Is it me?

Could I be the reason?
Is it me?
Did I do something?

It’s not that I feel like being their justification for not being a Christian or for not even going to church but….my heart is breaking right now for some I know who are suffering instead of healing, instead of knowing my Jesus….

I do believe that it’s every one of our responsibilities, as Christians, to honestly ask ourselves, these 3 questions. Not just to take a look in the mirror and walk away the same as we first approached those very difficult questions. But in order to set into action whatever necessary steps to change the part of us that could contribute to their justification. Let’s not look at it, for a minute, as their justification but allow ourselves to see us as they do.

Do I judge people who don’t go to church?

Do I act like I think I’m better because I openly profess to be a Christian?

Do I associate with only believers?

Do I cause them to feel terrible or guilty by my attitude toward them? (my interaction with them?)

Do I go out of my way to make a scriptural point every time I see them or talk to them?

Do I genuinely love them and show love to them?

Do I acknowledge them only if they show up at my church?

Do I make sure to point out every single act of theirs as ungodly or not Christ-like?

Do I gossip about them?

Do I judge their dress because it’s not modest or their hair because it’s long or short?

Do I teach my kids to treat people this same way?

These are questions that I’ve recently considered because I do have people in my life who have been hurt by people who profess to be Christians. We, who claim to be Christ-like, can ruin it for people to experience the real Christ and His love for them, because we get in the way! We show them the total wrong impression of Christ.

Don’t mistake this blog for taking all the responsibility off the person who chooses not to have a relationship with Christ but understand that we do have a responsibility also! There are years of evidence to prove, that as churches, we’re not ministering to people or meeting the needs of people the way that God instructs us. There are numerous stories of legalism that requires people to be perfect or we doom them to hell.  There is so much hurt among people who have entered our churches searching for an answer and leave feeling disgusted and dirty because of how we treated them. Others tried to live up to our standards and failed miserably and we were right there to load on the guilt and the utter disappointment at just the time they were really searching for WHO would actually deliver them from their demon. Women, who dressed like the world, and yet still attended our churches because that was the only thing they had in their closet to wear and yet we snubbed our noses at her instead of reaching out to her in genuine love and kindness.  Men, who quietly sat in the back of the church, crying beneath his breath, terrified to be seen for fear of his addiction being discovered and we ignored him instead of welcoming him into our arms and making it a safe place to be transparent. Teens, who were covered in tats, body piercings, spiked or colored hair or whatever else we might consider different, who were angry at the world and felt unloved at home, hoping that just one person would treat him like he or she existed, like they could be seen and heard. Yet, we shied away, hurrying our kids out the door before they saw such an “ungodly” display of “lost youth”. The visitor who bothered to get all their kids dressed, fed and out the door on time to only arrive late and “disrupt” the service who we glared at or whispered the directions to the nursery with an annoyed frown.  Pounding them with scripture, shouting damnation at them and standing superior as we judge their every breath does have to have an impact on their impression of God! Shame on every one of us ever guilty of such a similar offensive act!

I’ve even read where there are many people who consider the treatment they endured as a form of abuse, a traumatic time in their life that they still today, have difficulty recovering from. Can you believe that! Wow! That’s pretty bad! But it made sense to me that they could.

Jesus preached to multitudes and I’m sure they weren’t all believers who were perfect like we’d like to think we are. He reached hearts with His gentle approach, with His love, with His wide open arms. Mark 6:34 “And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things.”  He didn’t beat them up to get their attention and neither should we! It doesn’t work!

So many people in this world have consciously chosen to stay out of church, to stay safe from repeating past hurts because they don’t trust us anymore and honestly, who could blame them? I don’t want to be a reason they could even try to use for not knowing God and being able to worship at the same church that I do, or any church.

I’d sure hate to be in Heaven one day and have God look at me and ask:

“just who do you think you are?

who are you to stand in judgment of them?

Romans 14:10 “But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.”

who are you to decide how they get treated?

are you sinless? are you blameless?

Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”

didn’t I have to cleanse your sins too?

didn’t you keep messing up too?

you are the one person they had a chance to see ME in – you and you blew it! because of you, they ran as far away from ME as they could get and looked for MY love in other things, in other people -

what do you have to say for yourself?”

Romans 14:13 “Let us not therefore judge one another any more:

but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock

or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way.”

That one person we shun, run off or treat badly may have been the very one God needed to reach someone else and we’ll never have that same chance they would’ve had. Maybe you or I can’t relate the same that they could so we’ll never know the full impact that we prevented. Pretty sad, right?

I don’t know, maybe it’s just me and I’m the only one feeling conviction & grief over these lost souls. But I doubt it. If I do get to have even a slim chance of being involved in someone’s choice as to whether or not they draw closer to God, I want to be the Christian God wants them to see. The genuine person who shows love and tenderness. Not because of anything I can do for them but because of all that He can do for them and with their lives! God can use each one of us and our lives, our experiences, to reach others to Him.

So, let’s determine to be more Christ-like and treat people the way He did. We can’t help but gain something too if even a better understanding of exactly who we are in Christ! People deserve the same kind of forgiveness, love and mercy He showed to us! That’s just my heart and it came from God so I had to share.

Armor of God defined…

Wait a minute! An armor – I have to wear an armor? So I have to physically put on a heavy armor and carry around a metal shield all day? Seriously I don’t look that great in a helmet.
All kidding aside…
the Armor of God is a protective covering that we have at our disposal because we’re Christians & Jesus lives in us.
Does it mean we’ll escape from any possibilities of trouble or battle? Not hardly. Jesus didn’t, did He?
Protection -
being equipped for battle is a necessity when you approach war so why wouldn’t we, as Christians daily battling Satan & his followers, also arm ourselves? We should!
So, you ask, am I ok as long as I have on the Armor, so that I can go ahead and proceed into places I know I shouldn’t go? Answer: an emphatic NO! Because when you go somewhere Jesus tells you not to go, you’re disobeying God and taking off the breastplate of righteousness. So you will not be safe going there anyway. Satan will try to trick you as he tempts you. He knows you believe God will protect you and that you’re wearing the Armor of God. He uses that knowledge to get you to test God.
Remember when he tried to tempt Jesus?
first) AND THE DEVIL SAID UNTO HIM, IF THOU BE THE SON OF GOD, COMMAND THIS STONE THAT IT BE MADE BREAD-Lk 4:3.
second) THEN THE DEVIL TAKETH HIM UP INTO THE HOLY CITY, AND SETTETH HIM ON A PINNACLE OF THE TEMPLE, AND SAITH UNTO HIM, IF THOU BE THE SON OF GOD, CAST THYSELF DOWN: FOR IT IS WRITTEN, HE SHALL GIVE HIS ANGELS CHARGE CONCERNING THEE: AND IN THEIR HANDS THEY SHALL BEAR THEE UP, LEST AT ANY TIME THOU DASH THY FOOT AGAINST A STONE-Mt 4:5,6.
third) AGAIN, THE DEVIL TAKETH HIM UP INTO AN EXCEEDING HIGH MOUNTAIN, AND SHOWETH HIM ALL THE KINGDOMS OF THE WORLD, AND THE GLORY OF THEM; AND SAITH UNTO HIM, ALL THESE THINGS WILL I GIVE THEE, IF THOU WILT FALL DOWN AND WORSHIP ME.

Even Jesus needed God’s Word, His strength and His protection to resist the temptations of Satan! Are we stronger than Jesus? Are we Satan-proof? NOT HARDLY!

As I mentioned earlier, there are 6 pieces of armor for the Christian to “put on” as the Armor of God. I’ll discuss them one by one in future blogs but felt it was crucial to introduce the meaning & necessity behind the entire Armor of God first.

Our “Youth Family” is more than just a group!

just a few words to describe them -

Amazing,

loving – “Your love for one another will prove to the

world that you are my disciples.” John 13:35

wise, Christians, lovers of God, genuine,

transparent, strong,

humble – “Humble yourselves before the Lord,

and he will lift you up.” (James 4:10)

obedient (to God)  – James 1:22 “But be doers of the word,

and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”

followers (of God),

worshipers – “For God is Spirit, so those who worship him

must worship in spirit and in truth.” John 4:24

teachers, preachers,

leaders/examples - 

 1 Timothy 4:12 “Let no one despise you for your youth,

but set the believers an example in speech,

in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.”

kind-hearted, awesome kids…..

who are they? They’re our church youth family & I am so blessed to know them and be allowed to walk beside them as they grow closer to our God!

The world may think we’re weird but we’re told to be different.

The world may think we’re boring but we have tons of fun!

The world may think we’re going no where but we know where we’re going!

The world may think we think we’re better than them but

we know we’re just forgiven and only by grace are we saved.

The world may not want to get too close because they

feel guilty about how they live but we’re not perfect either.

The world may try to detour us from our path with God

but God is our G od P ositioning S ystem

(no irreverence intended)

and He will never steer us wrong!

God gave me a heart for these dear, young people a while back but He’s drawn me even closer by showing them they can trust this adult. The fact that they feel so comfortable sharing and sometimes even pouring their hearts out to me assures me they know I love them but better yet – that God loves them and it’s easy to see their amazing futures as followers of Christ. They will turn the world upside down! I pray I’m here to see it but if not then I know one day in heaven I’ll get to see them get their just rewards.  They are so much stronger of a Christian than even I was at their young ages. They have a hunger for the Word, a desire to see their friends and families saved and they know who they are, who they serve and where they’re going! I continue to learn from them and consider it for my greater good to gain from their outlook, their wisdom and their stories. God will use their journey on this earth to reach people in their world who I would never be able to reach & I thank God for these youth!  They already know how much they mean to me and that I’m always here for them but they just don’t realize how they’ve ministered to my needs too!

I thank Him for putting me right here, right now, in this time, with this youth family! You guys and girls are always such a blessing to my life! Thank you!

Phil. 1:3
“Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God.“

New Living Translation

Spiritual Warfare! It’s real!

What is Spiritual Warfare?

This is an important question, because “spiritual warfare” means different things to different people. The term itself is not found in the scriptures, but the concept is taught. Two of the most commonly associated passages were written by the Apostle Paul.

“For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 (one of my favorite verses)

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in heavenly realms.” Eph. 6:10-12

Paul reminds us that we have spiritual authority and blessings in the unseen or heavenly realms (1:3). God wants people to be delivered from the power of Satan and his forces (2:1-2).

The good news is that Satan and his forces have already been defeated and disarmed (Col. 2:15). Consequently, there’s no need for believers to fear their spiritual enemy. While Satan still has the freedom to tempt and harass Christians, he has no direct authority over them. The armor of God pictures the protection Jesus gives us against demonic attack.

Satan can’t have a hold on you unless you let him. You have the power within you to resist him.

“Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James:4:7). This promise, however, is clearly directed toward those willing to “submit to God” (same verse) and is immediately followed with the instruction, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (verse 8). (http://www.ucg.org/bible-faq/how-can-i-resist-evil-influences-satan-devil)

The closer we get to God, the more uncomfortable the devil is!

6 pieces of the Armor of God

I’ll post more blogs on all this later.  I’ll search scripture and spiritual wisdom to explain the 6 pieces of the Armor of God more in depth so you get a clearer understanding of just how to prepare for this daily battle. I pray a hedge of protection around you as you seek to draw closer to God and ask that you prayerfully ask for guidance in this area of your life too. You’re not alone in this battle!

some comments borrowed from -

http://www.ucg.org/bible-faq/how-can-i-resist-evil-influences-satan-devil

http://www.christianitytoday.com/biblestudies/questions/theology/spiritualwarfare.html