What's Your Story?

                What's your story? No, seriously, I want to hear you share it. When it comes to being a Christian, everyone has encountered the living God. Most Christians may not think that they have the encounter that they want (it may be too boring or too embarrassing or too crazy) but it is an encounter with God Himself. God has done something awesome in your life and I want to challenge you to share it. Why? Because, over all, it isn't even truly your story. It's the story about God and what He has done through you and in you. So, before you become ashamed of your story, remind yourself that it is God's story, and get excited that you get to be apart of it at all.

                When God does something awesome in your life, do you go and tell everyone, or do you brush it off and forget about it like a bad info-mercial? Get excited about whatever God has done in your life, because you have had an encounter with the living God of the universe! Be excited and be willing to share.

                So, let me as you this one more time. What's your story? No, seriously, I want to hear you share it.


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1 Corinthians 1:18

                If you have ever preached it to someone who just looks at you like you're crazy, you may wonder why they don't get it when it makes so much sense. 1 Corinthians 1:18 says, "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." In essence, to those who have the Holy Spirit within them, the Gospel makes sense; but to those who do not have the Holy Spirit within them, the Gospel sounds stupid. Now, why would this be? There are two reasons to this. 1) God is too big, and 2) man is too small.

                 We see in 1 Corinthians 1:19, God says "'I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.'" We see that God, by whatever action He is going to do, will trump the world's wisdom and the world's idea of intelligent. In order to do that, God has to be wiser and smarter than man, which He is. 1 Corinthians 1:25 says, "For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength." Basically, when God isn't even trying, He is greater than all of humanity's best. How can one understand the Gospel from THAT God? The Gospel is too big for man's understanding. That is why it sounds like foolishness to man.

                We see in 1 Corinthians 1:22-23 it says, "Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Greek..." We see that man wants to seek out God in their own way, Jews by works like signs, and Greeks by impressive words that sound like wisdom. When Christ is preached, both can't comprehend. To the Jews, the Gospel involved no sacrifices and no rituals, so they stumble and cannot understand how the relationship with Christ by grace through faith works. To the Greeks (anyone who isn't Jewish), the Gospel does not sound wise, so they count it as foolish. It would be like explaining thermodynamics to a three year old. They would think that you are crazy or weird. It is so beyond their comprehension that they think it sounds foolish.

                We have to realize that we were one of these categories before Christ, or maybe we still are. Either we tried to seek God out and do works to find Him and never did, or we didn't understand the Gospel and got prideful, calling God's wisdom foolish. We need to remember that God is too big for our little understanding. He is God. He made all things.

                So, you may be asking, how do I explain the Gospel to my friends if they won't be able to understand, or how do I understand the Gospel if it is too big for me? 1 Corinthians 1:24 says, "But to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God." We cannot understand the Gospel except through the Holy Spirit, given to us by Christ's crucifixion. All that we can do is pray that God helps us to understand it, preach it to others, and let God do the work. We can't do anything. It is all in God's hands.


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1 John 4:19

                 When Jesus healed the blind man, the man was willing to follow Jesus. In fact, when the man found Jesus again, and Jesus told him who He was, John 9:38 says, "Then the man said, 'Lord, I believe,' and he worshiped Him." Let me ask you this: Does your life show your love for Christ?

                1 John 4:19 says, "We love because He first loved us." We show love, show generosity, show grace, show forgiveness, show kindness because Christ first showed it to us. When you think of what Christ has done for you, all of the situations that He has saved you from and all of the sins that He has forgiven you of, does your life reflect the love that you have for Him?

                Now, I am not saying feel guilty as if you need to pay Him back. Who can pay back God? Everything you own is His to begin with. You can't out give the ultimate giver. I'm saying do you love Him. Looking at the blind man, when he was being questioned, he was willing to defend Christ's miracles and all that He had done for him. Why? Because they were signs of God's love for Him and He was excited, if not overjoyed, to share them with others.

                Look at your own life. Do you love in a way that shows that you appreciate God's love for you? Do you love in a way that is like Christ? Do you love in a way that says that Christ first loved you? 1 John 4:20 says, "Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen."

                Do you show Christ's love? Do you live a life according to 1 John 4:19, or do you need to talk with God and see how much you value His love for you?

                 "By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." John 13:35


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Living Service

                "Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God -- this is your true and proper worship." Romans 12:1

                So often, we as Christians can say that we would die for Christ or we would loose it all for Christ. We can be so willing to do one big final act for Christ, but what about taking out the trash without grumbling, or spending time with someone who gets on your nerves and treating them with love? God has been calling you to live for Him before He has called you to die for Him. He has called you to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, not a dead sacrifice.

                We are so willing to take up our cross and die one final and honorable God glorifying death, but what about taking up our cross daily? What about fighting against the lusts of the flesh and the lust of the eye and the pride of life? Praise God if you are willing to die for Christ's glory, but also be willing to live for His kingdom as well.

                What could you do to grow in Christ, or to live for Him? What is keeping you from living out your whole life for Christ? Look at your life through the mercy that Christ has shown you (dying on the cross for you while you were yet in your sins and loving you even as you were rebelling against Him) and ask yourself if living your life for Christ is worth it. Doesn't He deserve your total worship, your full life? He gave His best, why wouldn't we give our best back?


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George Mueller

                George Mueller was a man of prayer through faith. He ran an orphanage of over 10,000 in total, pastored a church of over 1,000 members, supported almost 200 missionaries, and organized the Scriptural Knowledge Institute. He did all of this, not from some well paying job, but from prayer and prayer alone. he did not take a salary from his church and was not working in any other areas. In other words, every meal that he put on the table for his family and every month's rent was provided for strictly by God.

                There is one story in particular where George was in the orphanage and a worker came to him, telling him that there was no food for the children. he gathered the children together before school and prayed with them. As soon as he was done praying, there was a knock at the door. a local baker said that he felt a conviction from God to bring bread, so he had been up since 3 in the morning baking hundreds of loaves of bread and brought it all to him. Moments later, a milk cart broke down in front of the orphanage. The milk would all go bad before anyone would be able to come in time to repair it, so the man came to George Mueller, asking if he would like free milk. The children were provided for, all by prayer. Instances like this happened more regularly than we clock in and out of work.

                George Mueller prayed for five friends, one who came to Christ soon, two others who came later in his life, and two others who were saved after his death. Even though George did not see them all come to Christ, he never stopped praying until death. His prayers were heard by God, even if he did not see the fruit right away.

                Maybe you are in a tough situation, or a family member or friend is in the world and it is breaking your heart. God was faithful to hear the prayers of George Mueller, and He is faithful to hear yours as well. Whatever you are going through, do not just pray. Pray knowing that God is going to answer you, and continue praying until you see the answer. Yes, it will take time and patience, but God is faithful. Just trust Him and keep your trust in Him.

                1 Thessalonians 5:17 "Pray without ceasing."


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Suicide

                I know, for some people, this could be a dangerous and personal topic. For others, it may not be as emotionally taxing. For some, this may be a topic that has never come to mind. Many people believe that suicide sends you straight to Hell. Allow me to answer this question with three questions.

                1) Is suicide a sin? Yes, it is a sin. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says that we are not our own and that we were bought with a price. Exodus 20:13 makes it clear that God hates murder, even murdering yourself. It is a sin, there is no way around it. So yes, even suicide deserves Hell; but hear me out.

                2) Can suicide be forgiven? Yes. All sins can be forgiven if we are in Christ. So, suicide will send you straight to Hell if you do not know Christ; but suicide will not send you to Hell if you are a true follower of Christ. Here is why. There is one sin that is unforgivable, and it is the rejection of the Holy Spirit, which means that you are not accepting Christ as Lord and Savior. It is not unforgivable because of how bad it is, but because you are literally rejecting forgiveness and therefore cannot be forgiven. So, suicide is a huge sin, it is the most selfish act possible; but if you are truly in Christ, you will be forgiven. Your last moment on Earth would be tainted in sin, but Christ does forgive if you are found in Him.

                3) Can a Christian get to such a low point that they would commit suicide? Yes, it is possible if they were never able to grow in their relationship with Christ and if the enemy continued to beat them daily. Here is the thing though, would a true Christian want to do such a selfish act? This would be spitting in God's face for giving you life and saying that whatever plan He has for you on Earth isn't worth it. It's saying that you're too good to go through hardships or that Christ can't provide the strength that you need to overcome. If you are truly in Christ, your hope is in Him and that makes it infinitely harder for a true believer to do such a sin.

                In the end, it comes down to this. Are you truly a Christian or not? If you are, you are going to Heaven no matter what. If not, you are Hell bound no matter what sin you end your life on. Our only hope is in Christ Jesus who saves us. Take rest in the Lord, He will provide everything that you need if you just trust in Him with everything.

                Psalm 147:3 "He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds."


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Women and Respect

                While talking to a group of high school boys last night, some of them began to mention women and saying how it was so difficult to respect them. In some of their eyes, girls that could receive respect and treat you nicely back are the ones that deserve it. Here was my point: none of us deserve anything, not even respect; but to pick and choose is only furthering the stereotype of these specific girls.

                When talking to a friend just last month, she asked me if it was right for a male friend of hers to call her a slut. She said, "well I do slutty things but that doesn't mean that he should call me one, right? I mean, it only happens when I'm drunk so it's not really even me." Now, my first point to tell her was that no real man would ever call her anything outside of her name. It was not alright for him to call her that. Next, I told her that if she did not want to be labeled as something, she should not act like the stereotype. This was not me telling her what to do, but stating that he would continue to call her this if she acted in this way and that she could make the choice to mold her own identity.

                While in high school, most of my friends were females, and not all of them were given the best reputation. Most guys and girls did not even try to know them, but just gave them a label and walked away. They were not able to see the full story. When a girl lives with an abusive mother, has to deal with a dead father, and has never had a man in her life to show her how to be treated with respect, you cannot expect her to respect herself. She would have never known what that looks like. To expect a girl in a situation like this to respect herself is like expecting a five year old to understand Political Science. If it has never been presented, how can you know how to react to it?

                So I dare you, before you go an label anyone or talk poorly about anyone, look at Jesus and how He treated Mary. Men, treat women with respect and show them how a man is supposed to be. For all you know, she has never been respected before and you, as a picture of Christ, could show her the love that God has for her. Women, do not tear one another down. Instead, look at Proverbs 31:20. "She opens her hand to the poor and reaches out her hand to the needy." Instead of gossiping or judging, reach out to those in need if you claim to be a woman of God.

                We live in a world that does not understand the power and grace of God. That is why we are here, to show them how great He is and how much He loves us all, even the ones who we may not like or know. I dare you to be the body of Christ and imitate Christ, not the world.

                "But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: 'Be holy, because I am holy.' Since you called on a Father who judges each person's works impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear." 1 Peter 1:15-17


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Guitar

                Psalms 30:11 says, "You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing. You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy." At my old church at home, Psalms 30:11 was part of a song that we sang.

                These past few months, I have been dealing with major depression. The depression only continued to get worse. I tried to turn to God in prayer, but it became difficult. I tried to fast to focus my mind on God, but it was of little benefit at the time. I tried to focus more on the reading of the word, but it would only do so much. I knew that something was missing.

                I knew, coincidentally, I wanted to learn the guitar in order to learn how to sing worship songs. I had a burning passion to learn but no one who was free enough to teach me. Just last night, a friend of mine, Vince, came over to my dorm and began to teach me how to play. Just in the one night, he taught me a few cords, we talked about life, and he taught me how to play the song "Set a Fire." It was exactly what I needed. In fact, I was overjoyed that night. I even woke up this morning, when I could have slept in a bit longer, and grabbed my guitar to start practicing again. In fact, as soon as I post this, I will probably go back to playing again. I was mourning and I was not able to let my soul express itself in every way. Just because reading the word wasn't encouraging me doesn't mean the Bible wasn't working. It just meant that God had something in store, and the depression that I was going through was all to bring glory to Him.

                I will still struggle with depression. I am fine with that. Even if singing to God does not make me feel totally better every time, I am fine with that. Christianity isn't about how to improve our lives. It's about giving God the glory that He rightfully owns and deserves. I will always bless the name of the Lord, no matter how my flesh may feel. I am so glad that He has allowed me to praise Him in this new way; not for the sake of my happiness, though He does care about His children's happiness, but for the sake of being able to keep my joy in Him no matter what life throws at me. I fine my joy in blessing the name of the Lord. It is more satisfying than anything else in the world.


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He Carries You

                I know that it has been a while since my last blog. With the school year wrapping up, finals just ending (less than thirty minutes ago) and all of the chaos of little ol' college life, it has been a crazy time for myself and everyone around me. I can safely say, without hesitation, I would be so lost without God's grace.

                I am tired, out of energy, exhausted, and so ready for a vacation. I have been dealing with things that most people don't know about; but I can say that God has been carrying me through this storm. No matter what I have been going through, God has been right there next to me helping me through it all. When I ran out of energy to even wake up the next morning, God gave me exactly what I needed.

                Now that I am coming out of this storm (or into the eye of it, I can's tell) I can safely say that God will always give you what you need. You don't have to live on your strength alone. He is your provider, even of your strength. He will provide for you exactly what you need. I can't say I know it all; but I do know that whatever you are going through, you can lean on God to help you get through it. He is faith in helping His children. He is a loving father, after all.


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His Love Never Fails

                I have said it before and I will say it again: The more we know how much God loves us, the more we will begin to see our lives changing. So often, it is easy for us to assume that God doesn't truly love us because of circumstances. We are placed into a bad position at work, or a friend dies, or money is getting tighter, or family is getting harder to deal with, or we just aren't believing that God truly loves us. It is so easy to say, "God, if You love me, You would..." and then insert the desires of our hearts. It could be "make the pain go away," "get me a new car," "bless me more," "make my life better," etc.

                The truth is, those are lies from the enemy. God's love is so much greater than that. Romans 5:8 says. "But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." He died for you while you were rebelling against Him. You had no desire for Him at all, and He came to Earth and died on the cross for you. Imagine the one person who just grinds your gears. Imagine them doing something horrible to you. Now, you knew that they were going to get exactly what they deserve for whatever they did to you. Would you love them enough to go die one of the most torturous deaths imaginable as well as take on their punishment for them so they could avoid it? I doubt it, but God did that for us. While we were doing everything that we could to rebel against Him, He still came and loved us through the cross.

                We are so quick to hold God to conditional human standards. We assume that, if we are not "rewarded" for our good deeds, God does not love us. He gave you eternal life! He justified you and blessed you with every blessing in the Heavens. There is nothing that He owes you. You owe Him your life for what He has done for you. Romans 8:32 says, "He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all - how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?" God has already done more than enough to show His love, and He is still providing for you daily. To say that God doesn't love you is a lie. He will never stop loving you, and anyone who says otherwise is a liar straight from the Devil.

                The next time you start to feel that God doesn't love you, stop looking at conditional human things. Look to the cross and try to tell me that God doesn't love you. You may not think that He came for you; but trust me, He was thinking of you while He was on the cross. He laid it all down for YOU.


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Identity In Love

                John, one of the twelve disciples of Jesus Christ, was nicknamed the "son of thunder" when him and his brother, James, asked Jesus if they could call down fire from Heaven to destroy a city that did not accept their good news. This nickname was given to them by Jesus Christ Himself. The "sons of thunder" does not sound like the name given to someone who shows constant love, now does it? In fact, the nickname was far from a compliment or a reflection of love at all. Here is the crazy thing, though. After Jesus ascended, John became known as the "Disciple of Love." That sounds like a radical identity change, doesn't it?

                Well, it is; but what else can be expected when you have an encounter with the living God? Nothing short of radical should be expected. In fact, anything short of radical should be questioned. Now, here is the key to it all. John found his identity in the love that Jesus Christ has for him. He was transformed from a man of anger and worldliness into a man of love and compassion for others. It was by the love of Jesus Christ that this transformation was able to happen. This transformation happens today still.

                I am coming to realize more and more that the deeper we understand the love of Christ, the more radically our lives will become transformed. We all know John 3:16, and knowing that God loves the world is one thing. That's great. Christianity preaches love. Many can agree and like that idea. That's great and all; but when you realize that Jesus Christ came and died on the cross because He loves YOU, whoever you are, that is when your life changes. Until you realize the love that God has for you specifically, no matter what your past is like or what you're into, you will not be able to experience the radical life change that God has in store for you.

                A few weeks ago, February 13th, I posted "Sin And Sinners" to show us the depth of our sins. I give you this challenge: read that over, meditate on your own sinful nature, and then read Romans 5:8 ("But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were STILL SINNERS, Christ died for us."). Just meditate on this, and if you feel as if you have come to understand what it means to be a Christian and desire to follow Jesus Christ, just open up the book of John and start reading. God will guide you if you follow Him.

                May God bless you out of His deep love for you.


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Praise Him In Advance

                There is a song by the artist Marvin Sapp that is titled "Praise Him in Advance." All in all, it is a song that reminded me of the goodness of God, because it reminds us that even as we go through hard times, God will get us through them and He is still good no matter how the situation looks. I challenge you today to think of this: How many of us PRAISE God during our trials and difficulties?

                It is easy to praise God when we first accept Christ as our Lord and Savior. It is easy to praise God when we get a huge promotion or check at work. It is easy to praise God when things are starting to go our way. Is it just as easy to praise God when your ends and means didn't meet?  it just as easy to praise God when your family is rejecting Him? Is it just as easy to praise God when you're struggling with depression, identity issues, anger, etc.? Maybe not, but is God any less good during those times? No.

                Now, I am not saying to not pray or to praise God instead of feel hurt or anything like that. I simply desire to challenge your mindset. Are there still things to be thankful for even now, in your trial or in your peace? The fact that you can read this is proof enough to me that you are blessed. You have a way to read, you have a source for the internet, you have clothes on your back and working eyes. You have a right mind and resources that majority of the world does not. That does not mean that our trials will not be tough, it just means that even in those trials there is a reason to praise the Lord.

                Psalm 150:1-2 "Praise the Lord! Praise God in His sanctuary; praise Him in Him mighty Heavens! Praise Him for His mighty deeds; praise Him according to His excellent greatness!"


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Growing Up Spiritually

                As we grow up, we begin to learn new things and develop in new ways. As an infant, we are only able to understand the world in the way that we interact with it. As we grow up, we are able to understand and remember concepts, but not more complex things like two containers holding the same amount of liquid, even if one contained is a taller size than the other. Eventually, we grow to even understand these thoughts, and will begin to understand the idea of possibilities and thinking in every field of life. We grow up, and as we grow up we can see the world more clearly. The same thing should be happening to us spiritually.

                Think of yourself from before you were saved. Go on. Take two minutes to think of what you were like before you met Christ. Now think of yourself when you first accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior. No, I'm serious. Remember what you were like. Now think of yourself now. What has changed between now and when you were first saved? I guarantee you something has changed. Just think about it.

                We cannot have an experience with the living God and not be changed, just like we cannot drink a bottle of water and not be hydrates, or get hit by a truck and not look different. God is big, and He works in our lives if we see Him do it or not. I guarantee you that you have grown. Give glory to God for it! But, when an infant learns to walk, do they stop there? No! They learn to run and talk and play!

                God has done so much in your life already, but are you ready to grow some more? We are like children. We cannot stay two years old forever. Eventually, we need to grow. If we are not growing, we are like a dead plant. Even if we are not getting taller, are we producing fruit? Now, I'm not saying do something radical, unless God calls you to do so. I'm just saying, what's the next baby step? For those of you who do not know what to do, here is a list of a few things:

                - Attending church regularly
                - Getting involved with serving your church/community
                - Intentionally spread the love of Christ
                - Make prayer a daily part of life
                - Fast more regularly
                - Read your Bible daily
                - Memorize scripture weekly
                - Share your faith with someone this week
                - Share your faith more regularly
                - Be more open about your faith
                - Learn to filter your language
                - Work on replacing a current sin with something to glorify God
                - Pray for someone other than yourself
                - Pray for yourself more
                - Fine fellowship
                - Find a mentor
                - Begin to disciple someone

                The list can go on and on, but this is not a "good person test" list. Do what God has put on your heart to do because we should always be growing, but grow at your own pace. There is no point in taking on too much and falling or growing bitter when you could master an discipline one step at a time. Let this be personal between you and God, not a new goal that you will flaunt to make yourself holier than thou. Let God do His work in you, His beloved child. Just be patient. It takes years to grow: just remember that you are growing, and that you can keep growing. God will make all things happen for you. Just pray and persevere.

                                                                                                                                         -D

Faith > Fear

                Last night was the first night of High School guys group. Bryan, my overseer, allowed Austin, my brother and fellow intern, and I to be in charge of this ministry. At first, I was excited. Next, I was stoked! Then, I was beyond excited. I sat down and began to plan guy's group for the next thirty-eight weeks. If you couldn't tell yet, I was eager to start this guy's group.

                Just the night before, I was freaking out, wondering what God would have me do. I was trying to figure out what He was going to have me do, what order there would be, if there would be order, etc. I was freaking out. Before I knew it, it was Monday night and I was driving over to the house. I was feeling awkward and excited, but most of all nervous.

                I had to come to the realization that I needed to trust in God. I began to pray as I drove, putting all of my trust in Him. I knew that He was going to be in control, and that His will would be done. I just had to keep reminding myself. The night went nothing like I planned, yet it was the most fruitful and powerful night that I had experienced in a long time. I realized that God had a plan all along, and I just needed to stay in submission to His will.

                When I allowed my faith to be bigger than my fear, I was overwhelmed with what God had in store for us. All that I needed to do was stop trying to make it work on my own, stop trying to set everything up for God, stop trying to overkill everything, and realize that God had a plan that I needed to get in line with.

                When we allow our faith in God to be bigger than the fears of the world, we will be pleasantly surprised. Don't trust me, trust God.


                                                                                                                                         -D

To Remember Him

                As a Christian, you know that Christ died and rose from the grave for us and we are now forgiven. In fact, all can be forgiven of their sin and granted access to the kingdom of God as long as they trust in Jesus Christ. This seemed so elementary to me until a question came up: "Why is it important for us to remember Him?"

                This caused me to stop and think. I knew, before even giving the thought words, that it is critical to remember Him and to forget Him was to forget life, but I couldn't explain it all. Yes, Jesus Christ came, died, and rose again for us so that we may be washed clean, but why is it important for us to remember Him? Take a moment and answer it yourself.

                I personally believe that it is important to remember Him because without Him we are hopeless. If we were to brush Him off like an average Joe that we met at a party and expected to never meet again, we would never be able to indulge in the gifts that Jesus Christ has given us: forgiveness, love, grace, mercy, justification, righteousness. We need to remember Jesus in order to be made whole, made clean, and made right before God. If we forget Jesus, we will continue to walk blindly in our sin and never have hope again. We need Jesus Christ. Remembering Him is as essential as remembering how to breath.


                                                                                                                                         -D

Gratefully Rescued

                Every human being has at least one thing in common: we have all been a slave to sin at one point in our lives. Some of us are still slaves to sin, and some of us have been rescued from that slavery. I don't know about you, but I was gratefully rescued.

                I was desperately in need of a savior, and Jesus came to my call. I was drowning in my sins, in myself, and in an empty life without Christ. It wasn't until I accepted the salvation that Jesus was offering that I could breath. I was so grateful for my savior. I still can't put it into words, but only those who have been gratefully rescued can understand.

                Why am I so grateful about the assist? Ephesians 2:8-9 says it all. "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast." I was rescued and it had nothing to do with my performance. I didn't have to work for the salvation, I didn't have to meet any requirements. God just loved me so much that He rescued me, and that is why I am so grateful. He is loving enough to do the same for you as well. All you have to do is accept His love.

                "And everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?" (John 11:26)

Get Real. Get Right. Repent.

                When it comes to our walk with Christ, my friend Mireille says it best, "Get real. Get right. Repent." If we feel as if we are walking with Christ and going no where, let's examine our lives.

                "Get Real:" Be real with yourself. Are you actually reading your word to learn or just for brownie points with God? Are you praying from your heart or for ten seconds before dinner? Are you sinning on accident or are you making excuses to do it on purpose? We need to be real with ourselves. If we can't even be honest with ourselves, how do we expect to walk with the God who calls Himself Truth?

                "Get Right:" If there is a problem, you have to walk to fix it. If you don't want to make something right, you can't expect a change. If you have offended God, or the body of Christ, or anyone else at all, you need to get right. If we are not willing to fix the relationship, then there will be little to no growth happening.

                "Repent:" Birds fly, fish swim, and Christians repent. This should not be surprising. We should be repenting at all times. It's how we turn away from sin and turn to God. If we need to repent of something, now is the time, because putting it off will only hurt us. God doesn't depend on our service. We are the ones that need Him. Hebrews 2:3 says, "How shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation...?" We need His salvation, so repentance is key.

                I believe Psalms 51:3-4 sums this all up. "For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in Your sight; so You are right in Your verdict and justified when you judge."

                Get real. Get right. Repent.


                                                                                                                                         -D

Purpose Of The Test

                When your teacher gives you a test, who is the test for: your teacher, or you? When your teacher gives you the test, you are the one taking it to prove how much you know, not to prove how much the teacher knows. That would not make sense, but sometimes Christians seem to do that with God. For example, Genesis 22:1-14 is when God tested Abraham and told him to go sacrifice his son, Isaac.

                Let me give you a bit of background. At this time, Ishmael and his mother were no longer with them. It was just Abraham and Sarah. Now, God promised Abraham a son that would create the entire Jewish people and bring forth Jesus, but Abraham and Sarah were too old to do this when God promised it. Well, when Abraham was ninety nine and Sarah was eighty-nine, they conceived and bore Isaac, the promised son. Now, Abraham is well over one hundred years old, and God has just told him to sacrifice his only son (Isaac). Keeping this in mind, God did not promise a second son. Isaac was the promised child, so you can imagine the confusion on Abraham.

                Now, when God tested Abraham in this way, do we say that God wanted to see how faithful Abraham was? For some reason, many people do, but that is not true. God is omniscient, that means that He knows everything that there ever is to know. He already knew Abraham's faithfulness, but Abraham did not know the full faithfulness of God. It was Abraham that did not know, not God.

                So often people get it mixed up; thinking that God is too high to know us so we remind Him of the list of "good deeds" that we have done for Him when things go wrong. "God, I don't know why I have cancer, but it shouldn't be happening. I sat in the front row in church all of the time. I read my Bible and pray every night before bed. I go feed the homeless and tithe by ten percent, sometimes even more for the missionaries and church planters. God, you know that I do my share. Why is something bad happening to me?" We act as if we remember and God has forgotten.

                We see that when God calls Abraham to do this, he does not complain at all. He wakes up the next morning and goes off to sacrifice his son. He sets the fire place, places his son on the alter, and is about to kill him with the knife when an angel came to stop him and showed him that a ram was in the wilderness, stuck waiting for them. Abraham called that spot, "The Lord Will Provide." Abraham learned something. When he went on blind faith, he learned that God will provide. It wasn't for God, it was for him.

                Some of us are going through hard struggles right now and we may be wondering why God is testing us. Well, have faith to do whatever it is that God has asked you to do, and you will  learn something. Maybe you know that God is able to heal, but you never knew in your heart that God could heal you until you got sick and needed to trust in Him when you were afraid. Whatever is going on in your life, trust in God and know that He is doing it for your good and for His glory. In the end, it will be better than anything that you could have imagined. Don't trust me on it. Trust God.


                                                                                                                                         -D

Apple Tree

                Imagine looking at an apple tree. Take a second to picture it. Did it have apples on it? Did it have a sign that said that it was an apple tree? What makes an apple tree an apple tree? Is it the fruit that it bears? Is it the title that we give it? Maybe there is more to it. Maybe an apple tree is an apple tree because God made it so. Maybe it has less to do with the fruit and the packaging than we think. Maybe an apple tree is an apple tree, even before we see the fruit or label the seed. Maybe there is less to do with what we see and more to do with how God made it.

                Our faith is the same way. If we plant a seed within someone, we cannot expect for them to be bearing fruits the next morning. A seed has to take root and begin to sprout. Is faith still faith, even when it is new faith? Is an apple tree still an apple tree, even when it is just sprouting out of the ground? We cannot expect for ourselves to become perfect Christians overnight. We have to let God be God and let Him grow us at His pace, just as He causes the apple seed to grow and produce fruit at His pace.

                Just because we do not see the fruit of faith, works and deeds and the fruit of the Spirit, does not mean that one does not have faith. For all that we know, their faith is just taking root and is just beginning to cultivate fruits. For all that we know, the seed inside of them has died a long time ago, as well. We will not know, just like we will not know if a seed that we planted has taken root or not until we see it outside of the ground. Things go on in our lives that we are not always able to see, but we have to have faith in God that we have taken root.

                I challenge you to think of this. If our faith is like the tree, and our works and results are like the fruit, can we expect to bear fruit the moment that a sprout pops out of the ground? No, so let us not attack anyone who is new to the faith. Let us nurture one another and let God be the one who separated the apple trees from the weeds. Let us not judge others, and let us leave it to the only one who will sit on the great white throne in the book of Revelations.


                                                                                                                                         -D

Information, Knowledge, And Wisdom

                Information, knowledge, and wisdom are not synonymous words. They are closely related though. Keep this in mind when I ask the question: are you reading the Bible for information, knowledge, or wisdom? Let's use John 3:16 for example. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life."

                Information is a sequence of symbols (such as pictures, letters, numbers, etc.) that can be interpreted as a message. If we read John 3:16 as information, we could do basic reading comprehension and understand that it is a sentence. We would walk away with nothing more than a memory verse. Now, nothing is wrong with memorizing Bible verses; but if we only know how to spit out the Bible verse, never knowing what it means, we have wasted out time completely. We can repeat the words, just like remembering titles of books; but what's the point of knowing a book by it's title if you know nothing that is inside? There has to be more than just remembering symbolic patterns.

                Knowledge, is the fact or condition of knowing something with familiarity gained through experience or association. Using John 3:16 again, if we understand it through knowledge, we know that God loves us, that God gave His only son for us, that whoever believes in this loving God's sacrifice will have eternal life. With knowledge, you can "own" the information and use it when applicable to teach others or benefit a cause. This is great to have when teaching, but is this it when it comes to reading the Bible? Just being able to tell other people what the Bible means?

                Wisdom is the judicious application of knowledge. Judicious, meaning to have shown, or done something with, good judgment or sense. If we see John 3:16 through wise eyes, we become the person that God sent His son to die for and we want to accept that everlasting life through believing in Him. Wisdom is taking knowledge and applying it properly.

                Are we reading the Bible to comprehend a sentence? Are we reading the Bible to be familiar with the verses? Or are we reading the Bible to know how to apply the verses in the most practical and judiciously proper sense? I, personally, wish to gain wisdom from the Bible; because in order to gain wisdom I must obtain the knowledge, and in order to obtain the knowledge I must understand the information. I wish the gain the most out of every word from the scripture, because they are the words directly from God. Let's take our Bible's more seriously.

Spiritual Leaders

                As we grow in our faith, we can easily begin to think that we have everything under control. I guarantee you that every six month I believe that I am more of a Christian than I was before. The truth is, I was just being fed more truth. As a child, I still need to be fed. I have only been in the faith for a small amount of time. To be honest, just two months over two years. I am young; and as on fire for God as I am, I need spiritual leaders to guide me. We all do.

                It can be so easy for us to grasp onto one revelation and run with it, as if we have just understood every mystery of Christianity from one Bible verse in all of the sixty-six books. The truth is, we need more than that. We need wise leaders to pour into us. When we look all over the New Testament  we will see how the church is set up. Over and over again, Paul stresses the need for elders, pastors, teachers, etc. We need leaders to lead us; not just to sit on a Sunday morning and tell us what to do, but to guide us and equip us with their wisdom and knowledge. If I think that I have grown at all in two years, I should be able to appreciate how much growth a Christian who has been in the faith for forty years must have gone through. I should desire to learn from elders.

                On top of that, if no one is pouring into me, how can I pour into the generation after me? I have a hand full of young men that I would consider my "disciples" to put it simply; but how can I guide them properly if I have never been guided through higher wisdom? In order to be a good teacher I must always be a student of someone. The moment I stop learning is the moment that I no longer become useful to teach. Unless I am being poured into, how can I pour into others?

                I know that some of you are saying, well I learn from God. So do I. God does teach me through the Word, prayer, and life circumstances. He also teaches me through pastors, mentors, elders, and other people of the faith who share in the same body as me. To think that we can learn nothing from those who walked in the faith longer than us is to say that God has never worked in anyone older than us. If that is true, does that mean that God never worked through the apostles? We have to be humble and remember that God can use others to teach us, not just in a clear way but in a humbling way to keep us willing to obey authority, namely His authority.

                If I had been hardheaded towards those who have mentored me, I would still be too stubborn and hardheaded to truly be used by God. I needed elders in my life like Jon Marshall, Minister Shantell, David Ramirez, Bryan Carver, and more who's names I will not say at this time. So, I will end with this. We need spiritual leaders; for our sake, for the next generation's sake, and for the sake of following scripture.


                                                                                                                                         -D

                P.S. HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRYAN CARVER!!! Thank you for being such an awesome leader!

If It's On Your Heart

                There was once a man by the name of George Muller who ran an orphanage on prayer and prayer alone. If you decided to read his story, you would see decades of faith inspiring stories. He would pray with the children before dinner when there was no dinner on the table, and as soon as they would finish praying, someone would be knocking at the door to deliver food. Donations from people that he had never met before would pour in to pay his bills. He was a man who ran a company strictly on faith.

                As many interesting things as there are in his life, there is one thing in particular that stands out to me. George Muller, through his adult life, was praying for five friends for over forty years. The first four, George was able to see come to Christ. After fifty-two years of prayer, his fifth friend came to Christ just after George Muller had died. He was a man of faithful prayer.

                He reminded me that, when God puts it on my heart to pray for someone, there is a reason and it will be rewarded. We just need to be patient and faithful to do what God calls us to do. We may not see the fruits of our labor right away, or ever, but we have to ask ourselves: do we have faith in God anyways? Even if we never see our prayers coming true, do we have faith in God that they do come true?

                God has put it on my heart to pray for a few people. Sometimes I feel bad for not praying for everyone, but I have to remember that God did not put it on my heart to pray for them today, and that I will continue to pray for anyone that God calls me to pray for because God has a plan and He will be glorified. So, for all of you that feel as if your prayers for other's salvation isn't being answered; just remember that not everyone will get saved overnight and not everyone will get saved in front of your eyes. Trust in God to be God and to answer your prayers when the time is best.


                                                                                                                                         -D

My God Is Mighty

                When Paul is writing in the book of Romans, he begins to talk about how Abraham was given righteousness by God because of his faith. There is an interesting section in this chapter that stuck out to me. Romans 4:17 says, "As it is written: "I have made you a father of many nations." He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed - the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not." There are two powerful concepts here. 1) The type of promises our God makes, and 2) the type of God that Abraham had faith in.

                In the beginning of the verse, Paul reminds us of scripture when God told Abraham "I have made you a father of many nations." God did not say, "I will try to make you a father of many nations." God declared it to already be so, because He is not restricted to anything, not time or energy or circumstances. God is sovereign over all and He never makes a promise that will not come true. He is all powerful and ruler over all: what can't He make happen? Paul makes sure to remind us that we serve a God that makes promises that are true at all times. God has never made a promise that He has not kept.

                Now, we can move on to the type of God that Abraham had faith in. We see that Paul takes time to describe God, saying "The God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not." Paul is showing us that Abraham put his faith in the God who can make dead things live and make things that don't exist come into existence. He rose Jesus and Lazarus from the dead, and He called all of creation into existence out of nothing. There is nothing that God cannot do. He gave Abraham (99 years old) and Sarah (89 years old) Isaac when they were far beyond years of having children. From that miracle  the entire Jewish nation was born. If you are even part Jewish, you are descendant from that miracle. Because God holds true to His promises and has the power that no one else has to do so, the entire Jewish people were born.

                I don't know how you view God or what God is like in your head, but I serve the God who spoke all things into existence in Genesis and rose Jesus from the dead in the Gospels. I will always serve the God of Abraham because He is a mighty God who saved me from so many things and will save you as well if you put your trust in Him. How can you trust a God who can't do more than you? It's time to be like Abraham and put our faith into the only Mighty God who lives!


                                                                                                                                         -D

Period.

                God loves us. Period.

                Many times, people try to earn God's love or credit themselves for God's love by doing deeds or acting a certain way. This type of thinking is wrong. It is an insult to God to think that He is so trivial that a simple prayer or a few hours of service a week will make Him love you, as if He were so easily amused. First of all, He is omniscient. He knows all that there ever is to know, past, present, and future. He knows your heart and He knows your motives. He is omnipotent and sovereign over all. There is nothing that He cannot do or cannot have. This means that there is nothing that we have that will make Him love us. Not a thing.

                God's love is so much deeper than ours, because He is so much deeper than us. We are, essentially, shallow. We ask for unconditional love but constantly give conditional love. We love, as long as... until... because of... only if... when... as often as... etc.

                God, on the other hand, loves you. Period. There is nothing else to it. His love is eternal, unconditional, and limitless. There is nothing deeper than His love and nothing greater than it, and there are no conditions on it.

                God loves you. Period.


                                                                                                                                        -D

Sin And Sinners

                It amazes me how people can easily admit that they sin, but refuse to think of themselves as sinners. Sinning is one thing; we all have done something "bad." Being a sinner is a totally different idea. Being a sinners means that we are "bad people." Guess what? We aren't sinners because we sin; we sin because we are sinners. Matthew 15:19 says, "For out of the heart comes evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander." It is out of our heart. Guess what, guys? We are born bad, not good.

                So many people like to think that we are born good and do bad, but look at an infant and their mother. Does a mother ever have to teach their child to hit? Does a mother ever have to teach her child to be selfish? Does a mother ever have to teach their child to cry if things don't go their way? Does a mother ever have to teach their child to be greedy? Does a mother ever have to teach a child how to do bad? No. A mother spends time teacher her child how to do good! She spends time teaching her child how to share, how to love others, how to use nice words, how to not be greedy, etc. If a mother has to teach their child how to do good, what does that say about the way that we are born?

                If you couldn't guess, that means that we are born sinful. We are born knowing how to sin. We are born looking out for ourselves and not other people. If you try to use the argument, "well, children don't know better," then you are correct. They don't know better than right and wrong. That is exactly what I am saying. None of us are born knowing better. That is why we can say, with confidence, that we are born wicked and have to be taught how to do good.

                If you truly believe that you are not a born sinner, that sin is not your master from birth, then I have a challenge for you. Take the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17) and the "Golden Rules" (Do unto others as you would have them do to you Matthew 7:12). Keeping this in mind, you cannot commit these sins in the physical world or in your heart and mind. That means, you cannot meditate on killing someone, you cannot get angry and think of how you would want to cuss that person out, you cannot think of what you would do to that girl at work or that boy next door, you cannot help someone and grumble about it the whole time, and you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and body at all times. No one has ever been able to do this, except for Jesus Christ.

                If you would like to try this challenge, be my guest and allow God to show you the sinful nature within; but in the end, it comes down to us being sinful because we are born sinners. The sooner that we can realize the depth of our problem, the sooner we can stop putting band-aids on our cancer and go to the doctor and get healed before it kills us.


                                                                                                                                         -D

The Purpose Of The law

                What is the purpose of the law? What is the point of the Ten Commandments? What is the point of all of these rules? Many would think that the point of these rules is to show you how to live right. That is not necessarily true. Yes, the law shows you how you should be living, but that is not the main function of the law.

                God knows that we are naturally sinners. We do not need any more help with sin; and we are unable to keep the law. God knows are imperfection, but look around and ask yourself how many people know their own imperfections. Many people either underplay most of their flaws or totally ignore some of their short comings. Without the law, how would we for sure know that stealing or sex before marriage is wrong? Jesus had to tell us to do unto others as we would want them to do to us (Matthew 7:12). If Jesus had to tell us, how much does that say about our ability to be good and think of others naturally. Without intervention, we are sinful creatures that will not see the depth of our depravity.

                That is where the law comes in. Pull up the Ten Commandments and see if you have committed any of them, with actions or in your heart. I guarantee you that you have gone against, or thought of going against, at least half of the list. The point of the law is this very thing!

                The law was not made just as a check list of how to become a better person. We utterly fail at upholding the law on our own. The point of the law is to show us God's standard and how aw don't match up. The law shows us our sinful nature and how bad we truly are.

                Galatians 3:24 says, "Therefore the law became our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith."


                                                                                                                                         -D

Intellect Vs Faith

                Here is the dilemma: So many people are on the fence about Christianity because they think they have an intellectual issue with Christianity. Many people that I have talked to have said to me, "If I just see God, then I would be a hard core believer," or, "When the rapture happens, then I will be a hard core believer." These are all personal issues that they believe will solve their intellectual dilemma, which is not true. These are issues with faith, not intellect.

                Imagine this: A new born infant sees his parents and everyone around her walking. She grows up watching other people do it. Eventually, she finally decided to try it and falls flat on her face. Does she believe that walking is not for her? No. Does she believe that walking only works for some people? No. Does she believe that walking is just a crutch that those adults are using? No. She gets up and keeps trying until she can walk and, soon enough, run. She has faith that walking is something that she can, and will, do.

                When you sit down in a chair, that is an action of faith. You may be arguing with me already, but please hear me out. You had no idea if that chair was going to break or not when you went to sit in it; but you had faith that it would hold up like every other time. In fact, you would be surprised if it did not do it's purpose!

                God is the same way! We need to realize that He is that chair, dependable and sturdy, ready to be used at any time and all we have to do is sit down and let Him work. He is like walking. Just because we fall the first time doesn't mean God isn't there or God isn't helping. You have to keep getting up and God will help you go farther each time.

                The issue with people is not that they want more facts: they want more faith building examples; but here comes the issue. How can you build your faith off of me praising and worshiping the God that you don't truly believe in? You need to step out in faith and trust in God. Stop worrying about enough proof and evidence. When you step out in faith, God will come and prove Himself to you even louder than ever before, and over and over and over again. You just have to have faith.

                Hebrew 11:6, "And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him."


                                                                                                                                         -D

To Whom Would We Go

                When Jesus was preaching to a large crowd, telling them what it would be like to follow Him, many of them began to leave. Jesus was speaking serious stuff, telling them to do things that they began to grumble about. Many of them said it would be too hard, and Jesus was not going to sugar coat the Gospel just to keep some numbers around. He was up front with the costs and the gains. All but twelve left His side.

                John 6:67-69 records this. It says, "Then Jesus turned to the Twelve and asked, 'Are you also going to leave?' Simon Peter replied, 'Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life. We believe, and we know you are the Holy One of God.'"

                Peter says something that resonates so deeply with me. Jesus asks him, will you leave too like everyone else because I didn't only tell you about the good? And Peter replies with that question that is so profound. Where else would we go?

                You see, I am not a Christian because I have no where else to go and I just stumbled into a church. I know exactly what else I could do. I could go to the Military and build in the ranks. I could drop out of college and go home to work full time at the job that I have at home. I could keep my major and travel the country being a motivational speaker. I could become a psychologist and help children and parents alike. I could list 101 things that I could do successfully and go do them all; but none of them are rewarding when standing next to Christ.

                No amount of motivational speeches stacks up to one sermon that brings someone to Christ. No amount of psychological work will ever stack up to a council meeting with someone in the church who needs help. I am not saying that those other jobs are bad. What I am saying is that life without Christ is empty and meaningless. I am not a Christian because I would fail without Christ. I am a Christian because Christ is worth it. He makes my life worth living and He alone brings satisfaction and joy that never ends.

                I'm not a Christian because I don't know what else to do. I'm a Christian because I know exactly what else to do. I know everything else I could do. That is what makes Peter's words resonate so deeply with me. "Where else would we go?"


                                                                                                                                         -D