used the best affordable tools in his carpentry? And if our Lord were living in today's society, wouldn't he take advantage of the current technology in his trade? Would he abstain from using power saws, believing that handsaws are more spiritual? would he hesitate to travel in a car any more than he did a boat? would he avoid using a microphone even if it would allow the crowds to hear him better? It would be disastrous if every believer dropped out of society's mainstream and stopped making money." (pg. 26)

I encourage you to consider these words very carefully. Examine your heart and ask yourself these questions:

Do I think about my money incessantly?

Do I worry about how much or how little money I have every day?

I think it wise to consider materialism and make sure that we aren't obsessed with wealth or possessions. There is SO much more to life. Yes, wealth is not a bad thing if used correctly, but wealth should not be our only goal. We must allow wealth (or lack of wealth) to be a slave to us, and us its master. We must not be a slave to wealth. 

Vessels of Wrath

At some point in all our lives we have had that scenario where we wished someone would just die. Or we wished that someone would be hurt because of the harm they have done to us or to someone else. Indeed, just this last week in the Colorado shooting I found myself thinking time and time again, "That man deserves to die. No trial. No court. Just death. He deserves it."

I have been thinking, however, and have come to the conclusion that this is absolutely false. This is a sinful mindset and a dangerous one. No one "deserves to die" because of a sin they commit. Because the truth of the matter is this: We ALL deserve to die. Every one of us is just as sinful as the man who chose to take the lives of those people. Every one of us has done wrong. I live off the premise that sin is absolutely not relative. Sure there are sinful actions that have greater consequences, but a sin is still a sin no matter the size.

But I would like to ask this question: What is the proper response to the Colorado shooting?

Certainly we can rule out anger, hatred, harsh words. Anything that would cause US to sin is the wrong response.

However, after many a political argument and a conversation with one of my brothers on the subject, I have also discovered that the wrong response is to say there should have been more guns. We needn't get into a huge argument about why there weren't more guns, saying that if there had been less blood would have been spilled. Because here are the facts: There weren't more guns there.

The response should be this: Why wasn't Jesus there? This may seem weird at first but hear me out. The only true way to have stopped the shooting would have been if that man, the shooting, had had a personal relationship with Jesus. If that man was a Christian and lived a life to glorify God then none of that would have happened.

So the real question is, why wasn't there anyone in that man's life to point him to God? This should be sobering for us as Christians. Are we really trying? Are we really reaching out not to the 3rd world countries, not to the homeless, but to those who are living next door? Those who have degrees and are working toward PhD's. Those who have plenty of money and are simply wasting away their lives. Yes, mission trips are fantastic, but not if the person 5 feet away from us at school is lost!

At the same time we can ask this question: What message was God trying to send through that shooting? We can look through the Bible and see countless times when God brought fire upon evil doers. But this shooting was not against evil doers, in fact many Christians were significantly harmed by this!

I find the redeeming qualities to this tragedy as this: God showed us that

1) We need to reach out to our neighbors now more than ever. We need to spread the Gospel, the good news to everyone we can. We must be ever vigilant in speaking to those around us about God.

2) Miracles are not a thing of hundreds of years ago, they are a current, active, incredible happening. See the story of Petra Anderson and others. She was born with a birth defect that she and no one around her knew of until the shooting. A defect that saved her life.

sub point 2) God proved that He has formed us before the creation of the world. Before we were in the womb God knew us. God has created us all special for His purpose and glory. He has reached down and handed us physical, current evidence of His power.

So by sending this Vessel of Wrath. This man that caused terror and shocked the core of our nation, God showed His almighty glory. Equate this to Pharaoh in Egypt and the Israelites. For years and years God used the Vessel of Wrath, the evil dictator of Egypt to teach God's people many valuable lessons. And in the end God proved His awesome glory and might by destroying the man who tortured His people.

God uses horrific situations in mighty ways. We simply need to look deeper than the surface and see what He is trying to teach us. 

Money Possessions and Eternity (Part 1)

Wealth. Money. Riches. How often do we think to ourselves, "If I only had a million dollars!" Or... "If only I could have more money!" I know I have many, many times. If I had a money tree in my backyard life would be SO much easier! Pay bills, buy food, purchase a car, move on. Not have to worry about finances at all. In my mind I see this as an absolute plus. If I don't have to think about money then I can think about other things.

I've been reading a book that you should definitely read, and I'll be using it to talk about the Biblical response to Wealth/Money.

The book is: "Money Possessions and Eternity" by Randy Alcorn

The words he wrote down in this book really convicted me but also allowed my entire perspective on money to change. Hopefully I can do the same for you:

"What follows are Solomon's statements in Ecclesiastes 5:10-15. The italicized paraphrases after each statement are mine.

'Whoever loves money never has money enough.'

The more you have, the more you want.

'Whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income.'

The more you have, the less you're satisfied.

'As goods increase, so do those who consume them.'

The more you have, the more people (including the government) come after it.

'And what benefit are they to the owner except to feast his eyes on them?'

The more you have, the more you realize it doesn't meet your real needs.

'The sleep of a laborer is sweet, whether he eats little or much, but the abundance of a rich man permits him no sleep.'

The more you have, the more you have to worry about.

'I have seen a grievous evil under the sun: wealth hoarded to the harm of its owner.'

The more you have, the more you can hurt yourself by holding onto it.

'Or wealth lost through some misfortune.'

The more you have, the more you have to lose.

'Naked a man comes from his mother's womb, and as he comes, so he departs. He takes nothing from his labor that he can carry in his hand.'

The more you have, the more you'll leave behind.

After his years as the world's richest man, Solomon said, 'When I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun' (Ecclesiastes 2:11). The more Solomon had, the more meaningless his life became. Most people chase their mirages with money, but they run out of money before they run out of mirages. So they still believe the lie that 'If only I had more money, then I'd be happy.' But Solomon had it all. He had more money than he could possibly spend. He chased down every mirage. He ran out of mirages before he ran out of money."

-- Money Possessions and Eternity (Page 49)

Randy Alcorn

I plan to post much more in the future from this book, and my thoughts on Alcorn's words. Here is simply a taste, an introduction. That wasn't even a full page.

Go get the book.

In conclusion think about these questions today:

Do I seek money over God?

Do I consider money as an "idol" rather than tool?

Look ahead to some of my posts being additional parts to this concept of wealth and money. Alcorn has a lot to say on the topic and so do I.

God bless!

Sinless and Holy

Have you ever considered the difference between the words "Sinless" and "Holy"? I had not until just two nights ago. I think it's fascinating and want to share my thoughts with you.

Webster's 1828 Dictionary:

Sinless: "Free from sin; pure; perfect. Christ yielded a sinless obedience."

Holy: "Properly, whole, entire or perfect, in a moral sense. Hence, pure in heart, temper or dispositions; free from sin and sinful affections. Applied to the Supreme Being, holy signifies perfectly pure, immaculate and complete in moral character."

Being sinless is to be without sin. Being Holy is to be incapable of sinful action.

Therefore I would say this: We can definitely work toward being sinless. We can strive to do our best and be sinless. Indeed I'm sure there are some people out there, and people in the past who have been almost sinless. Able by the grace of God to control their hearts and minds and do only as God would want

.

However, per these definitions I would also posit this: No one on earth, no human being is holy. There is not a single person who is ever "incapable" of sinful action. We are all perfectly capable. But who IS holy? God. God is holy. He is one-hundred percent free from sin, as WELL as absolutely incapable of performing any sinful action.

To me this is truly wonderful. Here's why, if man can attain a certain level of being sinless (never entirely) but God has proven to go above and beyond that to the place of absolute perfect holiness, doesn't that prove how desperately we need Him? Doesn't that prove how God doesn't need us?

At which point I can stand in awe of this thoughts: God has zero reason to need us. He even has perfect Angels to worship Him. He doesn't need us. In fact we just make Him look bad most of the time. Yet He keeps us. He loves us. He takes care of us. He tends to EVERY. Single. One of us. This should hit us right at our core.

To close, here are a few Bible verses for thought:

1st Peter 1:14-16 "As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, 'You shall be holy, for I am holy.'"

Romans 8:8-13 "Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you. Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live."