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Do I train like my dad, the Ironman?

And as soon as they landed, they left everything and followed Jesus.
Luke 5:11 NLT
http://bible.com/116/luk.5.11.NLT

My dad, Jim Ballinger, is 64, and he is an Ironman. In fact,  he is training for Ironman Florida right now. We talked yesterday and he shared with me that the training that he does is tougher mentally than it is physically. He explained that he has no one training with him this time and the long sessions can feel lonely at times. I asked if he ever tries listening to something in one ear while he trains,  but he explained that the distraction is too dangerous since there are situations that come up that you must be prepared for our you could be caught up in an accident. Other people aren’t very mindful or aware enough to look out for someone riding a bike 100 miles or running a long distance as they train for an event that seems foreign or impossible to most of the world.

A few hours earlier, my wife and I had run into, Mark Foster, a great friend, pastor, and fellow child of the One True God in the produce section at Ingles as we gathered our groceries for the week. Our discussion was on the focus and dedication that it takes to successfully walk in the Spirit and to “Go and sin no more.” But our conversation was about that it is possible with great focus and dedication and training,  that we are not yet perfect,  but our goal is to strive after perfection – to live our lives as a sacrifice,  making Christ our addiction,  seeking first the Kingdom of God.

The parallels between training for an Ironman and training for our final destination to be proven before Christ as a good and faithful servant have never been so clear to me as now. As I study this Word of God and learn to recognize those things in my own life that are tricks of the enemy,  I become equipped with the tools to battle and overcome those temptations in my life. And for most temptations, they flee from me once I am equipped in that area. But some return. And some return with stronger friends,  and I must continue to learn and grow and equip myself for battle.

Some would say, but your salvation is complete,  the battle is already won, Christ has completed the work – to which I would say,  “Yes, I am His and He is mine. That work is done and He is faithful and true. My salvation is complete. But my testimony is not.” You see, if I make it only about my own salvation, if I take this heaven ticket,  place it in my back pocket for the day I die,  and do nothing for the Kingdom of God,  if I turn back from the plow and try to use have as an excuse to remain in sin,  not battling to see sin overcome in my life, not sharing this gospel with others who are lost,  not making disciples and baptizing in His name, then how can I say that I’ve “left everything and followed Jesus”?

And as we train and as we grow in discernment, being equipped with more understanding of how to recognize and battle the tricks and traps of the enemy, those areas of our lives that need correction – unfortunately  this healing to our spiritual eyes also comes with the ability to see it in others. And while we are called to use it to strive for righteousness ourselves and do battle against those things in our lives that would spill our garments,  our testimony to the Lord – it can create division and separation and isolation from the world. We can find ourselves on a long,  narrow road, seemingly running forever,  with no brothers or sisters running beside us to the end – but Christ is always with us.

You see,  we are not just meant to look at our own salvation and celebrate when so many of our brothers and sisters are either lost in the darkness or are still soiling their garments. If we only use the grace that we’ve received to remain the same as the world in every other aspect of our lives other than a once a week praise and worship and a check to someone else who is serving the Lord,  then how precious and valuable can we say that the Lord is to us? Are we not like Israel, turning back to our idols in this world? Loving wealth,  comfort,  pleasure,  sports,  hobbies, loved ones,  more than we love God who died for us and offers us His hand in eternity?

So let’s lay down everything. Let’s set our sights on serving the Lord. Let’s count the cost and realize that Christ is the ONLY thing of value that we can cling to. Let’s get addicted to Christ.

And let’s train radically, to the world as if we were racing for the impossible. Let’s set our eyes upon striving for the righteousness of a life where we “go and sin no more”. But let’s remember even when we slip that He will catch us.

Today,  I ask you,  are your eyes set firmly upon your Lord and Savior? Are you training to show yourself approved? Or are you caught up in the distraction?

Focus.

Run.

Train.

Be diligent.

Strive for perfection,  not so that you may be found perfect (because you are not), but so that the Lord may be honored in your continued effort,  and so that your life shines as a living and undeniable testimony to others that the Lord has touched you,  has changed you,  and is doing a mighty work in you and through you. Do not worry about the stumbles,  even when visible to others – let the discipline you receive even be a testimony and a warning for others. Better that the Lord be honored as faithful and true than for me to shrink back from running the race to my best.

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Is the Spirit upon you?

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the Lord ’s favor has come. ”
Luke 4:18-19 NLT
http://bible.com/116/luk.4.18-19.NLT

Are you ready to make this claim,  my Christian friends?

Or have you not received the gift of the Holy Spirit? Does Christ not live within you?

Test yourself to show yourself approved. Are you a Child of God or are you still sons of wickedness?

Are you fully trusting in His grace this hour,  but striving for righteousness to bring Him honor and glory?

The Holy Spirit of the Lord is upon me. I can tell you this not only boldly trusting in the Lord,  but humbly knowing that I do not deserve it. Nothing that I have done or will do is worthy of this Grace,  this calling, this touch of God upon my life. But nevertheless,  I tell you it is true. And I say it boldly,  not to boast in myself,  but to boast in Christ who lives in me.

He has called me to bring Good News to the poor. And those stockpiling the delicacies and comforts of this world are just as poor as those on the streets tired to their addictions. Those chasing after money and sex and pleasure are just as poor as those sitting in pews practicing traditions and doctrines of men. The treasures that we seek here on the earth are in no comparison to the glories of eternity. The Good News is that He tells us, blessed are the poor in spirit. So if we are going to be poor, let us be humble and seek first the Kingdom of God so that all these things will be added to us.

He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released. If we are a captive to our sins and want to be released from them, He tells us to cry out to Him,  to confess our sins in His name, to believe in Him,  to surrender our lives to have Him in authority over our lives, and those chains will be released. But if we cling to those chains,  if we long for the chains,  how can we say we are prisoners. Understand the chains that bind. See that you are in bondage to death and sin, and cry out to Jesus for your salvation.

That the blind will see. If you have no eyes to see and understand those things spiritual and eternal, listen to the words of my teacher, for my teacher is the Word of God, and in it you will find the fear of God that leads to wisdom and understanding. Your eyes will be opened to see the light, and you will no longer stumble in the darkness veiled to the truth of the Word of God. You will find healing both for your soul and for your body in the faith that can move mountains.

That the oppressed will be set free. Yes,  Christ demonstrates to us that the trials,  the persecutions, the actions of our enemies are no longer oppression when we walk with Him,  but they are opportunities to let Him shine forth in our lives. This is because He can turn what the enemy planned as stumbling blocks into a stairway lifting us up close to Him – as the fruit of the Holy Spirit love, joy,  peace,  patience,  kindness,  goodness,  faithfulness,  gentleness,  and self-control in response to challenges is clearly a different response than our nature would produce.

And that the time of the Lord’s favor has come. The favor of the Lord is upon me. I do not seek after riches or wealth or glory or honor amongst men,  but I seek to lift up His holy name by serving others,  by following Him,  by bearing the burdens of one another,  by loving even those who think they are my enemy. And in this surrender,  I have found both treasures that are eternal in Hope, Faith,  and Love – and the Lord is proven Faithful and True by providing everything that I need to fulfill my true purpose and calling white I travel through this foreign land. You see,  I am a Son of the One True God, I am a member of His royal priesthood, I am a Student at the feet of my master, I am a servant at the feet of my fellow man. And He provides overflowing and abundantly.

Do not misunderstand my words, I am not saying look to me or follow me. I am saying see past this flesh suit and see the, Christ who lives in me. Know that His promises are true. Make Him your Lord and Savior. Sit at His feet as your teacher and get the Word of God directly from the source. Know His love upon your life.

And know the anointing upon your life as well, my friends.

I love you. You are my brothers and sisters in Christ. Awake. Arise. Be born again in Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior, and walk in His Spirit that is life,  not in the flesh. For the wages of sin is death.

Know the mercies of His Amazing Grace,  live your life as a living testimony of Christ who lives in you. Count the cost of Discipleship and set your eyes upon the true purpose for your life. Give Him the honor and praise and glory that He deserves.

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Prepare for the Sneak Attack

When the devil had finished tempting Jesus, he left him until the next opportunity came.
Luke 4:13 NLT
http://bible.com/116/luk.4.13.NLT

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Temptation is opportunistic. Once we resist evil,  it will flee from us to hide in the shadows until another opportunity arises. Just because we have resisted something in the past doesn’t mean that we won’t face a similar attack again in the future.

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Baptism

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One day when the crowds were being baptized, Jesus himself was baptized. As he was praying, the heavens opened, and the Holy Spirit, in bodily form, descended on him like a dove. And a voice from heaven said, “You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy. ”
Luke 3:21-22 NLT
http://bible.com/116/luk.3.21-22.NLT

Jesus Christ himself,  God come in the flesh, our Savior, even though He was sinless and without blemish, participated in water baptism,  being plunged beneath the waters of the Jordan river. The baptism itself was not the act that washed Him clean,  because He was already clean from sin. But the testimony of His baptism brought glory and honor to God.

We should look at baptism in the light of bringing glory and honor to God. If we are saved,  if we have been baptized by the Holy Spirit which is a blessing given to us by God,  we should give thanks to God and participate in water baptism as a testimony to bring glory and honor to God. It is one of the ways that we can bless God in return.

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Spread the Word

Spread the Word.

Then Simeon blessed them, and he said to Mary, the baby’s mother, “This child is destined to cause many in Israel to fall, but he will be a joy to many others. He has been sent as a sign from God, but many will oppose him. As a result, the deepest thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your very soul.”
Luke 2:34-35 NLT
http://bible.com/116/luk.2.34-35.NLT

Jesus leaves no middle ground. When a man comes into this world whose very birth separates our recording of time into BC and AD, when this man makes claim to be God come in the flesh and teaches many wonderful things and performs many great miracles – it leaves us in a position where we must either take Him at his word and believe Him,  or we will deny Him.

Continue reading “Spread the Word” →

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Faithful in the details

“One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.
Luke 16:10 ESV
http://bible.com/59/luk.16.10.ESV

It’s the little stuff. It’s always the little stuff.

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What does forgiveness look like?

Do I really understand forgiveness?

Luke 23:34-35 NLT
Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” And the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice. The crowd watched and the leaders scoffed. “He saved others,” they said, “let him save himself if he is really God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.”

Continue reading “What does forgiveness look like?” →

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Don’t try it, don’t fake it, don’t do it – just BE it.

Proverbs 3:3 NLT
Never let loyalty and kindness leave you! Tie them around your neck as a reminder. Write them deep within your heart.

Loyalty. It speaks to a right relationship with God, because we are to be loyal to God,  not to other men. Loyalty divided is not loyalty at all,  but is treason. Our loyalty is to God and God alone,  not to a person,  not to a nation,  not to a cause – but to God. The first five of the ten commandments speak of loyalty to God.

Kindness. It speaks to a right relationship with others, because we are to be kind to others. And kindness is not doing good for others so they will repay you with good in return. No,  that is manipulation. Kindness is doing good to others regardless of the outcome. The last five of the ten commandments speak of kindness to others.

Continue reading “Don’t try it, don’t fake it, don’t do it – just BE it.” →

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Kids Say the Darndest

I think that a “Kids say the darndest things… about the Bible” video would be great.

First,  to show the innocence of their answers when they don’t know yet. Second, to show how quickly and easily they absorb and understand the core message and moral of the stories – even better than many adults.

I always find it interesting that Jesus said that we should be like children (Matthew 18:3), not like Pharisees (Matthew 23) – children understand the importance of the inner, moral and message of a story,  while Pharisees get hung up on the details and overlook the beautiful simplicity of the message (2 Corinthians 3:6).

For example,  we want Mia to learn that the story of the three pigs is about being wise, building on a strong foundation, and building a life out of the materials that are going to stand upright,  true,  and last forever, never to fall to the storms and trials of life – a life built upon accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, repenting from sin, resisting evil, seeking God’s will in our lives, and showing others mercy and forgiveness, bearing the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). A person that does this not only save themselves,  but is a shelter for their loved ones to come to as well in their times of trouble and need(Matthew 25:31-46).

The 3 little pigs story isn’t just about being sure that you earn enough money to build a house out of brick material so you can keep the enemies from destroying your life, leaving you running to your friends and relatives for help. It isn’t just about an evil wolf looking to gobble up unwise piggies when he finds them unprepared.

One of the above perspectives demonstrates spiritual understanding (seeing the underlying forces and root cause behind the situation and circumstances), and one is earthly knowledge (focused only on what can be seen and touched). And what is interesting to me is that kids catch on to this underlying “message” even quicker than many adults,  because they are not yet jaded with the stresses of adult responsibilities.

You know,  I think that I’m learning more from being a father to my 4 year old, and a husband to my wife, and a daily servant seeking God’s will in this past year, than I ever learned in the whole of my other 36 years of living for myself. And I have so much left to learn.

This all came up because of Mia’s answer to a question in her Sunday School class today was cute and humorous. We read the Bible and bible story books with her all the time,  but she is just 4 years and a month old.

Unfortunately,  there are those that I know that would be mortified that their child did not know the correct answer to a biblical trivia question,  and they might even think that it was a bad reflection on them that their child didn’t know it. Yes,  there are people that will try to measure themselves against others based on their biblical knowledge and theology – I’m even guilty of letting my study of scripture become a source of personal pride at times instead of remaining humbly grateful to the Holy Spirit for teaching me. (Unfortunately, I stumble and act like a hypocrite sometimes. Me=imperfect)

Yes, I want Mia to know that the gift that the woman gave Jesus was not “a turtle”,  but to put perfume on Him and to wash his feet with her tears and dry them with her hair (Luke 7:36-50).

But it would only mortify me if she thought that God is a mean, wrathful, hateful, envious, jealous, power-drunk being in the sky that throws lightning bolts and fire of punishment down onto those that aren’t good enough – instead of knowing that our Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit together are all powerful, all knowing, forgiving,  loving,  merciful, just, faithful, our redeemer,  our healer, our provider, our shelter,  our hope, our salvation, our teacher, our comforter, our loving disciplinarian, and our caring friend.

So yes,  she will continue to learn the trivia and the theology over time, but her foundation is going to be rooted in the fruits of the Holy Spirit, grace,  mercy,  forgiveness, love, repentance, seeking God’s will – and yes,  she will learn that there are those who are allowed to choose a life separated from God,  and they will eventually understand the foolishness of their decision.

But I don’t want my daughter practicing religion and studying theology simply because she is afraid of going to an eternal torment in hell. I don’t want her simply filling out her prayer requirement for a “get out of hell free card” to be followed by Sunday religious practices but a life missing out on a relationship with Jesus Christ.

I want my daughter to know this amazing free gift of grace,  and know the grattitude that changes attitude, and experience the change inside that comes from the Holy Spirit of Christ living inside her, and living through her, touching the lives of others,  bearing the fruits of the Holy Spirit, and serving and loving a living Savior that will walk closer to her than a brother,  who will be her friend forever.

And that is how she will know freedom, not just religion.

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Seek His Kingdom

Luke 12:29-31 AMP
And you, do not seek [by meditating and reasoning to inquire into] what you are to eat and what you are to drink;
nor be of anxious (troubled) mind [unsettled, excited, worried, and in suspense];

For all the pagan world is [greedily] seeking these things, and your Father knows that you need them.

…

Only aim at and strive for and seek His kingdom, and all these things shall be supplied to you also.

PERSONAL COMMENTARY
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Have faith.

Don’t worry.

Don’t waste your time greedily seeking the things of this world, because God knows what you need. Selfish living, chasing only pleasures and wealth is a dangerous trap that will leave one alone, naked, blind, and tormented in the end.

Seek His Kingdom, know Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, live a fruitful life of righteous, upright living – following the helpful guidelines that He has provided, loving and serving others – and you will find that He is faithful and your needs are met – both spiritually and physically.