It blows my mind how people can justify living by their own will. I know I am guilty of it often myself. I am guilty of sinning everyday. The difference is I try and always recognize my sin and repent and ask forgiveness for all sins I have committed, even the ones I am not aware of.
We have a problem in the church. It's not a problem that is small but one that is allowing Satan to destroy the church. This problem is not only running rampant in America but is a worldwide tragedy. The problem is we as Christians rationalize our sins and the sins of our Brothers and Sisters everyday. We make statements like, "the Bible didn't really mean that." We say things like, "the culture was way different when the Bible was written then it is today."
Yes that is true the culture has changed. Why has it changed and how has it changed? Well after 2,000 plus years since Jesus was murdered for our sins, Satan has been deceiving us with his lies. Lies like it's OK for women to lead the church. Lies like it's natural for men to have sex with men and for women to have sex with women. We have come to justify that men and women can have sex outside marriage, that it's OK to have sex with many partners. We even rationalize that it's OK for teenagers to have sex as long as it's safe sex. We even have gone so far to say that murdering an unborn child that God has given life to is not only acceptable by law but we will pay for it with tax dollars in this country.
No where in the Bible does it say that any of these previously mentioned items are acceptable. There are many versus on each of these subjects. There is no where in the Bible that says the Word of God will expire and be rewritten to accommodate our new broken culture.
We as Christians MUST allow the Word of God to be the only benchmark for how we live our lives. When we fall short we then will be covered by Grace, only after we confess our sin but not make excuses for it. I wish all churches would start getting back to the basics and only focus on the Truth in the scriptures. I believe this is part of the reason we Christian's are called hypocrites so often.
I myself live in hypocrisy more than I would like to admit. The key however is when I recognize it I confess it and lay it at that cross.
Whenever you hear a Pastor give you their interpretation of the Word of God. Ask them to use the Scriptures to validate their opinion. If a Pastor or Elder makes a comment such as times have changed or our culture is different now from when the Bible was written. You may just look them in the eye and say as your Lord once said, "get behind me Satan."
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Whenever we challenge God and try and change the Word to satisfy our broken and sinful lives we are allowing Satan a stronger grasp on us. We are listening to the lies of the enemy and we are telling God that Satan's lies have more power and worth than God Almighty. We must as a church, the body of Christ start living our lives as God has directed us in the Holy Bible, His Word...and the Word was God.
Heavenly Father, please allow me to live my life in your Light. Give me the strength to stop listening to the lies of Satan and to only hear the love from your Word. Please Lord give me the strength I need to stop rationalizing my sins and brokenness. Father I pray for all people in this nation and across the world that have proclaimed you Lord Jesus as their Lord and Savior to stop living the lies in your church. I pray we stop accepting the lies from Satan and that we stand up to the weak leaders in your church and challenge them to get back to Your "Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth." Please Lord forgive us of the sins that we commit sinfully in your name. We know you hate each and every sin equally and yet we try and justify that some of our sins are better than others even though we know that all sin is evil and hated by you God. Please forgive us of this broken state our culture and society has inexcusably become. Thank you Lord Jesus. In your Holy and Glorious name. AMEN
Monday, April 16, 2012
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Saturday April 7, 2012
After much prayer and reflection I have been brought to a realization. A lesson that God wanted me to learn. A very hard and humbling lesson at that. He used my own pain to teach me how I hurt Him over and over again. This is a lesson that I was not wanting to learn and a lesson that angered me greatly at God as I was living through it.
You see God brought me together with an incredible and beautiful woman of God a while ago and it was magical. We talked, we prayed and we studied our Father together. There were many confirmations that this was His will even though at the same time it was also our will. One of the few times in my life that I feel my will and God's will were the same. As things were going so well He gave us very specific instructions of obedience. We were doing everything we could to be obedient and life was great. I have never felt the connection with a person like this when we prayed and studied together. It really was euphoric and honestly better than sexual satisfaction. I was so convinced that God finally brought the woman into my life that He was going to one day make into my wife. We prayed for strength that our new relationship and the love that was growing would not become a form of idolatry.
Things were going so wonderful and then Satan began his attacks on us. During this entire blissful time of getting to know one another Satan was angry and jealous and looking to destroy what was happening. Lucifer was attacking her through her children. He was coming into her house on the shoulders of her son's Father that was living in her house as he was committing adultery . He was attacking my insecurities and my vulnerabilities as well. He was telling me that no way I could ever have such a beautiful and loving woman as my wife. The enemy does not play fair and will attack us in every possible way we allow. We allowed these attacks to destroy what God had orchestrated in us. A man and woman that had prayed in faith to bring forward a mate, a partner and lover of Christ to build up and glorify God and His Kingdom.
These attacks were successful and showed how weak we were in our walk with Christ. Immediately she put up walls like I never have seen before and ran. She made all kinds of excuses to avoid our prayer and study time. She made excuses to avoid talking and communicating as fast as we had built something incredible, Satan destroyed what we were building. This was a very sad realization and absolutely tore me up as I'm sure it did her. I got very angry at God. I lashed out in anger in prayer and my walk. I figured if He wouldn't protect something that He had given me when I was being obedient why should I work so hard to live my life in a way that honors Him. Yes, I was listening to Satan's lies and they impacted my life. Therefore I took advantage of a woman that I had no interest in that has a weak walk with God and used her for sex. I immediately felt shame and guilt as God convicted me. The dark emptiness I was feeling was about as low as I have felt since I committed my life to Christ. I found myself praying for Him to end my life. Strike me with a massive heart attack. Allow a drunk driver to crash into me and kill me instantly. All I wanted was to go home to Heaven so I would not have to feel the pain and guilt that my own sin was eating away at my very being. This was when God started to attack Satan on my behalf. To protect me His pitiful child.
Over the last couple weeks God has made it very clear. He showed me how badly He hurts when I turn on Him. He showed me this by using the pain I felt when this woman pulled away as an analogy. See everything was great and wonderful and the love we shared was incredible. Then all of a sudden it soured and there was great pain and hurt in my heart. That is how He feels when my prayer life is focused and my walk is solid and everything I do in my life is to bring honor and glory to Christ. God feels that love and relishes when we love Him the way He desires. However when we turn our backs and live our will and not His will, Father is devastated with pain and great sadness. The pain I have been feeling at the thought of losing my dearest friend and the wife I had dreamt about. That pain is the same pain I cause our Father when I am not walking with Him and for His Kingdom. What a tough lesson this has been to learn and how humbling to realize.
I am so sorry that I have been so selfish and arrogant that God had to use this wonderful woman that has been to hell and back the last 18 months, to teach me how broken and messed up I am. It hurt my heart greatly when I realized that what we had originally experienced was just a storm that God needed to bring me through as to build my faith and trust in Him. It broke my heart when the realization of how badly I hurt God every time I stray from walking with Christ. This was a very painful and humbling experience to say the least.
Lord Father in Heaven,
I thank you for the lesson you have taught me. I thank you for the pain you put on my heart to teach me about the pain I cause you each day that I listen to Satan and not you. I thank you Lord for an unconditional love, grace and mercy that I do not deserve but I welcome with gratitude. I thank you Jesus for the cross that eradicated death for all of the sins I commit against you and your people. I thank you Father for the blessings I receive daily as they are all gifts from you Father. I pray for strength God that I will let go of my will and live in only your will for me. As I know that your will is perfect and I need to stop trying to steer a ship that already has a Captain that is Master and Lord. In Jesus glorious and Holy name I pray. Amen
You see God brought me together with an incredible and beautiful woman of God a while ago and it was magical. We talked, we prayed and we studied our Father together. There were many confirmations that this was His will even though at the same time it was also our will. One of the few times in my life that I feel my will and God's will were the same. As things were going so well He gave us very specific instructions of obedience. We were doing everything we could to be obedient and life was great. I have never felt the connection with a person like this when we prayed and studied together. It really was euphoric and honestly better than sexual satisfaction. I was so convinced that God finally brought the woman into my life that He was going to one day make into my wife. We prayed for strength that our new relationship and the love that was growing would not become a form of idolatry.
Things were going so wonderful and then Satan began his attacks on us. During this entire blissful time of getting to know one another Satan was angry and jealous and looking to destroy what was happening. Lucifer was attacking her through her children. He was coming into her house on the shoulders of her son's Father that was living in her house as he was committing adultery . He was attacking my insecurities and my vulnerabilities as well. He was telling me that no way I could ever have such a beautiful and loving woman as my wife. The enemy does not play fair and will attack us in every possible way we allow. We allowed these attacks to destroy what God had orchestrated in us. A man and woman that had prayed in faith to bring forward a mate, a partner and lover of Christ to build up and glorify God and His Kingdom.
These attacks were successful and showed how weak we were in our walk with Christ. Immediately she put up walls like I never have seen before and ran. She made all kinds of excuses to avoid our prayer and study time. She made excuses to avoid talking and communicating as fast as we had built something incredible, Satan destroyed what we were building. This was a very sad realization and absolutely tore me up as I'm sure it did her. I got very angry at God. I lashed out in anger in prayer and my walk. I figured if He wouldn't protect something that He had given me when I was being obedient why should I work so hard to live my life in a way that honors Him. Yes, I was listening to Satan's lies and they impacted my life. Therefore I took advantage of a woman that I had no interest in that has a weak walk with God and used her for sex. I immediately felt shame and guilt as God convicted me. The dark emptiness I was feeling was about as low as I have felt since I committed my life to Christ. I found myself praying for Him to end my life. Strike me with a massive heart attack. Allow a drunk driver to crash into me and kill me instantly. All I wanted was to go home to Heaven so I would not have to feel the pain and guilt that my own sin was eating away at my very being. This was when God started to attack Satan on my behalf. To protect me His pitiful child.
Over the last couple weeks God has made it very clear. He showed me how badly He hurts when I turn on Him. He showed me this by using the pain I felt when this woman pulled away as an analogy. See everything was great and wonderful and the love we shared was incredible. Then all of a sudden it soured and there was great pain and hurt in my heart. That is how He feels when my prayer life is focused and my walk is solid and everything I do in my life is to bring honor and glory to Christ. God feels that love and relishes when we love Him the way He desires. However when we turn our backs and live our will and not His will, Father is devastated with pain and great sadness. The pain I have been feeling at the thought of losing my dearest friend and the wife I had dreamt about. That pain is the same pain I cause our Father when I am not walking with Him and for His Kingdom. What a tough lesson this has been to learn and how humbling to realize.
I am so sorry that I have been so selfish and arrogant that God had to use this wonderful woman that has been to hell and back the last 18 months, to teach me how broken and messed up I am. It hurt my heart greatly when I realized that what we had originally experienced was just a storm that God needed to bring me through as to build my faith and trust in Him. It broke my heart when the realization of how badly I hurt God every time I stray from walking with Christ. This was a very painful and humbling experience to say the least.
Lord Father in Heaven,
I thank you for the lesson you have taught me. I thank you for the pain you put on my heart to teach me about the pain I cause you each day that I listen to Satan and not you. I thank you Lord for an unconditional love, grace and mercy that I do not deserve but I welcome with gratitude. I thank you Jesus for the cross that eradicated death for all of the sins I commit against you and your people. I thank you Father for the blessings I receive daily as they are all gifts from you Father. I pray for strength God that I will let go of my will and live in only your will for me. As I know that your will is perfect and I need to stop trying to steer a ship that already has a Captain that is Master and Lord. In Jesus glorious and Holy name I pray. Amen
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)