God Owes You Nothing

As I was sitting in church yesterday, I had an epiphany. Maybe it was in conjunction with always hearing people talk about how unfair life is when they are actually blessed beyond belief. We feel that we are to have these great things and that life is supposed to be a bowl of cherries. When things don’t go as we want them to, people lose faith in God or are reaffirmed in their reasons to doubt His existence.

The truth of it is that God owes us nothing. I know, you are thinking this is unbiblical but you are quite wrong. Isaiah 43 has some things to say about this. In verse 7 it states that we were created for His glory. In verse 22 and 23 God says that the Israelites had not wearied themselves for Him nor had they honored Him. Instead, verse 24 says, “you have burdened me with your sins and wearied me with your offenses.”

The Lord’s Prayer has been changed over time. “Our Father, who is in heaven…….gimme, gimme, gimme!! We have gone from living our entire lives for God to only doing what we feel we have to and then maybe a little more so that we can get more. Some preachers encourage us to sow financial seeds in the lives of others so we may reap financial blessings and to help others get well so we may gain healing and restoration.

The prosperity gospel misleads many just like faith healing can. I believe that there are people healed, just as I know that there are rich Christians. There is nothing wrong with that. But what if you are poor and destitute? Think of Christians who have nothing in 3^rdworld countries that could be killed for believing in Christ. I guess that they are not obedient enough. How about the person who is not healed? I guess they don’t have enough faith, like Paul from the New Testament.

Do you see how this way of thinking can be detrimental? Maybe we are exactly where God needs us to be.  There are going to be poor and sick Christians that have just as much faith as those who are rich and have been healed.  What, were you expecting to be repaid for the money you tithe? I know that some pastors may tell you that, but it is untrue. Job 41:11 says that God owes no one because all that is under heaven belongs to Him.

“But the Bible says that faith without works is dead. Works count for something, right?” Works are the evidence of salvation, not the cause of salvation. We do good works because they are the right thing to do, not because of what we can gain from them. That is the wrong spirit of giving and doing anything.

 “But what has God done for me lately?” Everything!! Christ died on the cross. Jesus paid it all. He was the blood sacrifice for our sins and now we have the hope of everlasting life. God has given us 2 major life changing gifts: Christ dying to forgive our sins and the Holy Spirit to guide and comfort us. What more could we ask for? Why should you feel a sense of entitlement?

“The Bible promises us riches,” you say. Yes it does. But why do you instantly think money, houses, cars, vacations, yachts, etc. The riches we are promised are not financial ones. The riches I have found in Christ are emotional and spiritual ones. I am optimistic and I have hope. I can smile through almost anything, and when bad things happen I have learned not to dwell on them. This world and my life in it are but temporary, not eternal. I keep my eye on the prize of eternal life and that allows me to cope with anything that is thrown at me.

So, the next time you begin feeling like God owes you something remember that he does and you may not like it if He were to pay you what you have earned.  Romans 3:23reminds us that we all sin. Romans 6:23a informs us that the wage of sin is death. Based on our deeds we are owed death.

When I talk to my clients in drug court and they tell me they don’t get what they deserve, I always tell them they are right. If we had been caught every time we had done something illegal, we would not have the ability to walk in freedom. Instead we would be in prison the rest of our lives. Drug court and probation is more than we deserve based on our conduct but we still have been given a shot at redemption. The same is true with our sinful lives.  

Romans 3:24 says that “all are justified freely by His GRACE through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. Romans 6:23b says, “the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Eternal life is a GIFT from God that we are given, and that is all we have the right to. Stop asking God what He can do for you and instead constantly ask yourself what you can do to live your life as you were created to.

So what can we do to live our lives the way we were created to live them?

1.       Trust in God. Proverbs 3:5-6 states that we are to trust in God instead of ourselves and submit to His will. Let his will be done, not our own. We do not know what plans He has for us and realize the biggest tests make the best testimonies.

2.       Learn what it means to be content. Philippians 4:11-13 shows that the secret to being content is not having a lot or a little but instead putting faith in God. Remember, our needs may or may not be met. We are to give of ourselves any way.

3.       Make your life a living sacrifice. Romans 12:1-7 tells that we all have gifts, and we are to use those gifts to honor God. If we have the ability to teach, we are to teach. If we are well off financially then we are to give to those less fortunate. Once again, it reminds us that the gifts we have are through grace. Our lives are miracles. If not for God than we are not here to begin with.

4.       Love God and love your neighbor. Matthew 22:36-39 tell us that the greatest commandments are to love God and others. We do this by living our lives by God and treating those around us as Christ would.

5.       Deny sinful desires. Luke 9:23says we are to deny ourselves and take up our cross daily to follow God. Everyday we choose whether we are guided by our flesh and greed or by the Holy Spirit.

Looking back, I realize I have felt this way for some time. I have taken to praying to be the hands and feet of God for the people I come in contact with, that God help me be more like Jesus today and that I do his will. When I pray for others who are having struggles, I ask that they have the strength they require and are given the wisdom to do what is needed so that God’s will is done.  

Are You a Righty or a Lefty?

The question I pose today is a simple one, “Are you the righty or the lefty?” Immediately, most people think of which hand is their predominate one. They will then either say they are right handed or left handed. That is not the question I am asking. Instead, I am asking whether you are the man crucified on the right side of Jesus, or are you the man crucified on the left side of Jesus? Before you answer this question, let us take a look at the passage in the Bible.

Luke 23:32, 33, 39-43 says, "Two others, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. . . . One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” 

So there are two criminals that were executed with Jesus. I have often wondered why Jesus was not crucified alone. Why were there two others there with Him if not for a reason? I imagine there is something for us to take away from the exchange between Jesus and the other two men, or it would not have been written about. What is it that we can take from the exchange that would apply to our lives?

For starters, we see the differences between the man who was saved and the man who was not! One belittled and bullied while the other displayed reverence. One spoke out of arrogance, the other showed humility. Finally, the man on the left of Jesus displayed disbelief while the man on the right side showed faith.  This is much like the world. When presented with the message of salvation through Christ, some mock and belittle while others display humility and faith.  

Next we need to take a good look at both of these men. They were being crucified, which was not your average way to kill someone back then. It was reserved for the worst criminals, as well as slaves and non-Roman citizens. Those who were considered to be less than or had done horrific things, that is who was executed by crucifixion. In a way, that is what Christians are today. We are not truly citizens of this world. We also are looked at as less than by some members of this world. We are not as intelligent as they are due to our belief and faith.

Much like the criminal on the right, most Christians realize what we are. We are sinners, we have done horrible things and we are aware that we are not worthy of a better life. Yet, as we wallow in our sin we reach out to the one whom we know can redeem us. This is akin to the dying criminal reached out to Jesus and asking that Christ remember him when He came to His kingdom.  

So to be the man on the right we must recognize and accept that we are sinners and as such deserve death. We must in all humility take credit for what we have done, not trying to blame our sins on others. Next comes faith, for we must acknowledge that through God’s mercy and grace all we have done can be forgiven. Finally, we must show our complete reverence to the King of Kings. We must also respect our fellow man yet at the same time not be afraid or ashamed to speak out when it is needed.  

We tend to focus on the middle cross, since Jesus was crucified there. The middle cross represents Christ, our Redeemer and the sacrifice He made so our sins could be forgiven. What Christ did when he was crucified was the greatest act of kindness ever done for man.  Lest we forget it, there were 3 crosses that day on Golgotha for a reason. We need to remember the other two crosses as well. For the cross on the left is symbolic of the nonbelievers of this world while the cross on the right those who have faith in Christ.

So again I ask, “Are you a righty or a lefty?”

The Complete Suit of Armor part 1

To begin this series we looked at James 2:26 and discussed what it means when it says that faith without works is dead. It meant that you can have dead faith. Works are not the key to salvation, they are the proof of salvation. If we have the Holy Spirit filling us, we will live our lives differently. How we are to live our lives was then discussed in the second part of this series by looking at the Beatitudes, found in Matthew 5:3-12.

According to the beatitudes we are to be meek, righteous, pure of heart, and persecuted to name just a few. How are we to do this? How can we apply the beatitudes in this evil world we live in? Most of these are attributes the world despises, uses and abuses. They may make us look weak, cause us to not fit in or simply seem impossible to us because of the influence of the world. To live as Jesus told us to live goes against the normal, and is attacked by those around us at every turn. How do we do it?

It sounds like we are at war. We are! We are at war with the standards, ethics, morals and values of this culture. When you go to war, you need to be prepared. In order to be prepared, there are things we need in order to successfully battle the ways of this world and live our lives with a higher purpose. Our needs are summed up in Ephesians 6:10-18:

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people"

So, first and foremost we are to rely on God and the power of the Holy Spirit He has provided us with. He has provided us with various gifts that will allow us to stand up to Satan. Here we are told that we are struggling with spiritual forces. We cannot defeat those of the spiritual realm with tangible weapons and muscles. No matter the amount of muscles we have and the hours we put into self-defense training or the guns we have and the amount of time we put in at the firing range we will never be able to defeat the devil. We cannot use physical things to defeat spiritual ones.

In order to defeat spiritual attacks we have been given spiritual gifts to use. We are given spiritual armor and a spiritual weapon then told to use it. We are not told to apply some of it, but instead to don the full armor of God so that when temptation comes we are able to withstand it. If we put this armor on Paul said that not only would we stand our ground and overcome temptations, but that at the end of all that the world and the devil have to throw at us we will still be standing tall for Jesus.

Next time we will look at what each individual piece of armor represents in The Complete Suit of Armor part 2.



Does God Really Love You Unconditionally?

This was a post on Facebook from one of my friends, Ralph Gray. 

One of the biggest lies ever told to us is "God loves you unconditionally".

Is this true?
Let's see.
"If you love Me, you WILL keep My commandments" John 14:15 emphasis mine.
"He who has My commandment and KEEPS them, he it is who loves Me; and he who Loves Me, shall be loved by My Father,and I will love him, and will disclose Myself to him." John 14:21 emphasis mine.
"You are My friends, IF you do what I command you." John 15:14 emphasis mine.
Jesus' love is very much conditional.
"The one who say ,'I have come to know him' and does not KEEP His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him" 1 John 2:4 emphasis mine.
Do you have the truth in you?

We get so self centered when we say "Jesus loves me."
Me, Me,Me its always all about me.
If you serve the unholy trinity of me, myself and I. 
You do not love God.
If you refuse to condemn sin and parrot "judge not". 
You do not love God.
If you do not have a humble and repentant heart.
You do not love God.
If you refuse to love your neighbor and your personal enemies.
You do not love God.
If you parrot the line "The law was nailed to the cross" and continue in sin.
You do not love God.
If you refuse to have HIS will on earth as the the Lord's prayer commands.
You do not love God.
If you haven't obeyed the command to be baptized for the forgiveness of sins in the name of Jesus. 
You do not love God.
These are all commandments of the Lord!
If you refuse to keep His commandments you do not love Him and According to His holy Word He won't love you.
What is sin?
Transgression of His law/ commandments. 1 John 3:4

Do not become one of those in Matthew 7:22-23 "Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' " And I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.'. Emphasis not mine but the Lords.
If you want Jesus to love you keep His commandments.
Make it all about Him, Him, Him. Not me,me,me.
The good news is you can repent of this. Humble yourself and obey Acts 2:38, Mark 16:16 and the many, many other commands to be baptized for the forgiveness of sins .
If you repent He will love you and forgive you and know you.

"And why now do you delay? Arise, and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name" Acts 22:16

I would only add this:
A lot of people have dead faith and no works. Works do not earn us salvation, grace which is unmerited favor shown to us by God through the crucifixion of Christ gave us an opportunity to gain salvation. That said, works are the EVIDENCE of salvation. If you do not have works, you do not have salvation. Too often we hear "God loves you as you are" without hearing that God also expects us to change. 

I loved my son when he could not even roll over, but I expected him to learn how to crawl, then walk and eventually be able to run. I would not have accepted anything less out of him because I know he is capable. God knows we are capable and because of that expects more from us. So, we need to do more. We need to not stop asking God what He can do for us but instead ask ourselves what more we can do for Him.

Faith Without Works is Dead

In James 2:26 James says, "As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead." A lot of people wonder what does that mean. After all, in Ephesians 2:8-9 Paul says, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this is not from yourselves, it it the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast." So how can both of these scriptures be valid?

We need to look at what James 2:26 is really saying, so let's break it down. If we are alive physically, there are obvious signs. We have brain activity, our heart beats, we take in oxygen. Those are signs that we are alive. If we are physically dead, then those things and many others do not occur. The same can be said about our faith. If we are alive spiritually, there should be obvious signs also. We will live our lives differently than if we are dead spiritually.

If our faith is alive, then we will see positive manifestations. We will live our lives Christ-like. Will we make mistakes? Of course, it is all about progress not perfection. That said, the way we live our lives will be different than it was before we came to Christ. If we are living our lives exactly the same as before we came to Christ, than we are spiritually dead.

Paul is not saying that works are the CAUSE of salvation, but that works are the EVIDENCE of salvation. When we are saved we live our lives differently. It is not enough to simply go to church, know that Christ was resurrected, and spout scripture. We need a different yard stick than those, and there are some pretty good reasons why.

For starters, sitting in church no more makes you a Christian than me standing in my garage makes me a car. Secondly, Satan and his minions know that Jesus was resurrected. Finally, the Devil has been known to quote scripture. Like I said, those are things that don't signify a Christian. Atheists donate large sums of money to worthy causes, so tithing is out. I have seen secular singers raise their hands in the air while singing, so I feel even worship is out. These are all pieces of the puzzle, but we need to be whole?

That said, what makes us whole? We are told in Matthew 5:14-16, "You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." How are we to do this?

WALK THE WALK!!! Don't just pay lip service to Christ. Be a Christian inside and outside of church. Guard your tongue, be mindful of what you watch on television and at movie theaters, be careful of the things you listen to and read. Remember GIGO, garbage in garbage out. If we take in garbage, it is sure to come out of our mouths and in our actions. Don't just talk about it, be about it!

Next week we will look at the beatitudes and how they can guide our lives so that we can learn to walk as Christians in our daily lives. 

Come As You Are

Matthew 11:28-29 says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."

We are not called to be perfect. In fact, at first we are just called to show up, period! We are called to come to Christ as we are, weary and burdened. That means we come to Christ as sinners with our sins in their full glory. Our sin is active when we come to Christ. Romans 3:23 tells us that all sin. It is in our nature to sin, especially when we are in the world.

Mark 2:17 Christ let's the Pharisees know who He came to save when He said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” The same story is also related in Matthew 9 and Luke 5. 1 Timothy 1:15 parrots this when it says that Christ came into the world to save sinners. So Christ came and He came so that the sinners could be forgiven. What does that mean for us? Does that mean that we are fine the way that we are when we first come into relationship with God and can stay the same?

In one word, NO!!! For example, I work at a residential drug and alcohol treatment facility. I tell my clients that it does not matter what reason they came into treatment for originally; whether it is to get their children back in their custody, to stay out of prison or to make someone they love happy. At least they are here. Now if when they leave that is still the same reason that they have to stay sober then we have a problem.

You see, simply walking through the door is a huge hurdle. Once we have opened the door, then a relationship with Christ can begin to happen. Christ has the ability to take the direct consequence of our sins away. Our not wanting more than that is the problem! Francis Chan says that many of us do not want to be saved from our sin (as in we will sin no more), but only from the consequences of our sin (eternity in Hell).

We need to be worried about much more than just the consequences of our sin. We need to abolish sin from our lives! In John 8:11, Jesus instruction to the woman caught committing adultery was to, "go and sin no more." He did not tell her to go and try not to sin like many churches preach. He told her not to sin at all. That is what we are to try to do. We must try to live as Christ lived. Our lives should be lived as a tribute to God.

I have said ever since I was saved that my life is a gift from God, and how I live my life is my gift back to Him! It seemed like most of my life was spent slapping God in the face. That was how I used to repay Him for my life, by embarrassing and rebelling against Him. Now I live my life to glorify Him in all that I do. It is not always by doing the easiest thing, but by doing the right thing. It is done by following Phillipians 2:12, which says that we should, "continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose."

That is what we should do with our lives. We will make mistakes, but as our relationship grows they should come less often and eventually almost disappear. Then we can be found pleasing to God, as talked about in Colossians 1:10, "so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God."

I know many feel that because God loves us He is happy with us just as we are. That is true, with a caveat. He loves us as He is, but expects and wants the best for and from us. He loves us unconditionally, but even unconditional love wants the best for us and expects us to improve. If that does not make sense to you, then let me speak as a parent.

When my son was born I was just happy to get him home. I loved to watch him just lay there. That was great, but I could not wait for him to begin rolling over. Rolling over was pretty cool, but then came crawling. Crawling was amazing to watch as he figured it out. Now, I love my son with all of my heart. I have never loved anyone more unconditionally than I do him. Yet, when he began to crawl I still wanted more from him. As he matured, I wanted him to eventually learn to stand on his own.

Standing was still not good enough, because I would not have been satisfied with anything less than him walking since he had no infirmities. As he took those first steps I was proud. I got his first steps on video tape. He would take a couple of steps and then fall. I would look on proudly. As he learned how to walk better, I expected him to fall down less and less and to eventually hardly fall at all. I expected nothing less of him, and yet I love him unconditionally.

God is the same way! Come as you are. It is okay if you crawl through the door to worship. As you mature in your faith, you will find balance and eventually begin to take steps. Those steps will transform into a solid walk with God. He loves us unconditionally, and He expects nothing less from us than a firm walk (thanks to George McDonald for this example). We should expect nothing less from ourselves either. We need to stop using excuses to not do our best. 

I had a friend who was hiring at his restaurant. He was having trouble finding employees. When I asked why he was having problems he said, "I have a lot of applicants but nobody to hire. Everybody wants to get paid, but none of them want to work for it." That reminded me of so many Christians that I know. We all want to be saved, but we do not want to put in the work.

There are a lot of pastors today who preach the feel good, watered down gospel. They have thousands that attend their mega-churches, and they feel that they are doing the work of God. I tell you this, if we look and act like those outside of the churches we are doing something wrong. If we do as the masses do, the Bible let's us know where we stand. Matthew 7:12-13 says, "wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."

God called me to come as I was, but in His infinite wisdom He saw that I could not stay that way. I have already talked about the changes that the Holy Spirit causes, and how following the whispers of God make our lives better. I will soon be writing a blog about the feel good garbage that some of the Christian authors and pastors are laying down as dogma! Religion truly is the opiate of the masses.

I do not want you to have religion! I want you to have a relationship with Christ. Ephesians 4:1 sums up what I say to you and what I want for all of you. Paul says that "I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received." We have been called to represent God with our lives. We have been called to Christ, who laid down his life for us so that our lives could be eternal. Can we not lay down our sins for Him?

Scriptures of Recovery - Romans 7: 15

I have actually tried to quit using and living a life of debauchery several times. I had quit doing illegal drugs, but had fallen back on alcohol. Even though at one time I was determined to never drink or do drugs again, I was only partially successful. I engaged in a lot of conduct that I tried to stop doing, but I would always repeat it.

I swore to quit fighting and to quit drinking and driving. I would go so far as to give my keys to friends at the bar and tell them not to give them back to me, only to end up trying to fight them to get my keys back so that I could drive. I would black out with regularity and swear that I would never get "that" drunk again. I tried only drinking beer, only to get drunk and stop on the way home and buy a fifth.

I was not able to follow through on my best intentions. I would start with my best interest at heart, but would always fall short. I have done this my entire life. I would stop selling drugs, only to fall behind on bills and have to hustle to make the money. I would swear to not get serious in a relationship for a while, to take it slow. Then I would move her into my house after we had dated for a week..........or less than a week.

When I got off of drugs but continued drinking, I knew that I was not alone. But I did not feel like a "normal" person. I figured that only drug addicts and drunks had these problems. I thought that everyone else was able to follow through with their goals. I figured that most people, when they committed to something, accomplished it.

When I first went to church, Cal (New Life Churches pastor at the time) read from Romans 3. It interested me enough to continue reading. Imagine my delight when I got to Romans 7 and began to read about my plight. Here was a verse that described my life experiences.

Romans 7:15 says, "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do."

Wow, there I was in a nutshell. I want to do the right thing, but I was unable to. I wanted to set a good example for my son to follow, but I was better at setting goals than accomplishing them. It is kind of like when I play pool. I can call the greatest shots; bank this one in the side pocket, two rails off the 9, eight ball in the corner, etc. I can call them, but I sure cannot sink them. I called a great game, but I was unable to complete it.

I lived my life that way, too. Much better at telling you the positive things that I was going to do than actually doing them. My follow through was a mess, and I wondered why. In this passage Paul describes the mental struggle that I had with my life. "I do not understand" is exactly how I felt, and it was frustrating and anxiety inducing. When you want something that you know is achievable yet are unable to attain it, it can be overwhelming.

In verses 18-19 Paul continues to explain the struggle, "I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do - this I keep on doing."

"Nothing good lives in me," he says. That means that sin lives inside of us. We have been born into a sinful world. As an addict, my first thought is wrong. In fact, my first 5 thoughts are wrong when I first got clean. I felt compelled to do the wrong thing, and I was fighting a losing battle! Why was I fighting a losing battle? Because sin dwelt inside of me, and all that I had to fight it off was myself. I could not win. What could I possibly do as an Agnostic to live my life differently?

I tried Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, substance abuse residential and then outpatient treatment, individual counseling and medication management through a psychiatrist. None of that worked. At the end of the day, I was still a convict and an addict. I could not forgive myself. I was unable to stop doing the wrong thing. So, what can we as humans born into sin do?

Romans 8:5 states, "Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desire."

There it is, in simple to understand language. "Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what nature desires." That is us following our carnal nature, the sin that resides in us. The Holy Spirit is able to set us free from our nature of sin. It can change first thought wrong into first thought right. I went from reveling in my sins and self-condemnation to living as a positive example overnight, just by accepting Christ into my life.

Since I prayed and accepted Christ, I have not drank, smoked, fought, had pre-marital sex and take no medication for my mental health. Instantly transformed.  I consider my transformation a miracle, and all the proof that I need that God does exist!



Romans 8:9 sums up how I feel today, "You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God live in you."

I still have desires on occasion. The difference is that when I have these desires, they come and then they go. They are fleeting at best, and I have a strong support system that I can use when they do occur. What is also different is that the obsession is gone. I do not think about drugs/sex/anger 24 hours a day and 7 days a week like I used to.

My thoughts of wrongdoing are now gone in the blink of an eye, and that is how I like it. I will get more into why those thoughts are fleeting and why it is understandable if the desire still pops up occasionally in the next Scripture of Recovery, which will be 2 Corinthians 12:7-10.

The Temple of God......more like a shanty

1 Corinthians 3:16-17 says, "Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple."

Our body is God's temple. That is said because the Holy Spirit lives in us. But do we live our lives that way? For the most part we do not live our lives as if we have even read the Bible, let alone as if we are a temple for the Holy Spirit to live in. A lot of us treat our bodies more like a garbage disposal or an amusement park. If we cannot control our consumption habits, how can we possibly control other habits such as lusting, lying or being a gossip?

When I say garbage disposal, what I mean is that we will throw any and all trash into our bodies. This ranges from junk food to eating too much food. Just because we have mega-Churches springing up does not mean that we need to have mega-waist sizes so that our personal temple matches the one we worship at. This is called gluttony, or overindulging.

Ever heard of gluttony? I hear that it is a sin! The Bible has a few things to say about gluttony. Proverbs 23:21 says that the glutton will come to poverty. Proverbs 23:2 goes as far as to say "put a knife to your throat if you are given to gluttony" and Phillipians 3:19 says that those who will come to destruction will treat their belly as their god. Does not sound like gluttony is a good thing. It sounds like gluttony is something to be avoided. Maybe this is something we as Christians should attempt to focus on. After all, sin is sin.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 states, "Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies."

Now we will look at treating our bodies as amusement parks. By that I mean we smoke cigarettes, have premarital sex, overindulge in alcohol and abuse drugs. Is that honoring God with our bodies? I should certainly hope not. That may be honoring the little "g" gods, not the big "G" God that I worship. We tend to take the path of least resistance and focus on what we want to do and what is popular and cool. This is not how we are to live, though. We are to live like the Holy Spirit resides in us, because it does. We should desire what God wants us to do.

Romans 8:5-6 says, "Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace."

Somewhere in the course of our lives we have to ask ourselves if we are living as though our mind is governed by the Spirit. Are we doing as we have been instructed to do. I would argue that we are not. The way we live our lives shows that we have no self-control, which is a very important thing. 2 Peter 1:6 says we are to supplement knowledge with self-control, and Galatians lists self-control as one of the fruits of the Spirit. If we are led by the Spirit, then we will have self-control. If we have the Spirit, you will know it by our fruits.

We may have trouble acting with self-control, but there are ways that we can build it. We need to acknowledge that when Christ died he brought us salvation that allows us to deny our worldly urges (2 Titus 2:11,12). In order to take advantage of this salvation, we must be baptized (Galatians 3:27), cleanse ourselves from the impurities of flesh and spirit (2 Corinthians 7:1) so that we can pursue peace and holiness and through them see God (Hebrews 12:14).

We show that we are truly following Christ by doing several things. In Acts 8:22 the Bible tells us that we should repent and pray so that our hearts can become right with God. Prayer and meditation will open us up to receive the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Just because it is there does not mean that we use it. As an example, I use public rest rooms all of the time. It has been my experience that almost every one that I have ever been provided both a sink and soap to wash your hands. Yet, I frequently see people walk out of those bathrooms without washing their hands. So it is with the Spirit, accessible to us but left unused.

Another thing that we need to do is surround ourselves with people who are living their lives led by the Spirit. There is a reason to do this. Birds of a feather, flock together. The Holy Scriptures also tells us that not only does bad company corrupt good behavior (1 Corinthians 15:33), but being around positive  Christians who are like-minded allow us to be built up and encouraged (1 Thessalonians 5:11).

When we get rid of the negatives in our lives, we need to replace them with positive things and people. If we do not, then bad things are surely going to seep back into our lives. I would rather be in relationships with healthy people than those who are living in sin, positive Christians as opposed to those who continue to make negative choices and accept no responsibility or hold themselves accountable for their actions.

In my life, I have decided I need to make some changes because there are areas of my life that I could improve in, that I do not have self-control in. The area is gluttony. I overeat all of the time, I do not know moderation when it comes to food and that has began to add up, leaving me with a waist that is almost as big as my chest. I will keep you updated on my progress as I attempt to overcome my last addiction, which is eating pleasure food in abundance, and drop 55 pounds and keep it off.

What I have decided to do is join Weight Watcher's, because it is a lifestyle change as opposed to a diet. I have tried juice fasts for a week, and the Daniel Fast for 40 days, but I have always returned to my addiction to food after it was over. I do not need a phase, but a permanent change. I need a change in lifestyle and a community to support it. I have done that with my other addictions, choosing to attend church for the community it provides, removing myself from those who were engaged in the lifestyle I was trying to leave behind me and actively associating with people who are accomplishing what I am striving for.

That is what Weight Watchers offers me: support, hope and encouragement. I know several people who are active Christians that are also involved in Weight Watchers and have been successful that can offer me support and encouragement in our journey. I will win in the battle with obesity and overeating, because my God is an awesome God. Don't forget what it says in Philippians 4:13, "I can do all this through Him who gives me strength."

How to be a GO Christian

When we think about being a "Go Christian," what does that truly mean to us? Do we think that it is knowing the Bible, attending church, going to small groups, tithing, wearing a suit/dress to church, sitting in the front row and singing the loudest with your hands raised in worship. I would call these ingredients that we can use in our life, but not the recipe for being a go Christian. 

In order to say go, we have to say no! We have a cross to bear, and that cross is to say no to ourselves. We have to deny ourselves the immoral and worldly things in our lives. Our nature is to sin, and we have to be willing to deny our baser instincts. We have to try to become dead to sin, or have a death before sin lifestyle. The early Christians did. Many of them were tortured and executed for their beliefs that they would cling to in the face of death. Sin is bad, and to think of sinning is bad too. So do not do it. Christ did not try His best to die on the cross, He accomplished it. Why should we be happy if we do not give our best. 

That is where I may lose some. Some may say that I am talking about not being able to have any fun. If this is how you feel, than you do not understand what I am saying, and you truly do not understand the sacrifice that Christ made on the cross. We will have joy, we will have eternal life. We are honestly giving up very little for so much. 

We also have to be willing to talk about Christ and our beliefs even when it is not popular. We need to stand up for what we believe in. They say you have to stand for something or you'll fall for everything. We have to take a stand for our faith everywhere we go: home, school, work, sporting events, restaurants, vacation and in our neighborhood. If we do not do this, we will be open (fall) for all kinds of sin to come into our lives. 

When we take up the cross we become dead to the world. Before I was a Christian and entered into a relationship with God, I was a sinner. I lived to fulfill my will, to make myself happy. I smoked cigarettes, drank to inebriation, fought all of the time, had premarital sex, lied all the time, cussed as much as I wanted and listened to music and watched movies that would make a sailor blush. I was going to college to prove to everyone that I was right and they were wrong. I lived for me, I was all about worldly achievement and self-fulfillment. That got me drunk almost every day and I was an example of how not to live your life. 

I did not know Christ then. Since the day that I got saved and gave my life to Christ, I have not smoked a cigarette, gotten drunk, had premarital sex (even though my wife and I dated for a year before we got married) or gotten into a fight outside of a ring. I now only listen to worship music because it puts me in a great mood. I pray in between sets at the gym on a consistent basis, and I wear worship shirts almost exclusively. I read the Bible daily and pray all of the time. I am by no means perfect, but I make an effort every day to not succumb to my sinful nature. It is a start, and I can build on that. 

Being a go Christian means that I will never do or say anything that I will look at my son and tell him not to repeat it. It means that I do not have to be a hypocrite. Being a go Christian means I realize I represent my church, my son and wife, my employer, my deceased father, my pastor, Celebrate Recovery and Jesus Christ every where that I go. I will not get caught up in gossip, I do not cuss (maybe twice in traffic in the past year), I do not yell, I don't lie, I talk to others about the changes that the Holy Spirit have made in my life and I live like I love Christ to the best of my ability. I hope that this is not seen as boasting, but instead as me saying that I could not live this way were it not for the Holy Spirit in me and the sacrifice that Christ made. 

Is it always easy to love Christ and live to show it? I would say yes, that it is now. But it took me over a year at church before I was saved, and that was a nerve racking year. During that first year I thought that it would kill me to live life different. The cross symbolizes pain and suffering, yet we think that Christ wants us to live in comfort and ease. Our lives should be living sacrifices to Christ, and that is not easy. That said, since the night that I turned my life over to Christ and gave control away it has gotten a lot easier. 

So ask yourself these question to see if you are a go Christian: 

1. Is my life about self-fulfillment or Christ fulfillment

2. Do I live as one in this world or one who is of this world

3. Am I ashamed of my faith, or do I profess the gospel to all who would hear it

4. Is my life a living sacrifice to Jesus

If you answered yes to these questions, then congratulations. You are a go Christian, keep it up. If you did not answer yes, then I would recommend a lot more prayer, meditation, reading of the Bible and spend time with those who are where you want to be, not where you already are. God bless you in your journey!!