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