Year: 2017

Can’t you see?

Eyes blind to see truth, 

eyes that divide and separate 

by the flesh and not by the Spirit —
They live alongside hardened hearts

that do not love as Christ loves, 

do not sacrifice as He sacrificed, 

do not see need as an opportunity to serve as He served,  

do not forgive as He forgives, 

do not fear God at all — 
but only use their twisted idea 

of religion and law and order 

as a means of controlling others 

and uplifting themselves 

to tread upon the backs of others 

Who they fear might be a threat 

to their established world order 

and comfortably fenced neighborhoods. 
Yes, the religious and the political 

have built great white washed tombs 

and grand slave ships 

that reach far higher and wider 

In the shadows they cast

than the pyramids 

Or the plantations

and wrapped them in names like 

“corporation”, 

“politics”, 

“legacy”, 

“heritage “, 

etc. 
And the cries of the oppressed,  

the needy, 

the murdered, 

the forgotten, 

the hopeless,  

cry out against these enemies of God 

who have been bold enough to pretend 

as if they were actually servants of God.

Sing a New Song

What sorrow awaits you who say, “If only the day of the Lord were here!” You have no idea what you are wishing for. That day will bring darkness, not light. In that day you will be like a man who runs from a lion— only to meet a bear. Escaping from the bear, he leans his hand against a wall in his house— and he’s bitten by a snake. Yes, the day of the Lord will be dark and hopeless, without a ray of joy or hope. “I hate all your show and pretense— the hypocrisy of your religious festivals and solemn assemblies. I will not accept your burnt offerings and grain offerings. I won’t even notice all your choice peace offerings. Away with your noisy hymns of praise! I will not listen to the music of your harps. Instead, I want to see a mighty flood of justice, an endless river of righteous living. – Amos 5:18‭-‬24 NLT

“Therefore, give the people of Israel this message from the Sovereign Lord : I am bringing you back, but not because you deserve it. I am doing it to protect my holy name, on which you brought shame while you were scattered among the nations. I will show how holy my great name is—the name on which you brought shame among the nations. And when I reveal my holiness through you before their very eyes, says the Sovereign Lord , then the nations will know that I am the Lord . For I will gather you up from all the nations and bring you home again to your land. “Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. Your filth will be washed away, and you will no longer worship idols. And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.  And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations. “And you will live in Israel, the land I gave your ancestors long ago. You will be my people, and I will be your God. I will cleanse you of your filthy behavior. I will give you good crops of grain, and I will send no more famines on the land. I will give you great harvests from your fruit trees and fields, and never again will the surrounding nations be able to scoff at your land for its famines. Then you will remember your past sins and despise yourselves for all the detestable things you did. But remember, says the Sovereign Lord , I am not doing this because you deserve it. O my people of Israel, you should be utterly ashamed of all you have done! “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: When I cleanse you from your sins, I will repopulate your cities, and the ruins will be rebuilt. The fields that used to lie empty and desolate in plain view of everyone will again be farmed. And when I bring you back, people will say, ‘This former wasteland is now like the Garden of Eden! The abandoned and ruined cities now have strong walls and are filled with people!’ Then the surrounding nations that survive will know that I, the Lord , have rebuilt the ruins and replanted the wasteland. For I, the Lord , have spoken, and I will do what I say. “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am ready to hear Israel’s prayers and to increase their numbers like a flock. They will be as numerous as the sacred flocks that fill Jerusalem’s streets at the time of her festivals. The ruined cities will be crowded with people once more, and everyone will know that I am the Lord .” – Ezekiel 36:22‭-‬38 NLT
Sing a new song to the Lord ! Let the whole earth sing to the Lord ! Sing to the Lord ; praise his name. Each day proclaim the good news that he saves. Publish his glorious deeds among the nations. Tell everyone about the amazing things he does. Great is the Lord ! He is most worthy of praise! He is to be feared above all gods. – Psalms 96:1‭-‬4 NLT

Legalism, Lawlessness, or Christ the Cornerstone?

Let’s clear something up, “Legalism” is not “someone obeying the Word of God” – it is adding to or subtracting from the actual Word of God so that someone can put forth an outward appearance of “holiness” when their hearts and minds do not love God or serve God but only serve their own pride.

And “lawlessness” is either completely denying the Word of God, or perverting it into believing that grace entitles us to sin freely and not love or serve or obey God.

Both of these are the broad way that leads to destruction. But there is another way where the cure is administered to our hearts,  and our desires are changed from sinful disobedience to grateful obedience,  when our love is shifted from self to a love and awe of God, when our lives are laid down so that we can live.

If you believe, if you love Him and know that He has called you to be His people,  than take your eyes off of your sin and look to the cross and the empty tomb to know that His grace is sufficient, not just to forgive but to deliver into new life! Turn away from sin, guilt, shame, and the foolish arrogance of “doing as you please” to learn what is best, to build upon this foundation what will not be burned away.

I say this because some would use the pointed finger of “legalism” as an excuse and justification for their continuing in sin,  as if Jesus came to gather up and celebrate sinners and sin, instead of the fact that: “He came for sinners, to bring them to repentance.” And others would use the pointed finger of “lawlessness” to overlook the grace and power of God that must be the engine and cure, alive and present inside a vessel, so that no man can boast about his own obedience but only give all the glory to God for what is taking place in his own heart by the power of the Holy Spirit.

So if you have the foundation of Jesus Christ,  if you are truly believing, in heartfelt surrender and love to God Almighty, if you are in fact a vessel for the Holy Spirit that convicts you against sin and leads you in the light, then build well for His Kingdom.

Because of God’s grace to me, I have laid the foundation like an expert builder. Now others are building on it. But whoever is building on this foundation must be very careful. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus Christ. Anyone who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials—gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw. But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value. If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward. But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames. Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you? God will destroy anyone who destroys this temple. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple. Stop deceiving yourselves. If you think you are wise by this world’s standards, you need to become a fool to be truly wise. – 1 Corinthians 3:10‭-‬18 NLT

Sex Sells

​I just realized that most of the songs that were attractive to me about women describe the very things that as a dad,  I’m afraid of seeing come alive in my daughter’s life. Think “Toxic” and “I’m a Slave 4 U” by Brittany Spears, you dads with daughters out there, and you’ll know what I’m talking about. 
But instead of trying to completely shelter her from life,  I hope that we can continue to have very real and open conversations like we did today at Carowinds about why a 12 year old boy wanting me to ride with his friend so he could ride alone with my 6 year old daughter ain’t gonna happen,  and why that makes him a “tricky” and possibly dangerous person for her to be around. 

Same thing with me,  as a married man, making contact with any new females who may not know my heart or my true intentions. I’d always rather err on the side of caution than send up red flags of “creeper”, not because I’m just playing with a deeper playbook,  but because women need to see at least an example or two in their lives of genuine,  faithful men who aren’t ruled by the other head.
Let’s show the world that there is a better option than just seeing each other as pieces of meat to be tasted and devoured. I love my friends, both male and female,  for their hearts,  their passion,  the light that shines through,  not the flesh that it is shining through.

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me.  If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.  And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?  For the Son of Man will come with his angels in the glory of his Father and will judge all people according to their deeds. – Matthew 16:24‭-‬27 NLT

Jesus Christ came to save us from sin and death, to FREE US FROM SIN, not to FREE US TO SIN. And this freedom received once we believe and receive is not our own strength, but the strength of “Him who is in is”, if we are indeed a new creation in Christ. 

We need to stop buying what the enemy is selling us, because it is poison, and it isn’t profitable for the Kingdom of God. Yes, sex and pornography and all kinds of sexual immorality is pleasurable for a season,  but there are consequences and things that it sows into hearts that cost much more than any short term enjoyment — and there is no lasting benefit unless we turn away from it and see God turn it into a testimony to His glory and honor. 

It was by faith that Moses, when he grew up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to share the oppression of God’s people instead of enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin. He thought it was better to suffer for the sake of Christ than to own the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to his great reward.

Hebrews 11:24‭-‬26 NLT

The law is not oppression when we choose to submit ourselves to it because we actually believe that it is the best advice, the One way, One truth, one Life — a light to our feet and a lamp to our path. 

Faith. 

Believe.

Come and follow Jesus Christ on this narrow path and see your whole household touched by the power of the Holy Spirit that comes and lives in you, Children of God!