‘Tis The Season

We know that there are seasons in our lives. Mainly, we do not think of them beyond Spring, Summer, Winter, and Fall. Yet, now, I feel that we have arrived at the season of grieving.

Ecclesiastes 3 says: There’s an opportune time to do things, a right time for everything on the earth:

A right time for birth and another for death,

A right time to plant and another to reap,

A right time to kill and another to heal,

A right time to destroy and another to construct,

A right time to cry and another to laugh,

A right time to lament and another to cheer,

A right time to make love and another to abstain,

A right time to embrace and another to part,

A right time to search and another to count your losses,

A right time to hold on and another to let go,

A right time to rip out and another to mend,

A right time to shut up and another to speak up,

A right time to love and another to hate,

A right time to wage war and another to make peace. (verses 1-8, MSG)

 

I find that there is a definite heaviness to all that is happening in our world right now. The massacre in Orlando, the shooting death of a family in New Mexico by the father, the shooting death of The Voice singer, the death of the 2 year old…and the politics that are swarming in and callously pushing their agendas. Where is the compassion and the empathy? The thing is that no one even pretends to care anymore.

Social media has placed us in a place of cold distance, a place to be a bully and to be abusive, to call names and to gossip. I am ashamed to admit that it still hurts me deeply that a family member called me a bigot. I can be a strong force for what I believe, yet the emotional, mental, and verbal abuse is not needed. I never said you have to agree with me. It would be great to feel loved, though.

We see an amazing outreach online, as well. Times of compassion and genuine love. I think that is the only reason that the internet and social media can still be as popular as it is. The Bible tells us that a soul can survive when a body is sick, but no body can survive a broken soul. That is so true.

I have wept a great deal of late. I have thought about the loss experienced by so many, the fear that takes hold of hearts and minds, the trauma that comes in the aftermath, the healing, the struggle…yet, life. Seasons. Why are we in a season of grieving?

Truly, America and most churches have left the Word of God and have begun to do whatever feels good in the moment. While we’ve allowed sin to prosper and grow without concern, we are seeing two extremes: the love and accept everything mantra and the hate-filled and anti-Christ screaming. In between, however, are the ones that are trying, trying so desperately, to live love and speak truth.

Our hearts are heavy, our minds are plagued, our souls are wounded, and the world continues to spiral into ungodliness. We actually expect this because God’s Word tells us this is the way it must go as we draw nearer and nearer to the return of Christ.

But in the end, does it really make a difference what anyone does? I’ve had a good look at what God has given us to do—busywork, mostly. True, God made everything beautiful in itself and in its time—but he’s left us in the dark, so we can never know what God is up to, whether he’s coming or going. I’ve decided that there’s nothing better to do than go ahead and have a good time and get the most we can out of life. That’s it—eat, drink, and make the most of your job. It’s God’s gift. (Ecclesiastes 3:9-13, MSG)

Solomon reached a place where he despaired of life. Why? Because he had it all! He was wise and wealthy beyond measure. He was feared and adored. He was king and he had royalty from other lands coming to him for guidance and bringing gifts to him. He built the Temple of the Lord. He had many wives and hundreds of concubines. He had peace and victory. Yet, his soul was in turmoil. Why? Because he wasn’t focused on God anymore. He had turned his attention to the temporal pleasures of this world and the above portion of Scripture shows the depth of despair that filled his heart.

This world is seductive and the devil wants nothing more than for us to live in the dredges of morality so that we are bound by shame and sin and temptation. 2 Timothy 3:1-9 says, “Don’t be naive. There are difficult times ahead. As the end approaches, people are going to be self-absorbed, money-hungry, self-promoting, stuck-up, profane, contemptuous of parents, crude, coarse, dog-eat-dog, unbending, slanderers, impulsively wild, savage, cynical, treacherous, ruthless, bloated windbags, addicted to lust, and allergic to God. They’ll make a show of religion, but behind the scenes they’re animals. Stay clear of these people. These are the kind of people who smooth-talk themselves into the homes of unstable and needy women and take advantage of them; women who, depressed by their sinfulness, take up with every new religious fad that calls itself “truth.” They get exploited every time and never really learn. These men are like those old Egyptian frauds Jannes and Jambres, who challenged Moses. They were rejects from the faith, twisted in their thinking, defying truth itself. But nothing will come of these latest impostors. Everyone will see through them, just as people saw through that Egyptian hoax.” (MSG)

Essentially, and more powerfully, we are living in a world that is “holding to a form of [outward] godliness (religion), although they have denied its power [for their conduct nullifies their claim of faith].” (AMP, verse 5) This is what we’re seeing lived out this very day. And it’s getting worse.

Matt Walsh wrote a blog that encouraged Christians to stand. Even in the midst of all that goes on, we need to stand. We don’t need to stand the way that Westboro Baptist Church chooses to stand, by attacking anyone and everyone, but rather we need to stand as Christ stood, declaring God’s truth, living with joy, and being obedient to the Word of God. We need to stand for what we believe and live for what we believe.

It is far easier to just shrug our shoulders and go with the flow. Even dead fish flow downstream. People may wonder why it matters so much, and the reason is simple and sound: eternity. It matters because it isn’t just the here and now…it’s forever. It’s eternal. There is much more at stake than feelings and temptations. We are talking about the soul that lives on forever…either in the presence of God or eternally separated from Him.

Consider that we have never, ever experienced a day without feeling the presence of God. He is everywhere. He is all around us. He is in us and flows through us. There has never been a day when He has abandoned us. We have no concept of the torture we would face on the other side of this life, when we are truly separated from God and His presence since we rejected His one and only Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus felt this separation for us on the Cross, when He cried out, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” In that moment, He felt the true separation from God because in that moment, He took our sin and penalty upon Himself. All at once, He felt the separation that sin creates between unholy people and a holy God. Even with this, I don’t believe that He experienced the ultimate separation that those who die in their sins ultimately feel.

God is calling us to turn from our wicked ways and repent. We cannot expect the nation to do so. The sign of the times are glaringly obvious. Yet, we must do so as the Bride of Christ, as the church, as followers of Christ. We must set aside our approved of sins and align our lives under God, bringing our flesh under control, and presenting our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to Him (Romans 12).

“I’ve also concluded that whatever God does, that’s the way it’s going to be, always. No addition, no subtraction. God’s done it and that’s it. That’s so we’ll quit asking questions and simply worship in holy fear. Whatever was, is. Whatever will be, is. That’s how it always is with God.” (Ecclesiastes 3:14-15, MSG)

 

Drawing Close to God: James 4

1. Stop fighting with each other and stop envying each other. Do not consider what others have to be better than what God has given you. Look at what blessings have been tenderly placed in your life and give thanks for all that God has done. Don’t feel that one person’s place/calling is higher/greater than your own. You were created for a purpose. Stop fighting and envying so that you, and others, can truly fulfill your purpose(s) in Christ.
2. Ask God. Instead of complaining and griping, ask God for the desires of your heart. If you are walking with Jesus in true fellowship, then you can ask for anything in His name and receive it. How is this possible? If you are truly seeking the heart of Christ, you will not ask for the downfall of another or for a sinful desire, but rather, you will seek for the things which further the Kingdom of God, not promote yourself. Thus, it will be granted, for your desires are pure.
3. Keep your motives focused on Christ. Don’t be distracted by the shiny baubles of this world. Keep your motives pure. Don’t seek to have your call fulfilled simply to show those that doubted you. Don’t seek position to lord it over others. Seek first the Kingdom and then have other things added unto you. Seek first a true relationship with Christ, and have your motives purely aligned with His plans and purposes, and then you can ask and have it granted.
4. Abandon friendship with this world. Do not seek ways to meld Christianity and worldliness together. It can never happen. They will never mesh. You must be in the world, but not of the world. Do not think that you can combine sin and sanctification and continue on your merry way. Being a friend of this world makes you an enemy of God.
5. Be faithful. Holy Spirit desires for you to be faithful. There is great peace in faithfulness. It is something everyone wants to experience in regards to themselves and the relationships they hold dear. Remember that Jesus Christ is a person and He desires you to be faithful to Him, just as He is so amazingly faithful to you.
6. Be humble and repentant. Don’t let pride swell you up like a balloon. Be humble and meek and keep everything in its proper perspective. Remember of those newly saved that you were there once, too. Remember of the abusers that you once were bound in sinful habit, too. Remember when you see the amazing outpouring of grace on the repentant sinner that you have experienced that, too. Don’t let your heart become hardened and your life stagnant. Keep yourself close to Christ and hear His voice and examine your heart and, when sin is found, purge it and repent and be thankful for the endless mercy and grace of our Savior.
7. Don’t be critical of others. Don’t be abusive and cruel in your dealings with each other. Take the time to get to know each other and offer edification and encouragement. Seek friendships and godly relationships with others. Sow love and reap love in return. Yes, sin must be dealt with, yet check what it is that you are correcting others on. Is it something trivial, such as poor grammar or missed connections, or is it deadly things, such as fornication and idolatry? Keep it all in perspective and don’t be critical.
8. Be the one Christian in church. I heard my former pastor say, “When I show up somewhere, I expect there to be at least one Christian there: me.” That changed how I view things. You are not called to fix others or to monitor their Christian level. When you show up somewhere, do so with the knowledge that there will be one Christian present: you. Live the life Christ has for you, be obedient to His word, and be light in this darkness.
9. Live for Christ today. Tomorrow is not promised to any of us. Every day wasted could be our last day here. Live for Christ each day as if it were you last. What would you do differently if Christ told you He was returning tomorrow? Who would you witness to? Who would you forgive? Who would you accept? Who would you love? Live each day as the gift it is and be sensitive to what Jesus would have you do on this day, for tomorrow is not promised to any soul on earth.
10. “Remember, it is a sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.” I think this says it plainly enough, taken directly from the NLT version of James 4:17.

Ecclesiastes: the futility of life and why to be a God-fearing person

The world and life without God sucks.

I mean, really. There is no hope and there is only despair. There is the excessive focus on nature or foolish idols and false gods and anything to grant purpose. Isn’t that strange? People want to feel purpose and value and worth and yet they abandon the very One that grants such things. You can’t find it elsewhere. In fact, when you do find any value or worth in this world, it is fleeting and it must constantly be strived for and fought for and is just exhausting. What foolishness this world contains. Without Christ, nothing matters. Not one thing. Though your words may live on in books and the foolish pride of man, you, yourself, have gone and stood before Him and seen the truth at last. And then it is for naught, for you are lost forever.

I can understand, now, King Solomon’s angst. How can I not? As I lay on the floor and thought how, without God, the despair that had come would have covered me completely and enfolded me and I would have been lost in its darkness. How soon before I would have emerged? All I could do was lie there and tell God that I didn’t know what was wrong with me, but the minute that He was entered into the equation, the despair was beaten. It could not linger, it could not stay, it could not grow stronger, it could not overwhelm my soul. Because there is power in Him. He is, after all, our Creator. He holds all things in His hands. Can we even fathom the amazingness that is He? No.

So, there in His hands, where I sit safe, darkness cannot stay. Yet, yet, if I fall away, if I refuse to call on His name, if I focus on the darkness and the death and the fear and the doubt and the insanity that is this world, then I would be consumed. Forever consumed. Eventually, I would be so hard and resistant to the truth that I would not be able to repent of my ways and I would die apart from Him. And then, like so many have, I would stand before Him and hear those dreaded words, “Depart from Me.”

No, Lord! As Ruth clung to Naomi, so I cling to You and I say, “Do not entreat me to depart from You! Do not make me leave You! Where You go, I will go and where You stay, I will stay and You will always be my God!” What can life be apart from You? Nothing but a dark shadow. Yet, in Your presence, even in the midst of confusing times, in the midst of dark days, in the midst of lying mouths, there is light and joy and peace and freedom and hope and comfort. Why, oh Lord, would I go elsewhere? Why would I engage in the foolishness of this world?

Lately, I find that the straining at gnats is the popular pastime of us all. Let us focus on the little issues and ignore the larger ones. How do I forget so callously that my God is mighty and just and powerful and all-knowing and that it is His very righteousness that demands that my life be given as payment for my rebellion and my sin? Yet, it is His love and compassion that sent Jesus Christ, His one and only begotten Son, to die to pay for the very sins and rebellions that I would never be able to make recompense for. My mind cannot fathom how a just God would make such a way to save a foul sinner like me.

Foolish, foolish mortal woman! Why would you dabble in sin? Why would you excuse your attitudes and your habits under a guise of sloppy grace? Why would you offer compassion to the sinner but condemn your family? Why would you love the world and hate those that serve Christ by your side? Why is it that we are quick to condemn those that are running the race alongside us for typos in their letters or missing a church service or some foolish error and leave sin unchecked in ourselves and in others, calling it grace? Grace, indeed!

We are running toward our deaths with a hasty speed and we are foolishly squabbling over things that we should, as followers of Christ, already know the truth of. Why do we insist on worldly practices and why do we insist on keeping our vices? Why do we think we know better than God? Why?

I lay on my face and say, “Oh, Lord, where would I be without You?” Where would I be…where? And, here it is, I don’t want to know. I just want You. I want to be with You and know You and be in love with You and forget this world. Today, as I lay on the ground like a broken toy, I stared at the ceiling and I thought, “I hate this world.” And I do. I do hate this world. Not the people of it, but the immorality and excuses of it. I hate the darkness of it. I do not want to be a part of it. I do not want anything to do with it.

 

Set apart. Being in the world but not of the world. This is what we are called to. To solely and completely belong to Christ. Anything else is death and destruction and darkness and hopelessness and failure and evil and worthless. Do not waste your time with the frivolous parties of this world. Hope and light and life lie only in one place: in a true relationship with Jesus Christ. Everything else is noise.

If the world looks at you and sees themselves, you are not living a Christ-centered life, regardless of what you say or feel or think. When the world looks at us, they are not to be comfortable and see themselves, but rather they are to be challenged to repentance and see Christ. I fail at this. But, it is my desire to change. Change me, oh Lord. Do not leave me in this place of compromise and excuse.

I dropped my Introduction to Philosophy class today. I hate this world. I don’t want to read the musings of foolish men long dead. I want the truth. The solid, living word of God. Forget the ‘wisdom’ of man focusing on nature and believing they know ‘all things’ because they are able to think about all things. As God says, His thoughts and ways are far above ours. How prideful are we to think that anything apart from God is good!

There is really no way to end this, and so I will just say this: May the Lord bless you and keep you and make His face to shine upon you and be gracious and give you peace. Truly. There is only God. Nothing else. There is noise and distraction and lies and deceit and sin and rebellion and death and there, on the side of truth, there is God. In Him is all that we need: light and peace and strength and encouragement and forgiveness. That’s a big thing, forgiveness. Be free. Be forgiven. Live for Christ. Everything else is a waste of your breath.

When Ministry Leaders, Pastors and Mentors Fall

I was going to go a completely different direction with my blog post today, but then I read this:

Remember your leaders who first taught you the word of God. Think of all the good that has come from their lives, and trust the Lord as they do.

Hebrews 13:7

The possible fall of pastors has been heavy on my heart lately. I have thought often of the things that come against us as followers of Christ and then I consider the assault of the enemy on those who hold God’s word out to us in digestible pieces so that we may grow in our own faith and become strong in the Lord. Considering the assault on my own life, it is only obvious that those entrusted to shepherd the flock would be under an even greater assault.

So, let’s first address the falling away of ministry leaders, pastors and mentors. Just as it is with all of us, it is a small, excused sinful habit or practice that one doesn’t consider ‘too bad’. Ultimately, it grows and grows and grows and, though some may send warnings your way, and Holy Spirit will come and confront, it is up to us to see the excuse for what it is and turn away from the habit or practice. This is something we all understand, yes? So, how can they fall?

Pride. Ultimately, all falls boil down to pride, whether it is the pride of being right or the pride of your walk or the pride that has us say, “I will never do such and such like so and so did.”

With the fall of those in authority, those strong Christians, the super saints, if you will, we are outraged and shocked and hurt and disbelieving. Then, we are judgmental.

I do not under any circumstances approve of the ignoring of sin. Yet, do you notice how we revel in the failings of the ‘high and mighty’? We talk about it in lurid detail, are sure to spread the word, and we open up our mouths to anyone who will listen. And we do so with relish. Pride.

Recently, there was a moral failing that rocked my world. At first, I was inclined to gloat, for reasons I won’t go into here. And then God told me something so powerful that my life has been forever changed. He told me that this was the very reason I must always be on my guard, fully garbed in the righteous armor of God, and ready to fight off any temptation and compromise that comes my way. Why? Because anyone can fall.

It is so easy to consider ourselves above certain temptations and sins. However, truly, with that pride, no boundaries are ever established, and so when the enemy of your soul comes to take you down with his fiery arrows, you are protected and prepared for all of them except the ones you believe could never tempt you.

There is a song by BarlowGirl that says:

I always thought that I would be strong enough
What made all of them fall couldn’t take me down, yeah
Did I think that I was above it all?
I have learned that pride comes before the fall
I can’t promise myself that I won’t fall
‘Cause here I’ve fallen
I know I’m not as strong as I thought
All I can do is cry to You
Oh, God, You have to save me
You’re my last and only hope
All my right answers fail me
I can’t seem to make it on my own.

On My Own by Barlow Girl

Pride causes us to fall. We think that we know better than God. We think that we are strong enough. We think that we are better than others that have fallen before us. We think that we can do it on our own. And then, we fall.

So, what do we do when those we’ve looked up to have fallen?

First, check your life. Seriously. If your first response is, “Ha! I knew s/he would fail someday”, then you are in grave danger. If you think, “What is wrong with them? I would never do that!” You are halfway to doing just that thing that caused them to fall. Check your heart. Be sure that you are aware of your location. Don’t judge their location, their fall. Rather, check your armor for weak points and make sure you have boundaries established in all areas of sinful temptation…even those you don’t believe you would ever need boundaries for.

Second, pray for them. Forgive them and pray for them. Pray that the are restored to Christ, that they return to their call in Him, that all the things devoured in sin are restored and that they are restored to their place in the body. Though it is realistic to know they won’t step right back into the role of pastor or minister leader upon repentance, it shouldn’t be a ‘never again’ thing for them, either. God’s call didn’t change just because they fell. It doesn’t change when we fall, why would it be any different for them?

Third, don’t talk about it. Sometimes, in order to have closure, you need to confide in someone, but you know the difference between closure and gossip. Don’t pretend like you don’t. Don’t throw scraps to the dogs and eat with the pigs. Just don’t. You don’t want your falls digested in gossip sessions, so respect your own feelings and don’t do that to others.

I pray that the one that fell will be restored and I pray that he will lead again. I pray for the pain of his family and for the pain of his church family. Mostly, I pray that I won’t speak of it to anyone, that I won’t become prideful and believe that I could never fall in the same way, and that I will be the epitome of Christ’s love should I ever see him on this earth face to face again. May he not feel judgment or condemnation from me, one who has fallen many, many times and felt that from others.

Where is the confusion?

Here is why Christianity, as it is lived today, frustrates me to the very depths of my soul. Most Christians look just like the world. They walk and talk and do the things the world does…with a “Christian” spin. So, maybe they don’t blatantly fornicate, but they have no problem watching fornication on t.v. Maybe they don’t steal from stores or banks, but they have no issue making personal copies and prints at work and taking them home. Maybe they don’t outright lie, but they manipulate and twist the truth to come across shining in the situation.

Then you have the ones that you speak truth to and they go insane and call you judgmental and a whole selection of other things, such as a hypocrite, and you’re trying to tell them that the reason they feel judged and why they are so uncomfortable with the truth is because Holy Spirit is convicting them, not because you’re judging them. I mean, really, what does my judgment mean anyway? If you don’t like what I’m saying and you’re feeling judged, stop listening. Why should it matter if I judge you or not?

Now, I know there is a Scripture that says, “Judge not lest ye be judged”, yet one must understand the context. It is speaking to those that judge others while committing the exact same sin (in other words, hypocrites). So, by the measure you judge, you will be judged. So, if I am telling someone homosexuality is wrong, but I am not homosexual, by that measure, I will be judged. Okay. No worries there. However, if I am correcting someone on their bad attitude and I have bad attitudes of my own, which I do, then I must be aware that I will be judged by the same measure. However, speaking truth is not judging. It is stating the obvious. I think I’ll start saying that.

“Hi, my name is Julie and I am here to state the obvious.”

The Bible says, “But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are not proper for God’s holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person – such a person is an idolater – has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. Therefore do not be partners with them

“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible – and everything that is illuminated becomes a light.

“Be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Ephesians 5:3-13, 15-20, emphasis mine

So, why are we living lives that are filled with compromises and more than a hint of immorality? Lord, cleanse me of this world. Make me more like You. Show me any areas where immorality lies in my life so that I can purge it out, just as the Hebrews did with the leaven for Passover. Amen.

Purity: The New Bad Word Of The Church

Years ago, I never would have even given purity a second thought. Now, it permeates my heart and mind and life and everything I do and do not do is measured against it. Purity.

I grew up like every girl did: dreaming of romance and love and fun adventures with friends. I lived out my life daring myself to reach past the barriers and experience all that life had to offer. Sadly, I was reaching out to sin, not to Christ, so I was only getting the pain and the wounds and the darkness of life, none of the joy or peace or prosperity or comfort that Christ brings.

The scars still exist, but the wounds have healed.

I don’t think anything has damaged me more than my loss of purity and innocence. Thankfully, I was protected by my loving Father and never had boyfriends. He covered me in so many ways. Just like the majority of us, the damage inflicted on my purity was primarily by my own actions.

Much later in life, I began to desire to be clean. I was serving God, and had been for many years, and the weight of bondage kept me from gaining any traction. I struggled to overcome anything, due to the things that held me tightly in their grasps. I knew that I could have freedom, for Christ promised us that and purchased it for us on the Cross, but I seemed to be stuck in a vicious cycle and there was no hope I’d ever get out.

When I fully turned my focus on Christ, things changed, and I was free for two or so years. I slowly began to look for studies and conferences on purity, in the hopes that I could find others like me, others that struggled in the darkness and now longed for the light. Alas, the studies were few and far between and the one purity conference I had discovered in my area were for youth groups only.

Set adrift, God revealed the call of purity onto my life in a light way. “Study it for yourself,” He said. And so I began.

It feels like centuries since that happened, and so much has happened since, but it has only been 5 or 7 years. And, in that time, it has come for mere purity to radical purity and a call so foreign in this day and age that it frightens people when I speak of it.

No one wants to believe that they can do more in regards to purity’s call. It requires too much, doesn’t it? I mean, what would you have to let go of? What would you have to release from your life? Who would you have to walk away from? What would you have to stop doing? Too much. Just too much.

When you consider the fact that purity covers all of your life: Heart, Mind, Soul, Spirit, Body and Eyes…it’s a pretty big call. Too big for most. It’s easier to let the little compromises of life have their way. It’s easier to watch what you want and listen to what you want and say what you want, than to try to be radical in the realm of purity.

Sadly, purity is not preached anymore. I have yet to hear it touched on. I had thought, a few months ago, that God was bringing our church to a new level of purity, to a new place. I could almost feel it vibrating in my soul. However, this is not the case. I stand here and I think, “Well, Lord, I know now that I must carry on alone, until the time when You send others to walk alongside me.”

Radical purity is a lonely road.

I don’t pretend to have all the answers. In fact, due to the loneliness of this road, I am procrastinating as best as I know how. But, I cannot do that any longer. There is a call to purity, a call to radical purity, that the church refuses to hear. Purity has become the bad word of the church today, along with modesty. The fact that churches now embrace sexual sin as normal shows us how far we’ve drifted from the call of God.

Did we truly forget that Christ has called us to be holy as He is holy? Have we truly lost sight of what holiness is? We wrap up our sin in a veil of grace and continue on our merry way, ignoring the warning signs and the traps laid by the enemy to snare our souls.

Consider the fact that most single’s ministries are actually dating clubs. Consider the fact that there are actually Christian dating sites and Christian speed dating and that they are popular. Consider the fact that women have been date raped on a first date with a man they met on said sites…meaning that they had to be alone with a strange man in order for that to happen. Consider the fact that our teen girls cringe at the word ‘modesty’ and consider it to mean ugly, out-dated and out of fashion. Consider the last time you heard a sermon on purity from the pulpit in your church. Consider the fact that, due to lack of understanding, our young girls are lured out of the church by flattery, not knowing the difference between genuine compliments and false flattery. Consider the fact that many women were low-cut blouses daily, including Sunday, showing more than they ever should. Consider the amounts of affairs that happen within the ministry and within the church due to people ignoring the warning signs and spending time alone in mixed company, selling their hearts through emotional entanglements, and losing more than they thought possible by falling into fornication and affairs.

I wonder, does the church want to change, or do they desire to just keep going on and on down this road? Where is our desire for purity? Where is our longing for it in our own lives and the lives of our brothers and sisters in Christ? Why is the subject taboo, hidden under the guise of grace and mercy and love? Deal with the sins of the people. Stop tap dancing around the truth.

Life and Death

I was thinking today about the fact that God has a plan and direction and will for one’s life, but so does the devil. The devil intends for you to end up paying the penalty for your sin and rebellion and disobedience, for you to remain bound in habits and lifestyles and sins that Jesus paid to set you free from, for you to end up eternally separated from God, and for you to face the second death in the lake of fire, his ultimate end.

God, however, wants to give you a full pardon and deliver you from all that has held you bound, He wants to be with you forever and He wants to give you eternal life.

We get so caught up in the distractions of this world. It is so easy to forget that every choice we make is a choice between life and death. The ‘little’ sins that we excuse daily, the white lies, the stealing from our employers in regards to time and materials used for purposes other than work related tasks, are death choices. There are the ‘big’ sins, too, but we all know what those are.

I just wonder why we make it so complicated. Living for God and His plan isn’t a horrible thing. In fact, being on the path God has for you is a promised way to have peace and joy that surpasses understanding and cannot be marred by the darkness of this world. Be aware of your choices each day because they really are life and death choices.

Consider, too, for a moment the person you love so much and can’t live without. Think about the fact that you have the rest of your life with this person. Then consider having the rest of eternity with them. What amazes me is that God, who knows me inside and out, knows me deeper than even I know myself, is not only willing to spend eternity with me, but He actually paid for me to do so with the life of His one and only begotten Son. Add to this that Jesus Christ willingly laid down His life for me as well, so that I could spend eternity with Him to. This becomes ever more amazing when you consider the fact that He spends time with me daily, too, so it’s not like He only has to wait until I reach Heaven’s gates.

Amazing, yes? There are times when I really and truly don’t love myself very much. In fact, I annoy myself more often than not. 🙂 Yet, God loves me and wants to be with me today and through eternity. Wow and wow again.

There is no end or measure to His amazing love and devotion.

The Least Bad Of All Sins

“If anyone thinks that Christians regard unchastity as the supreme vice, he is quite wrong. The sins of the flesh are bad, but they are the least bad of all sins. All the worst pleasures are purely spiritual: the pleasure of putting other people in the wrong, of bossing and patronising and spoiling sport, and back-biting, the pleasures of power, of hatred. For there are two things inside me, competing with the human self which I must try to become. They are the Animal self, and the Diabolical self. The Diabolical self is the worse of the two. That is why a cold, self-righteous prig who goes regularly to church may be far nearer to hell than a prostitute. But, of course, it is better to be neither.”

-from Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis