hballingerLeave a comment

His strength is evident through my weakness

EXO 4:1-4 ESV
Then Moses answered, “But behold, they will not believe me or listen to my voice, for they will say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you.’” The Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He said, “A staff.” And he said, “Throw it on the ground.” So he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent, and Moses ran from it. But the Lord said to Moses, “Put out your hand and catch it by the tail”—so he put out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand—

PERSONAL COMMENTARY
———————————————

How many times have I looked at this calling and listened to the voice that told me, “You can’t do this. Look at you. You are filth, you don’t look anything like Christ. You are going to fail and bring upon yourself the wrath of God because you are mistaken. This isn’t for you. Only other people whose lives are perfect and holy can serve God! Not you!”

And how many times did I foolishly believe those lies as truth? I cry, I cry, the tears fall like rain. But then, I realize this was my journey. This was my lesson. Those less didn’t prevail against me, they led me into the lives of those friends that I now hold so dear to my heart. It led me to the friends that might read this and not yet have this Christ alive in their lives, but that are curious enough about what in the world is going on with Harold lately.

Yes, there are those that laugh and deny all of this as something made up in my own mind, or a fairy tale that I have bought into. But friend, when it manifests real changes in your life, when miracles occur before your own eyes that you can’t explain even with your understanding of the sciences – it is then that your faith is proven real to a point that you can’t deny it.

And yes, sometimes we see these things and they freak us out! We run from them not knowing if it is from the Lord or from the devil, because it can be some pretty scary business to encounter things that go past the normal, physical realm life of science that we have grown accustomed to in our lives. Just like I laughed at Moses running away in this passage, I laugh at myself for running away.

No weapon formed against me shall prosper because I have Christ in me, so why do I have so little faith that I run? Shouldn’t I see that God gives me the power to pick this snake up by its tail and He will turn it into my staff? He will use even what may appear to be an enemy as a tool for my growth and my path and my direction.

Glory be to God!

Let us be bold and renewed in our faith today, Lord. Let us take up this calling in our lives to love and serve others and spread this Word of God to those in our lives today. Let us see opportunities for your power to be demonstrated and proven to us. Let us see our faith be proven and grown to even greater heights, as we step out into deeper waters. Let us be encouraged to step out into those waters, and know that we will not drown, for You are with us.

Be the Christ in YOU today, friend.

If you don’t yet have Christ in you, then I encourage you to pray that Christ will come into your life, spend some time reading the book of John in the New Testament of the Bible and just read through it. Don’t feel like you have to understand it right away. Read it all the way through, and see if there is not a voice, a message that you receive that you know is good, and real, and truth. You may not get it the first time through. But the voice is there, it is real.

If you have accepted Christ into your heart, get involved with other believers, and let God be a daily part of your life – not as empty religious practice, but as a walk with the Lord, a growing personal relationship with God, who surpasses our understanding, but whom we cannot deny, because He continues to prove himself faithful and real in our lives.

May your day be blessed. I love you, friend.

Be the Christ in you.

hballingerLeave a comment

Too many Pharisees

Is the problem in the church today –

the lack of genuine born again saints, or

the abundance of pharisees?

You might be a Pharisee if:

You have proven yourself worthy and righteous

You might know Christ if:

You know yourself to be unworthy, but you have faith in God’s promise of grace and mercy and forgiveness.

Ephesians 2:8-9 ESV
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

John 3:16-21 ESV
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

You might be a Pharisee if:

You believe you wouldn’t have denied Christ or been a party to the murders of Him or the prophets and martyrs

You might know Christ if:

…

You know that you deserve the punishment that Christ endured on the cross, and that it is your rebellion and sin that was paid in full by His blood

Matthew 23:29-36 ESV
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, saying, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ Thus you witness against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers. You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell? Therefore I send you prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from town to town, so that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. Truly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.

1 Peter 2:24-25 ESV
He himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

Isaiah 53:4-12 ESV
Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.

You might be a Pharisee if:

You want your life to look clean and orderly to everyone on the outside

You might know Christ if:

…

You want to get your heart right, even if you are going to get yourself dirty and be judged by others in order to get it done.

Matthew 23:25-28 ESV
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 ESV
Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

 Isaiah 66:1-2 ESV
Thus says the Lord: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool; what is the house that you would build for me, and what is the place of my rest? All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the Lord. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.

Jeremiah 17:10 ESV
“I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.”

Galatians 1:10 ESV
For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.

1 Thessalonians 2:4-6 ESV
but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts. For we never came with words of flattery, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—God is witness. Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others, though we could have made demands as apostles of Christ.

You might be a Pharisee if:

It is important to you that you give 10 percent of your money to the church

You might know Christ if:

You have surrendered your whole life and everything in it to Christ.

Matthew 23:23-24 ESV
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!

Galatians 2:20 ESV
I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Matthew 6:24 ESV
“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

Matthew 19:21-30 ESV
Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Then Peter said in reply, “See, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?” Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.

You might be a Pharisee if:

You highly value your church and it’s practices and it’s programs

You might know Christ if:

You highly value Christ and other people.

Matthew 23:16-22 ESV
“Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’ You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that has made the gold sacred? And you say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his oath.’ You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and by him who dwells in it. And whoever swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him who sits upon it.

Luke 14:26-33 ESV
“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.

Luke 10:27 ESV
And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”

Ephesians 6:12 ESV
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

Matthew 6:14-15 ESV
For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

You might be a Pharisee if:

You want to go find people and teach them to be just like you.

You might know Christ if:

You want to warn people of the mistakes you have made so they might avoid them.

Matthew 23:15 ESV
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.

1 Timothy 1:12-16 ESV
I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.

Romans 3:21-25 ESV
But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.

You might be a Pharisee if:

You want heaven to have none of those filthy, unworthy sinners in it.

You might know Christ if:

You want everyone to have a chance of salvation just like you.

Matthew 23:13 ESV
“But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in.

 Luke 10:27 ESV
And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”

1 John 4:20-21 ESV
If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.

1 Corinthians 13:2-3 ESV
And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

You might be a Pharisee if:

You want to be honored and respected in your church and be respected as a great leader/teacher

You might know Christ if:

…

You are an eager student of the Word of God and a volunteer serving others

Matthew 23:6-12 ESV
and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others. But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers. And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ. The greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

Matthew 28:18-20 ESV
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Galatians 6:2-3 ESV
Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.

You might be a Pharisee if:

It’s important that you are seen by others as Godly and righteous.

You might know Christ if:

You want everyone to know that you deserve hell, if it were not for the grace of God’s mercy

Matthew 23:5 ESV
They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long,

1 John 1:7-10 ESV
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

You might be a Pharisee if:

You require that people live up to a list of requirements to get into heaven

You might know Christ if:

You believe that Faith alone is required for salvation and that all fall short of the glory of God

Matthew 23:2-4 ESV
The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat, so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger.

Ephesians 2:8-9 ESV
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Romans 4:1-8 ESV
What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.”
Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works:
“Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.”

Our faith is evidenced by a repentant heart. As it is perfected, and as we actively seek God’s will and presence in our lives, as we grow in this restored and personal relationship with God, our lives on the outside will be evidence of this change on the outside. It is not reluctant obedience to a set of laws and repeated confession that God seeks (sacrifice). But God seeks a change in the heart to repentance that comes from grattitude for this free gift of grace – which results in varying degrees of eagerness and hungery pursuit of Him – as our faith grows and matures. Both should produce the end result of outward, visible change and reverence to God’s guidance, and self control to not be controlled by sin in our own lives. But one is the change on the inside, cleaning the cup on the inside, doing it willingly and gratefully, and seeing His works and His change come alive in us, while the other is relying on our own works and only washing the outside of the cup. And He expects us to extend the same forgiveness to others that we have received (mercy).

Matthew 9:10-13 ESV
And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

hballingerLeave a comment

Words have Power

EPH 6:12 ESV
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

PERSONAL COMMENTARY
——————————————–

These people that surround me in my daily journey – they are not the enemy. It is not the flesh and blood man that I wrestle with, it is against the darkness, those things unseen that work through men of flesh and blood to bring evil into this life.

So when a man sows the seeds of strife and dissention and anger and envy and division, and does it “in the name of good” – I still love this blind, stumbling man and I forgive him and show him mercy. Because a lot of the time, the blind, stumbling man is me – and I sure need God’s grace and mercy and love and forgiveness to stay in this race and see it to the finish.

So if I call myself spiritual, shouldn’t I set my eyes on the things that are spiritual?

Our words reflect what is in our hearts. So if my words are filled with these things of the flesh and not things of the Holy Spirit of Christ, that speaks to the state of my heart.

Also, our words stir up things in others. Our hope is that our words will stir up the Holy Spirit in others as well.

But these words we speak are either healing or they are weapons. The beauty of healing words is that they offer nourishment to the Holy Spirit and encourage the growth of fruit. Words used as weapons are not useful for growth, but they are powerful for testing and identifying what is already there to be stirred in another person.

So these words have power, and they are our spiritual tools – both in identifying our enemy (again, not men of flesh and blood, but the evil that is working through them), and in encouraging and fostering a healthy growth of Christ’s Spirit, Love, in the world around us.

So, our words are important. Are we spreading love with our words today? Are we encouraging things like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control with our words? Are our words evidence of the Christ that lives within us?

Or are our words spreading and encouraging things like sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. Are our words evidence of the rotting corpse and death inside us?

One leads to life through Christ.

The other leads to death.

One spreads light and life into this world.

The other is the darkness and death the world is already in.

One is a friend and salvation to sinners.

The other is accusation and condemnation and judgement against the saints.

We choose our side in the battle,
with our lives each day,
with our decisions,
with our words.

Matthew 12:36-37 ESV
I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

So let’s be mindful today of our words. Let’s be mindful of which spirit is being spread by our words. Because we are either bringing light into this world with our lives – or without it, we are all stumbling together in the darkness, the blind trying to lead the blind.

Wouldn’t it be better if we were mute and deaf than to be a hearer and a spreader of evil into this world?

Let’s pray for each other that the Lord will help us to be quiet in those times that our words are being an aid to the enemy.

Let’s pray for each other that the Lord will make His voice ring out like a trumpet when He uses our words to encourage and nourish and stir the Holy Spirit in ourselves and in those around us.

Let’s pray that the enemy’s works of evil will be uncovered in the light of our loving words and these enemies of God will have nowhere to find darkness to hide.

Let’s be the shining light on a hill that cannot be hidden.

Have a blessed day, friends.

hballingerLeave a comment

Love and Don’t Judge

Luke 6:27-49 NLT
“But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, offer the other cheek also. If someone demands your coat, offer your shirt also. Give to anyone who asks; and when things are taken away from you, don’t try to get them back. Do to others as you would like them to do to you.

“If you love only those who love you, why should you get credit for that? Even sinners love those who love them! And if you do good only to those who do good to you, why should you get credit? Even sinners do that much! And if you lend money only to those who can repay you, why should you get credit? Even sinners will lend to other sinners for a full return.

“Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked. You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.

“Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven. Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back. ”

Then Jesus gave the following illustration:

“Can one blind person lead another? Won’t they both fall into a ditch? Students are not greater than their teacher. But the student who is fully trained will become like the teacher.

“And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying, ‘Friend, let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.

“A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. A tree is identified by its fruit. Figs are never gathered from thornbushes, and grapes are not picked from bramble bushes. A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart.

“So why do you keep calling me ‘Lord, Lord!’ when you don’t do what I say? I will show you what it’s like when someone comes to me, listens to my teaching, and then follows it. It is like a person building a house who digs deep and lays the foundation on solid rock. When the floodwaters rise and break against that house, it stands firm because it is well built. But anyone who hears and doesn’t obey is like a person who builds a house without a foundation. When the floods sweep down against that house, it will collapse into a heap of ruins.”

hballingerLeave a comment

Religious People

Has the hatred of religious people attacked you?

Yes, I have been attacked by the religious, I can remember the venom dripping from their lips.

Have you been told by religious people as a child that you are an abomination before God because of something your parents did?

Yes, I have been a child under attack by the religious, I know the judgement and the accusation in their eyes and their words.

Even today –

Have you been told by religious people that you shouldn’t be sharing the Word of God with others because of past sins in your life?

Yes, I have been attacked by the religious, I can remember their fiery words like arrows flying through the sky.

Even as I walk this walk –

Have you been told by religious people that you shouldn’t be visiting churches and praying for them because you don’t meet the biblical qualifications to care about and pray over ministries?

Yes, have been attacked by the religious, I can remember them standing in the way of good with the metaphorical pitch fork in their hand trying to block my path.

Even as I share this message of love and grace –

Have you been told by religious people that you are mistaken and misled, and told that God is not loving,  but filled with wrath and punishment and is only to be feared?

I have been attacked by the religious, I can remember hurting for their pain,  for their separation from God, for their blindness and hardness of heart that separates them from the Love and mercy and forgiveness of a Father God that I call my own.

So what is the deal?

You see, the weapons they used against me did not prosper, in fact,  these attacks were turned for my good. I am now stronger as a result of those things that I have been through.

And these people are not my enemies.

I love them.

I forgive them.

They are misled.

They do not know what they are doing.

Some of these are the same that crucified my Jesus.

Some of these are the same that murdered the prophets of the Lord.

Some of these are the ones that committed horrible atrocities in the name of religion.

They are the evil Spirits that hide in the darkness of men’s hardened hearts.

Even those that did not know my Christ at the time – they will know Him soon enough.

Even if they thought that what they did was done in evil,  they will see that it was done for a purpose, and that I have not been harmed by their careless words or actions – nor do I hold it against them. For all is being used for His glory and honor,  even if we are unaware.

I pray that you know Him now, that you hear His voice. Because a day will come when there is no more opportunity to receive this gift of grace.

On that day every knee will bend and every head will bow, and all will know that Jesus Christ is Lord.

You say to me,  “But you sound so religious! Don’t you contradict yourself?”

If you hear my words and think them to be religious,  you are mistaken.

Religion is of man. I serve no man’s religion. I serve a living God who knows my name. I am His and He is mine.

You say, “Here he goes again trying to sell me his high and mighty religion. He thinks he is so righteous.”

Apart from Christ, I deserve one thing, and that is death and eternal separation from God. And God has every right to send me there because of the life that I have lived. Even my repentance now does not wipe away my life of depravity and self serving nature seeking every wicked pleasure that could be found.

I deserve hell,  and my fear of the justice of God sending me where I deserve to go is only surpassed by my faith in His promise of this Grace and mercy and forgiveness. So however filthy you know me to be from the mistakes in my life, you don’t know a fraction of it,  friend. Cover your eyes in shame at the life that I lived outside of the grace of my Savior,  because any good you can catch a glimpse amongst this wretched life is His work through me.

But His promise is true that He sent His only begotten Son so that whoever believes in Him will receive life,  true life, everlasting life, a life filled with those things that matter most.

And if you believe that I have something to sell –

I seek no titles of religious honor.

I seek no exaltations from men.

I seek no monetary tribute for this Word that I share freely just as grace was extended freely unto me!

I don’t seek to convert you,  or save your soul, or force a religion on you. If this Word is not for your ears, and you will not hear the warnings of truth, I cannot keep you from the path that you choose – just like no religious person could save me when I was lost. Only Christ,  only this Word of God,  can save anyone. I am just a vessel carrying the message.

I have faith that this Word of God will not fall on deaf ears.  See past the religion.  Hear the Word that spills from my heart by way of this Holy Spirit of Christ in me.

Jesus Christ is the way,  the truth,  and the life. He is the hope for the hopeless, the love for the unlovable, the touch for the untouchable, and redemption for the unworthy.

Don’t settle for an empty life of condemnation without a purpose that lasts and is meaningful and fulfilling. Seek out those things that are greater than self. Know this love. Hear Him drawing you near.

hballingerLeave a comment

YOU are the light of the world

MAT 5:14 ESV
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.

PERSONAL COMMENTARY
———————————————

…

YOU are the light of the world.

YOU.

Yes, YOU.

Today, let’s remember and be mindful of the Lord throughout our day and let Him guide our lives. Let us be aware of every opportunity to share love and share the name and the good news of Jesus today.

If we have Christ in us, aren’t we excited about this salvation that has found us? Don’t we want His light to shine in our lives?

Let’s be filled with the love and power that this Holy Spirit in us provides. Let’s be the body of Christ today, with this Holy Spirit restored and active and operating in our lives. And we stir this Holy Spirit in prayer, time with the Word, fellowship with fellow believers, and praise and worship and thanksgiving to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Let’s not practice a religion one day of the week, let’s live this renewed relationship with our Christ daily, even moment to moment as a restored child of God, as an ambassador of Christ’s Kingdom.

May the Lord bless you and keep you today, friend. May you graze in the green pastures, and may the rains fall upon you and renew your spirits with the living waters of the Word of God. May you grow strong and be healed under the power of His mercy and grace and love. And live your life today for His glory and honor, as an offering and an example of your faith.

Let them see Christ in us today.

hballingerLeave a comment

Our best is good enough

Answer me this.

Is it better to offer the best offering that we are able to bring forward – regardless of how it compares to someone else’s?

Or is it better to keep it for ourselves if it doesn’t live up to the riches and perfect sacrifices of those that consider themselves wealthy and worthy of honor and praise?

…

Mark 12:41-44 ESV
And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”

Is it right for the wealthy to condemn someone because in their eyes the person’s offering is not as worthy or they believe it is of lesser value than what they brought themselves?

So it is the same with the offerings of our lives.

Hosea 6:6 ESV
For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.

Matthew 9:13 ESV
Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Let us each bring the best offering we are able to offer. And not compare ours to another’s, lest we be tempted either to boast or to be envious.

If it is our faith and our attitude that God searches, isn’t the why behind what I am doing the determining factor between whether it is done:

“as my own works” – trying to earn something for myself

“As a sacrifice to God” – faithfully offering our best in grattitude for what is already given us

For example, I share this Word of God not because I think that I can save souls and earn favor with God (only God can save souls, as He has elected and chosen those that are His even before they are born, yes I can be equipped and He can use me for His purposes, but that is His work manifested through me, not my work). He has already blessed and favoreded me with this salvation and this opportunity to be used in His Kingdom work on earth. My faith is counted as righteousness.

Romans 4:1-8 ESV
What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works: “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.”

If the Lord trusted me with a gift of this Holy Spirit guidance, and a calling to serve, my work is not a gift to God, but is what is due.

Matthew 25:14-30 ESV
“For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money. Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here I have made five talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here I have made two talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’ But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

Just like the farmer that paid each worker the same amount whether they worked a whole day or were brought in at the end, they all received the same reward.

Matthew 20:1-16 ESV
“For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and to them he said, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.’ So they went. Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’ They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’ And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.’ And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house, saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’ So the last will be first, and the first last.”

hballingerLeave a comment

Letter versus the Spirit

Matthew 5:16 NLT
In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.

PERSONAL COMMENTARY
———————————————

We do not advertise our good deeds to others, nor do we have to hide them from others. It is the reason behind our doing good deeds that matters, not the deeds themselves. If I am doing things with the purpose/intent of being seen by others, that is a selfish purpose, not a God centered purpose.

If we look at this one verse out of context or without understanding, we might compare it to the warning in the very next chapter and wonder if the author is contradicting themselves:

Matthew 6:1-4 NLT
“Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven. When you give to someone in need, don’t do as the hypocrites do—blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you the truth, they have received all the reward they will ever get. But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.

If I think that I have to hide my good deeds and not be seen, I have misunderstood the advice in chapter 6 and I have focused on the letter of the law instead of the intent of the Word of God.

If I think that I should do good deed for everyone to see so they know that I am righteous, I have misunderstood the advice in chapter 5 and I have focused on the letter of the law and not the intent of the Word of God.

The intent of this Scripture in chapter 5 can be better understood in the context of chapter 5 instead of alone by itself:

Matthew 5:13-16 NLT
“You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.

It is the intent that we need to understand in both cases. The Word of God that is given to us is in the voice of the Holy Spirit. That Holy Spirit is God, and God is love. We are even told that all of the commandments and the law hang on loving God and loving others. So this is the voice from which the Word of God speaks. It speaks to teach us about Godly love, a love that is very different than the worldly definition of love (the false substitute of lust).

So this Word of God is not rules of written law like the laws of men that we read and examine and concern ourselves with the detail so we can measure ourselves as meeting the requirement or falling short of the requirement. No, the law measures things that can be seen and measured on the outside of a man, his words, his actions, etc.

But the Word of God speaks to that law that is written on our hearts, that guides us and directs us in our decisions, thoughts, actions, and words.

The law convicts us, because who can mee the perfect requirements of the law but Christ himself?

But the Word of God guides us and refines us. It guides us toward our final destination.

And some are veiled to the Word of God when they read these scriptures, and they can only see and hear the written law, the letter of the law. They are blind and deaf to the Holy Spirit and the intent of the Word of God.

But let us not be veiled, let us hear the voice of the Good shepherd, the Word of God. And if we find ourselves veiled, let’s surrender our lives to accepting Jesus Christ into our lives, let’s pray to receive this gift of the Holy Spirit, let’s be stirred in our Spirit so we hear His voice.

Because we are to be the Salt of the Earth, a bright shining house on a hill, and these are not our good deeds, but the good that Christ does through us, so let them see Christ in us, let’s give Him the glory and honor, as directed in chapter 5 where this single scripture, a piece of the Word of God abides:

Matthew 5:13-16 NLT
“You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.

I hope today that we will all receive a Word that can be used in our walk today. Not so that I can find any glory or honor in sharing with you, but so that Christ might shine through even my written words that fall so short of His mark of perfection. So I beg you, friend – please see past the letter of my words, see past the imperfections of this man, and hear and receive the intent of my heart, to share this Word of God.

I love you, friends. Have a blessed day.

hballingerLeave a comment

Righteous, Blameless, Walk with God

GEN 6:9 ESV
These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God.

PERSONAL COMMENTARY
———————————————

HOPE: NOAH WAS A RIGHTEOUS MAN.

Righteousness is found in our faithfulness to God. God searches our hearts and minds and our faith is what God counts as righteousness. So the HOPE of our salvation is that we too can know God through His Son, and find repentance from our old ways and be renewed to a life of faith.

Being hopeful is accepting that God is faithful and wants a relationship with us through His offer of grace.

Hope is about salvation – about knowing the Truth.

FAITH: NOAH WAS BLAMELESS IN HIS GENERATION.

This doesn’t mean that Noah never sinned. But this does mean that Noah had faith in his life that filled his life with repentance, so that in the eyes of everyone in his generation, they saw him as blameless. We too are to live our lives as an offering to God, as His called and chosen that are set apart for God’s use – so we want to live faithfully so that our lives will be proof to ourselves of our faith (so that enemy of God has no weapons to continue using against us), and so that our lives are a fruitful example of Christ in us to others. Our actions as a Christian, the faithful lives of repentance that we live should speak just as loud, or even louder, than our words. Otherwise, how could people hear and believe a witness of “Christ in us” if they can only see the enemy’s darkness in our outwardly visible sins, and couldn’t search and find any evidence of fruitful light of Christ’s presence in our lives to support the claims of our words? People see us as blameless when we have faith and our lives are refined and repentant, because we are no longer seeking sinful pleasures like the rest of the world, we aren’t chasing and hungering for evil any longer.

Being faithful is not forgetting or forsaking Him in our decisions.

Faith is about the repentance that comes with salvation – having the wisdom to put our knowledge of the Truth into operation inside ourselves to clean this temple and make it ready for His use.

LOVE: NOAH WALKED WITH GOD.

This doesn’t mean that Noah walked around in Heaven. No, it means that God walked with Noah. And how did this happen? We know that God spoke to Noah to tell him to build the ark, but that is God speaking to Noah through the Word of God, through preincarnate Jesus Christ, the way that God has through the ages been able to speak and interact directly in this physical realm. But this says God walked with him. God walks with us once we have invited Him to come live in our lives, when we receive this gift of the Holy Spirit that abides in us and that is a refining fire to our soul, and is a guide to our steps, and that teaches us the ways of God, and that shows us God’s will for our lives. Walking with God is when God abides in us and He uses us to share His love with others.

Walking in God’s love is being ever mindful and aware of His presence in our lives and being alert to the opportunities where God can use us – then acting.

Love is about the service to others that comes with salvation – having understanding to put our wisdom of Truth into action in our outward actions and words that are helping others in their lives. Love is realizing that it isn’t about me obtaining a reward, it is about God reaching and touching and serving others through me.

TODAY

If you haven’t received Christ in you, if you don’t have this gift of the Holy Spirit that offers you hope in a hopeless world of darkness, I encourage you to pray and all Jesus Christ to come into your life and change you.

For those of us that have Christ in us, let’s stir our Holy spirit today. Let’s put it to work cleaning out those thoughts and sins in our lives that need to be removed and cleaned up. Let’s put it to work loving and serving others in the opportunities we encounter today.

I love you, friend. Have a wonderful day!

hballingerLeave a comment

We can’t fool God

Isaiah 29:13 NLT
And so the Lord says, “These people say they are mine. They honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. And their worship of me is nothing but man-made rules learned by rote.

PERSONAL COMMENTARY
——————————————–

…

We should examine ourselves and ask if we having a loving relationship where we ate seeking God’s will for our lives – or whether we are trying do what is necessary to get into heaven.

There is a difference between the two, and it is the state of our heart and mind. It is our heart and mind that the Lord searches, not our outward actions.

So we shouldn’t just pretend that we believe, following religious rules and practices out of obligation.

If we believe, won’t we seek out His will for our lives, seeking ways to be mindful of Him and praise Him throughout our day, even if it just in our own hearts and minds where no one else can see it. This kind of praise and worship, one on one with the Lord throughout our day on the inside, will help us be prepared when those opportunities arose to show peace, patience, forgiveness, mercy, love, joy, kindness, gentleness, long suffering, self control, and the good things that come from Christ in us.

Because if we remain mindful of Christ, if we keep this Holy Spirit in us stirred and alive, we will be walking in the Spirit, where the enemy weapons of temptation and evil will not prosper against us, where the trials and suffering and struggles will prove His strength and faithfulness to us, and where our lives will be of service to those around us.

Let’s be sure that we are not simply practicing a religion, but that we are living a life seeking God’s will, recognizing the blessings we are given, praising Him for everything, remaining mindful throughout our day, hearing His guidance and instruction, seeing those opportunities to serve and encourage others, and putting this Word of God into action in our daily life decisions.

May you be blessed today to believe in Christ Jesus as your Savior, to be filled with the Holy Spirit, to walk in the Spirit, to love and praise God, to love and serve your fellow man, and to understand that you are a redeemed Child of God, alive and a part of His Kingdom.