A Mass Shooting: An Absent God?

In the aftermath of another mass shooting on US soil, it is natural to begin to ask questions like "Why does God allow bad things to happen? If God is real why did He not stop this? What about the victims and families, if He is such a loving God, why does He not care about them?"

God has put it on my heart to share a message for those who may be disillusioned with this news, and indeed to anyone of the grieving family members or anyone affected I hope this strengthens your faith and turns you toward God and not away from Him.

Many places in the world we see tragedy, pain and suffering. And so even if you are not affected by what is happening the US, I believe you can be edified by this message. It is not the method of suffering that matters as much, as the fact that there is suffering at all.

Why did God let this happen? 

To understand this question we have to understand exactly what God did for us at the time of creation:

Genesis 1:28 New King James Version (NKJV)
28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

God said we are in charge. And just as we say that with "rights come responsibility", we have the responsibility over the earth and over ourselves. It was a blessing from God that we were to rule over this earth, and take care of it for Him. If God was to intervene in every situation, then is that truly giving us dominion? Rather would that not be God controlling and constricting? This then would not only not be granting us dominion over the earth, but restricting free will upon it.

Do not confuse this with saying that God is not sovereign in all things, He certainly is, but let it serve as the bedrock for our understanding.

Upon this foundation, that God is sovereign yet gave us dominion, we next need to understand that man serves God. God is so all powerful that even those who do not know God are under His authority. The Most High rules in the kingdom of men and heaven rules earth (Daniel 4:25-26).

God rules us. We serve God.

God is not an intergalactic saving force to prevent every calamity befalling us. That would infer that God works for us.

Therefore to the question why does God allow bad things to happen:

The answer is because He is true to His word, and has utmost integrity. He is sovereign, yet He blessed us with dominion over the earth, He gave us free will. If God was not so good, and had such high integrity, He would've taken dominion back long ago (I personally think this is a good thing, because looking around the world.....).

As humans, instead of pridefully highlighting our accomplishments, let us in all humility accept that apart from God we really make a mess of things. And even when we make a complete mess of it, He has not taken back the kingdom of earth from us, nor elevated another being to rule over us.

That is how good the God that we serve, is to us.

Apart from God, we truly see the expression of the evil things done by humanity, for if we all truly knew Jesus, than this type of violence, mass in-discriminant killings and conflicts all over the world would not take place.

It pains God to see suffering too, He does not like it. Rather, than question God I more lament what happens to us as humans, when we are so far away from Him.

I should add. That if you are in Christ, God is a protector. You are His children, and just as a loving Father would protect His family. So too does God. Do not live in fear. For it is written:

1 Corinthians 15:54-57 New King James Version (NKJV)
54 So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”

55 “O[a] Death, where is your sting?
O Hades, where is your victory?”

56 The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

We have the victory over death, thanks to our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ!

But what of the victims? What if they were in Christ? God still allowed them to die

Well. The reason we have victory over death, is again thanks to Jesus we cannot die:

John 11:25-26 New King James Version (NKJV)
25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. 26 And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

Amen! I most certainly believe and receive this in Jesus' might name.

And of course most famously:

John 3:16 New King James Version (NKJV)
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.


Yes we mourn the passing of our loved ones, but here too the Bible gives us guidance:

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 New King James Version (NKJV)
The Comfort of Christ’s Coming
13 But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen [a]asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who [b]sleep in Jesus.

15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are [c]asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.

They are in heaven, with Jesus. A most wonderful place to be, where they will endure no more pain and suffering. Though the effects of their passing from this earth will certainly be felt amongst families, communities and loves ones, we should remember they have been called home to heaven.
For that is where our citizenship truly lies (Philippians 3:20, Hebrews 11:13-16). You will be reunited with them and see them again.

But what about the victims who don't believe in Jesus?

The only way to the Father, is through Jesus (John 14:6), the only way to everlasting life is through Jesus (John 3:16), to the nations and people who do not know God then we know that they do not go to heaven (too may verses can be quoted here but see: Psalms 9:17, Matthew 25:31-46). Furthermore, heaven is not assured for those who know the name Jesus, but those who know Him and are known by Him (Matthew 7:21-23).

To be clear, if you are not in Christ and He in you, if you do not know Jesus you cannot enter heaven, and instead go to hell.

I do not say this to scare anyone into knowing Christ. I say this as a call of urgency.

That if you know anyone who is not in Christ, or if indeed you are not in Christ, let incidents like this remind you: we are not in control. 

We cannot number our days, nor can we predict our tomorrow.

Salvation

A trip to the store, was a final goodbye for some people. That is a sombre thought.

Salvation is far more important than any job interview, career, education, relationship, anything that you are planning your days around or hoping to for.

Salvation is not for tomorrow, next week, the next moment. No salvation is for now.

If your heart is willing, if you are able, if you feel like your Sunday relationship with God never took root in your heart.

Please pray the following:

Romans 10:9 New King James Version (NKJV)
9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

Personalise this any way you wish. God is a merciful God, and its far more about your heart than it is a legalistic expression or format. But I understand you may be anxious to get it right. So here is some

Help:

"I confess Jesus is Lord.
Jesus come into my heart
I make you my personal Lord and saviour
I believe that God raised you from the dead
In the name of Jesus I have prayed. Amen"

When we offer our prayers for the victims and families, pray that they come to know Jesus too. Let it not stop at condolences and prayers for strengthening, salvation is the greatest gift and strength they will ever come to know.

Conclusion

I choose not to glorify the crime. Rather to glorify our God, that He has removed the sting of death to those who love and know Him. I pray that this has been helpful and strengthened your faith by changing your perspective.

We have been given the hope of heaven, and the passing away of this earth, will birth a new one free from pain and suffering.

Death has lost its sting, for the gift of salvation and eternal life is for all who are in Christ. Is this not truly wonderful?

Be encouraged, be strong and remain in faith.


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Overcoming a Rough Day

I find myself today, once again, wrestling.

It cannot be said enough:               

Ephesians 6:12 New King James Version (NKJV)
12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

The Holy Spirit has imparted upon me His wisdom, that is true heavenly wisdom and not earthly wisdom (James 3:13-18), such that I am entirely cognisant of the season in which I am in.

Not through reasoning, but by the power of revelation.

I have taken up my cross, and entered into a period of sacrifice, yet this knowledge does not prevent my struggles. For underlying this larger struggle, is a battle fought on more intimate grounds:

Galatians 5:17 New King James Version (NKJV)
17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.

So though I am cognisant of the season I am in, though I want to count it all joy for the trials (James 1:2) my flesh is incapable of such. My flesh remains wilfully in a place of anxiety, focused upon the temporal "truth" of my situation, not the eternal truth that God is in control.

Despite my best efforts, I cannot escape these thoughts.

Faith confessions to the contrary, seeking counsel and conversation have all added to my struggles. People draw from the well within me, at a time when I desperately trying to avoid running dry.

God is silent when I pray, for whatever reason, I am not hearing from Him. His outstretched hand seems to have pulled back from me. I am without direction when I read the Bible, not therefore just praying amiss, but reading amiss.

So why then am I writing this post? Regular readers would have heard enough of my struggles, and I am certainly sick of writing about them!

So far this is not encouraging, this is not edifying, so....why? Simple:

2 Corinthians 10:3-6 New King James Version (NKJV)
3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, 6 and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.

See my anxious thoughts left alone would lead to my disobedience, going to work despite God telling me not to do so, taking matters into my own hands.

Thus, not surrendering to God's will.

So it may seem strange, but my service is a weapon. But why?

James 4:7 New King James Version (NKJV)
Humility Cures Worldliness
7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

Because the devil is trying to bring me out of submission to God! If I am in God's presence, doing His will and His work, in His strength I can resist the devil and he will flee from me!

So instead I choose to draw closer to God that He may draw near to me (James 4:8), through this blog. For every anxious thought that is in my mind, telling me to stop, telling me to disobey, telling me to forsake God for He is keeping me a place of anguish; I defy those voices with my service.

If the enemy thought that they could disable me, I shall use this attack as fuel. The weapon formed against me to turn away from God, I instead turn to Him to frustrate the enemy, and further God's kingdom.

I will instead tell all who listen that God is in control, feeding the Spirit by doing the will of the Father (John 4:34), such that the internal battle is won in this day by the Spirit, that the flesh is brought into submission. Allowing me to access those fruits of the Spirit that well help me endure unto the promise: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).

I will submit to God, resist the devil such that he flees from me (James 4:8). Using the precise spiritual attack that the enemy sought to turn me away from God, thus not submitting to Him, I choose to use that to serve God. Glorifying God, that even such an attack can be used for my good, and in turn for whomever reads this post. I can assure you I feel much better writing this sentence, then the one at the beginning.

Brothers and sisters in Christ. Do not put God in a box, I am learning to draw closer, and experience, Him in several ways. One of your greatest weapons is to surely reconnect to the source? An all powerful eternal God, whom makes the demons tremble (James 2:19). Bring yourself into submission of His will for you and draw closer to Him. Do so in any way that you can.

This has helped me, and I pray that post helps you. Submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you (James 4:7). Do not entertain those thoughts in your head, do not engage, rebuke them! For every thought telling you to turn away from God, silence them and turn to Him.

As for me? Abraham endured unto his promise, so too shall I endure unto mine.

I have bad days, yet these bad days are set backs not defeat.

Christ already obtained the victory. Detractors may mock you, the enemy may get in a blow here or there, but it is written:

1 Kings 20:11 New King James Version (NKJV)
".....‘Let not the one who puts on his armor boast like the one who takes it off.’"


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A Covenant Through Sacrifice

Psalm 50:5 New King James Version (NKJV)

5 “Gather My saints together to Me,

Those who have made a covenant with Me by sacrifice.”

For those of you who do not know in this season of my life God has shown me a glorious and prosperous future, yet, has brought me to a complete to a standstill. My current circumstances do not communicate victory, nor that a future as bright as He promised is possible. Upon His instruction I am not working, I now have less money in my bank account than when I was a child, I face bills I cannot pay which seem to be increasing daily.
I am in the midst of spiritual battles and warfare, with painful revelation upon painful revelation because He has said "the truth shall make you free" (John 8:32), and despite all of this God has told me "be still, and know that I am God".

As many others I am sure, I had wrestled with the apparent notion that immediately I truly accepted Jesus as my Lord and savior of my soul, things seem to have gotten worse, and not better. I have scrambled looking to verse upon verse, of God's promises and despite my pleas, despite my prayers will all supplication and thanksgiving I am still in the midst of my troubles. 

Then, in the depths of my despair on the 20th May consumed by all that seemed to be against me, God brought me to a stand still with Psalms 50:5. (because of the opposition I faced in sharing this with you, it is only today, 3rd June, that I have composed and shared this with you all.).

I wrote at length about being saved, but not born again, these two things: the covenant through sacrifice and taking up your cross, are interwoven and so I direct you to my other post where I detailed this at length.

Struggle is often about perspective and understanding. My struggle was rooted in not being able to reconcile the multitude of places in the Bible whether its: Deuteronomy 28, Malachi 3:10, Jeremiah 29:11, Psalms 35:27 and so much more, saying God wants to prosper us and more so, he delights in doing so, with the fact that I am at my worst.

I was ecstatic when He shared with me a vision of my future, a prosperous one, yet I struggled with sorrow day to day. Why was this happening to me?

There are so many examples within the Bible of this exact thing happening. Did God not make David a king, yet look at all that he had to endure before he could access the promise: Saul tried to kill him relentlessly, he was in the wilderness and exile for a time, he had to reside in the land of the enemy, all his things were stolen, basically a civil war and so much more. Then there is Job, Abraham, Noah, Moses, Joshua and more recently we can even look to TD Jakes the experience he suffered in his "crushing".                     

In Psalms 50:5, God says that He establishes a covenant through sacrifice. This establishment of a covenant, or agreement, is effectively what allows us to benefit from the goodness of God:
Hebrews 11:17-18 New International Version (NIV)

17 By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, 18 even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.
Abraham gained access to the promise through his sacrifice. Imagine his despair, this was his legitimate son, the son of promise whom God called his only son and yet God was asking him to allow him to die...(Here is a revelation from the Holy Spirit. Does this not sound like what God did for us when He allowed Jesus to die on a cross? This one moment kick started the redemption plan for all mankind, the lamb that was slain in substitution was Jesus in eternity (this may well be spiritual hard food! So if you do not believe then continue to seek God and test all things!!))

Such is the consistency of God, that through the Bible we we may test all things.

We establish a covenant with God through a spiritual crucifixion which is to die and be born again with Christ (Colossians 2:12), for:

John 4:23-24 New King James Version (NKJV)

23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

So we must come to God in spirit not the flesh. So in confessing with the mouth that Christ is Lord and he overcame death through resurrection (Romans 10:9-10) we are saved, but if you want to establish a covenant with God that allows you to truly benefit in his promise this requires sacrifice (Psalms 50:5).

Again test this, is it not written:

Romans 12 New King James Version (NKJV)
Living Sacrifices to God
12 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.


Why Does God Do This?

1 Peter 1:6-7 New King James Version (NKJV)
6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been [a]grieved by various trials, 7 that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, 

Our faith is all about relationship with God. God wants to know that you are serving Him not because of the promises of abundance, but out of love for God, for God is love (1 John 4:8). 

So if like me you were wondering, why is this happening to me? For what is this season of suffering. Take heart knowing you are not alone, that your suffering has a purpose and a blessing at the end of it. That God loves you and knowing all things wants you to endure that renew your heart and mind towards Him. 

That when you come to serve it is for relationship and not for reward.

                                          

Saved...But Not Born Again

This may seem somewhat odd, given what is widely accepted by the term "born again". People often, including myself at the beginning of this journey, ascribe being born again as the moment in which they are saved by Christ. Why then, have I concluded that I am saved but not born again?

And so what is this moment? It is written:

Romans 10:9-10 New King James Version (NKJV)

9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

For those of you who do not know in this season of my life God has shown me a glorious and prosperous future yet, has brought me completely to a standstill. My current circumstances do not communicate victory. Upon His instruction I am not working, I now have less money in my bank account than when I was a child, I face bills I cannot pay which seem to be increasing daily.

I am in the midst of spiritual battles and warfare, with painful revelation upon painful revelation because He has said "the truth shall make you free" (John 8:32). Despite all of this God has told me "be still, and know that I am God". (Though this revelation came at the same time I wrote about the covenant of sacrifice separately, as this topic would become so big that you would not have the time to read it!)

As with many others I am sure, I had wrestled with the notion that immediately I truly accepted Jesus as my Lord and savior of my soul, things seem to have gotten worse. I have scrambled looking to verse upon verse of God's promises and could not reconcile my experience with his word.

Days, weeks and months had passed, and by grace and not works, sitting in a public library in the midst of my sorrow, on the 20th May the Holy Spirit took me on a journey. This journey encompassed so many things but it is this which I must share with you.

(Side note: It is the 3rd June 2019 and this is when I have been able to write this. I wrote about the cause of the delay in composing this post here, the enemy did not want me to share this with you, so if you too find yourself under attack for your service to God, take heart, because if I can make it so too can you!)

I do not feel capable of truly communicating the gravity of this revelation and so I apologise, yet it is this which God has told me to share. So I offer you an extract from my notes which I took when this happened:

Matthew 16:24-28 New King James Version (NKJV)

Take Up the Cross and Follow Him

24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. 26 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? 27 For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.28 Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.”

Matthew 24 - Something somewhat obvious has struck me about the timing of this verse. Jesus had not been crucified yet, it would actually be quite some time before this would happen. This is extremely powerful. Jesus has just spelled out this principle here. Jesus had to carry the cross on the way to being crucified - meaning He had a burden to bear before, the pain, glory, eventual resurrection and promise (that He was given all authority in heaven and earth Matthew 28, and will reign as the one true king). All of that sequence was done for our benefit. He said "take up his cross", not the cross, implying it is your cross.  We have to carry our own cross to crucifixion. He was basically saying "come let us go and die".

Matthew 25 - God said we have to willingly sacrifice. Christ is saying the same. We have to willingly follow Christ to die, endure the pain and any humiliation. Therefore not only should we not question why we suffer, but we must endure by looking to the author of our faith (Hebrews 12). This is literally what God meant!!!! He meant all of Christs example, not just the ministry, but dying too. This is part of the mystery Jesus spoke about in John 3:5-8.

Matthew 26 - He is saying, your soul is priceless. If you have to endure a little suffering to free your soul what's the big deal? Because if you gain this material world and everything in it, but lose your soul in eternity you have wasted your time!

Matthew 27 - We will be rewarded according to what we do whilst here on earth, of which we cannot reach the fullness of our potential without entering into this covenant relationship with God.

End of notes

So considering all of the above am I truly born again? No. I can truly say I am in the season where I have taken up my cross, but not that I have been crucified just yet. Now, test all things, though this revelation came to me by the Holy Spirit you may be sceptical, as you should, discernment is necessary in these uncertain times full of misinformation.

And so, go back to the Romans 10:9-10

Romans 10:9-10 New King James Version (NKJV)

9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Why do you think God specifically asked you to believe that Jesus was raised from the dead? Because the true redemption is in the resurrection:

Colossians 2:12 New King James Version (NKJV)
12 buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.

God is saying if you do not believe I could raise Jesus from the dead, neither can I raise you from the dead. And is it not written that "he who has died has been freed from sin" (Romans 6:7)? That you may be dead to sin and alive unto righteousness (Romans 6:11)? Frankly, you must die.

In fact these references are all over the Bible about your "death", there are so many verses that this post could become a series. In my own life this is the one that resonated the most:

Colossians 3:1-3 New King James Version (NKJV)
Not Carnality but Christ

3 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

This is important. It is written. IF then, "not that you are". One of the tenants of truly being raised with Christ is that I should be able to focus on the things that God is concerned about, and not worried about things as those without God, such as food, shelter, clothing, bills for my heavenly Father knows I need these things. (Matthew 6:25-31). That I should seek first the kingdom of God and the rest will be added unto me (Matthew 6:33).

Truth be told. I am not there....yet.

If you have spent any time in church, then you may have heard the term "carnal Christian". Combined with the commonality with which we hear the phrase born again, and yet do not hear with the same degree of commonality this breakdown, means there are a lot of carnal Christians.

Why is this important?

John 4:24 New King James Version (NKJV)
24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” &

John 3:6-7 New King James Version (NKJV)

6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’

So when you die this death, which is of course a spiritual death, then you can be born again truly capable of operating with all the fruits of the Spirit and walking by faith.

 And yet Hebrews 5 & 6 describes the very same as the elemental principles of our faith, that this is the spiritual milk and not the hard food.

So I implore you ask yourself, as I have done, are you truly born again?

When Faced with "Pride"

Brothers and sisters in Christ. Though you may be attacked for your views, in this month be as bold preaching of Jesus, as those who walk and march with "pride".

For the author of our faith, Jesus Christ, came to call sinners to repentance, (Luke 5:32) so too should we; with faith, hope and love, share the gospel of Christ that they too may come to know Him, and the gift of salvation.

Though our faith is built upon the bedrock of humility, do not mistake humility for meekness. For is it not the God whom we serve, all powerful and whom we should fear, who called us to approach His throne with boldness? Were those in the book of Acts not bold to preach the gospel, though facing death and persecution?

I pray for those who blog, share their content, verses of the day, evangelize on the street, or serve God in any capacity. Do not be ashamed this month, nor intimidated, for God is with you.

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Being More Intentional

                           

                              Photo Credit: Pinterest: Finding Time To Fly

I am certain I am not a lone voice in not understanding the relationship between being led by the Spirit, and my own free will. Of all the stumblings of my walk by faith this is certainly the most persistent, and most interesting.

I do not plan what I write.

Nor do I seem able to do so.

Any semblence of a plan, is immediately done away with once I start typing. I wrote about this when I finally understood, or perhaps relented, that God is in control even here.

I have read my posts, I am my own worst critic, and if I am honest they are of varying and (hopefully improving!) quality, the best of which are always produced when I write about what is on the mind of God. When I am led by the Spirit.

Yet because of this, perhaps communicating my own spiritual immaturity, I am far from intentional in spending the time creating these posts, perfecting my craft, improving my writing, such that I become more effective for Him.

And if this were a traditional "occupation" would I not dedicate more time to my craft either by coercion, or necessity? Would I not complete CPD, training, or anything I could, if it meant the prospect of becoming more effective and furthering my career?

The answer is yes I would, because I did.

Every qualification I had from my high school education to my degree was self-taught, and in the case of my degree self funded, looking toward the promise of a career for motivation.

How much greater the gift of eternal life, the promise of relationship with an eternal loving God or His abundant blessings? So why am I not spending more time investing in the gifts God has given me, that I may serve Him, and His people better?! Surely this is far better than any career I could have hoped for?

To not treat my obligations to God with at least equal esteem, as those I had when I was interested in a career, is to relegate God's work below that of man, elevate temporal above the eternal. In my ignorance before I knew Him, perhaps I could be excused, but now? Certainly not.

Considering His word and all He has done, not just for me but all of mankind, this simply does not make sense.

So I looked into how to improve my writing, how to become a more effective communicator. I signed up, and paid for, Skill Share, bought some books to read by Christian authors and yet how much time have I spent enjoying the content I paid for? Embarassingly little. Indeed what I will to do, that I do not practice! (Romans 7:15)

Perhaps in this season this is why He has brought me to a standstill. To focus upon Him and His will, and nothing else.

The gift of grace allows me to underperform, but not become lazy nor make excuses for continuing to fall short. I thank the Lord that He is faithful, patient and has not taken away this gifting from me.

God has shown me so many things He has for me in my future, some of which I cannot even believe, and all He is asking me to do is serve Him. I pray, this is a seed moment and my present circumstances the fertile ground for growth.

I do not have the answer to the balance between my own free will and to be led by the Spirit, growth in faith is needed, but one thing is certain:

I must do better.

A Rough Week

I have watched sermon, upon sermon, upon sermon talking about spiritual attacks. When they would happen, how they would happen, why they would happen. Yet seemingly, such is the human condition, despite my numerous learning, warnings and preparation, I was not ready for what was to come.

It is not that I have not suffered spiritual attacks before, no those have been numerous, it was the intensity of what I was subject to that was the surprise.

It is written that ours is not a battle of the flesh (Ephesians 6:12), and we stand against the wiles of the devil ((Ephesians 6:11). Lest it has not been stated explicitly enough, the devil himself and his agents are your enemy, that also means you are his. I do not wish to glorify him, nor give him any undue attention for far greater is He that is in us, than he that is in the world (1 John 4:4); yet to be wise to the wiles of the devil we need to understand this of his character: he is a shrewd operator and he is intelligent.

As any good general knows, when you are in battle go for the "head", it is why the Sheppard was struck such that the sheep would scatter (Matthew 26:31). Thus if you grow in relationship with God and your faith increases, so too do you grow in stature as an enemy of the devil. You are more capable of leading people to God and away from him, this for the devil is a problem.

Since I have started this blog, the attacks have intensified. This week has been one of intense trials and tribulations, of which I have not experienced since I begun this journey.

I was doing a Bible study this week, one where the Holy Spirit revealed to me the meaning of our covenant through sacrifice, the significance of Jesus carrying His cross and what that means for us, how Abraham and Isaac revealed Jesus, even in Genesis and so much more. I felt compelled to share this with you, and indeed I will, but this is when the battle intensified.

So what am I saying of myself? Am I exalting myself,and claiming to have become so important in the kingdom of God, that the devil sees me as a threat? No instead the opposite.

If God rejoices in heaven when one sinner comes to repentance (Luke 15:10), understand that this means the devil gets upset when but one person is saved, because if they belong to God, the devil no longer has a hold over them; as you increase God's kingdom, you decrease his.

I am but a humble blogger, who wishes to spread the gospel to as many people as possible with the measure of talent that God has given me. It is, however, no coincidence that just I had my greatest message of faith to share with you, I suffered my greatest attack,

I am not on the television with an audience of millions, have a large internet presence nor am I well known.

Yet to the devil I have become a threat. This blog has had thousands of views, for which I am extremely grateful and humbled that God is being heard through me, and I am so grateful for all the support it has received, but it is not the biggest blog out there.

In what I have experienced, you would think this is not the case. You would assume my audience is in the millions and wait upon my posts with bated breath.

I wanted to share this with everyone. So that you may know if you choose God what may lie ahead, and if you have already given your life to Him you will not be alone in battle.

More importantly, I wanted to let you know your prayers for the salvation of others are effective, your messages are being heard, anything you do from a tweet, to a conversation about God with friends or a stranger, all are effective in increasing God's kingdom.

Do not be surprised if you suffer spiritual attacks, yet do not give up, for to give up would mean that the devil succeeds in his mission. We know the battle in eternity has already been won by Jesus, because of what He did for us, but ours is the battle now. Not only are we servants of God but soldiers.

During this time I haven't written anything, I truly did not feel able. The devil had temporarily succeeded in preventing me from fulfilling the purpose that God has chosen for me.

Apart from the vine I was useless.

In this time I had a chance to reflect and remember what life was like before I knew God, on what lay ahead in what He has promised me for my service. Many thoughts raced through my mind competing for my eventual resolution. Should I stop all of this? Should I go back to work and defy what God has told me (yes I am still waiting), thus ending my struggles? Should I just get on with my life and come to God another time when I felt more ready? But to do so wouldn't seem right....There was but one conclusion:

Giving up was not an option.

I choose to serve just as the author of our faith, Jesus Christ, I look toward Him to run this race of endurance (Hebrews 12:1-2). It was He that strengthened me and assured me no weapon formed against me will prosper. That though the battle may intensify God was on my side, though He has brought to this place of waiting and enduring it would all be worth it.

So yes you are an enemy of the devil, but be encouraged knowing that we serve the One to whom all must bow (Philippians 2:10): Jesus Christ, that He is Lord, that greater is He that is in us then he that is in the world. God is in control.

Accept His gift of grace. You're going to have good and bad days, but He will not leave nor forsake you (Deuteronomy 31:6).

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Parents Beware...

Arthur the children's cartoon, in its opening episode, features an openly homosexual marriage.

This is not a frivolous topic, nor should it be thought of as such. I will elaborate on this in a moment. However, we know that modern families encounter the necessity of both parents having to work, due to rising living costs and stagnating income. This means for large portions of the day:

Something or someone else has influence over your children.

Worldly issues are far from the periphery of the life of the believer. They are at the centre. Jesus the author of our faith, said:

“Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”
Mark 2:17 NKJV

As the author of our faith and the best example to us, if His ministry focused on calling sinners to repentence, as the salt and light of the earth, so too shall ours. We cannot relegate ourselves to the pews, surrounding ourselves only with those who are already on the journey.

To extend His kingdom as faithful servants we must claim new territory, glorifying God to those who do not yet know Him.

This is why a Christian voice on controversial issues, though not always wanted, is always warranted.

Yet our responses need work. Is it not written:
A soft answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger.
Proverbs 15:1 NKJV
We have seen that the Pharisee's indignation was often not that the subject matter offended or undermined God, but that it offended and undermined them. More worringly still, there was response was often not rooted in love, but self-exhalting arrogance, misleading those who looked to them to guide and instruct them in the ways of the Lord.
Does this not sound like the judgmental Christian we so often encounter?

So I preface this topic with that introduction, that you may know the intention of my words. At age 28 my concern is slowly pivoting to the next and younger generations. We are all tasked with framing the world in which they will inherit, so we all need to assist in creating an environment where they can brought up and instructed them in the ways of the Lord.
When we do not talk about controversial subjects, we cannot be surprised that the loudest voice wins the argument, and as much as you would like to separate from the world, doing so would mean sacrificing that part of His kingdom to the enemy.

I don't plan these posts, but today I was confronted with an issue that was clearly on the heart of the Father, given how early He brought the verse of the day to my attention, and having logged in afterwards to social media, saw the news about Arthur. These two instances were separated with but a moment.

I previously made a light-hearted post on not being able to watch TV, and noted that even children's television is corrupted by agenda. This should not be too surprising seeing as, though aimed at children, these "programs" are created by adults.

The subtle suggestion that ungodly behaviour is acceptable, is far more dangerous when aimed at children.
Has God not told us:
Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.
Proverbs 22:6 NKJV

And just as we saw when Jesus was tempted in the wildnerness, you may know the word, but so does the devil.

It should come as no surprise then, that he is so interested in your children.
I have learnt that adults are often not capable of mature faith based debate on sexual morality, what hope do children have? Wherever you rest on this spectrum, surely we can all agree that sexuality, in ambiguity or definition, does not belong in a children's cartoon.

The fact is no longer is it just television. We have seen this relentless march of the dilution of the sexes, moving from two well defined genders to a dictionary of arbritary terms flung together, and all manner of sexual ambiguity in society.

Now it is now being subtlely implanted in the consciousness of our children, and in some parts of the world being taught in schools with California's justification that "children in kindergarten and even younger have identified as transgender".
Now we know as believers that ours is not a battle of the flesh (Ephesians 6:12), but the fullness of that discussion is for another time.

What can be seen is that when we do not say anything, the frontlines of the battlegrounds advance inward, slowly allowing ever increasing amounts of ungodly behaviour, to be promoted in ever increasing arenas.

Parents be extremely mindful of what you allow your children to watch, and who you let educate your child!

A child is so impressionable that they pick up language with nothing but observation, mimic your behaviours without you having to tell them to do so. God knows this, this is why He wants you to introduce them to Him as early as possible.
I cannot stress to you how important this is. I have seen the effect of not doing so on some of the young children I have in my life (nieces/nephews etc) you will be surprised what they have normalized before the ages of 6-10.

I remember growing up in the 90s we had 4 channels, one main TV and a smaller one for the kids many years later. Without access to streaming, on demand services, 24/7 channels and a host of other convenience, my parents would struggle to keep up with what we were watching.
How much harder the job today, when its not too long before even the fridge will have a screen and be connected to the internet.

In the school I attended, we were never told that we were a boy or a girl, we just knew! We were always taught that boys and girls were different, there was no controversy and all this in a secular school.

Today the world is a very different place.

This is a stark reminder that you simply cannot trust your children with the world, even with something as ostensibly innocent as a cartoon.

So parents take heed.

Fight for your children, do not be afraid of going into the schools and challenging what they are they teaching your children.

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I've Lost Control of My Blog

I've lost control of this blog.

I never inteded this blog to evolve into what it has become. It is an understatement to say that it has gone in a direction I did not anticipate.

My original title for this blog was "Journey with Christ: My Walk By Faith". Indeed you will find me on Twitter as "@WalkByFaithBlog".

I had it all mapped out in my mind: what the URL was, how it was going to go and the type of content I would write: day-by-day experiences of growing in Christ. It was designed to be a written testimony of my journey of faith, that others may know what its really like, so as not to become discouraged or change their perceptions about what its like to be born again.

If then, this blog was a canvas, I was holding the brush, the paint selected post by post as the illustration was to take shape across time, becoming more complete as I did.

But the URL I wanted was taken. I could not use the name I originally intended, so "I" came up with My Steps Directed inspired by Proverbs 16:9.

Proverbs 16:9 New King James Version (NKJV)
A man’s heart plans his way,
But the Lord directs his steps.

I see the irony now in "me" calling this blog "My Steps Directed" and "me" choosing to base the title on Proverbs 16:9, because that's exactly what has happened.

I didn't lose control of this blog, because I was never in control in the first place. He was.

And as much as I try to inject my will into this, it has evolved more into a written ministry. One which I would never have said I was ready for.
I'm 28 years old, but when it comes to faith I only meaningfully got here like 5 minutes ago, and please just have a look at the breadth of topics on here already!

Thy will be done indeed!

I then, may be holding the brush, but I do not choose the paint nor what to do with it, nor in which direction my hand moves.

He does.

Am I then, but a puppet? Do I then, have no free will?

No. I choose to surrender this blog to Him because it is ultimately for Him.

I wanted to be used by Him, to guide people to Him, as a way of giving thanks. I might have had several ideas about how this should have gone, but who am I that He should be mindful of me (Psalms 8:4)?

I'm used to being in control, so this might not seem like much, but its scary for me.

And you know what? This blog continues to be a wonderful experience. I've been blessed and already "met" some people online I never would have encountered without it. As much as I write this content for others it helps me too. Frankly, His ideas are better than mine anyway, I see now I had nothing to fear.

I am re-learning parts of myself not knowing Him had made me forget. The child like essence, that believed I could do anything, that dared to dream, that knew only of endless possibility.

The Lord directs my steps, not in the way I want them to go, but where He needs me to be, both for my own sake and His plan. I have experienced so much wonderful growth and experiences of God. I am a better person now than I was before.

All because I surrended to Him.

This might sound silly, because its just a blog, but our ways are not His ways. This is what He is using on my journey, this is what He is using to fix the parts of myself I did not even know were broken. Now I am so excited to see what He will do in all areas of my life.

And if He can do all this for my good, through a free blog, think: what can He do in your life if you let Him?

Surrender to God, its the best decision you will ever make.

Whatever it is you are doing, give it to God, let the hand of the creator of the entire universe, bless what you are doing. Better still be prepared to let Him change what you're doing completely.
Whatever ideas you have, He has better ones. Maybe you are limiting yourself and you don't even know it!

Surrender to Him, all things are possible with God! He will resurrect your ability to dream and give you renewed hope. Yes the journey may be painful, nor should you expect instant gratification (I am still in the midst of waiting on Him as I write this) but your life will be better.

If you're feeling a little apprehensive about surrending consider:

A man’s heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps.
A man’s steps are of the Lord ; How then can a man understand his own way?
Proverbs 16:9 NKJV & Proverbs 20:24 NKJV

Apart from Him, you may not even know what you're doing anyway!
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Conversing with LGBTQ People Part 2: Do Christians Hate LGBTQ People?

If you haven't already had a chance to, check out part 1. This was such a big topic, that I felt each post deserved its own section, but appreciating the whole is important.

Christianity preaches hate against LGBT

No Christianity preaches truth.

But not the world's truth.

Truth in the world is manipulated for purpose. We have seen this so many times throughout history, it would take too long to list them all. Contemporarily then, how many news stations are there around the world and yet seemingly, no two can agree on factual events? Should they not all be reporting the same story from the same angle? This would be truth.
Yet news stations are open about their bias, a news channel can be considered conservative for example. That any news station can be considered to sit somewhere along a political spectrum, should send alarm bells ringing.  This effectively signposting that you will struggle to find objectivity on that channel, yet people still watch and cling to what they see as truth. This truth that suits them.

It wasn't always acceptable to be openly homosexual for example, until all of sudden for no real reason at all, it was. "Get with the times they say", so truth is changed by time? Truth changed by time is no truth at all, truth changed by time is agenda. We can say this of all agendas, all are built upon apparent truths until, for no reason at all, they are not truths anymore; because they never were the truth to begin with.

What commonality is there? In the world then the truth is acceptable as truth, but only when it suits. Situational truth. Lying is not OK in the world, but white lies? Hiring lawyers to lie for you? No problem. Our hypocrisy so ingrained within our culture, that it manifests in our common sayings, I wonder if you are familiar with: "Do as I say, not as I do"....you get the idea.

The truth, that is the gospel, is God's truth.

God's truth is consistent, because He is consistent. He is the great I Am. The same yesterday, today and forever more.

That means God's truth can make you feel uncomfortable. Because we are inconsistent, and the consistent truth will force us to confront this inconsistency within us. Our situational truths.

This, however, is not hate. It is simply the truth. If you identify with the LGBT community or find yourself in any manner of sexual immorality, then to remove any ambiguity:

Yes, this is sin.

A Christian called upon to answer this question, should have no reservation explaining it as such, for this is the truth. God's truth.

If you are a member of this community then, this doesn't mean that God hates you. No God loves you! God doesn't like sin because it is not good for us, but you He loves.

Perhaps you are feeling convicted or rejected by this truth, but this should not be confused as hate, nor would I have any satisfaction in making you feel that way. The apostle Paul dealt with something similar:

Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing. For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.
II Corinthians 7:9‭-‬10 NKJV

It is written all had fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:1-26), you don't think being privy to that information, wouldn't have made all who heard/read that uncomfortable? Made them feel convicted? Of course it did, and still does!

God is eternally gracious and merciful, such that conviction doesn't mean condemnation. There is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). Conviction from God is rooted in hope, that is Christ, that we know we can do better because of God's love for us, not feel hopeless. The Holy Spirit prompts us to be better, and we want to do better because sin is not good for us. God allows His truth to make us feel convicted that we may be saved.

So how the truth makes you feel, does not mean there is hate in the truth. God is love, and there is no hate in Him, so you know His truth is simply the truth.

So do not be afraid to speak God's truth, we're not called to be in conformity with the world, but in conformity and aligned to God's will.

But...

Change is Needed

Because clearly something has gone wrong that has led to the widely accepted narrative that Christians preach hate against LGBTQ people.

Read Romans 3:1-23 again, it said all had sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. I am a sinner too, so too are you who reads this. I too lived in sin, no different than a member of this community. I too am stumbling to walk the righteous path.

But I walk. And keep walking, keep changing, keep striving to be better. Knowing that He works all things for my good because I love Him. Knowing that even if I fall short of His glory, His mercy endures forever (Psalms 136). I walk in the hope that is Christ knowing I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13).  If this is true for me so too is it for members of the LGBTQ community.

That should give us humility that we can give a gentle answer to turn away wrath, and avoid harsh words that stir up anger (Proverbs 15:1). That doesn't mean do not speak the truth, it simply means remember that the greatest gift is love (1 Corinthians 13), and freely as you have received, freely shall you give (Matthew 10:8).

Part 3 coming soon!


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Conversing with LGBTQ People Part 1: The Acceptance Question

Moderate members of this community often ask if what they are doing is acceptable, a sin, or simply want to know your opinion. The more activist members of this community may be more staunch in their response, simply stating that they are not in sin and do not see an issue.

Questions on sexual morality are surely one of the most asked questions in faith, and no doubt as a believer eventually you will be asked too. Maybe you have a friend or know a member of this community? Or maybe you end up involved in a discussion on social media, or whilst you're evangelising.

Before you enter that discussion ask yourself what is the purpose of their question?

Searching for Acceptance

Firstly, whose acceptance are they seeking? If they are seeking the acceptance of man, in man-made institutions, there is a seperate forum for that discussion and progress in that arena.  Nor can they force your acceptance of them on you, you do not need to conform to the world.

But what if they, (or maybe you are a member of this community and are reading this post, so if you) are looking for acceptance from God, then I believe we should start here:

There is no institution, nor person, on this earth that can make you right with God, that is to make you righteous.

Let me be more explicit. This means you cannot sit in the pews of a church that endorses your lifestyle and be saved. Jesus has already told us that would be as the blind leading the blind for both will fall into a pit (Matthew 15:14). Nor can a pastor, preacher, celebrity, friend, anyone purporting to be of the faith in any guise, tell you that you are saved and you are righteous, and that make it so. If you commit a crime on earth and bump into a stranger on the street, and they tell you not to worry about it, when you step in front of the judge will justice still not be served?

That should not instill fear, God is a faitful merciful judge and He loves you, but He is a judge nonetheless.

It is your faith that makes you righteous (Romans 4:1-5). Your faith in God.

So when a member of this community asks the question "Do you believe what I am doing is sin?", what are they looking for? Their salvation is not dependent upon anyone on this earth rubber stamping their lifestyle, as with any other sin. God is the judge, Him and Him alone.

Salvation is based upon believing in your heart and confessing with your mouth that Jesus is Lord; He resurrected and overcame death (Romans 10:9-10) to atone for our sin.

Understand, however, this is where the journey begins not ends.

When you do this, you start your walk along the narrow path to salvation (Matthew 7:13-14). That sounds scary to call it a narrow path, but remember you have eternal grace and mercy from our most faithful and wonderful God, and there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1).

God did this to allow for your stumblings as you put off your former self, and put on the clothes of righteousness.

It is written:

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. - 2 Corinthians 5:17

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, you accept your old lifestyle fell short of the glory of God, and it passes away. You become a new creation in Christ by accepting Him as Lord becoming dead to sin and alive unto righteousness (Romans 6:11). It is therefore an impossibility, that you truly accept Jesus as Lord and continue living the way you did before, in its entirety.

That mean that you will have to sacrifice some parts of the old you to become new. God doesn't want you to completely forsake all aspects of your life and personality when you are born again, no, rather to refine you He wants you to forsake your sin. Uprooting what was not of Him (Matthew 15:14), and planting His fresh seed in fertile ground.

And yes its hard, this whole blog is about my stumblings! But if I can do it, anyone can.

You will change, but for the better.

In Conclusion

I truly believe in most instances members of this community are looking for acceptance for who they are and what they do, that you can never give them. So before even entering the discussion, ask them why are they asking you this question?

If they are looking for God's acceptance through me, I answer as I have in this post. Its a very long winded way of saying "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness" (Matthew 6:33).

Simply put you can't give God's acceptance to them. No one can but God Himself.

Do your best to encourage them towards the Light, as always. Its a journey. You can't force them to forsake their old ways by being judgmental, but encourage them to grow in relationship with Jesus such that they relinquish sin willingly.

Yet remind them, God doesn't need us to be perfect that we may come to Him, nor does He expect perfection once we do, but He does want us to submit to His will and live a life pleasing to Him.

But its a privilege to walk the narrow path, just be prepared to change along the way.

(Part 2)
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I'm Saved...Now I Can't Even Watch TV!

To be honest I feel like this post is so overdue. God has been teaching me many things at such a pace, that this has gotten lost somewhat. Yet as I wait on His promise to me, coming to fruition in the physical (watch this sermon by TD Jakes if you're also waiting on a promise from God), I have been faced with a new challenge.

What exactly am I supposed to do with myself?

There are many times throughout the day when, frankly, I have no idea what to do!

Before you're saved theres a lot of things you can do ( I stress can because it does not mean you should do them), largely in your ignorance, but once you're saved....not so much.

See...there is a plethora of things in this world birthed in writers' rooms, expressed through scripts and imagination, that is just not pleasing to God. But we consume this content. Now however, before I go anywhere near a remote or frankly any device with an internet connection (I feel so sorry for parents for this reason, that must be terrifying!), I have to ask myself: "is what I am about to watch pleasing and acceptable to God?".

Now I have never been glued to a TV set, nor relied exclusive on one for my entertainment, but every now and again pre-saved me would like to sit down, relax and watch something that made me laugh or a story I could get lost in. Something like Damages, Brooklyn 99, The League, Gotham...you get the idea.

Now though?

Including all of the above, let's go through a quick list of things I can no longer watch:

Obvious things like horror movies of any kind (even spoofs!), never ever been the type of thing I would watch anyway so no great loss. Rant warning: to be honest I'm not even sure why these exist anyway! Who is sitting there dreaming up this stuff and then selling it for the purpose of entertainment? To be honest look no further for evidence that the flesh is a bit weird, understanding people get enjoyment dreaming up and then watching demons.

Warning to all: the above is demonic and to be avoided and frankly even if you aren't saved yet stay extremely far away from this stuff, you have no idea what you are inviting into your life.

TV shows like Power, Narcos, and any one of numerous law enforcement focused violent shows and their spinoffs of spinoffs (NCIS, Criminal Minds, Law and Order I'm looking at you).

But it also extends to what you would think to be innocent things, like cartoons and children's shows. My gosh! I'm frankly shocked at how many adult themes there are in children's TV shows, no wonder they call it "programming", there is nothing more dangerous than the subtlety of suggestion. These children are growing up believing ungodly behaviour is a) normal and b) to be sought after! (But this is probably a rant for another post).

But if you are a parent seriously watch what you let your kids well....watch!

So finally, I thought maybe I've found something...Parks and Recreation. So I skip season 1 thinking its a slow burner, I turn on season 2 episode 1 about a penguin wedding. Sounds like some harmless comedy right?

Wrong!

5 minutes in the penguins have had their wedding and start mating, then we discover.....both are male....Seriously?!!? Was this needed for the story? You mean you couldn't find a way to make this funny without sprinkling some sexual immorality on top?! AND there are children on the screen watching and no doubt young impressionable minds who won't see anything wrong with this!

All of these shows promote behaviour that the Spirit is not in agreement with and He makes it known.

Ultimately, God loves us and wants us to stay away from things which are not good for us. Not watching these type of shows is good for me. No matter how strong willed you believe you are, you have no idea what seeds are being sown by what you are watching.

Even if you are not saved and you have just clicked on this blog for the title, reflect on what are you watching. It's not just obvious things like the above but think:

Has watching these shows influenced you in any way?
In the way you saw women if you are a man, or men if you are a woman?
What about how you saw relationships?
Did it make you want for a lifestyle so much, that you hated your own?
Did you end up feeling inadequate because your body didn't measure up to what you are seeing? (men as well as women!)
If you are in a relationship, did anything make you look at your partner differently? Or even made you treat them differently?
Or if you're single did it make you feel like you had to be with someone, anyone, because theres something wrong with you if you're alone?

So I don't lament not being able to watch these shows, I lament that His influence is not felt by those who create them.

I lament the fact that there are so many captive in the world and TV is being used as a device to keep them there. I lament that the state of affairs is so bad that you cannot even turn on a children's cartoon without finding a hidden agenda.

If you are a creator of your own content I want to challenge you to ask God if He is happy with what you have made/are making. Invite Jesus into your life and see how your creativity will flourish!

As for me? I'm sticking to my safe territory: sports and cars.

BTW before you suggest reading, as I will tell you shortly, books can be just as bad.

(PS please comment below if you know of anything safe to watch!)

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Waiting on God: Overcoming Frustration with Faith

I love this picture.

I love this picture because it communicates a frustration I used to have in my daily life.

Waiting on the train.

Now that was an exercise in patience! Delay after delay, and when it finally turned up there were no seats left, people would all rush and push to get in so desperate to get to a job, that I'm willing to speculate most of them didn't even like! Let me go further, I was rushing and pushing to go to a job that I didn't even like!

I should add, at that time I thought that was an exercise in patience.

Yet that was no exercise in patience....no no. That was child's play.

Patience when you have an electronic board updating you minute by minute with the progress of the train, is no exercise in patience at all, managing frustration? Perhaps, but patience certainly not. And some of you may be ready to fervently disagree, but this I tell you, that was the patience of my flesh - this kind of patience will fail you it is totally inadequate when it comes to waiting on God. (the Bible is so full of these examples I cannot even begin to quote them!).

Now I find myself waiting on a promise from God, one where I do not know the minute nor the hour nor even the day. One where there is no update, there is no person to consult on alternative methods of travel. There is but One who controls the timing. On this journey I am on, I realise this is a test. This is about Godly patience, a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22).

I wrote a post on how much faith do you have where I articulated that its easy to say you believe in God within the realm of your understanding, dealing in the physical and what you can see, but would you still be able to believe in Him when your circumstances defied your understanding?

I have been waiting on God on a promise for a while now, (8 weeks or so without work or pay...yikes!) and previously when I spoke about this, I spoke about how frustrating it can be. Though I have grown since then the recognition of everything I have written about in this post, doesn't mean I don't suffer moments of frustration.

This then is my test. God is asking me a question. What do you believe in more? Me or your circumstances? It is written "not by might nor by power, but by the Spirit of God" (Zachariah 4:6) but do you believe this? Do you actually believe there is nothing outside of the scope of My power?

In essence God is asking me how much faith do you have?

Praise God for He is worthy of praise! Because He has built me up to this point that I may learn this lesson, for my own good. For how do I grow in relationship with God without Him increasing my faith? How do I get to a stage where I can say "I walk by faith not by sight" (2 Corinthians 5:7) unless He puts me in these situations?

So here is what I have learned. Give in to faith.

The Spirit and the flesh are contrary to one another (Galatians 5:17), so ultimately God is telling me to make a choice. He has said I have told you to "be still and know I am God", I have given you the gift of the Holy Spirit for believing in my Son. I have taken you on a journey and taught you along the way, now choose. Will you believe in me or what your eyes have seen, which can never see me?

My answer?

I choose believing in God.
I choose His word, and His Word, to give me the peace that I need to wait on Him.
I choose to be thankful to God even when I don't understand.
I choose to wait patiently not knowing the minute, hour or day because its a privilege to wait.
I choose to cast down every argument and high thing that exalts itself above the knowledge of God (2 Corinthians 10:5) including what I think.

Because peace is so much better than anxiety:
I choose my faith over my frustration.

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The Weight of Destiny

Ecclesiastes 1:9 New King James Version (NKJV)

9 That which has been is what will be,

That which is done is what will be done,

And there is nothing new under the sun.

I find myself struggling today.

In the world the saying goes "be careful what you wish for, because you just might get it". This in itself speaks to something strange about the human condition. 

You can be given precisely what you want thus satisfying that desire, which should be a good thing, yet encounter some self-inflicted problems as a result. 

I find this to be the problem. I have long been searching for my purpose in life, a question common to many, I searched in many places before I knew God. Exploring my interests and talents, trying many different careers and yet did not find my purpose or fulfilment in those things. 

Now I have a relationship with God, I asked Him. And, kind of to my surprise. He told me.....

God has revealed to me what His purpose is for my life. This should be a tremendous blessing, yet instead of jubilation, I today felt the gravity of own decision making.

We are not to fear anything but God, yet if there is one thing that scares me the most, it is this:

Unfulfilled potential.

Potential is the scariest word in the dictionary, because the difference between your potential and your achievement is down to you. 

Therefore, you cannot underachieve if you do not know your potential and there is a solace in that. It becomes that much easier to reconcile my position in life if I do not know the fullness of what I could achieve.

Now I could have a hunch or human judgement about my potential, but humans are fallible beings. Even if you told me I should be great, if it doesn't pan out I can rest on the solace of phrases like "it just wasn't meant to be".

Yet now God has told me what He sees for me (at least in part). Infallible God. Alpha and Omega, knowing the beginning from the end has told me what He wants me to do.

This then has caused the evolution of potential into something far weightier still.

Expectation.

Gone is the solace of "it just wasn't meant to be" and has been replaced with the uncomfortable potential truth of "I just didn't live up to His expectation". 

And I am terrified.

And the craziest thing about all this? I asked for it. Be careful what you wish for indeed!

The wisdom of Ecclesiastes 1:9, gives hope, I know this is a sign I need to grow spiritually, and I will do what I have learned to do along this journey. 

Turn to the word of God and I will be sure to post a follow up to this once I have the answer.

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He Is Risen! Do you want a new start?

Matthew 28:6 New King James Version (NKJV)

6 He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.

Rejoice for He Is Risen!

Previously I wrote about the sadness you can feel on Good Friday, understanding the humiliation and pain Jesus suffered on his way to, and on, the cross.

But that wasn't the end of the story....Celebrate for He Is Risen!

Yet...why should we celebrate? If you are new to faith you may not know what He did for us on the cross, or why His resurrection is significant:

Romans 6:4-9 New King James Version (NKJV)

4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

5 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be [a]done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. 7 For he who has died has been [b]freed from sin. 8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him.

2 Corinthians 5:17 New King James Version (NKJV)

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

Jesus died that we may be reconciled with the Father and have a new beginning. 

Often times in life, people relocate to different homes, towns, or even countries for a fresh start; I have done the same when I was younger. Before I left my father told me: "Be careful when you are trying to have a new start, that you are not bringing old problems. Make sure what you are really not trying to run away from is you."

This is so true. I have made plenty of mistakes in life, but I thank Jesus that He saw me through, even before I really knew Him! Maybe you're feeling like you are coming out the other side, or perhaps you still in the midst of the storm, where you are still dealing with some of the consequences of some previous decisions. 

God loves you just as you are. You haven't made a mistake too terrible for Him to redeem. Jesus came for you too. He does not require you to do anything before you come to Him.

Maybe you're tired of your current situation, feel like you're in a rut, or you know its time for to make a change. Jesus gave the world hope and a new beginning in the resurrection. The good news? 

You can have a new start too.

Below is a simple and effective prayer to make Jesus the Lord of your life and have a new beginning. When you do, take the time to meditate and truly believe in Him and His power. 

Then say out loud:

Lord Jesus,

I believe in the resurrection,

I believe that you rose again,

Come into my heart,

I repent of my sin,

I make you my Lord and Saviour.

Amen.

(Scripture to back this up)

Romans 10:9-10 New King James Version (NKJV)

9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Understand that Jesus lives on the inside of us, who believe in Him. He is eternal and alive and well today, touching lives just as He did when He was incarnate on earth. 

If you did as the scripture says and prayed that simple prayer, you have started your walk of faith.

Congratulations!

Download a free Bible app like YouVersion or any you prefer; maybe you prefer a hard copy? Get a Bible at your local bookstore. Pray that God that He leads you on this walk and He will guide you faithfully.

Glory to God! Hallelujah! Praise His name for it is worthy to be praised!