Real Ruler

                Yesterday, my Political Science teacher asked the class what it would take for us to go out into the streets and overthrow the government. In all honesty, I could think of nothing. A friend of mine in the class said that he would if the government took away social security and took our hard earned money from our banks, he would want to overthrow the government.

                I tried to think of every situation of what the government would do, but nothing gave me even a moment of passion to rebel or protest. Maybe it was because it had never happened to me, but I just could not stir the passion to care enough about anything that the government did, because it is not my main source of authority. All of my rules and standards come from God, and He is the one that I care about. He authority is the one that I listen to above all.

                God does tell us to obey the law of the land in Romans 13, but to put His law first. As Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, I have no reason to rebel or riot about anything the government does to me; because my first and final allegiance is to the Lord and no one else. In the end, isn't that what Jesus asks for?


                                                                                                                                         -D

Truth On Humility

                Humility is a tricky subject. I always say, once you think you have it, you've lost it. Pride is a sin that all can fall for easily. So often, I had thought that humility meant to think lowly of ourselves and to think of everyone as above us. This is true, in one aspect; but it is not the main point. To be humble means to know your place.

                As a servant of God, we are called to serve others; so when we know our place as servant of others, we do think of everyone else above us. This does not mean that we are constantly putting ourselves down, but that we remember what our place is before God and before others. If we have done good, we have the right to thank someone for the compliment, as long as we do so properly. To just insult yourself or discard every compliment will move into false pride, which is just a prideful thought process of trying to look humble before others.

                1 Peter 5:6 says, "Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time He may exalt you." When we remember our place and act accordingly, God will elevate our position; but, if we cannot understand what it means to be low and to act accordingly, we will only grow more prideful as we become elevated. In order to be humble, we must know our place.

                Well, what if we do not know our place? What if we are in a new environment or had never thought of this before? Follow Luke 14:8-11, which says, "When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest someone more distinguished than you be invited by him, and he who invited you both will say to you, 'Give your place to this person,' and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place. But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may says to you, 'Friend, move up higher.' Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at the table with you. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

                Remember, being humble is not about brushing aside compliments or saying how great you aren't. It's about knowing your place and living accordingly.


                                                                                                                                         -D

The Finished Work

                In John 19:30, it says, "When Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, 'It is finished,' and He bowed His head and gave up His spirit."

                When Jesus said, "It is finished," He meant it. So often we try to look for a certain type of way of doing things. So often we try to work to earn God's love, when the truth is we should be working because God loves us! God's love was shown on the cross when He finished the deed and bought our salvation; but so many times we can get into a mindset that basically says, "I need to make sure that I am saved."

                Once you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you do not need to go through any classes or do any special rituals. To say that you need to do more to be saved is to say that what Jesus Christ did for us on the cross was not enough. We cannot work out way into salvation, but it comes by grace. Galatians 2:21 says it perfectly. "I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!"

                Rest assured that your salvation is sealed by the blood of Jesus Christ the moment you ask Him into your heart as your Lord and Savior and repent of your sins. Trust in 1 Peter 3:18. "For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit."

                Through Jesus, you can have total and complete salvation and forgiveness. There is nothing more that needs to be done. When Jesus said it is finished, He meant it.


                                                                                                                                         -D

Arguing Religion

                I love to study apologetics, which is the art of defending one's faith; and I am one who loves debates and anything of the like; so it is not a far stretch to imagine that I can easily get into argument mode. I can easily feel offended, look at my enemy, and form arguments to tear apart their statements. In my mind, this is great; but in God's eyes, this is great foolishness and I must keep myself in check at all times.

                When a friendly conversation has turned into a debate, there is no problem; but when a friendly debate has turned into an argument, you are one step away from a shouting match. It is foolishness. If I cannot convey my thoughts without shouting, raising my voice, or cutting off someone else, it is not a thought worth explaining and we must all keep these boundaries in mind. If my goal is just to be right, I have already lost, no matter the outcome of the argument because 2 Timothy 2:23-24 says, "Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil."

                If the purpose of opening my mouth is to argue with you, or win an argument, I am being quarrelsome and failing God the moment I speak. Even If I am right, I am wrong for not being kind to everyone. No one teaches by shouting at someone. I am failing by loosing my patience, even in the face of someone sinning. We must always remember that sharing our faith does not mean shoving it down someone's throat; but to be open and honest about our faith when someone asks about it. Learn when you are failing the Lord by trying to win your arguments; because no one has ever given over their life to Christ after losing an argument.


                                                                                                                                         -D

As You Are

                One thing about Jesus Christ that many people don't seem to know is that He takes you as you are. You don't have to get off drugs or get a better job or fix your anger problems to come to Jesus Christ. In fact, Jesus wants you to come to Him as the true, broken person that you are. He wants you to be honest with Him and honest with yourself; but so many people think that they have to be a certain way to become a Christian. That is not true!

                You come to Jesus as you are and He will do the rest for you. Are you on drugs? Don't wait to be a month clean to come to Jesus! Come as you are, He will give you the strength to overcome it! Do you feel lonely? Don't wait until you have a relationship or a bunch of friends to come to Jesus! Come as you are, He will never leave you or get rid of you, and He will stick closer to you than a brother and love you forever. You don't have to come to Jesus as a perfect person! No one is perfect, not even Christians are perfect! We all need Jesus; so stop thinking that you need to be perfect in order to be saved. That is not true.

                You might say that you have done stuff that Jesus wouldn't even forgive you for. Well, let me tell you this; when Jesus was on the cross, the punishment reserved for the worst of the worst type of crimes and actions, He forgave the man on the cross next to Him without hesitation. He will forgive you, whatever your sin may be. There is no sin too deep to be forgiven of. Jesus forgave Simon, who was killing dozens of Christians, and turned His life around.

                Your sins can be forgiven. Just come to Jesus as you are and ask Him to forgive you of your sins and to be your Lord and Savior. I guarantee you that it will be the best decision of your life, and that He will love you no matter what mess you're in. You don't have to do it alone. Jesus wants to take away your baggage. Let Him set you free. You won't ever regret it. I guarantee that.


                                                                                                                                         -D

Love And Logic

                Romans 1:20 says, "For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse." We can see God exists, believer or not, by the evidence that He has placed all over the world. The one that I want to focus on is the one spoken in 1 John 4:8, where it says that God is love. This may seem trivial, but it is proof of God.

                1 Corinthians 13:4-7 says that, "Love is patient , love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor other, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrong. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." These are attributes that directly contradict evolution or any universe where God doesn't exist.

                If no one caused us to love, we would have no reason to be patient or kind to others. In fact, we would be like animals. We would have no reason to love, because love causes sacrifice and sacrifice goes against self-preservation. That alone shows us that it should not be natural to love! In nature, self-preservation is first;  we do we have a natural urge to love?

                Love could not have been beaten into our heads, because survival of the fittest would have wiped out anything that tried to love so deeply, much love force others to love that would not understand the concept. The fact that love, true love, exists, thrives, and is treated as natural as a need for food is proof that God put it into us as proof of His existence.

                Because love exists, we know that God is the one who made it exist in humans alone. Because we were made in the image of God, and God is love, we have the ability to love like God. This is proof of His existence that anyone can see, believer or not.


                                                                                                                                         -D

What, If Taken...

                 What, if taken, would cause you the ultimate pain? THAT is your god. Whatever can cause the worst pain by being taken away is whatever is most important to you. If you claim to be a Christian, that should be God.

                The thought of God taking away His presence from you, taking away His relationship from you, the inability to pray to Him, to hear Him, to speak to Him, to be on His side, should hurt you more than a bullet. We can thank God that He will never leave us nor forsake us; but if there is another loss that would cause more pain, then that thing is more important than God.

                 If loosing a job, a house, a car, a position, a title, a class, a phone, or anything other than God hurts you more than loosing Jesus Christ, that thing is your god and that thing is what you worship. Take time to examine your heart and find out what you truly worship. God wants to be first. Are you trusting in something other than Him?


                                                                                                                                         -D

Daily Bread

                When Jesus was showing us an example of how we should pray, He said, "give us this day our daily bread." (Matthew 6:11) Jesus also said, "Man does not live by bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God." (Matthew 4:4) When we think of how often we eat, why do we not read the word at least half as much?

                This is not a challenge to read the Bible in a day. This is a question: when was the last time you felt full on the Word of God? If you do not know that feeling, it is the feeling of satisfaction. You have read and God has spoken to you, and you have received you portion from the mouth of God.

                When was the last time that you were hungry for the Word of the Lord and you decided to indulge? Jeremiah 15:16 says, "When Your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart's delight, for I bear Your name, O Lord God Almighty." When was the last time that you got into the word and closed the book feeling joy? When was the last time that you read the Bible and felt delight?

                You should treat the Bible more like a fine meal. Don't eat just because it's seven on a Wednesday night and it's about time to eat. Eat because you are hungry and want to be full. Eat because you want to eat something of quality that tastes good. Eat because your body needs more protein. Eat with a purpose so that you can get the most out of it.

                I do not dare you to read a certain amount or anything like that, but I challenge you: The next time that you open up your Bible to read, treat it like a fine meal that your spiritual body needs.


                                                                                                                                         -D

New Day

                Many times, we will be put into situations where we wish that we could have a second chance to do something again. We wish that we could answer our boss differently, say something different to our loved ones, take something back that we said to our friends, spend our day a different way. We all have felt, at some point in time, regret. Some of you say that you do not live life with regrets. Well, even so, at some point in time in the past you regretted something. You have to feel regret in order to learn. Regret isn't always huge, but it comes in all shapes and sizes.

                Now, no one can go back in time and get that second chance. It just doesn't happen that way. But, here is the good thing about God. He does something better than just give us a redo. He gives us forgiveness. Now, why is forgiveness better than a redo? When you redo something, you don't always learn. When you get forgiveness, you keep the mistake and learn your lesson while moving forward and learning what forgiveness looks like. You grow when you go through trials and tests.

                The awesome thing about God is that He doesn't hold your sins against you once you ask for forgiveness. Now, many people will try to tell you otherwise, that God is some guy floating int he sky bringing wrath down upon people. That is a lie. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." The old things are gone when you find yourself in Christ. All sins and mistakes are forgiven and you start fresh.

                Sometimes, we have days where we know that we did wrong and feel as if God won't forgive us if we came to Him yet. As if we have to have a time out from forgiveness. Or, we feel as if when we ask for forgiveness, we have to wait for it to kick in. Neither one is true. 1 John 1:9 says, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." There is no delay, no time limit, no open and closed hours on God's forgiveness.

                If we ask God to forgive us from our sins and mean it, confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive. That means that He will forgive us, it is a guarantee. A promise, and God has never broken a promise. He can't break a promise. So ask yourself this: What is keeping you from repenting of your sins and starting a new day?


                                                                                                                                         -D

Revelation 12:11

                "And I heard a loud voice saying in Heaven, now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death." (Revelation 12:10-11)

                As Christians, there are two things in life that we should cling onto: The blood of the Lamb, and the word of our testimony.

                In the blood of the Lamb is the salvation that we all need from sin and death. In the blood of the Lamb is the restoration and deliverance from evil and from our sinful nature. In the blood of the Lamb is the peace and the joy that surpasses all understanding. In the blood of the Lamb is the power of the cross that Jesus Christ conquered on your behalf. In the blood of the Lamb is the payment for the price of your sin.

                In the word of your testimony is the remembered of who God truly is. In the word of your testimony is the recollection of all of the promises that God has made to man which have never been broken by Him. In the word of your testimony is every reason to shout unto the Heaven's in joy for the work that your Lord and Savior has done on your behalf.

                There is no trial or test that can stand against the blood of the Lamb and the word of your testimony. The blood saves you and your testimony reminds you of what you have become. Do not loose the  blood of the Lamb or the word of your testimony; for by it, you can overcome all trials and tests. Share them with all people that you know.

                When was the last time that you shared the story of the cross with someone? When was the last time that you shared your testimony with someone? When was the last time you shared these things with someone who is not saved?

                If you feel as if you do not have a testimony, be patient. If you are a Christian, you will have a testimony. That is guaranteed.  You will go through something where you need to rely on God; and if not, open your eyes and check if either you are being carried through your storm by God, or if you have truly accepted the blood of the Lamb.


                                                                                                                                         -D

13&14

                When it comes to biblical numerology, the number 13 means rebellion, and the number 14 means deliverance, or salvation. I thought that this was appropriate as we enter into 2013.

                With all of the recent deaths, shootings, killings, rumors of war, etc. that seem to only get worse as we came to the end of 2012, we must remember this one thing: where sin abounds, grace abounds much more. (Romans 5:20)

                Sometimes we need to have some rainy days to truly appreciate the sun. Sometimes we need to go through some Hell to truly appreciate Heaven. How can you appreciate what you have always had? You may be wondering why you can't even have peace when you walk into your home, or why you can't even enjoy your day off. Well, if you always had peace, you would never appreciate it. Sometimes, you need to go through the bad in order to grow and to truly appreciate what has happened.

                The word appreciate means: To recognize the full worth of. It is because we go through hard times that we can truly appreciate, or recognize the full worth of, the good things. If we never knew sin, how could we appreciate salvation? If we never knew bad, how could we appreciate good? This does not mean go out and sin; but it means that when things are hard, you should not complain and pout, but instead be ready for the fullness of the goodness of God.

                This year will hold something different for every person. It can be good or bad, depending on how you look at it; but just remember that, either way, you can grow from it and learn to appreciate God more and more from it. Let this year, no matter what may happen, be a blessing.


                                                                                                                                         -D

First Things First

                I have to say, first thing's first, Happy New Year's and Congratulations to all for making it this far. We all know that not everyone has made it into 2013. Before I post anything else or even mention another thing, first thing's come first. We must get one thing right: Are you saved?

                If you are planning on learning about Jesus, going to church more, joining a Bible study, or whatever it may be in order to defeat sin, become a better person, or ensure your way out of Hell and into Heaven, I would like you to check yourself first. Being saved is not just works. Yes, faith without works is dead; but works without faith is dead also (James 2:14-26).

                How do you know that you are saved? Well, it comes down to this: Do you have a relationship with Jesus Christ where He is your Lord (First and final authority as God who creates the standard in which to live by) and Savior (The one who has saved you from the death sentence of your sin because you accepted that He bled, died, and rose again to take the wrath of the Father for your great sins) which is held by grace through faith? If this is something that you can come into total agreement with, then you are saved. You should begin to see changes in your life. You have less and less of a desire to sin and more and more of a desire to spread the word of God and the Gospel to everyone that you know. You may become scared for the salvation of others. Over all, you have a testimony that you are not afraid to share.

                If you can say that Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior and mean every word of it in its true and original context, then go forward and begin to learn; but if not, I suggest that you look at your relationship with God and see if you desire one or not. You cannot spiritually grow if you are not spiritually alive; and you cannot be spiritually alive unless you are spiritually alive in Him.

                I pray that you all may have transcending peace and boundless love this up coming year. God bless and keep the faith.


                                                                                                                                         -D